Extinct

Chapter 5: Wounds

I kept moving as back as I could but I knew sooner or later he would pounce on me and my life would be over. I didn't want it to end this way, I wanted it to end with me leaving this world with a purpose. if I was leaving this world, I'm not leaving without a fight.

I kicked up to his reflex point in his knee and he fell when he got close enough to me. I took his bow and arrow and stuck one of them in his throat. this was my first kill. I didn't know what to feel, everything that I did was in the heat of the moment. my head was everywhere, I killed someone... I ended my life. I was trying to grasp my surroundings and what I had just done but I didn't have any time. I saw the guy that I had initially made unconscious get up and aim his gun at Nick who was getting up slowly still recovering. I didn't even have to think twice about my decision, everything was on instinct at that moment.

I yelled out " NICK" as I ran to him and pushed him out of the way of the gun when I heard a shot. a massive pain ran through my abdomen and realized he got me. nick yelled out " NO " and grabbed the bow and arrow and shot the man perfectly in the chest which made me even more surprised on how Nick knew how to do that but I wouldn't question it now with the pain I'm in.

Nick let out a sigh of relief but the worried look on his face came back immediately when his eyes set on me again.

"Alex!" he exclaimed while he came next to me and knelt to my level. He grabbed me by my underarms and pulled me to a sitting position with my head resting on his chest. he looked down at my abdomen and ran his hand next to my wound to examine the damage done. I hissed in pain as soon as he got to the sensitive part and as a reflex, I clutched his shirt in a ball with my hand

" Sorry," he said while shifting his body so I could be more comfortable

" don't be. how did you learn how to do that?" I said a bit breathless and weak. the pain was excruciating and I was probably going to pass out soon but I held my own knowing it would not be the best place to faint here.

Nick looked at me for a few seconds before looking at my leg again and said " the bullet only grazed you but you have shrapnel stuck in your abdomen, we need to find shelter for me to treat it, come on I'll help you up" completely ignoring my question.

Nick stood up and started lifting me slowly from my waist but I quickly stopped him.

" no don't, you're hurt, Nick"

" I'll be fine, the arrow didn't hit any nerves I can tell, it's you we should be worrying about, you're losing a lot of blood, come on, before we attract even more attention than we already have." 

Nick stood up carefully and pulled the arrow out of him with a grunt of pain, blood immediately started pouring out of him but that didn't phase him either. instead, he went to our bags and pulled out a set of bandages and quickly wrapped his arm up so the bleeding would stop.

" I'll clean it properly when we find shelter," he said and knelt to me to quickly wrap up my abdomen wound to stop the blood flowing and to not get an infection.

" come on, up you get" Nick held me by my waist and pulled me up slowly and steadily until I regained my footing. I was in a lot of pain but refused to show it since nick didn't even make a big deal about pulling an arrow out of his arm. I needed to show him I could easily handle this too and not even a bullet wound would slow me down. 

" put your arm around my shoulder, it'll make it easier to walk" nick instructed me to do and I obeyed him since I figured out he knew what he was talking about which opened a conversation that needed to take place between me and him. Maybe I was wrong to judge him, I didn't know everything about his past after all. I put my arm around his shoulder with a small wince and kept the other hand on the bandages to keep them in place.

as soon as I got up I felt myself fall back down I knew that eventually, I was going to fall into unconsciousness I need to stay strong I knew Nick couldn't carry me I had to push just a little further. Nick struggled with our bags but she still managed to hold my study. with every passing minute, my vision was getting blurrier and blurrier. the pain I was in was excruciating my hand was filled with my own blood and then I knew I had lost a lot that I wouldn't regain anytime soon. I needed to stay alive I didn't come this far just to fall apart so quickly I need to push on all I've ever wanted was to help the world I need to finish my mission before I could say goodbye even if I don't get to see the next day.

I didn't feel like I was working anymore it felt like I was floating my energy was leaving my own body no matter how much I tried to keep my eyes open but it wasn't worth it. My movements became sloppy and my hold on Nick became very loose I felt shut down I blinked once twice and by the third time. I didn't open my eyes again.

Third Person point of view :

Nick was trying his hardest to find even the little is a bit of shelter but it was no use everything around them was destroyed and shattered to the ground. it was getting colder by the night and he knew I had to find a place soon if Alex is going to survive. even though Nick didn't show it he was worried about Alex he tried to console in her and telling her that they were going to find shelter soon and she had nothing to worry about that she wasn't paying attention to him he could see the pain she was in was hard and probably was not paying attention to him he wanted to help but knew he couldn't until they find and someplace warm.

Alex was very strong and even impressed by how strong she was keeping herself together a wound like that would have made a person weak for sure but he can see that she wasn't trying to show it. you always looked at her now and then to make sure she stays awake but she was getting weaker by the minute and I knew he needed to improvise a shelter for them to stay in for the night.

they kept on walking for quite a while until next or something in the distance he squinted his eyes to make sure that what he was saying was true he saw an abandoned apartment falling apart but still good enough for rest he smiled and almost let out a laugh of gratitude and looked at Alex to tell her that they found somewhere easy to start a fire and to help her with her wound but as soon as he looked at her you saw her face paler than ever and called out to her once twice even three times but no response he tried shaking her but sooner felt her arm around her shoulder was getting weak and soon she let go and fell to the ground making painful noises and trying to stay quiet.

Nick point of view: 

As soon as I looked away for that one second she just collapsed on the filthy ground, unconscious and barely breathing. I knew she lost a lot of blood but I may have underestimated her situation. I bent down to her level on one knee and grabbed her face in my hands. She looked so small and fragile, I wanted nothing more than to protect her with my life. This was an emotion that I never felt before, my past taught me to only take care of myself, but now, things have changed. I've grown close to Alex, there was something there. she was so determined to fight, it's like she's been used to doing this all her life and she doesn't know any other way. I started shaking her face with my hands and moving it side to side but it was no use. She was losing more colour from her face and her breathing had gotten shallower.

" Alex, hold on, okay? stay with me" I have never meant anything more in my entire life.

I had to move her quickly but gently, so I bent over and slid one hand under her waist and the other under her legs and lifted her like a delicate flower knowing that one wrong move can break her easily. My arm was indeed in pain and I knew I had to treat my arm soon or else infection could occur. Although I knew this it was the last thing on my mind, the only thing that mattered was helping Alex. Maybe her being unconscious was a good thing, she didn't have to deal with the pain. 

every step to the abandoned building was agonizing, I couldn't carry her for long as I knew my arm couldn't take much strain even though she was surprisingly light as a feather. Alex started pain mumbling which indicated she was going to wake up sooner than I anticipated. I put her down gently next to some broken furniture outside of the building and started finding some other furniture for me to start a fire. I got the first aid kit out of my bag hoping I packed enough supplies for what was a need and approached Alex carefully not wanting to surprise her. As soon as I reached her I started lifting her top to properly deal with the wound but she quickly let out a moan of pain and opened her eyes slowly to see what she has missed. a part of me was happy that she woke up but the other part of me was guilty since I knew now she was going to go through a lot of pain. 

I'll take care of you Alex, I Promise.