Never As We Imagined
Chapter FIVE - Sanctuary
I sucked in air heavily, I had been doing this for a while...
“One, Two, Three...” I said out loud, my hands clasped over each other, they were stained velvet, it sickened me inside knowing that most of it wasn’t even my blood... worry flooded my mind... is this how it’s going to end?
FLASHBACK
“QUICK! Get the UV torches on NOW” I yelled
i spun around to alert the girls of the incoming attack when I noticed almost in slow motion a black shadow fly past my head followed closely by bits of splintered wood.
It was too late.
The door forced open blowing me and Whetu forward past Leah and Tequila towards the back wall, we hit hard leaving holes in the browned plaster. I was dazed... I could barely hear over the sound of one thousand wings now quickly filling the room... “AHHHH!”
... My eyes widened.
I got to my feet pulling myself together; I saw Whetu was already making wild slashes at the shredwings and flashes of light seeped through gaps in the thick black cloud swarming around the room “Shit” I thought “I’m completely vulnerable!” I grabbed my dad’s knife from my side sheath and started making wild slashes at the cloud trying to desperately cling onto life.
I don’t remember how long I was fighting for or even if I was actually hitting those flying beasts... I only remember my heart beating so hard that it hurt, my ears deafened by the noise, my bloodlust cry lost... drowned out, my arms getting weary and my lungs screaming for air. I no longer knew what was happening, what to think or how to react...
All I felt was Fear.
The noise died down...
I open my eyes in what seemed like both the longest time in my life and the shortest, the girls were on their knees covered in fleshy tears, not many large ones but many small cuts... I scanned the room; hundreds of dead shredwings lay on the floor, smoke drifting of their charred bodies, the lights pointed towards the hole in the wall where our barrier once stood.
I fell onto my side in exhaustion wincing in pain from the impact... i lay there in silence wondering how we had just survived... all of us...
...my eyes shot open.
“WHETU!” I said crawling to my feet and rushing over to the unresponsive object lying face down on the ground, blood pooled around his torso. “Leah! Get over here!” I called in desperation; I flipped my friend over so that I could examine the extent of his wound... he wasn’t breathing. Leah slid down beside him “Start CPR while I work on this!”She said with urgency, I sat there wondering if this was real, my last friend was dying right in front of me... “what do I do?”
“Aaron! Focus!” She called loudly in my ear.
“...TWENTY NINE, THIRTY!”
I counted the compressions out loud how I had been taught, went down and gave two breaths then started compressions again, I wondered whether he was even alive or not , Leah was setting cloths around the piece of wood that sat of to the left side of his stomach impaling deep into his midsection, she stopped to tell Tequila to get something from her bag... I couldn’t hear her though, words and numbers just echoed in my head...
“1...5...10...15...20...25...30... Two breaths” that went on for the most tense few minutes of my life
“Don’t give up on us bro”.
‘Kila came back with a briefcase sized bag and pulled out a small hand sized Defib unit, Leah pushed me back and proceeded to hook the gel pads up to Whetu’s chest , the electronic voice commanded for everyone to stand clear.
“Com’on bro.... you can’t fucking break your promise to us!”
*Beep*
Whetus body shook slightly from the shock
"Unsucsessful fribulation, press flashing button"
*Beep*
Again Whetus body shook
"Unsucsessful fribulation, press flashing button"
*Beep*
Whetus body shook once more... i held my breath...
....”Normal heart rhythm acquired, seek medical attention immediately” the robotic voice commanded.
The room fell silent.
Time seemed to have stopped at that moment; there was no sound, no movement. Everyone was still, I looked around at the room, tears flowed from Leah and Tequilas eyes, my sight blurred but i quickly wiped any would-be tears. I stood up and walked up to the massive hole in front wall picking up Longsword and my dad’s knife on the way over.
“Patch him up.... Leah” I said, my voice wavering “Well move him in the room and barricade the hallway door.”
“Ok”
The wood creaked as I stuck my hand and pushed it out of the way, I grabbed my knife out and tested the tip against my thumb, I pushed hard and it broke my skin like it was paper, blood oozed from the small cut. I watched as the blood trickled to the end of my thumb and fell down to my shirt...
My whole body was in pain, I examined my clothes and the state of my skin; my clothes were torn beyond repair, no longer fulfilling their intended purpose of keeping me warm, I looked at the parts of my body where I felt pain... Cuts and gashes and blood seemed to cover every inch of my exposed skin. My attention turned to the pile of bodies piled up on the front porch.
“Hrrrnnngggg.... hrrrnnngggg”
I extended the blade quickly and precisely towards the corpse that was stupid enough to reveal its presence to me. I continued to do so to all the bodies I could see, stabbing and slicing at the rotting heads finally allowing them their eternal rest... not that I really cared what happened to them.
“Ok he’s all patched up, Leah’s in the room with him, he’s still asleep though.” Tequila explained “We should start barricading the hall now.”
“Yeah” I said wearily turning around “It’s close to dawn so well move him to the next safe house we can find when he wakes up, I’ll stay up and keep guard... you guys go have some rest ok” I nodded slightly towards the hallway, she was in no state to argue, i watched as she stumbled over a few bits of wood and leant against the wall “Are you sure?” she said.
“Yeah... wait... no...” Tequila looked at me with a look of confusion “huh what are yo-” I quickly silenced her “Sssshhh!... Do you hear that?” I said as my eyes widened and I started panicking “Quickly! Get your lance!” I yelled with panic lacing my every word.
“HHHHRRRRNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!!!”
END Chapter FIVE
END Chapter FIVE
