Young Writers Society

Protect her. Protect the town. His vision had gone completely black but those two thoughts echoed and pounded in his mind. He thought he'd dropped unconscious. But suddenly he felt the pain in his body once again and he could feel his vision returning, allowing him to finally process his surroundings.

He stood directly over June? Blake's legs trembled violently but he would not allow them to collapse beneath him. Slowly, he turned his head around and looked behind him.

Puter was there, standing in front of him. Barely, however. Blake's eye widened with shock as he realized his attacker was missing an entire arm, and a massive gash stretched from a shoulder to his opposite side. Puter himself glared at Blake with a look of dismay. Oddly, there was no indication in his face, body language, or voice that he was in any pain. Not only that, but it seemed he did not bleed either.

The man straightened a little and calmly reached for the stub where his arm was, and stared. Blake could not believe his eyes. This awful injury garnered no reaction at all other than a simple glare?

Furthermore...had Blake done that to him? How? Something was very wrong here. Just what the hell was Puter?

"You filthy insect."

The moment Puter's eyes met Blake's, the latter froze without a second thought. He couldnt move a single muscle, nor would his body dare relax enough to collapse. His heart pounded harder than ever as a true terror and dread settled over his head. He thought he might stop breathing after seconds of unbroken eye contact.

Puter finally lowered his chin and stumbled back a bit. Blake gasped with horror and disbelief as air finally rushed into his lungs again.

"This will require time to regenerate. Unthinkable." Puter again hatred at Blake, though not as intensely as before. "I am left with no choice but to retreat. Pathetic for the both of us it seems."

For him, too? Hadn't Blake won though?

"No matter. Your beloved home will still perish in due time. Those residing in the very sanctuary below is will not survive long. Relish your victory today; you have still lost."

Puter turned around, though not completely, and slowly walked towards the nearest ledge. He climbed atop, and simply dropped off with no hesitation, before Blake could even call out. After staring wide-eyed into the bland and empty scenery for sometime, Blake eventually snapped and looked around in utter shock. The sky was painted this horrid yellow color, and rain may or may not have been on the way. The wind whistled an eerie tune, and all was silent.

In a moment of panic Blake looked downwards. June's chest still rose and fell; it wasn't very slow, but it didn't appear normal either. Although...did she have a little more color and a little less tension in her face than before?

All the imminent threats seemed to he gone now, he realized. Soon as he did Blake's legs crumpled beneath him, and he could not cushion himself as he fell right next to June. One side of his face plastered into the ground, causing him to unleash a rather loud and unpleasant groan. He saw June facing upward, and her eyes still had not opened.

Blake's body went completely numb as the shock and adrenaline very slowly began wearing off. The panic also subsided, but was replaced by waves of pain coursing through every inch of his body, even his head. Most notably, the aches felt strongest in his side, shoulders, and one of his hands. He wheezed so hard he thought his lungs might fail right then and there.

But...June was safe. She breathed slowly, but it was stronger than when he first saw her on the rooftop. Her face was no longer contorted in pain, and if not for her thin appearance she could have been mistaken as just a heavy sleeper.

"It...worked. Some...somehow...I'm...glad..."

Suddenly he touched something, and realized that his hand had grabbed one of hers. Her fingers did not respond, but he did not care. He could just barely feel a heartbeat there, and though he wasn't a doctor he was sure of one thing.

Thank God. She'll survive.

His mind whirled about but he'd lost focus, and while continuing to clutch June's hand he soon drifted into unconsciousness.

Something caught in his throat, sudden enough to wake him up. Blake coughed a few times, spitting up some more blood. A jolt came over his chest but it was somewhat bearable. He twisted his head, and June still lay on the ground next to him, her breath slow but still present.

How much time had passed? Blake's gaze shifted as he looked up at the sky. It seemed like daytime still? The overcast clouds made it hard to pinpoint the exact time. At the very least, some hours must have passed. He closed his eyes again, wanting to rest his weary body just a little longer. The pangs and aches didn't feel as strong as before but he was sure he would feel them soon as he moved.

But, June needs attention. And I guess I probably do too.

With a half-hearted and exhausted groan, Blake slowly pushed his upper body off the ground using his hands. Both arms trembled and he thought they might give due to the weakness, but he persevered and continued the push. At last he was in a position to pull up a knee, then the other, and very carefully he could sit up.

A fierce burning ran down his back, and Blake panicked within seconds. He soon realized a fiery sensation came over only when he moved, and so he breathed a sigh of relief.

As carefully as he could manage, Blake reached for June and twisted around a few times so he could somewhat carry her on his back. She wasn't all that heavy, but the muscles in his legs were nearly shot.

"Come on, just bring her down one floor," he ordered to himself. With his best friend now in tow, a weighty and limp form resting on his back and arms draped over his shoulders, Blake began making his way to the rooftop door that stood some yards away.

Something glinted on the ground nearby, leading Blake to make eye contact with the scythe. But he shook his head immediately and continued towards the door. Forget it, he thought. That's not important right now.

It took every ounce of his energy for Blake just to push open the door once he reached it. He unleashed a loud grunt as he did so, until he could get himself and June safely through. But once his eyes gazed upon the descending steps circling along the walls, he froze. Could he even get down a single step by himself, let alone the both of them?

He had to, for both their sakes. After a few big, deep breaths of air, Blake stepped down onto the first step. Aching overcame both his legs, but so far so good, so he went for the next step. One of June's feet suddenly slipped forward, causing her whole weight to shift. Blake had to jump down a few more steps just to catch her unharmed.

In the process, a fire seared through his legs that prevented him from fully straight; it was all he could do to keep from collapsing right then and there. His breath quickened and his vision grew fuzzier with every passing second. He thought he might lose his balance.

Don't think about the pain, he pushed inwardly. Focus. Don't black out. Think about June. You can do this, you have to do this.

Whether through sheer willpower or just luck, the pain in his legs lessened. Barely however, but it allowed him to bring them both down to the next floor below. But reaching the door, he found it locked. Despite the trembling in his body he mustered all his strength to bring them down to the next below that without much issue.

Blake reached the second door and pushed. Not locked.

He barely noticed the high-pitched squeaking of the door when Blake entered the hospital hallway with June on his back. Flurries of yells and frantic chatter echoed all around him. Many hospital staff and patients he could observe were running about in rooms far ahead of him. Most of the lights flickered on and off, distorting his already fuzzy vision even more.

Thinking quickly, and realizing his body would give out soon, Blake stumbled forward. He found a corner near a reception desk, and very gently set the unconscious June on the floor, making sure she was propped up against the wall in a way where she couldn't fall. He was close enough and still enough to get a better look at her now.

Her skin had regained some of its usual color, to his astonishment. Matter of fact, she appeared quite peaceful as though she only slept any trouble away. Something about the calm stillness of her face sent a massive wave of relief coursing through Blake, and for a brief moment all his pain numbed and his body felt lighter than air.

A distant but loud crackling of a light fixture pulled him back to reality. Blake stood up, barely, and stumbled away. He walked around one corner, then another. He could not see June but was close enough to hear anything or anyone that might approach her. He waited there not moving a muscle. And he did not have to wait very long.

"Hang on, that's my patient! What's she doing here on this floor?"

Blake peeked around the corner and noticed a couple of nurses standing around where he'd left June.

"Wait a moment." One of them bent down, a quizzical furrow in his brow. "She didn't have this much color on her face before." The nurse lifted his hand out, and glanced at his watch for a while. "Pulse almost seventy. That's impossible!"

"Is she in some kind of recovery?" the other nurse asked.

"I don't know, but we need to get her in a room. Do we have any supplies available for blood draws and tests?"

"I'll...I'll look for some undamaged ones."

"Be careful of the debris."

Blake sighed with the utmost relief. He wasn't crazy. She would be okay. He just couldn't believe his crazy idea had actually worked. There was no reason to think it would, but it did. Now he could relax, now he could-

Sink.

Blake had no idea when his legs gave way beneath him, but he was on the floor now, and leaned up against the wall at least. He did not wish to move, nor stand. Needle-like sensations wreathed his entire body, and simultaneously he felt completely numb. His mind too. His vision was now so fuzzy he could barely see the flickering of the hospital lights.

Every part of him was drained, and he welcomed the darkness of unconsciousness as he closed every one of his senses to the surrounding world.