Dead Ringer *Watty 2016*

Hidden

Larkin awoke with a violent cough, a layer of thick gray dust having settled over her.  Her ears were still ringing and her hearing was poor.  Her body ached everywhere and breathing seemed to be a challenge but she still forced herself to sit up.  Then she paused to cough up a gray glob of rock dust and explosive soot.  Near her lay three mangled officials, each one more dented and destroyed than the last.  The two whom she had never met before were clearly blasted metal now but thick nearly black blood oozed from the strangers head.  "Briar," her mind began to scream all at once.

She slowly and with great pain turned her head towards the wall of the cave that they had blown out.  That's when she saw the three large bodies running towards her, feeling defenseless she willed them to attack, willed them to finish the job that she had started herself, but as they got closer their shapes became more familiar.

Archer galloped to her saying things that her ears could not pick up in their damaged state.  She reached for him and her wrapped his arm around her, pulling her to her tender and sore feet.  "Briar," she managed to gasp between coughs and bouts of sharp pain.

The other two boys began to look amongst the rubble as Archer helped Larkin along.  Just as they were nearing the edge of the mess Larkin saw a hand poking from the rocks, she reached for it, almost collapsing as her fingers grasped around the other girls.  Archer barked something at the boys and they ran, ready to dig Briar out when Larkin pulled the hand free of the rocks, revealing that it was attached to nothing.  Horrified looks crossed everyone's face as the boys continued looking and Larkin began to sob large black tears.

Sanders knelt down beside a pile of rocks and in that moment Larkin hated him for quitting in a way she never hated anyone before, not Coraleigh for leaving her with this confusing mess, not the people who trapped Briar, and not even Wilder and Briar for leaving her.  But then he began to dig.  Everett pulled his shirt off and the two boys got close to one another their lips flying furiously but silently to Larkin's deaf ears.  A voice came to her mind but it was spoken directly in the ringing ear demanding to be heard.  "Don't watch Lark," Archer said trying to sound soothing but unable to hide his own fear.

Sensing that she couldn't turn away Archer pulled the weak, barely standing form of his sister into his chest and her up pressed against him so she couldn't see the state that Briar was in, however bad it may be.  Since he still had his hearing he heard the other boys realize that the only reason she hadn't bled out was because her stump where the hand should have been was trapped under a pile of rocks, he watched as they tried to fashion a sufficient tourniquet out of Everett's shirt, and he knew that two in a rock pile playing doctor was a long shot.

The moment came.  The rock was lifted.  The blood flowed.  The boy hoisted her into his arms.  They moved as one unit down the hill, Archer pulling Larkin along and Everett carrying Briar in his arms.  Sanders flitted between the two girls, too panicked to do much else.

With each step Briar let out a small, nearly inaudible moan of pain which they took as a good sign.  At least she was alive.

It was dark when they reached the hiding place, another hole dug out like before, but Harlow was waiting and helped the wounded, tired warriors inside.  They were far from safe and their injuries didn't look good but the group had made it farther away from the evils of their world than ever before and for now at least they were hidden away.