City of the Fallen - unedited

Chapter Forty-Five

"We've got a straggler!"

I turn my head back and whimper in fear, walking faster despite the excruciating pain it caused.

"It's alright, Juliet. We're going to make it." Colton reassures me. I hop faster and faster until we finally reach the door and I'm able to take in the fresh night air. "Go to the hill." He lets go of me and begins shutting the heavy door behind us.

There's a large hill next to the building, right by a road. I can see the gate from here, meaning the men had just taken me across the street.

Hiding myself behind the hill and out of sight from anyone who walked out, I make sure my wound doesn't come in contact with any dirt that might bring more pain.

Colton places a long stick of wood inside both of the door handles, trapping everyone inside. How convenient it is to be there. He trots over next to me, making sure the man shaking at the door can't get out.

"What took you so long?" I ask him.

He turns to me and smiles, a refreshing smile that brings back my sense of humanity after being treated like an animal. "They hit me good, right in the jaw." Colton turns his head and points to a bruise right on his neck, a swirl of blues and purples. "I fell to the ground in shock and was out like a light. I didn't realize it until I woke up. I looked for you all day and made my way to the woods because I assumed that's where they took you. I almost gave up until..."

I cock an eyebrow. "Until what?"

"I heard a scream. Multiple screams. I knew it was you. I followed the sound to that building and formed a plan to get you out."

"You heard..." my voice trails off, "well I guess your plan worked. Thank you, Colton."

"No problem, blondie." He turns his head towards the museum. "When are you going to be strong enough to walk again?"

"Now." I lean forward. "I need to get Nick."

Colton rolls his head back laughing. "You can't possibly enter the Underworld like that. Let me at least wrap it first, okay?" I don't know what he meant by that until I watched him take a first aid kit out of his backpack. "Can you turn your leg towards me?"

I adjust my seating position so that my wound is angled upward at him. There's so much blood on my leg now that I can't even see where the wound is.

He pulls his water bottle from his backpack and opens the lid. "This is going to sting."

"It's alright." I take a few deep breaths to prepare myself for the pain. A few drops of water run down my leg and I wince. I try my hardest not to make any noise as I watch the blood wash away. He then places a few pieces of gauze on my wound, which soaks up the remaining blood and water.

"Do you do this often?" I question weakly. He looks as if he knows exactly what he's doing.

He chuckles softly. "I've only done this on myself. So yes." Colton begins wrapping medical tape around my thigh carefully. I admire how concentrated he is, his lips are pursed and eyebrows narrowed into a knot. He rips the tape with his teeth and places the remaining piece on my leg. "Does that feel better?"

"Yeah. It does." I nod. He wrapped it so tight that it makes my leg feel stiff and numb, but that is a good thing in my mind.

"Are you sure you're ready to go down there right now?" He asks again, placing the items back into his backpack.

"Yes, Colton. I want to find my brother already and go back to the Afterworld." I say sternly, standing up.

"If you say so. But there was something I was trying to tell you the last time we were at Pluto's gate. But you need to know that the Afterworld is full of..." He pauses.

"Full of..." I state after he doesn't finish his sentence.

"You died in a fire, so you have a fear of fire now because it reminds you of trauma, yeah? I assume you can barely look at it."
    "Yes." I confirm, waiting for him to just get to the point.

"The Underworld... it's full of fire, Juliet. It's hot down there and every creature down there is made up of fire in some way. You are going to be surrounded by the very thing that killed you."

Did she really not put that into consideration?

Lolll how unfortunate tho, if only the Underworld was full of water or something.