What Happened On Lavender Ridge

Rejoice

Abel screamed as his ears rang with the melody of a thousand bells before sound escaped him altogether. The shattered pieces of the pistol sat smoking on the floor, his hand was blistered by the heat of the explosion, and the side of his face was severely burned with his flesh melting along his hairline spreading down below his eye. As he began to fall unconscious, the sound of rapid footsteps echoed through the empty hallway.

"Abel!" Ari shouted, sprinting through the corridor. He couldn't respond he couldn't stop the pain long enough to shout his reply. He let out a strained scream before falling against the infirmary door.

"This way!" Ari shouted, pointing toward the medical wing. She and Art rushed through the hallway toward the double doors. Once they entered the door they were met with a husked soldier staring them in the face. The stench of burned flesh and hair filled the air. They covered their noses and held back the vomit that subtly crept up their throats. Behind a corner, they saw Abel's shoes lying lifeless on the ground. They swept in swiftly, kneeling beside Abel's tattered body.

"What the fuck, Abel!" Ari shouted.

"He's still breathing," She said, placing her hand on his stiff stomach. His breath was weak but steady, she stared at his scarred face in horror, not knowing what had happened. She just remembered hearing a loud bang followed by Abel's blood-curdling scream, before leaping off of Hyde's back and rushing into the shelter. As she stared at his smoking disfigured face her mind went blank.

She didn't think she just acted, looking up at the door he was resting against she saw the silver plaque on the wall, Infirmary.

"Help me move him," She said, placing her arms under his armpits and wrapping them around his chest.

"Ari...I don't think-"

"God damn it Art help me fucking move him!" She shouted angrily lifting him halfway. Art knelt and grabbed Abel's ankles and the two moved him slowly away from the door resting him gently against the opposite wall. After placing him down Ari rushed into the room he was blocking, ignoring the husk that was standing there. She fumbled through the shattered cabinets and searched for bandages, burn cream, and anything else that could've helped.

Her arms were full of assorted medical equipment when she went to leave. As she was walking out frantically she dropped a bandage on the floor. She turned around and knelt to pick it up. Standing up she noticed the name tag on the husk, Henderson. A sudden realization washed over her as she was overwhelmed with the guilt that Abel came alone.

She knew now, that whatever happened was because he found his mom. She secured the bandages in her hand and walked back out of the room. Art hovered over Abel's motionless body, tracing the burn on his face with his eyes.

"What happened to you?" He asked, compassionately.

"Help me fix him up, we've gotta get to the city to get better medicine," Ari said, handing a bandage and some burn ointment to Art.

"Okay," Art said, knowing it wasn't a question. The two of them lightly massaged the ointment onto his face making sure to spread it along the whole surface. They then took their bandages and individually wrapped his head leaving an opening for his good eye. The bandages quickly turned an odd shade of yellow. The red blood and yellow puss seeped through mixing and creating an orange color around the center.

"Okay, let's get him back to Hyde," Ari said, again wrapping her arms under his armpits and around his chest interlocking her fingers. Art grabbed his legs and lifted slowly and the two began carrying Abel to safety. As they exited the doors an excited Hyde quickly grew concerned as he watched them carry Abel's lifeless body out of the shelter.