The Big Players

-Chapter Thirty-

Anderson gasped breathing. He felt his face laying against the wet dirt of a bank. His eyes looked up as he blinked seeing the bright sun. His hair was dirty and he groaned pushing himself up as best he could.

"Ah!", he cried out his back soaring with a sudden agony.

His arms shook and he went back on his elbows dirt staining the left side of his face. He breathed heaving. He looked around. Where....where was he?

Anderson blinked. DeLacy?

"DeLacy!",Anderson yelled. "Aw! Damn!", he hissed scrambling forward stumbling. Anderson scrambled dirt getting under his finger nails. His knees were stained with dirt.

DeLacy's eyes were halfway open and she managed to look at Anderson hearing her name get called. Her right eye was fuzzy still. DeLacy attempted to push herself up as Anderson made his way over. She raised her head managing to prop her elbows up but.....

Her leg was red and looked completely ruined. Anderson saw it and he swallowed, "DeLacy, DeLacy don't look at it", he said.

"That's not the problem.....", she managed.

Anderson stared, "The problem is the.......ugh!", DeLacy's arms slid from under her and Anderson caught her.

"My right eye is fuzzy, I can deal with a bleeding leg, but.....not seeing straight. That's another problem", she finished.

Anderson took off his coat. DeLacy shook her head. "That's not going to do it....your going to have to cauterize it shut", said DeLacy straining.

"I'm not going to seethe it shut! Your insane!", hissed Anderson.

DeLacy tried to sit up again but as she did her upper body soared with pain as her nerves shot back at her unable to transmit full signals to her legs.

"Don't try to move!", snapped Anderson.

"I don't intend.....errrrr!", DeLacy was struggling to speak but managed to finish, "to die bleeding to death....",

"I'm not burning your leg just to have the possibility of-",

"It will work! Just do it!", snapped DeLacy glaring.

She set her head back on the ground exhausted. She swallowed breathing trying to keep a steady pace. Anderson looked at her. She was already in so much more pain than he was. Anderson didn't want to add more.

"Where's your life and lighter?", he asked quietly.

"Right pocket", replied DeLacy with difficulty.

Anderson found them. He prayed the lighter was too wet to work with. But as he flicked it on the flame lit dousing his hopes. He opened the wide pocket knife. Swiss Army knife.

"Never go anywhere without your Swiss knife or Army knife", managed DeLacy with a smirk as he looked at it.

Anderson began to heat it up brushing the knife over the small flame. He prayed that the fuel would run out as he heated the knife. He couldn't make a fire, it was too risky, he had no idea where he was and after what had happened there was no telling who or what was out here.

He watched the knife turn red and then a orange.

"Bite on this", said Anderson.

DeLacy raised her hand weakly taking his coat sleeve twisting it. Anderson moved his knee over her hip knowing that she'd likely move as to what was about to happen next. He didn't have anyone with him to hold her down. DeLacy bit the thick sleeve.

Anderson placed his hand on her ankle already causing a roaring pain making DeLacy tense and bite down on the cloth. Anderson swallowed, he placed the small knife burning DeLacy's exposed skin. He held her leg as it shook. DeLacy cringed pained shutting her eyes biting full of force against the cloth to keep from screaming out. Her eyes watered and Anderson heard the sounds as he continued to press down and pull away at the large lost bit of her torn flesh. The wound swelled burning and he kept going be forced to reheat it over and over again. Anderson held her down as best he could while DeLacy fought the natural urge to pull away and jerk.

Her fingers curled into the dirt as she gripped roots of the the trees her knuckles bleeding from being scrapped.

Anderson didn't dare look back. He didn't dare.