Against all odds (The Pack)

Chapter 8

Warnings: Blood

     ~Rob's P.O.V.~ (yes I know I did his P.O.V. twice in a row :P)

     Panic floods my mind, shutting down all sensible thoughts. I freeze on the spot, unsure what to do. What if Preston's actually dead? What if it isn't actually Preston at all? What if I can't get him out? What if the mobs come back? What if the potion wear our, Jerome dies, and then the mobs come back? What if, what if, what if. I'm desperate at this point, knowing every second that passes the mobs could either catch up with Jerome, or lose interest and turn back towards here. So, I do the only thing my panic filled brain can muster. I curl my hand into a fist...

     And drive it as hard as I can into the cobblestone.

     Instantly pain flares up in my knuckles, and I swear I hear a crack. Wether it's the barley dented cobblestone, or my throbbing knuckles, I don't know. But as best I can, I push away the pain, and ram my other fist into the stone. And then the other. And the other. After only eight punches, the stone is only about halfway cracked, and my knuckles are bruised, red, throbbing, and bleeding. Pain penetrates my head at every strike, but I push on, knowing if I stop then the chances of us all dying increase significantly.

     With a shout of frustration and pain, I give an extra forceful, adrenalized punch. The cobblestone shatters, falling away in millions of tiny shards that quickly vanish. The inside is filled with a dull, yet warm glow. And there, slumped in a corner, is the bleeding, unconscious, dull, form of Preston. A pool of blood is get here'd underneath him, curtsey of the many gashes, scratches, and cuts on pretty much every inch of his body. This lava skin is dull, which means he's not dead... But very close to it. So not wasting another second, or the energy bothering trying to break away another block, I worm my way through the one-block space. My iron armour makes it harder than it could be, but I'm too scared to take it off right here and right now.

     Tumbling into the cramped little cobble hut, I scramble to my knees, moving to Preston's side.

     "Preston... Preston wake up." I whisper, gently shaking him.

     He stirs ever so slightly, but obviously isn't waking up any time soon. I hastily pull out my last healing potion, gently forcing open Preston's mouth, and pour the hot pink liquid down his throat. Although many of the larger gashes don't fully heal, I'm relieved to see the bleeding instantly stops, and his skin grows a tad brighter. I make sure to leave a could drops of the the liquid left, which I then drink heartily. Although still throbbing, and covered in blood, my once broken knuckles are at least healed once again. Then, knowing it's going to be near impossible to fit Preston through that tiny hole while he's unconscious, I frisk through his inventory. Quickly pulling out the iron pickaxe, I take it and hack away at the cobblestone wall, until I've made a 2x2 block exit.

     "Let's get you out of here..." I mumble, stashing away the pickaxe, and kneeling down by his side.

     I hook one arm under his own arms, and the other underneath his inner-knees. Then with a small grunt, I heft him up in the air, careful not to move him too much in fear of reopening any wounds.

     Ducking through the small exit, my heart still pounding as much as before, I step out into the clearing half expecting to see a plethora of mobs awaiting me. But thankfully, it seems Jerome has kept up his part and there are no mobs in sight. I can hear them though, and I know Jerome won't be able to hold out much longer. So with Preston gripped tightly in my arms, I half run half walk awkwardly into the pitch black ravine. The cries of mobs are a lot louder here, and off in the distance I can see the dancing flame of Jerome's torch as he zigzags around, trying to keep the mobs interest while still staying alive. But it seems some of them are starting to take interest in me instead...

"I GOT PRESTON! GET OUT OF THERE, JEROME! ILL MEET YOU BACK AT THE SURFACE." I shout, before turning and running as best I can in the opposite direction.

It'll be too risky to try and meet up with Jerome due to all the mobs. So I'm going to have to find another way up.

Preston's skin gives off just enough light to illuminate my surroundings, but certainly not much. I can basically only make out ten blocks in any direction, before the darkness of the ravine consumes the rest. As I travel farther away, the road of mobs gradually dies out, until the only sound left is the pounding of my boots against the stone and silence itself. My eyes trace along the walls of the ravine, looking for any sort of pathway that leads up. Soon enough, the feint outline of a different path appears, and I lumber my way over to it. To my delight, the path split sin two, and the one that branches off to the right seems to go up for a long time. So I stride forward, following the right path which will bring me closer to the surface, if not to the surface itself. Hopefully the latter.

~~~

By the time I've finally managed to reach the surface, after having to switch courses many times, my legs and arms are aching, and I'm just about ready to pass out. It's not that Preston is that heavy, but after having to carry him for a good hour or two, while travelling constantly uphill... The weight really starts to add up. But now finally I can see the bright light of day spilling through from above, and in a minute I find myself standing once again on the grassy ground of the Savannah. The sun is almost at its peak in the sky, and with a start, I realize we've been in that cave system for a lot longer than I imagined. But then glancing down at Preston, still resting peacefully, I realize it was well worth it.

A loud growl from my stomach reminds me that I'm absolutely famished, and I gently lay Preston down on the ground, before pulling out a baked potato and greedily wolfing it down. And then I eat a second one, just for good measure. But while I munch down on the delicious food, I do manage to spot a small blocky structure off in the distance, and quickly distinguish it as our small temporary shelter. Beaming, I wipe the crumbs off my mouth, and then stoop down to pick up Preston once again. Heaving him up, I being making my way back towards the structure.

Note to self. I think to myself as I continue to walk. Next time we need to find something... We go in pairs or all together.

~~~
Question of the chapter:

Hm I haven't asked a question for a while that I can answer too. So let's see... If you could only eat one type of food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

My answer: I'd choose soup because there's so many different kinds ^_^

Also hey

KatelynKramer made a hilarious kinda way this could've gone and I need to share this with you XD

I sigh. I didn't want it to come to this. But in order me free him, I have to. I sigh, backing up from the heavy stone wall.

'What am I doing...' I can't help but think. 'Alright, it's now or never.'

I back up from the stone wall, arms stretched out behind me.

"IM COMING, PRESTOOOOON!"

I run straight into the wall and fall backwards.

Just as my eye sight becomes blurry, I hear a familiar voice come from above me.

"Rob, you idiot. I was right behind you the whole time"

I'm sorry I just found that really funny XD