𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘂𝗻 。john murphy ( discontinued )

chapter twelve.

     Sage's eyes widened at the sight of something falling. Murphy swiftly grasped Sage's arm as they both shuffled backwards and away from the descending object. Another member of the group wasn't as fortunate and as she scurried away frantically from Harris's former arm which had blown off of his body she only prompted another explosion. Before the others could even comprehend what had happened, the woman had blown to bits and erupted yet another explosion.

    Instinctively, Murphy secured his hold on Sage, rolling them over so she was beneath his weight and thus protected from the blast. Thanking him softly, she glanced up to meet his worrisome eyes.

     The others winced at the sound of the blast, Sage's hand flew to her ears in attempt to cover them, already throbbing at the noise.

     "No one move! We're in the middle of a minefield." Jaha announced glancing around at his followers, observing their conditions.

    "Yeah no shit!" Sage yelled, her voice louder than she intended due to her lack of ability to hear in one ear.

    "At least the shitty jokes are over." Murphy chuckled, his laughter painful courtesy of his newfound wounds.

    Sage laughed also despite only barely hearing his words. She didn't like this newfound struggle in hearing. In a desert such as this she'd much prefer having perfect senses regarding her eyesight and hearing.

     "You guys are sick in the head! They're dead!" Richards scolded, another member of the group Sage didn't bother concerning herself with.

     "Let them be. These two have faced many treacheries in their young lives, this is how they cope with said trauma." Jaha interfered, surprisingly standing up for his younger companions.

     The group remained frozen, awaiting instructions from their leader. However he knew of only one solution which was to sit and wait. Being in a minefield was difficult enough however what really worried the man was the approaching sandstorm. While he did have a plan regarding the bombs buried beneath the sand there was only one thing to do while the storm raged on around them.

     "What now?" Murphy asked.

     "We wait." Jaha responded, manoeuvring himself into a comfortable position. He didn't speak, but simply crossed his legs and threw his scarf over his head, protecting him from the harsh winds coming their way.

     "This'll be fun."

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    Itchy feelings arose within her scalp, throughout her clothes and all across the exposed areas of Sage's skin. Her legs ached and every limb had gone numb. She couldn't stand the feeling of the winds and sands and every minute she prayed it would be over soon.

     Her wishes were granted when she heard the voices of the others around her. Her hearing hadn't improved but she was coping nonetheless. It was hardly the largest of her worries.

     "It's clearing." Someone stated, she didn't quite catch who had spoken.

     "There. We have the light and, oh look. Footprints are gone. Sand. It blows." Murphy began his voice starting out genuine but quickly switching to a sarcasm as a smirk found it's way onto his face.

     Murphy's hand reached out towards Sage, her eyes glancing at it before meeting his own. She gratefully accepted the outstretched palm, slipping her own into his as he aided her to her feet.

     The girl's eyes trailed down over her appearance causing her to cringe at the realisation of sand residing in places of her body it shouldn't be. She brushed the sand coating her hands and other exposed areas of skin which was coated in a thick layer of musty sand which had hidden her naturally dark tone. While stood on her feet, Sage stretched and cracked her body back into place, releasing a sigh of relief when the familiar clicking noise filled her ears.