Tired of Running

54|| the great seperation

// memories are sweet, but
not worth the aftertaste  \\

    •
   
    Harper was thrown into Thomas with a yelp as gun shots poured in.  "Brenda!
Get them out!"  "What about you!?"
Jorge smirked, "I'm going to play them my favorite song..."  Brenda's eyes widened, as she yelled to the group.  She ran ahead, ushering the gladers to follow her.  Harper scrambled to her feet clumsily, unable to catch her feet in the panic.  Newt caught her, pulling her up by the armpits.  Harper found her feet and was running again.  "Wait!  I have to grab something!"  Brenda turned, running towards the bullets.  Thomas called after her, looking confused.  Then, for whatever unknown reason, Thomas was running after her.
Harper yelled to him, but Jorge was louder,
"We need to go!  This place is about to blow!"
Minho and Newt looked at each other, then to Jorge.  "When this song ends... Boom."
So, they were running again.  Faster, in a crazed panic, the bullets ricocheting off the walls, scarcely missing their heads. 
Jorge stopped at an open window, a line hanging out of it- "Follow me."
He jerked on a cloth, grabbing hold of it, pushing off, swinging, sliding down the line, landing safely on another collapsing building. 
"Go!" Harper pushed Aris first. 
One after another, the boys grabbed their lines and slid down.  Newt was next- he looked at Harper, eyebrows knit.  She smiled at him,
"I'll be right behind you..."  Hands on his back, she pushed him, sending him to the others.

    Minho pulled down a piece of fabric, swinging it over, holding it with both hands.
"Harper, go..."  She reached out for it, but stopped short.  There was Thomas...  Being shot at, following Brenda, running chaotically over the beams.  She acted before she could think.  "Thomas!"  "Harper, no-"
Minho was running after her, reaching out,
pulling her towards him-

Boom.

    Everything went black- his ears ringing.
Harper was in his arms tightly.  They were falling, the structure beneath them crumbled.
Someone had yelled- maybe it was him.
His back was slammed into concrete, neck snapping backwards, head hitting the ground.
He sucked in a painful breath, rolling to his elbow.  He jumped to his feet- once again, surrounded by darkness.  "Harper?  Harper!"
A barely audible moan found his ears, quieting the panic inside.  "Harper..."  He knelt down,
"Are you okay?"  The figure slowly sat up, breath stuttered, "I landed- my arm..."
She was struggling for breath, the pain over bearing.  "Hey... Hey..."  Minho pulled her against him, "It's okay." 

    Her head leaned back into his chest, eyes closing.  Minho's flashlight shone on her.
She was bleeding from the fall; her arm was bent the wrong way again.  She felt heavy, near unconsciousness again.  "Hey... 
Stay with me."  Harper nodded slightly,
"I'm here..." 
Minho shuffled on his knees, turning to face her.  She squeezed his hand- even still, there was a weak smile on her face. 
"I'm not...going to leave you." 
She winced as she sat up. 
"MINHO!"  The boy jumped to his feet, shining his flashlight, expecting to see a crank. 
"You're bleeding..."  Her hand found his, pulling him down to his knees.  Minho looked down, too worried about Harper to even notice.
There was a slight stinging in his stomach.

    Harper propped herself against the wall,
her attention on his bleeding stomach.
Minho poked at it, earning a swat on the hand.
"Don't-"  she climbed over his leg, sitting in front of him, ignoring the sharp pain. 
"Let me..." her eyes found his and even in the dark she could see worry in the boy's eyes.
Minho shook his head, "I'll be fine..."
He went to stand, shifting his weight.
Harper pushed his chest against the wall,
pinning his legs down under her,
"I wasn't asking."  She pulled the flashlight out of her pack, clicking it on.  She guided Minho's hand, directing the light to his stomach.
She pressed her own between her teeth, needing both hands free.  "Harper.  I'm fine."
Harper looked up, pulling the light from her mouth, "Would you just shut up and let me take care of you for once?"  Minho sighed, leaning his head back against the wall. 
Reluctantly, he lowered his hand.
His eyes met hers, "We have to find the others...  We have to get out of here-"
"Minho...  You're actually bleeding. 
That is our first- number one- priority."
Minho gave her a look, sighing.
"If you die- how am I supposed to-"
"Okay, okay, fine..." 

    Harper gathered medical things from her pack, not knowing what she may need.
"Take your shirt off..."  Minho just smirked at her, eyebrow raised.  "Oh, shuck you."
she shoved his arm, "You could be literally dying and-"  Minho laughed slightly before he winced from the pain, "What?  It's a dark place, what was I supposed to assume?"  Harper raised her eyebrows, "Minho."
Really.
"No?  Okay... Your loss."
She smacked him, shaking her head with an amused grin.  He pulled his shirt off slowly, wincing- clearly in pain.  It was slightly tattered, little glass splinters tearing it apart.
Harper gritted her teeth, "This is kind of bad..."
"Oh?  That's terrific." 

    Harper sighed as she began working. 
Slowly, she picked the small glass shards out of his skin.  The smallest was a little narrower than a centimeter, and no longer than the top joint of her pinky.  Minho would tense, swatting her hand away.  "Sorry..."  She would mumble, before pulling out another.  He would then curse, pushing her arm away with a grumpy expression.  "Oh, you big baby!"  She slapped his hand when he went to reach for his stomach, "I'm almost done."  It really, thankfully, wasn't as bad as she had thought.
"There..."  She placed the final piece on a ripped cloth by her feet. 

    Digging through her bag blindly, Harper reached for her water.  She ripped the cloth again, dumping some water into it.
"What are you doing!?  You're wasting it!"
Minho tipped her water upright, looking at her in disbelief.  "Cleaning it from blood and infection isn't wasting."  She wiped at his stomach, getting a smack and another curse.
"Are you done?"  She looked up at him impatient.  "Glad you're not a nurse..."
Minho folded his arms, sulking, "Woman."
Harper lowered her arm, looking at him sadly.
She tossed the bloody, wet cloth away and started applying the medical wrap around his stomach.  Minho grabbed her hand softly, getting her gaze to him. 
"Thank you..."
Harper smiled, nodding once.
She finished, switching to her knees.

    "Okay..."  she shook the shirt out, loose glass clattering the floor.  Minho slid it on, already moving with less discomfort.  "Where are we?"
The pair stood to their feet.  "Underground..."
Harper looked at Minho in confusion,
"We fell a long ways...  I don't know how we ended up down here, though."
Harper wrinkled her nose as a foul smell filled the damp surroundings, "Where...
Exactly is here?"