Hope for Us (NEWT) [COMPLETED]

Ch 24 - Attacked

~Newt~

He could barely get up on his feet, and his wobbly legs struggled to hold his weight as he staggered toward her.

Bloody heck... What have they done to you?

The whole sight of her was beyond terrifying.

She was in a sitting position, but she looked more like a rag doll being forced into that position. Her back was against a tree trunk, legs slightly spread apart, arms dangling, and head hanging low. Deep cuts and blackish purple bruises covered almost every inch of visible skin on her. Even more due to her torn clothes. She was bleeding profusely, the thick crimson liquid—almost black from the dark aura of the place—was still dripping from her injuries.

The sound of the blood drops as they fell to the ground, making contact with the dead leaves and twigs, resonated in Newt's ears like an amplified sound of death.

She looked like a human sacrifice—the whole scene resembling some ancient curse or something. Her arms were suspended perpendicularly and outwards from her body. It was like a crucifix, except her arms hung from a rope tied firmly on each of her wrists. The dry texture and sandy color of the rope turned into a soaked string of red, right where the rope made contact with the skin.

"Med-jacks!" someone hollered before Newt could even form the words. He was rendered speechless, completely appalled by the horrific scene. His mouth, agape, made up-and-down quivering movements.

He wanted to touch her, check for a pulse, see if she was still breathing—anything that indicated signs of life. But he wasn't a Med-jack, and he didn't want to hurt her. Maybe it was best to let the Med-jacks handle it.

Shuck it.

Reaching over, his trembling hands inched their way toward her neck. He started panicking as he couldn't find a pulse.

After that moment of pure distress, he sighed with relief. It was faint, but it was there.

She's alive.

For how much longer though? It seemed like she'd been in that state for a while. At least two hours since she went missing from the kitchen, according to Frypan.

As Newt retrieved his hand, he sensed moisture on it. He felt it when he touched her hair too. At first, he thought it was just sweat, but the stickiness and the new dark shade on his palm revealed otherwise. There was blood everywhere. 

Newt immediately pulled off his shirt to wrap around her torso, where her worst wound was located. There was no time to waste.

Shuck, shuck, shuck! She's gonna bleed to death if she hasn't by now. Where the shuck are the Med-jacks!?

Everyone that crowded around had to move out of the way to let Clint and Jeff through as they came rushing toward the scene, carrying a wooden stretcher.

"She's... she's alive. I checked her pulse, but it's weak," Newt nervously informed them.

Minho and Alby physically had to support Newt as he could barely keep himself together.

"Well, then, that's our first good news so far," Jeff replied hurriedly as he inspected her worst injuries. They even brought a torch with them since it was too dark to see, especially in that corner of the deadheads. Jeff handed the torch to Minho before he tended to the girl, and Minho silently illuminated the scene.

As the glow of the flame illuminated her being, Newt wanted to break down and cry. She was still as beautiful as ever, but awfully mangled. It was too much to handle.

"I can barely see anything—we need to stop the bleeding now." Newt could sense the nervousness in Jeff's voice.

"Newt, your shirt's soaked! It doesn't stop!" Clint shrieked, making Newt's panic rise to dangerous levels.