Muggle Au, mild gore
"Run!" Lucius shouted as we all made a mad dash for the safety of the trees.
Gunshots rang out all around us and I felt a sharp sting as one whizzed right past my ear, feet continuing to pound forwards as fast as I could go. I only had eyes for the tree line as the adrenaline coursed through my veins, urging me past my limits as safety drew closer.
The rest of my little group did the same as I, pressing forwards as bullets rained down around us, dirt flying in every direction as they made contact with the Earth rather than soft flesh. I could just see Draco on my right, fear evident on his face. The two adults were on my left, looking just as unsure about their own mortality as us teens.
My lungs and legs burned but I didn't stop even after entering the dense forest, knowing those people would be hot on our tail. Our little band moved closer together as we tried to avoid unintentionally splitting up, myself leading the pack while the Malfoy patriarch brought up the rear in a vain attempt to protect the rest of us from anymore gunfire.
We made it another half mile into the trees before realizing all was silent around us, the group having abandoned their attempt to assassinate us just as quickly as they had begun. As my stride slowed and the adrenaline keeping me going dissipated I could now feel just how shaky my legs were, my lungs heaving as they struggled to pull enough air into my exhausted body.
"I think.. we.. lost them.." Lucius panted, all 4 of us doubled over panting.
"Finally." Draco breathed out, pushing sweaty blonde hair from his forehead.
"Is everyone alright?" Narcissa questioned, concern in her dark brown eyes as she looked at each of us individually.
I watched as the other 3 did a quick mental check if anything was hurting, indicating they had been hit and hadn't noticed in the panic. I followed suit, now noticing the pulsating ache in my right thigh that had gone overlooked in my haste to escape. Looking down I found a rip in my black jeans, pulling back the fabric to reveal blood pouring down the leg from a bullet sized hole.
I swallowed the saliva building in my throat as I peered down at the wound, realizing there was no exit wound and that the bullet was still lodged deep in the muscle. If I didn't get it out I would surely die, however, how on Earth was I expected to do that out here with no tools, medicine, or doctors?
"Y/n? Are you injured?" I jumped at the voice, swiftly covering the bleeding wound and allowing the dark material of my jeans to hide the blood seeping through before reflexively nodding 'yes' to her question.
"Good. We should keep moving them. We don't know if or when they'll catch up to us or where we even are." Lucius agreed with his wife, taking the lead as we all fell into a single file like behind him, myself now taking up the rear.
I was now all too aware of the ache in my leg with every step I took, the life giving blood gushing from the wound as I continued to push the muscles surrounding it. However, the pain wasn't overwhelming and I was able to keep up easily enough, deciding to keep my little predicament to myself for the time being.
Our little party continued deeper into the unfamiliar forest, dead leaves crunching under our feet as we stumbled over fallen branches and uneven ground. The bleeding in my leg slowed but didn't cease, both the foreign body and my inability to rest keeping my body from healing itself. My jeans now stuck to the leg as well and I was dreading having to peel them off the tender wound, warm, sticky blood coating the material and anything I happened to brush against.
Thankfully, however, while the bleeding was consistent I wasn't losing too much at one time and wasn't feeling the affects of blood loss aside from a bit of weakness. It made it easier to feign good health in front of the rest of my group and keep them from worrying, or worse, stopping.
We traipsed through the trees for probably two hours without coming across anything of interest. The longer we walked the more tired I grew, the dull, pulsating ache in my thigh becoming a nuisance as I slowly and painfully bled to death. Nevertheless, the wound had finally all but stopped actively bleeding, a few drops oozing out every time I stepped down on the adjoining foot as the rest cooled and irritated my skin, the rough material of my jeans grinding against it.
There hadn't been much conversation at all on our journey which I was grateful for, having no energy to dedicate to small talk. The others seemed to be lost in their own thoughts as we walked, the adults trying to come up with a plan and Draco just being his usual moody self as he trailed behind his parents.
The sound of rushing water filled my ears, all 4 of us perking up a bit as we all acknowledged the small amount of hope a river offered us. All rivers led somewhere, especially one moving as fast as this one sounded. Not to mention we were all dehydrated in the heat of the day and in dire need of a cold drink.
My pace quickened a bit as the sound grew louder, the trees parting and giving way to the fast moving river. The sides were rocky and steep, one misplaced step and we would be rocketing through the rapids.
The three Malfoy's hurried to the water's edge, taking their chances on the purity of the river water and scooping mouthfuls of the ice cold liquid up to dry, cracked lips. I, however, moved a bit farther up, gingerly lowering myself down onto a large flat rock and sighing in relief as I got off my aching feet.
Reaching down into the river I drank my fill of the delectably cold water before using my free hand to move aside the torn material of my jeans and trying to flush out the wound as best I could. The water removed the dried blood around the gunshot wound and helped to unstick my pants from my skin, allowing me a better view of the injury itself.
The bullet was lodged deep enough that I couldn't see it, although as I tenderly moved the skin around I could definitely feel it moving around in there. Every time it shifted it seemed to cause more blood to spill, the hole slowly filling up with the crimson liquid yet again as it moved around and ruptured more blood vessels.
I sighed heavily, glancing over at my traveling companions as they rested their own weary bodies on the edge of the water. I splashed a bit more of the water over the wound to rid it of the new blood dripping around it before replacing the torn fabric over the hole to both hide the wound and soak up any more blood.
We remained there for a bit, the adults whispering amongst themselves about plans for the night and where to go from here. Finally, they seemed to make a decision and the pair stood, ready to move on.
"Come on guys. We're going to find a place to rest for the night and follow the river in the morning." Narcissa spoke, urging Draco and I up as they moved back into the trees, back the way we had come.
It was easy enough to find a flat spot of land, the sound of the river still threading its way into our ears, the trees parting just enough to glimpse the soon to be star filled sky overhead. We set about making our home for the night, piling up dead leaves overtop small sticks overtop bigger tree branches for a fire to keep us warm throughout the night, clearing the ground around 4 different trees to make it as comfortable as possible.
My stomach gurgled with hunger as I struggled to sit down in the dirt as normally as I could manage with my aching leg. The others were surely just as malnourished as I but we didn't have the means to bring down an animal or the survival knowledge to ensure we didn't eat the wrong plant, so, the chorus of unhappy stomachs and the crackling of a log fire serenaded our little group as the sun fell and the moon took its place, bathing us in starry darkness.
I tried to sleep but was too uncomfortable and on edge, the rough bark of the tree I was leaning against grating against my back and the night noises of the forest reminding me that in these woods we were prey. I drifted in and out all night, startling awake every time a twig snapped somewhere in the distance or an owl hooted far above me.
The other 3 were just as restless as I, someone constantly shifting back and forth or scanning the trees around us. The longer I sat still the more my leg began to bother me, no longer keeping the muscles loose making it seize up and throb painfully as the time passed achingly slowly.
The night was long and cold, the fire keeping the worst of the chill away as well as most animals. Only a few curious critters ventured close enough for me to catch a glimpse of, squirrels, bunnies, deer, and the like, watching the flames and the unfamiliar creatures perched against the trees with cautious fascination.
I must have finally fallen into a light sleep as the next time I awoke it was morning, the embers of the fire barely visible as the last of the wood burned, the warm yellow hues just beginning to light up the sky overhead. I painfully pulled myself upright as I had slumped sideways into an awkward position as I slept, now trying to work the knots out of my body as I waited on the others to fully wake.
Lucius was poking at the remnants of our little campfire with a stick, Narcissa was just beginning to stir beside me, and Draco was still soundly snoring. I could feel the hunger gnawing at my insides, an empty pit in my stomach that made me feel a bit sick.
I knew it was going to hurt to stand today and I was dreading it, moving the leg around a little to gauge just how bad it was. The wound was a bit weepy but otherwise looked ok, no real signs of infection yet which was something at least. Perhaps we'd find our way out of this forest today and I'd have absolutely nothing to worry about, assuming I could still walk that far.
After everyone was awake and ready to move on I finally tried out my legs. The 3 Malfoy's moved off back towards the water as I took up the rear, gingerly putting my weight down on my bad leg to see if it would hold.
To both my surprise and relief it wasn't unbearable, uncomfortable yes, but manageable. I was definitely a bit slower today and as I grew used to the feeling of walking on the injury again I couldn't help but limp a little. Nevertheless, by the time we had made it back to the river's edge I was able to feign normalcy once more, albeit with a bit more effort than yesterday.
After filling up on the cold river water to try and stave off the hunger we were off once more, keeping as close to the edge of the rushing stream as our path, or lack thereof, would allow. It was slippery and treacherous at times, the ground constantly rising and falling in miniature rolling hills, a little waterfall forcing us to clamber down slick, weathered rocks at one point.
Somehow I managed to keep up with the others, taking it one painful step at a time and not thinking too much about it lest I get lost in the uncomfortable sensations of my body. We walked methodically, hour after hour after hour, the sun our only indication of passing time. By the time it was beginning to set we were still very lost, the river seemingly endless and continuing on far over the horizon. So, our little party found another spot, set up another fire, and readied ourselves for yet another sleepless night in our own personal Hell.
How we had gotten so lost in so little time I had no clue, but at least that group couldn't find us if we couldn't even find ourselves. We must be miles away from where we started, but were we headed in the right direction? Were we headed towards a town or were we headed towards our own death? Perhaps there was a reason they didn't feel the need to come after us.
I slept more the second night, too exhausted to even fear the scary sounds of nature or pay much mind to the endless throbbing of my thigh. However, as I awoke to birds chirping and bright sunshine streaming down in between the trees, I was immediately aware that something wasn't right.
Quickly checking to make sure the others were still sound asleep I pulled at the hole in my jeans, hissing in pain as they were ripped from the sticky wound. Looking down at the oozy mess I sighed, knowing this would happen sooner or later. Without the use of proper facilities and medical treatment, the gunshot wound had become infected, gunky, fresh puss oozing from the hole as older crust made the skin around it feel tight and itchy.
The injury was also now red and inflamed, heat emitting from it and every time I tried to move the leg it would weep a milky concoction of puss, blood, and clear white blood cells. I used the tree behind me to help me crawl to my feet, avoiding putting my weight down on the injured leg until absolutely necessary.
Attempting to take a step was a very bad idea, pain rocketing through my thigh and just causing more of the infectious slime to ooze from the hole. I kept trying, inching forwards as I tried in vain to work through it, hoping if I got moving I could at least get used to the unbearable sensation.
Nevertheless, the pain persisted, ensuring I had no chance of just brushing this off and waiting it out as I had done thus far. I sat back down with a heavy sigh, my leg aching from the exertion, and tried to come up with a plan.
There was no way in Hell I'd be able to fake it now, it hurt too much. I could stick behind the group but they'd either notice me limping, lagging behind, or I'd get lost from them altogether. No, the jig was up, I had tried but failed, and now it was time to ask for help.
Once it was time to move on down the river the 3 Malfoy's got ready to go, myself struggling to stand again. I used my good leg to bare my weight, holding the other off the ground aside from a few limping steps as I tried to move forwards.
Draco was the first to notice my awkward pace, furrowing his eyebrows at me as he watched me fidget around in pain. Narcissa noticed her son giving me a funny look and turned, also noticing my look of uncomfortableness and the foot held in the air.
"Y/n? Are you alright?" She asked kindly, worriedly, catching the attention of her husband as well.
I worried my bottom lip between my teeth as my eyes flickered from one concerned face to another, finally collapsing with my back against the tree as I shifted to reveal the bloody, pussy mess that was my right thigh. An audible gasp could be heard from the Malfoy matriarch, the two men swallowing in either disgust or fear, I wasn't sure.
Narcissa didn't hesitate, rushing towards me to inspect the injury further. Soft fingers gently swept over the area, brain working to figure out exactly what had happened.
"She was shot." The older witch started, eyes still glued to the pulsating wound. "Is there an exit wound?" I shook my head no.
"That's not good. Why didn't you say anything earlier?" Her voice was sweet, apologetic, with a twinge of guilt.
"Didn't think I'd have to. I was hoping we'd be out of here by the time it became a problem." I spoke earnestly. "Not like there's much any of us can do out here anyways."
"We have to get her to a hospital. Now." Narcissa commanded, using her own body to support mine. Draco took my other side and together the pair helped me to hobble along, Lucius leading us back towards the river and trying to make as clear a path as possible for the 3 of us.
It was slow going now that I was unable to bare weight on the leg at all but we kept going. The 4 of us stumbled up and down hills, over rocks, and through the endless forest until finally a break in the trees was spotted and the river appeared to end. Lucius ran ahead to see what it could be and returned with an abnormally large grin on his face.
"A lake. And a cabin. We can call for help." He panted, cheerful.
Relief washed over me and gave me a burst of energy, pulling the other two along as I hobbled faster. Upon making it to the clearing we found that he had been right, a lake house stood on the other side of the water, a porch light and the gleeful laughing of children telling us there were people here.
We had made it. We would be ok.