Page 140 of Deadwood
There’d be no dulling this.
Light, brighter than any ring in the sky, any star in the universe, shot out as Lander cursed loudly somewhere in the distance. His voice was an echo in my mind as I shut my eyes against the blaze. Perhaps the whole world was burning, and we had all met our fate.
A river flowed over me, scorching, then cold, and the backs of my eyelids went black as a yelp pierced my ears. Suddenly, I was weightless, no force holding me down. My soul wanted to float, my body aching to move, but all I could do was lie in the moistening soil.
“Auria,” a voice, so panicked and hoarse, said from above me. Or was it below? My mind was too tired to tell.
It repeated my name, and hands clasped my shoulders, then another touched my cheek. The skin wasn’t rough, not like the texture I’d come to enjoy on my body. Instead, it was soft. Soft among the never-ending flood of pain. Pain. Pain.
“Auria, open your eyes,” he commanded, but I wasn’t sure I could listen.
Fingers tapped my cheek—or was it a palm?
My eyelids fluttered in an attempt to check, but as soon as I saw more than just black, I regretted it. Lander was covered in blood, his blond hair stained. Was it his? Did he kill the two wolves? What about the one that had been on me?
Lander’s hand left my cheek, and then he was searching my body, movements frantic as he lifted my torn shirt. When had it torn?
“You’re going to be okay,” he assured, but it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself. Maybe he was. Maybe it was that bad.
Despite the sun high in the sky, my toes were cold, a chilling sensation flowing up my legs as water dripped onto my neck.
Where was the water coming from?
My blink was slow as my head tried to loll to the side. My entire body suddenly felt heavy, and I was tired.
“Auria,” Lander said, his voice so rushed while my mind was so slow. “Hey.” His hand was back on my cheek, moving my head back to face him after it had fallen to the side. “I’m going to get help, okay?”
A shadow passed behind Lander, and I wondered if it was getting dark. We couldn’t be in the woods past sunset. Bowen wouldn’t want that.
“Bowen’s not here, Auria. I am,” Lander said. Had I spoken out loud?
I forced my eyes to stay open, but it was becoming more of a battle, and suddenly, I didn’t mind if I lost. A nap might do me well anyway.
Lander shoved off his jacket in one swift motion, placing it beside my head. I hissed in a breath as the fabric stung across my skin, lighting every nerve ablaze. I wanted it off. Off.Off. I reached up to shove it away, but my arm wouldn’t move, so I tried the other. He held my hand back.
“You have to leave it, Auria. It’ll help stop the bleeding.”
I was bleeding?
He swiped at the beads of sweat coating his forehead, and one look at his hand told me his statement was true. His fingers dripped red, blood smearing his skin as a drop landed on the high point of his cheek.
“Fuck,” he muttered, breaths quick while mine slowed.
I tried to talk, but my tongue was caught in my throat. I coughed, the sound wet and clogged. Water splashed my face, oozing from my mouth, but Lander’s widening eyes told me it wasn’t what I thought.
The liquid was blood.
There was no rain, no river.
I was dying.
“I’m going to get you out of this alive,” he promised, but his voice wasn’t very convincing as it wavered.
My vision went hazy at the edges as I coughed again, trying to swallow whatever constricted my throat. Maybe I’d choke, or my lungs would fill with blood, or I’d bleed out, my body going cold. Whatever chose to take me, it could have me. My body was frozen, my mind a spinning cloud, and my eyelids were too heavy.
Just one more dose of pain, and it’d be over forever.
“Auria, keep your eyes open.” Pressure increased on my shoulder, and I wanted to scream, but I couldn’t conjure a single noise to come out.
