Project V (Clementine X Male Reader Book 4)

Punctured

You turn over, clutching your chest. It hurts, it hurts so bad.

Herakles: What's the matter?

It's hard to breathe.

Herakles: Did I hit you too hard?

You cough a few times, suck in a breath, cough a few more times, choke on something, cough it up. That's not good. He did something to your insides that made you cough up blood. You need medical attention. You need help.

Gun. Where's your gun? You look around, spotting it a few feet away. You pull yourself forward a bit, grab it, and turn on your back again. Herakles has left you, for the time being, probably going over to Brooklyn wherever she is. You point at his head, pull the trigger. Nothing happens. You forgot it was out of ammo. You need to reload it.

Herakles: HAHA! You thought you could shoot me! Not again.

He comes back, plucks the gun from your hand without any trouble, and throws it away.

Herakles: Come here.

He grabs your arms and pulls you to your feet. He drags you along and throws you back to the ground next to Brooklyn. She's holding her right arm, and her eyes are stained with tears.

Herakles: Isn't it nice. Three gods back together again.

You pull yourself up and sit against the wall, still holding your chest.

Brooklyn: Herakles wasn't a god, dumbass.

Herakles: But he was strong enough to be one.

Brooklyn: A god is a god, not a strong person.

Herakles: Shut up before I cut out your tongue.

Brooklyn: Do it, bitch.

Herakles: How do you deal with this one, Ares?

You open your mouth to say something but end up coughing and gasping for air.

Herakles: I really messed you up. Haha!

He steps on Brooklyn's leg and wiggles it around. She winces and keeps from crying out but makes no move to stop him. He must have hurt her right arm and her right leg. Half her body is useless.

Herakles: I have a room for the two of you. Just like the old days. Very little walking room, two cots, but nowhere to bathe or piss in this one.

If he locks you in a cell, you'll die from your injuries for sure.

Herakles: And the other one is just as good. I've gotten all of the tools I need to torture you for as long as I like.

He kicks you in the stomach. You lurch forward, and more blood comes spewing out of your mouth.

Herakles: Do you know how much it hurts to have your stomach blown open, to have your insides become outsides? I loathe whoever got to kill you in your previous life. But, in this one, you're all mine.

He kicks Brooklyn in the head, knocking it back against the concrete wall. She slumps over next to you, nearly landing on your arm but instead hitting the hard floor. The sound hurts you and pisses you off.

Herakles: I am happy that you are from this world too.

You slip your left arm down your leg toward your knife.

Herakles: It would have been horrible if you were only in that one.

You start to pull it out.

Herakles: We do not have the admin codes to let someone back in.

You flip it over in your hand. You pinch the tip of the blade between your fingers.

Herakles: If we did, I would have returned and ripped you limb from limb.

You dive to the side to get a bit of distance and time, causing your chest to erupt with pain. You cough more as you ready your arm and flick the knife toward his face. It goes into his head, and he falls over, but he's groaning, still alive.

You hurry and get up despite the pain. You can't risk a fight with him, and if he's still alive, he can still fight. You have to grab Brooklyn and run.

You slip your arms under her and pick her up, making sure her broken limbs are pressed against you to keep them from waving around. Your chest burns, it's almost unbearable, but you have to push through and keep going.

You look down at Brooklyn as you exit the room. She's out cold. She looks like she's just sleeping, but you know better. She took a big hit to the head to knock her out, so there may be damage. You move your arm up and position, so her head is resting between your shoulder and head. You don't want her to be injured more by her brain sloshing around inside her skull.

You keep an ear out, listening for anyone or anything on its way. Herakles seems to still be in the room, trying to manage the pain. Other than that, you don't think there are any immediate threats. So, you take advantage. Twisting and turning until you find the exit.

The sun is starting to turn the night sky different colors as it approaches the horizon. South. You have to go south. The sun rises in the east, sets in the west. You use that logic to determine south and start running toward the nearest gate, which happens to be the one you two slipped through before. It's still cracked.

You have to push it open a little with your leg before you slip through, and while you lose focus, you start to cough again. You manage to keep the blood in your mouth and swallow it. You don't want to get it all over Brooklyn.

Herakles: WHERE HAVE YOU GONE, ARES?! RUNNING AWAY?!

Yes. You're running away. Not because you're scared of him, but because you can't fight him right now. Not with an injured Brooklyn in your arms and your chest feeling like it's about to explode.

Herakles: I WILL FIND YOU!

South. You just have to make a few miles south. You pick up the pace, running as fast as you can without your chest sending what feels like a bullet through itself to force you to stop.

President: Y/N?

You can't reach up and tap it. Is it still left unmuted?

President: Y/N? Our Russian contacts haven't received you yet. Are you ok?

You open your mouth the speak but can't. It takes too much effort. All your effort is going into carrying Brooklyn well enough to limit her injuries, keeping your chest pain under control, and breathing. Breathing becomes harder and harder by the second too. Pretty soon, it'll take everything just to suck in one little bit of air.

President: Y/N! Brooklyn!

You can't respond right now! Can't she get that through her thick skull!

Your eyes are watering from the pain now, and it gets so bad you can barely see. You wonder how much more painful your injury can get because it hasn't stopped getting worse. What did Herakles do to you?

The pain has started to creep its way out from your chest and move to the surrounding areas, widening its range and increasing the amount of pain you're in.

How long have you been running? You have to be close.

Your vision is going black. Keep going. You don't get to stop until Brooklyn is safe.

Is Herakles following you? Is he close? Has he figured out which direction you went?

Is that them up ahead? Is that