The Misadventure

Chapter 27

Fallout's POV

"-coming around already, shoot."

"That's got to hurt."

Despite the fact that I was now aware, I kept my eyes closed and face relaxed. My breath was harsher then I would have hoped, hitching in my throat and sending a few loose strands of hair fluttering every time I exhaled.

Leg was still bad. Very bad. Shoulder felt like leg. Ribs were a bit more painful, although that could be internal damage, or just bruising. Either way, I had at least cracked a few ribs. My head felt like someone was still beating on it, throbbing every time someone said something.

I didn't want to think about my hand. Well, my wrist. It felt like it was on fire, millions of tiny knives constantly ripping through the broken skin.

Then I noticed that something was touching it. It was Bella. She was torturing me again. Or even better, Evil. I bet it's Evil. Not again, scumbag.

I jerked backwards instinctively, drawing my arm closer but slamming myself back against the wall. Ny eyes flew open as my shoulder responded with a blast of pain and I groaned.

"Hey, Cavet! Take it easy, you're safe now!"

I snorted. "Heard that before. Leave off." Not happening, suckers. I am not going down that easy again.

"Is she hallucinating or something?" "Probably still just not with it all the way. Give it a second and let's hope she doesn't bleed out."

Bleed out? Oh, right. Hand. I yanked off a chunk of loose fabric from the remains of my jacket and wrapped it tightly around my wrist, gritting my teeth as it tightened. I sighed and ripped off the rest of the sleeve, wrapping it around my arm once and then hooking it over my shoulder to make a decent sling.

Bella was tied up now, much to my surprise. She was sitting against the wall, arms and feet tied. Two other girls, what were their names? Mystery or something like that and Istra something. They were crouched next to her, leaning close to her as they talked. Bella was sitting there quietly, staring at her feet.

"Cavet?" I turned my head slowly to see Disco and Luna standing a few feet away, looking concerned.

"Are you okay?" Disco asked.

I tilted my head back against the wall and laughed. "Me? Oh, I'm friggin' peachy. No hand, holes in my leg and shoulder, just dandy. How about you leave me alone in here with her and I'll be even better."

Luna frowned. "Getting revenge won't magically glue your hand back to your arm."

"No, superglue and duct tape do that," I hissed. "But you asked if I was ok, I say leaving me alone with her will make me okay."

"You're still really out of it, aren't you?" Disco asked. I shrugged my good shoulder awkwardly.

"Yeah. Aren't I lovable with a loose tongue?" I grinned.

"Oh, I hope you pass out again." Luna muttered. "Look, we're trying to figure out where Kate is, because she's the only one of our little group that never showed up here. Any ideas?"

"How should I know? Ask Bella, or better yet, let me ask her." I offered. Luna sighed and wandered over to the group, leaving Disco with me. She crouched down and stared at me.

"So, do you really have wings?" She whispered.

"Glitch in the matrix, error in the programming. Shush, you can't tell anyone." I told her. She tilted her head confusedly.

"Where are they?"

"Hidden, they're a secret." I spat. "None of you lot get to see them. No one does."

Just then, Bella started screaming from across the room. Disco and I both shot up, her standing upright and me falling over in an ungainly heap on the floor.

"I don't know what I did!" Another of the girls, Autumn, panicked. "I just asked her if she had killed Kate and she freaked!" Bella struggled wildly against the ropes, screaming things that were barely comprehensible.

The screaming made me head even worse, so I just closed my eyes and leaned back against the wall. Not my fault if she loses it or something.

"Shut her up already, would you?" I finally mumbled.

"We're working on it! She won't calm down!" Someone called back. I frowned and peeked open one eye, watching her scream and struggle.

"Oh."

"What?" Luna asked. "Do you know what's wrong?"

I nodded. "She thinks she killed me, and now she thinks she's killed Kate."

Istra shot me a questioning look. "How'd you figure that?"

"She's screaming about it." Disco replied. "That's what she's screaming about."

"So, what? Do we drag you over here to show her that you're still fine?" Mysteria asked.

I snorted. "You aren't touching me, and she can scream until she passes out for all I care."

Istra rolled her eyes, and she and Disco both grabbed my shirt. I yelped as they pulled me suddenly across the room, dropping me in front of Bella. I groaned and coughed as they dropped me on my stomach, the sudden pressure sending a fresh wave of pain through my stomach and I coughed again. Warm, sticky blood splattered onto the floor and I looked up.

Bella and I locked eyes, and I grinned.

"Bella dear, I'm not that easy to get rid of."