In the end, it was a tree that brought Thomas to a stop. And it was not gentle about it. Whatever terrible magnetism that had forced Thomas to stay on the path as it tore up his skin and clothes, had made the wonderful decision of letting him go flying into the side of a twisted oak tree just as he reached the bottom of the hill.
He slammed into the side of the oak, an impact that was sure to leave many bruises, and crumpled to the ground. All he could feel was pain. From what Thomas could tell he hadn't hit his head too much which was a relief, but his back and sides felt as if someone had taken a sledgehammer to them. And then a lawnmower.
He groaned, not wanting to move. Bright Light came through the treetops, giving him a good view of the monstrosity of a path he had just rolled down. It was steeper than any other pathway Thomas had ever seen, too steep to walk up properly in fact, with jagged pieces of pavement reaching out of it like teeth.
How the hell could a path like that even exist? And who thought it would be a good idea if it did? They were literally begging to be sued. Thomas couldn't decide which was worse, that whoever built this park really didn't care about public safety or that he himself had managed to get so sidetracked by a scream that he'd missed the giant safety hazard at his feet. A scream, which he realised as he lay curled up in on himself, that came from one of the numerous children in the playground right outside the treeline. Now that he wasn't focusing on his own breathing, Thomas could hear the not-so-distant yells and shouts of kids as they played. He was such an idiot.
Slowly, and very painfully, Thomas unfurled his body so that he was at least lying flat-out on the ground. He tried to sit up but his back didn't like that and pain shot up his spine like a bullet, forcing him back onto the ground. Thomas let out a breath and then tried again, this time more careful to take it nice and easy. He got into a sitting position, something he was contented enough to stay in for the next few minutes until he could psyche himself up enough to try standing.
It wasn't like Thomas had never felt pain before. He'd taken his fair share of hits and some, especially as a freshman. As it turns out, seniors don't like it when you challenge their overly-fragile masculinity in defence of another student, or even yourself. But still, those hits normally came from the front and, if it ever became too much to handle, Minho was there to back him up. The last time he had been in a situation like this had been over three years ago and he hadn't been all that pleased about it then either.
Thomas was used to the feeling of aching ribs and black eyes, not a broken back and torn up skin. His shirt was in tatters, and the parts that were still intact had a distinct wet feeling to them. Thomas prayed he wasn't bleeding too much. He was sure that most of his cuts weren't too deep but a few around his shoulders would definitely need stitches.
After recovering his breath, Thomas made an attempt at standing. Leaning against the tree for support, he gradually got to his feet. Looking down, he noticed his legs weren't in much better shape than his back. That became even more apparent when he tried to push off the tree and ended up on the ground instead. His legs felt like jelly, not a great sign considering he needed them to get home, or out of this forest to begin with.
They would have to do for the moment anyway, and, with many grunts and groans, Thomas pushed himself back onto his feet. The world spun and black spots danced across his vision but his feet stayed firmly underneath him, so that was a plus. Walking though, was something else altogether. Thomas leaned heavily on the trees that sheltered the path, his footsteps jerky and irregular.
On the bright side, after climbing so high just to fall down, the path was level with no other surprise dips or bumps. Roots still broke through the pavement but apart from the occasional slip-up, Thomas succeeded in avoiding them. The pathway bent left and right around the larger trees, an inconvenience he didn't need but sort of dealt with by yelling out his frustrations at the surrounding area.
After what felt like way too long, the sounds of normal civilisation going about their day fading and growing louder with the bends in the trail Thomas finally saw what looked to be an opening into the park. His legs ached from holding him up, his back stung with every step and there was so many splinters embedded in his hands they looked like a human pincushion. As much as he wished he could go sprinting straight into the open air, Thomas knew that would be an incredibly dumb idea and continued to hobble forward. It looked like there was a gate at the end of the passage and he saw people passing it without giving a second glance to the pathway that lay beyond it.
Thomas figured he could get someone to help him call home once he got out of the passage and into the park. He certainly knew he would be able to attract the attention of some kind stranger and he it wasn't as if anyone would be willing to refuse to help him anyway. While Thomas was not looking forward to the insane amount of attention he was about to draw onto himself, he didn't really have any other choice about did he?
As Thomas approached the gate so did another figure from the opposite side. Through the dappled light left in by the trees, Thomas couldn't make out who they were and the figure showed no sign of even seeing Thomas as they swung themselves awkwardly over the gate. They were tall and skinny but that was all he could make out at such a distance from the gate. God, how slow was he going? At this rate it would be dark by the time he got to the gate.
"Hey," Thomas called, out his voice hoarse. So long as whoever it was that was in there with him didn't try to kill him, it couldn't possibly be a bad move.
The figure jumped at the sound of Thomas's voice, undoubtedly surprised. Thomas watched as they spun in his direction but missed him from his position which was halfway off the trail and hidden amongst the trees.
"Over here" He called, trying to push himself further into the light. He would have waved but the amount of pain he already felt didn't need to be added onto with some pointless movement. They would find him.
The figure moved cautiously towards him, before a moment of recognition caused them to break out into a full sprint. Thomas watched in amazement as they ran through a patch of light briefly illuminating their features. Newt's eyes were wide with shock, his mouth hanging slightly open.
"Bloody hell, Tommy," He exclaimed, coming up to Thomas. "What on earth happened?!"
YOU ARE READING
Dreams // Newtmas
Fanfiction'"Hey, wait what's your name?" Thomas called after the boy with a sinking feeling he already knew the answer. The boy turned to him one last time in annoyance. "It's Newt". Newt. Well that was just shucking brilliant. They say you've seen everyone y...
