All Of Us - Part 1: Summer

Chapter 6 - Chokehold

Trigger warning: violence

- Evangeline -

My head is rested against the wall, my hair sprawled behind me. White against a gray backdrop, as visible as a patch of melting snow on a dirt road. Aline is half asleep before me. She has been here for half of the night, ever since Ian left. Could I make it ? I shift a bit, to see if she will awaken... and her eyes snap open. I sigh through my nose. No luck.

Suddenly, a head pops around the corner.

"Hey, Aline ? Go get some rest. I'll guard now."

"Thanks, Thet. I'm exhausted," she mutters and painfully gets up.

She strolls away - not before having smiled at him gratefully - and he sits down. Calmly, he places his two hands on his thighs and leans forwards. His stance is quite aggressive, and some part of me wishes Aline would suddenly find energy and come back running to replace him.

Thet is gigantic. He must be around two meters tall, with a mass of chestnut hair topping it off. His shoulders are also the broadest I have ever seen. He seems as strong as a rock. His skin is lighter than Ian's, but darker than Aline's - similar to butterscotch. His eyes are darker though, and are framed by even darker rims. It seems as if he had not slept all night.

Unflinching, he stares at me. His expression is unreadable. No smile, no frown. Impossible to find out what he is thinking.

I attempt to relax back into my previous position, but his gaze makes me too tense. So be it. I will just plan my escape instead. I close my eyes and try to remember what I saw of the caves. So... There was what seemed to be a main grotto, with that lake - stunning. I saw that there were other openings to what I can only assume as other caves, but I cannot be certain. Right after their leader finished his pathetic speech, they took me down an immense corridor, with countless doors. Then we turned to the right, and shoved me in a tiny cave, its only opening giving out onto the same hallway. First thing first: before even wondering how I will get out, I need to figure out how to get past the rebel guarding me-

Abruptly, Thet springs from his seat and lunges at me. My eyes spring open just in time to see his mouth pulled back in a grimace of fury - and to watch his hands wrap themselves around my throat.

He adjusts and tightens his grip, and suddenly I cannot breathe anymore. My eyes roll around, wild and frantic, in their eye sockets. They fall on his face. Every single one of his features betrays a calm, grim determination and an utter focus. This is not some sort of joke. If I do not get rid of his grip, I will not survive this. My teeth clench.

I refuse to die.

I begin to squirm, but his hands are too strong, so, instead, I kick out. My legs flail around uselessly, till I land one good shot. In his... bit. He groans and momentarily lets go. That is all I need to roll over and get out of his reach. If I manage to get up now, I can maybe make it... I start to push myself off the ground, but fingers wrap themselves around my hair and stop me from advancing. My instincts come into play. I am not thinking anymore when I spin around and clamp my teeth on his hand. Hard enough to draw blood.

He howls in pain, pulling away, and I scramble to my feet. My left foot finds the wall, and I push hard against it. With the momentum, I surge forwards. I can see the exit of the cave, I am almost there, almost there, almost... And then something grabs my ankle and pulls backwards.

All I can do is holler before I fall flat on the ground. My head bounces twice on the stone floor, and a strange, loud humming begins to fill my mind, blotting everything else out. I can hear Thet breathing heavily as he crawls to reach me . Ah... My head is starting to hurt. Ah... A lot.

I cannot inhale anymore. Is something on my throat ? I claw at it, but nothing changes. Ah.. I start to see stars shooting across the gray. What is the point of fighting ? He is too strong, and I am so sleepy... Why struggle ? When I could just let my eyelids close...

The last thing I see is a foot springing into the cave. Then all goes black.

*****

Huh ?

Where am I ? I try to lift myself up but immediately get a splitting headache as a result.

"Ah," I mutter softly, bringing my hand to my head. Everything hurts.

I can faintly hear some footsteps rushing to my side, then a voice: "It's alright. You are safe now."

My eyes fly open. Safe ? Did I leave the rebel camp ?

And it all comes rushing back to my brain. The sudden speed of it all makes me wince. Thet...

"Thet ?" I exclaim. "Where is he ?" I pause. "Where am I ?"

Something shifts beside me, and I turn my head - slowly - to get a better view. The man standing before is old, about thirty years old. What is he doing here ? All the rebels I saw were much younger - my age, approximately. Why is this grown man here ? My heartbeat speeds up and I find myself hoping despite all odds. What if... I have left the rebel camp, after all ?

"You're in the rebel infirmary, Princess."

My hopes plummet from the sky and crash.

"As for Thet, he is currently getting yelled at by Dæor, I think."

Sudden anger surges in me.

"Yelled at ? Just yelled at ? He disobeyed a direct order !" For some reason, I am screaming, but my voice seems thin.

"Princess ! Don't stress your voice too much. You're still healing. Thet hurt your vocal cords pretty bad."

Everything falls into place. This man... He must be a doctor. Why had I not thought of it before ? It is obvious that the rebels need medical help. And who has ever heard of a seventeen-year old doctor ? I turn away from him without bothering to respond. He hesitates for a few moments before getting up and leaving.

I gaze upwards. My bed is surrounded by drapes. Homemade, it seems. They are made of a patchwork of scraps that the rebels must have gathered here and there. The result is an explosion of messy color. It is quite different from any piece of cloth I have ever seen in the Crown Castle. And I must admit - it is quite beautiful. A kaleidoscope of vibrant, throbbing hues.

Why did they put the drapes there in the first place ? Now that I begin to really think about it, there must have been wounded from the battle at the Summer Palace. They have to be in the infirmary as well. The cloth is most probably there to give me some privacy.

Other rebels... My heart starts to race as a thought occurs to me. At the Palace, it had truly seemed as if the rebels absolutely obeyed their leader. But if Thet dared to assault me in such a way, and is only 'getting yelled at', what stops from other rebels from doing the same ? A shiver rolls upwards along my spine as I think about all of Ian's threats. Maybe there were only hollow, but merely thinking about his face as he proclaimed them tightens the pit in my stomach.

I need to get out of here. Fast.