Devils Den

85

I was breathing heavily when my eyes fluttered open. My chest was sore, along with my legs. I was still on top of Emrys, he was either asleep or still dead and healing.

I tried to roll myself off of him but stopped when a sharp pain came from my stomach and Emrys groaned.

A branch had impaled us through our stomachs as we landed. Blood slowly spilled from both of us, the branch stopping us from bleeding out immediately. I took in a deep breath, preparing myself for the pain I was going to put myself through.

I rolled myself off of him, biting my lip hard, muffling my screams, and laid on the floor beside him, leaning my head on his arm that splayed out. I heaved heavily, my blood spilling freely from my stomach and my back.

The sun was setting, we've been dead and healing for basically a whole day I've concluded. I breathed raspily through my mouth, my lungs felt as if they were collapsing. I watched the sky fade to black as the sun fully set.

There were stars tonight. I have no idea how there were stars and how I've only noticed them now.

Emrys' chest fell up and down slowly, his eyes still haven't opened, the branch still impaled through his stomach.

My chest still hurt painfully. I brought myself closer to Emrys. Although he hadn't woken up yet, he was still emitting a lot of body heat.

I brought my hand to the stick slowly, ready to pull it out. The pain in my stomach and chest, still at large.

I tried to pull at the branch but stopped when it wouldn't come through. Emrys groaned in pain, his head rolling side to side, sweat matting his forehead.

The branch was rooted in the ground. I would need to move Emrys body to pull it out.

"Emrys..." I called out softly. I need to get the stick out of him now, so he could heal faster. "I'm sorry for the pain I'm going to cause you." I apologized in advance, trying to stand up but failed.

My stomach was still bleeding, the hole became smaller, but you could still see the inside of my stomach.

My chest hurt less, all my focus on the pain in my stomach. I untied the sweater around my waist and kneeled by his side. I breathed heavily, it took a lot of strength to just kneel.

I lifted his side up carefully. Emrys gasped in pain, the hole in his stomach bigger than before. "Just hold on," I whispered.

Emrys began to stir. My left hand held him up while my right dug into the soil, trying to find the root of the branch.

The branch began to wiggle and I fully pushed Emrys so he lay on his side. Emrys did not react as I did.

The branch now stuck out of his back, the branch was about 23 to 27 inches long. I gulped nervously, Emrys blood dripped from his wound.

I grabbed the branch tightly with both of my hands and prepared to yank it out. Right as I was going to. 

Emrys' hand shot out, grabbing the front of the branch, stopping me. "What in the hell happened?" He let out a shaky breath. His hand was now coated in my blood that had soaked the top of the stick.

"I-I have to pull this out, bear with me." My hands shook tremendously as I regripped the branch and ripped it out of Emrys without waiting for his response.

He screamed loudly, unable to suppress it. The hole in his stomach, larger than mine consider I had to move him.

Once I got the branch out and threw it to the side, Emrys laid on his back gasping for air. "Hooray, we lived." He looked at his stomach, letting out a chuckle before his head fell back. He had fainted from blood loss.