Planet X Pandora

Down Under

Kash opened her eyes slowly, her shoulder screaming with a numb pain. What happened? She couldn't remember anything after she passed out next to Aaron. The hell hounds! Her heart started racing, but slowly it ebbed away when she realized that they weren't in danger. Atleast not this second. She tried to get up, but her shoulder felt like it was sizzling in acid, and her back felt like it was torn to ribbons. She stifled a scream and called out to the others, unable to lift her head. No one answered. She tried again, and felt Aaron shift around next to her. Thank God they're not dead. She yelled again, meekly for her voice was dry and parched. Aaron gasped, and opened his eyes. He sat bolt upright, then screamed from the pain and slowly lay down again.

"Kash? Kash! Is that you? Are we all dead?"

"No, Aaron. Calm yourself. It's fine. How are your wounds? " she asked.

" Me? I'm fine. I don't feel a thing, "  he broke off his sentence and tried to stifle a scream as his injured back scraped on the dirt floor.

" So, before we wake up the others, do you want to tell me how in the bloody world you lit up on fire? "

" Um, yeah sure. But-but it's a long story. "

" I don't think we're going anywhere anytime soon" she insisted.

He grumbled in agreement, then told his tale. His dreams, nightmares. His mother. Kash's eyes involuntarily started streaming with tears,the sadness aching her heart. Oh dear, poor Aaron. I can only imagine what it's like. Aaron sniffled once or twice throughout his story, trying to hold it in.
After he finished, she gently reached out her hand. His face turned red, but his sweaty hands took it. They lay in silence for about five minutes, before Aaron said,

" I don't want to be rude or anything, but can I have my hand back now?" he asked.

"What? Yeah, sorry. " she let go and blushed.

" Should we wake up the others? " she said.

" Yeah. But how? "

" Let me try something. "
She hoped her plan would work. Last time she tried big scale healing, she passed out. But this time, she felt like her energy store had gone higher. I'll try.

" Aaron. You might get scared, but you need to CALM down. Okay? "

" Hehe, " he chuckled nervously.

She closed her eyes, relaxing her body so that it fit snugly into all the cracks and curves in the dirt floor. She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the smell of dirt. She blocked out all the sounds and movements, concentrating on the center of her eyelids, willing a small spark to appear. After a few seconds of deep concentration, a tiny spark appeared, pure white in color. She couldn't rejoice, for her head ached with the intense power she was slowly feeding into it, making the small white orb bigger and bigger, whiter and whiter. She felt her energy draining as she fed parts of her aura into it. Slowly, she visualized it getting bigger and more spread out. She willed it to cover the entire tunnel, so that it now lay over all four of the bodies. She muttered a spell, and balled her fists. The shield of white suddenly exploded in a soft blanket. Little parts rained down on them, like snow. As soon as they touched the bodies, they got absorbed inside, healing them. She heard Aaron gulp as they rained down on him. Suddenly, she felt much better. Most of her wounds were numb, though they were still there. She was able to stand and walk. Her bones were all mended easily, and she couldn't feel any pain. Atleast it worked. She saw Aaron was faring far better than her, his gashes turned to scars. His bleeding stopped, although his wounds were still visible. Hmmm. She sat up, surprised to find no pain. Aaron struggled to stand, his legs weak and off balance.
A choked cough sounded to her right, and she turned. Ian opened his eyes, wheezing. Please don't tell me there are side effects. Kyle sputtered and coughed, though he seemed alright. Ian had a hacking cough, his body heaving in a jerky manner. Kash knelt at his side, unsure what to do. She placed her hand in his forehead, and closed her eyes, forcing some more of her aura directly into him. White tendrils smoked out of her fingers, and encased his forehead. They circled him, the white fog almost eery. They slowed to a stop near his chest, and seeped into him. Slowly, Ian's rattling cough stopped and he opened his eyes, able to breathe again.
"Thanks, " he whispered hoarsely.
She helped him get to his feet, trying to figure out what to do next. Aaron voiced her thoughts exactly.