The Citizen Soldier (DNF)

16) Recued

*Clay POV*

"Who are you?"

I decided that yelling across the river was not fun. Yelling, in general, was never very fun but yelling across a rushing river with a sore throat was worse. It was much worse.

"The name is Sapnap, and this is Ammon! Are you okay over there?"

"I'm fine! But I have a friend that isn't! He's sick, I'm getting him some water!"

"What's his name?"

"George! Do you know him?" My voice cracked, it hurt so bad to yell.

"We've been good friends for years! How do I get to your side?"

"How should I know? The closest thing is the bridge, probably. Unless there's another one nearby!" My voice went hoarse, I couldn't keep screaming like this.

"What's your name?"

"My name's Clay, now go! He needs desperate help!" I was maybe overplaying it a little, but I didn't care, this was going to help. "He's got a bad cold!" I started coughing into my palm, and the next time I tried to call across the river, I physically couldn't. I shrugged.

"Do you know which way the bridge is?"

I shook my head in the negative, no. I had absolutely no clue where we were. George might, having lived out here for five years but I'm no help when it comes to anything but free cliff scaling. Which isn't exactly very helpful in the middle of a forest. With wolves.

Sapnap pointed in one direction and yelled again.

"Meet us down there, walk in that direction! We'll meet you in the middle!"

Then he waved at Ammon to come with and they both ran to their car. I sprinted back to camp to try and get George, but the whole not being able to talk thing made it a bit difficult to present my point.

"So if we go in that direction, we're better off?"

I nodded enthusiastically.

"Okay then. Upriver we go." He shrugged and tried to push himself onto two feet but instantly keeled over. I grabbed him by my hood and thoughtlessly started to carry him upriver bridal style. After a couple of minutes of struggle, he just accepted his fate and went with it with as much dignity as he could. Which of course was him burying his face into my chest.

I smiled down at him, then sped up. I knew that we had help out there, the world had found us. This was also probably going to go on the news. As that thought occurred to me I slowed down to a stop. I shouldn't have, because now my asthma was coming in far too fast, but it would be on the news. I didn't think that I wanted that.

George stirred and whispered into my ear. "Why'd you stop?" That should not have done that to me. I blushed and swallowed then just continued. My heart was beating way too hard for my chest and my breathing was very uneven, but I blamed it on asthma and not on the fact that George's tired voice was extremely attractive to me. I coughed and kept going despite it, which unfortunately woke Geroge up from a short doze.

"What is all this, Clay? What's even," He yawned. "Happening?" I swallowed again and kept to my path. Just keep pushing forward and then you'll be free from crushing embarrassment. I bit my bottom lip to keep focused on only what I was doing. Pain focused me. It probably shouldn't have, if I'm being honest but it did its job well and kept me going.

I was now panting as I ran, but that didn't matter to me. My lungs and legs burned with acid, but my head was clear of thoughts or anything really and I whooped out in pleasure, doing a little spin mid-run and running harder. George was somehow still feeling really tired through this though and it showed through his incoherent tired mumbles throughout the run.

Headlights pierced the inky black of the dark forest and I whooped out again. Cries of jubilation were all that flooded my mind and I felt so alive. So very alive. My smile was almost as bright as the headlights that were shining right into my retinas. George winced at the sudden light and I saw my chance.

"Pussy." I croaked out. He looked fake offended and replied without missing a beat.

"I don't have one if you're even into that." He smirked. I coughed again and turned away, back to the black car that was pulling up next to us. Sapnap rolled down the window and he looked impressed. Ammon was laughing in the passenger seat. "You owe me ten!" He lightly hit Sapnap.

Sapnap brushed off his shirt and looked at me. "You know when I said to meet us halfway I didn't mean literally," Ammon smirked.

"He met your quota, and by the looks of it carried George?" I nodded and opted to explain in a very low and croaky voice.

"He's sick, his feet are messed up, and I'm ready to run at the drop of a hat."

I coughed again. I need water and I need to rest my vocal cords. Apparently, screaming in terror underwater isn't a good way to cure laryngitis. And then I couldn't sing for a while either, how charming. I wanted to groan. Sapnap popped the backseat doors.

"Get in." George rolled his eyes as I carried him into the middle seat and sat him down next to me.

"Oh boy, it's Sapmap, our night in shining armor!" He did sarcastic jazz hands if I ever saw them. His voice was so sarcastic that I thought that it might legitimately burn someone who wasn't protected from it. I winced in second-hand burn pains.

"First, of course, soldier. Any prince would take care of a soldier such as you. Second, call me Sapmap again and we're gonna have issues." He glared at George from the back mirror, then trained his attention back to the road. He drove like a madman as if it were a drifting car. Pretty soon I realized that it was.

I gripped the handle that was conveniently above me for dear life and screamed as we sped and drifted parallel to the bridge, then without even slowing down drove across it. By then we evened out and the speed was bearable I was panting and the knuckles that were latched to the handle were white. George looked at me questioningly. 

I glared at him and rubbed my throat, it hurt really bad now.

"What, are you not used to Sap's driving?" He laughed. "That's cute. Nobody is." He looked in the backseat and I looked too, out of curiosity. There were two men sleeping with each other, one of them being Skeppy. I smiled to myself and leaned back in the seat. At least he'd found a friend. I smiled down at George when he did the same thing and fell asleep almost immediately. Things were going to be alright, everything would be okay.

Sapnap set a course for the hospital.