The Green Planet

Chapter 10

Clifton looked around. He was flying. Well floating was a better word for it. The clouds were lazily moving around him, barely a breeze in the sky. He smiled. All of his worries were gone, he didn't know what happened to the treehouse or Leslie. He didn't know what Cecelia did or where she took Stella.

And at the moment, he didn't care.

He laid back, letting the breeze take him when everything became cold and dark. The breeze turned harsh. His body began to ache and feel like one giant bruise. His eyes opened.

Rain fell, somewhat lightly. The wind was blowing but it had eased, as if the roaring lion it was before had calmed down. The ground was muddy and slick. Clifton tried to move his leg and it bursted into an explosion of pain. His hands darted toward his right knee, grit teeth and sweat collected on his brow. He released a breath and ignored the pain, reaching for a stick. He propped the stick up and stood. "Leslie?" He called, his throat was sore from yelling already.
Nothing.
Clifton limped through the rubble. He threw aside wood, careful to avoid the nails. "Leslie! Where are you!" His movements began to get fasterer. Horror and dread was building inside his chest. Suddenly, to his left, the boards were shifting. He jumped up and threw some off. "Leslie! Leslie come on, I almost thought-" He stopped and stared. Cooper was there, panting and licking some of his cuts. Tears almost came to Clifton's eyes. "You idiot dog!" He stood up again and looked around. "Leslie! Answer me if you can hear me!" He went back to the rubble and picked through it, calling her name. Cooper put his nose in the air and sniffed, jumping up and barking. He ran to a pile of wood and began to bark at it. Clifton looked at it, he looked at Cooper who was barking and jumping at it. He walked over and began to move boards aside. Clifton held his breath and moved a large wooden board.
There, Leslie lay, muddy, dirty and scarred. Blood trickled down her head and her arm was bent at an odd angle. Her other hand was covering something on her stomach. It was covered in blood. Her breaths were ragged and uneven. "Leslie?" He said gently. The rain was slowly letting up. He put a gentle hand on her shoulder. Her eyes opened, but barely. "Cliff-" She coughed.
"Take it easy, tell me what hurts," He pulled his muddy sweatshirt off, a muddy white t-shirt underneath, and wadded it into a wad, laying it under her head.
"Everything right now," She rasped, her voice barely audible.
"Let me find some water." Clifton got up and looked around for his satchel, hoping that his canteen was still inside. Two minutes later, he finally found it under a pile of ripped blankets and tubs. Clifton limped his way back over to Leslie. "Here, drink it slowly." He lifted the small canteen. Leslie swallowed it and gave him a small grateful smile. She coughed again, her face scrunched in pain. Leslie looked down and moved her hand away from her stomach. A large jagged piece of wood stuck out menacingly. It was a gruesome sight, covered in blood. Leslie's breaths got quicker, her eyes going wide. "C-Clifton. I-is-" pain and panic was painted plain on her face. "W-w-what are we g-g-going to do?"

Clifton looked from Leslie's face to the menacing piece of wood, one emotion flooding him.

Numbness.

Clifton didn't know what to do. They couldn't exactly take it out and risk more damage. Leslie needed to be calmed down before anything else. He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Leslie, listen, everything is going to be okay. I promise. You're going to have to be strong and brave for me. We can play a game of chess later on."
Leslie nodded. Her eyes seemed to be transfixed on the wood invading her body. Pieces of mud were stuck in her hair, along with leaves and twigs. She leaned her head back and took deep breaths. "Clifton, be honest with me, what are my odds of making it out of this forest alive?" She asked.
"You have a good chance, if we're careful." He said, trying to sound as reassuring as possible.
Leslie nodded and didn't say anything. Clifton stood, Cooper wagging his tail and his tongue sticking out. "Dumb dog" Leslie could hear Clifton mutter. Clifton looked around and limped his way back and forth, gathering wood and other things. He wiped sweat off his forehead as he was tying pieces of wood together with a rope he found that was barely frayed.