Chapter Twenty-Three: Too Late

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As we hike, my body starts to get worse and worse. I can't bend over anymore because my spine feels like it's turning to ash when I do. I can't lift my arms, either, because my shoulders have locked up.

If we have to fight something, it's going to be all on Ava and Alex, which is... concerning.

Of all my friends, they are the ones I wouldn't trust holding a knife.

Neither of them can carry me, either, so if my legs decide they don't want to work anymore, we're kinda screwed.

Alex tries to look at my wound and tell me what we can do, but he's not... Rae.

All he can tell me is my veins have turned black and there's purple and yellow bruises surrounding the wound like I've been beat with a bat.

I'm constantly having to take breaks, which is slowing our progress even more.

Maybe if I'd let someone with more muscles come, like Cat or Nick, we'd be making better time.

How long did Death say I have until this junk kills me? Does it matter anymore?

At some point, the feeling in my left hand goes.

I decide not to tell Ava or Alex. It's probably from the poison spreading to my bullet wound. It's not like I've been taking care of it. Normally, Rae would be here. She would clean the wound, and change the bandages, and tell me how stupid I am.

But she's not here.

"I need," I gasp, "I need another break."

Alex's eyebrows pinch as I drop to my knees and shift onto my butt.

Since I can't move my upper half, this is the easiest way to get down.

"That's the fifth one in an hour," Ava points out.

"Yeah," I grunt, "I'm aware."

Alex glances at her to share a distressed look before remembering she can't see. He rubs the back of his neck. "Should I carry you?" He asks.

I wheeze and clutch my chest. "I'm fine. I just need a minute. I won't take long."

Ava steps towards me. "You're not fine! You're literally dying."

"It's okay."

She stomps her foot, sending a plume of dirt in the air.

A squirrel skitters away and I glare at it until it's gone.

"You said we'd make it on time," I remind her. "It's okay."

She grinds her teeth together. "Well, yeah, but I thought-."

Alex flinches. "Is it because I'm here?"

"No," she hisses.

He bows his head. "It is, isn't it? You'd be making better time if I'd stayed with the others."

"No," she insists. "It isn't about you. It's-." She shakes her head.

"You don't have to spare my feelings," he murmurs. "You can go on without me. I can try to find the others if Raven can tell me which way to go to make it back to the path."

"It's because they're not here!" Ava snaps.

I shake my head. "You said we'd make it in time without them," I argue.

She rakes a hand halfway through her curls before it gets stuck and she curses. "I lied."

"I'm getting that. Lied about what?"

Her shoulders slump. "They're supposed to have caught up by now."

"They're not going to catch up. I left them a letter telling them to keep going up the mountain and I'd meet up with them when I am better."

"They ignored it," she grumbles. "I've been trying to make our path easy to track for Nick."

"You what?"

She swings her arm. "What do you want me to do, Raven? Sit here and watch you die!?"

"Technically-."

She smacks Alex in the shoulder. "Don't you dare make a blind joke right now."

He rubs his arm with a pout.

"I'm not going to die," I assure her.

"Really? Let's take stock of our situation for a minute. You've been shot, your foot was nearly shattered by a giant electric eel, you have magical poison running through your veins from a magical creature from a different realm, and I keep seeing the various ways you could die, but I can't do anything about it because you're so damn stubborn!"

Alex and I stare at her in silence.

He reaches for her and pats her shoulder. "There, there."

She smacks his hand off. "And worst of all, the rest of our friends can't take a fucking hint and follow the obvious tracks I've been leaving! So, me not stopping you from leaving could be the reason you die! Did I miss anything, your highness!?"

I smack my lips together, making popping noises. "I'm also being hunted by pretty much every magical creature in this forest."

She throws her arms up. "Oh, thank you!"

I scoot onto my side, then clamber up to my knees. Once my feet are under me, I go to her and tap the top of her foot with my boot. "Look, we'll make up the time we've lost. I can keep going."

She scrapes a tear off her cheek and shakes her head. "We won't make it without them."

"Well, they're not coming," I whisper. "They're probably pissed I ran off. If you think about it, I took my two oldest friends and left all of them behind. They have a right to be angry. They probably kept going."

"I could go look for them," Alex offers.

Ava hugs herself and digs her nails into her arms. "No. No! There's not enough time! I-I can't keep going like this."

"Then I'll go alone," I say. "Alex, take Ava back to the others. I'll meet up with you when this is fixed."

"What?" Alex rasps. "You can't be serious!"

I shove past them both. "You heard Ava. We're running out of time. We don't have time to argue."

"You won't make it," Ava calls.

"Believe in me a little, Ava. I'm stronger than you think."

"I know how strong you are," she snaps as I keep walking. "But I also know you're getting worse."

I whip around to face her. "I'm sick of that! You don't know every single thing that's going to happen, Ava! I'm injured, not weak! I am strong enough to keep going. With or without you!"

Her face is blank. She sets her jaw and lifts her chin. "No. You're not."

"How dare-?" I step towards her, but put too much weight on the foot that's injured. A shock wave goes up my spine, burning through my shoulders.

"Raven?" Alex steps towards me, reaching for me. "Are you okay?"

The ground seems to sway up towards me.

Then I realize it doesn't 'seem' to.

I slam face first into the dirt.

"Raven!" Alex shouts, sprinting to my side. He grabs me. "What do we do, Ava!?"

Ava eases into the grass and crosses her legs. "Nothing. We're out of time."

"Ava! Help me carry them! C'mon! We can't just-." His voice breaks. "-We can't give up on them, Ava. Please."

She turns her face. "It's too late."

Darkness washes over me.

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