The Prison of Luna

Cress

Carswell continued to cough, and Cress felt tears in her eyes. Cinder had crawled to them, but Scarlet was in the farthest corner of the cage, a hand tight over her mouth. Wolf had an arm around her, like a shield.

"What are you -" Cress cut herself off when she turned back to Carswell. He had a hand over his mouth, trying to stop the racking coughs. This action revealed his wrist.

It was covered in small, bruise-like dots.

Leutmosis.

Cress gasped, and she held back the tears as she rolled up the leather sleeves of his jacket, revealing more spots on his arm.

"Oh my stars, Carswell!" He looked to her, his eyes glossy like mirrors. Hot tears began to flow down Cress' cheeks as she looked at him, feeling helpless.

His coughing died down for a moment, and he spoke.

"Cress -" Another cough.

"No, no. Carswell, don't talk." His coughing abruptly halted, and he gazed at her, eyes sad. Blood dribbled down his chin.

He grabbed her shoulders. She seized up under his tight grip. He suddenly shoved her away, simultaneously pushing himself into Cinder, who had been on the opposite side of him.

They crashed into the steel bars. "GET AWAY FROM ME!" Thorne hollered. "YOU'LL CATCH IT!" His eyes were wild as Cinder stabilized him with one hand.

"Thorne!" she yelled. "Snap out of it!" She shook him, but he only thrashed out at her, raking his nails, that had grown dirty and in need of a trim, across her face.

Cress gasped as Cinder fell back, sprawling and clutching the side of her face. Cress believed she would not get up.

She clearly did not know Cinder very well.

Indeed, Cinder did not stay down. She struggled to get up with one hand, soon succeeding. Thorne was pulling back for a punch, and Cress though for sure he would land it, but Cinder was on him in a moment. She stumbled to him, holding him by the front of his shirt and shoving him back. The force of her shove surprised Thorne, and he was momentarily stunned. Cinder took this opportunity, tightening her grip on his shirt.

She braced herself, and collided her forehead with his.

Cress gasped again and almost recoiled.

Cinder had just head butted Carswell.

He looked dazed for a moment, until he went limp in Cinder's grasp. She let him go from her white-knuckle grip, and he fell backwards, sprawling out awkwardly on the steel ground.

Cinder sat back, propping herself up with the heel of her hand and draping her handless arm over her knees. She looked completely calm.

Like she hadn't just head butted some one.

She addressed the wound on her cheek, the three scratches. She must have not thought it serious, because her hand dropped immediately.

Cress scrambled to Thorne. Her hands danced over his face and torso nervously, not knowing what to do.

"Is he going to be alright?" she asked, turning to Cinder.

"Relax," she said back, crossing her legs in front of her. "He's just unconscious."

"Why did you do that?" Cinder's eyes squinted toward Cress, like she was trying to solve a puzzle.

"He attacked you, and me..." She cast a arm to Scarlet and Wolf, who was now fawning over her, making a fuss out of every move she made. "And, technically, he's a danger now, to Scarlet."

Cinder shuffled foreword, and untied the canvas rag around her nub of a wrist, unwrapping it. She revealed a stump, metal and wires jutting from it.

"Oh stars, did they..." Cress trailed off.

"They ripped my hand right off," she deadpanned, reaching over Carswell and tying the rag around his head with one hand, covering his mouth.

Cress watched sullenly as his breath slightly bulged the cloth for a second, before caving when he inhaled. She let out her own breath, almost relieved.

"Did-" She paused, her heartbeat steadying. "Did it hurt?"

Cinder shook her head, messing with the bent metal and frayed wires. "No, it has no pain receptors." She smiled, amused at herself. "Had."

"How long do you think he has?" Cress asked, turning her attention back to Carswell. She smoothed a frayed hair back from his face.

"He has days, at the most." Cinder looked to Cress, sympathy swelled in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Cress."

Cress was about to say something, when the clang of metal against metal resonated around them.

"Come on, come on." They heard Wolf's hurried whisper, ushering Scarlet out of the cage. The entrance to it was now hanging haphazardly on one crooked hinge, swinging.

"Go with them, Cress." Cinder kept her voice low. "Levana has an antidote in her laboratories. If you can find that, Kai, Jacin, and Winter in a timely manner, we may be able to get out of here." Cress blinked at the impossibility of what her comrade had just uttered. She searched Cinder's eyes for doubt, a shred of the emotion Cress was feeling, but was met with a hard, stale gaze, and the words she had not dared to say aloud bounced across her irises.

Escape at all cost, even at the cost of us.