Spades and Angels

Sharpness and Sorrow

Maddox

"COME OUT, COME OUT WHEREVER YOU ARE! YOU CAN RUN BUT YOU CAN'T HIDE!"

The voice rings loud and clear as if shouted through a speaker system. Kind of like the ones that fairs and carnivals use to make announcements for all to hear.

Next to me, Lo shivers in fear and pain but when I catch a glimpse of her eyes...they look angry, filled with a rage I'd never seen from her before. But she's hurt. I'm not blind. She was shot twice and who knows what else they did to her. Or what happened in the crash when I woke up she was gone. She's hurt but keeps moving. We both do. Both of us continue to run with our arms around our partner's shoulders to keep us upright.

I ran with Lo, both of us moving as fast as we were able to. I helped Lo stay on her feet as we tried to evade the circling lights. Desperate to stick to the safety of the shadows I try to lead us back towards the others. Wherever they are.

"We need to find the others," Lo pushes the words out through gritted teeth as we keep moving. Both of us limped along until we reached a safe enough patch of shadows that we felt we could stop. When we do, she shifts a little under my arm and turns to me in the gloomy half-light of the storm, offering me a concerned expression. Worry and fear pinched her expression as her restless eyes scanned the area around us. "We need to keep moving." She mumbles, her voice pitched just above a whisper, her closeness allowing me to hear what would otherwise have been lost in the storm. "We need to keep moving Mads. Keep moving toward the - any - possible way out however improbable they are. Find the others like you said." I nod and she looks back at me, an oddly intense look in her eyes. I'm about to ask her if she's ok before she whispers something else. "Can...can you....do you think you can still walk?"

She stumbles over her words, coughing a few times into her hand as she tries to talk. Once she's done she muffles another coughing fit into her arm until it's done. Once she's ok - or as ok as possible - she takes a second before she slips out from under my arm, leaving me leaning against the wall confused. Attempting to figure out what she's doing, or where she's going, I keep my eyes pinned on her as she creeps toward the next corner.

Skulking through the shadows back the way we'd come, she creeps toward the noise and lights we'd left behind when trying to hide. Once she reaches the furthest corner where she'd be safe Lo pauses. Stopping there she hugs the corner with her hands and looks once left and then right before coming back to me. Checking the whole way up until she reaches me and I can put an arm back around her. Fitting her into the crook of my arm, to keep her safe, I notice her skittish expression even before she whispers my name. "Mads?"

Her low whisper has me looking between her and where she's staring into the distance. When she taps my shoulder I nod, showing I've heard her, even as I keep watch.

"Mhmm," I mumble in agreement and switch my attention between her and the surroundings. Except I'd had to sit when she'd let go of me before since leaning got too painful. Slipping out from where she'd been under my arm, she sighed and stood on shaky legs.

Once she's got her feet Lo offers and hand to me and I take it, letting her help me up. My brave angel checking left and right again as we do. Her arm around my back and shoulders ground me. Steadying me as I get my footing.

"Mads? Lo taps my shoulder again and I pull my eyes away from the seemingly desolate carnival back to her. She peers at me with a worried look. "Can you walk? Please say yes because we need to move. Now."

"I-yeah I think so but where are we going, Lo?" I ask her once we're both walking again. Trying to stay within the ring of shadows at the edge. "Lo?"

"To find the others," She replies, stopping once to look me over. "We need to find the others and regroup. See what weapons we do have between us and how many of us are in fighting shape," She shrugs, rolling her shoulders once, "Plus if we can we need to get those out of us,"