Red Circles

11

2:40 am
As we are heading into the north wing, leaving the west behind us, we start to hear footsteps. I stop dead in my tracks and hold my breath. I fling my arm out to stop Ryan as he comes up next to me and whip a finger to my lips silencing his complaints. He immediately flips into his nimble athletic grace ready to scale a wall if he needs to. Then, I hear quiet sobs issuing from the same direction. Ryan scrunches his brow in confusion, but I know who it is. I could tell those sobs from anywhere. Ever. She's upset again and very near. I hear a second pair of footsteps, only these ones through me. They aren't the quiet tips on the floor like the usual Micayla. They're shuffled and uneven. Ryan has picked up on it as well. The confusion has been wiped from his face, replaced with profound worry as he slides along the wall to the corner to check. As his face slightly leans forward to check around the corner he gasps and rushes toward Ever ushering me to follow.
"Micayla! What happened?" he muffles, his hands covering his mouth. Micayla is walking down the hallway, well actually being dragged down the hallway, leaving a long dark trail of blood behind her, supposedly coming from her ankle. Her arm is draped around Ever's shoulder to support her and distribute the weight between the two of them.
"She sliced her leg right open on the old metal in the East corridor, earlier." Ever sobs.
"I'm ffffine!" Micayla slurs.
"How much blood has she lost?'" Ryan questions, completely serious and in medical mode.
"I-I-I d-don't know? A-a-a lot." Ever responds barely keeping herself together. "Really I'm fffine guysss." Micayla huffs again, her eyelids drooping closed.
"No, no, no, Mick you need to stay awake for us girl. Come on! Open up those stubborn eyes for us." Ryan coxes, helping take some of Micayla's weight from Ever. I am so frightened and surprised I haven't moved an inch from the spot I stood, gaping at the slice in Micayla's thigh, as blood runs thick and fast down the thin fabric of her leggings, pooling around her runners on the floor.
"This was a bad idea." I finally say breaking the slight pause of silence.
"Yes, it was," Ryan admits, for maybe the first time ever in his life. "We need to get her out of here now, and call an ambulance." Ryan announces, taking charge of the situation.
"Ever, I will carry her, I need you to walk beside me and just talk to her ok? Keep her awake, she mustn't fall asleep, she's lost too much blood. Can you do that for me?" He gently asks her.
She nods, wiping away her tears and straightening up, letting Ryan scoop Micayla into his arms.
"Hhheyy!" Micayla groggily protests.
"It's ok Micayla, Ryan is going to carry you out so we can get you some help." Ever explains, gently brushing a stray hair from Micayla's face.
"Mmmmk" Micayla mumbles, settling into Ryans arms. As Ryan adjusts his hold on her, he hits a nerve and Micayla winces in pain, snarling at him.
"I'm sorry" He says, true remorse in his eyes. "Harlow, you need to run ahead and get somewhere with a signal. Call an ambulance and get help. If you see Arlin on the way, leave him. Just send him our way saying it's an emergency. He will understand....Hopefully" He adds under his breath. I'm still in slight shock as he gives me the instructions. He gives me a slight nudge with his elbow when I don't move from my spot.
"Go on" he pushes. "Quick, I don't know how-"
"DON'T finish that!" Ever fumes, tears springing back to her eyes. "Harlow is very fast, she'll do it!" Ever ashures me.
The confidence and slight terror in Ever's eyes is all I need to get my feet going. I nod to Ever, a determined look on my face. I turn jogging down the hall, looking back one last time, to see Ryan walking forward as fast as he could, Ever on his right, stroking Micaylas hair and talking in soothing, gentle tones. Breaking into a sprint, I dash out the front doors toward the street leading back to town.