The Shield One-Shots Book 3

The Bully And The Nerd Pt36/Ambrollins

 Something wet and cold fell on his face bringing him back to consciousness, jarring him fully awake and causing his body to spasm in pain. His entire body was in agony; even the most shallow of breaths felt like torture. He longed to return to sleep, where there was no pain only peace. The darkness started to pull him back under and he welcomed it when suddenly a bright bolt of lightning illuminated the sky, followed by an earsplitting crack of thunder that echoed through the night. He slowly opened his eyes but had to close them again as the rain fell onto his face.

 Turning his head to the right, he opened his eyes again, blinking through the rain and realized that he was still lying in the muddy grass behind the fallen tree at the bottom of the ravine - hours had passed while he lay unconscious, and night had descended along with the rain. He hoped that meant that he was no longer being hunted by Cena, he looked around for any sign of him but couldn't see him anywhere and the only sounds he heard were the thunder and pouring rain.

 Dean tried to move but panic began to well up in the pit of his stomach, his limbs felt like lead weights,  and his body wouldn't cooperate. Did he hurt himself worse than he thought when he had fallen down the cliff and just not realized it until his adrenaline had worn off? Is... is this how he died? He closed his eyes and took a few calming breaths, channelling his inner Seth and thought about his situation. He gritted his teeth as he held his breath and tried moving each part of his body one by one, it caused him intense pain, some worse than others, but he was relieved when he realized that he could still move everything, though it was sheer agony. His head spun with the effort, waves of nausea rolling through him like thunderstorms. With a deep breath, he slowly forced his body into a sitting position against the trunk of the tree, biting his lip so hard he tasted blood and let out an exhausted sigh.

 His breath came out in ragged, painful gasps and he clenched his teeth together as he tried to will himself to get to his feet. His entire body shivered violently as the cold rain soaked him through his clothes and he knew that if he didn't find shelter soon he'd get hypothermia and things would only get worse causing him more problems he didn't need. He looked around and in a sudden flash of lightning, he saw a large branch lying on the ground near his feet, he could use that to help him stand and walk. With a deep, steadying breath, preparing himself for the pain, he reached down and grabbed it with both hands. It took several tries, but eventually, the heavy branch was in his grasp and he used it as leverage to pull himself off the ground.

 As soon as he was on his feet, he felt himself sway as the pain hit him like a wave and nausea rolled through his stomach. He doubled over against the tree as he emptied his stomach contents onto the wet earth below. After emptying what felt like everything from his stomach, the pain remained but it was dull enough for him to barely stay upright. He leaned against the trunk for support, he wasn't sure he could walk very far, his body wouldn't let him.

 The rain pelted his skin as he stood in the darkness, waiting for a flash of lightning. Seconds later, it happened and illuminated the landscape around him. He studied it, desperately trying to figure out which way would lead him to safety. Finally deciding on a way, he squinted against the wind and started walking slowly, hoping that he was going in a way that would lead him to help.

 After what felt like forever, he still hadn't found help and he was beginning to lose hope of ever finding any or getting out of the forest. The trees around him seemed to close in, trapping him in a maze of evergreens. Each step he took felt like an eternity, and his heavy breathing grew laboured. He was about to turn around and accept his fate when exhausted and near-desperate from endless hours of wandering, he suddenly found a clearing. A bright flash of lightning illuminated it, revealing an old cabin nestled at its edge. He stood frozen, leaning on the stick, unsure if he had really seen the cabin or if he had imagined it.