Where I Found You

Chapter 30 - Jack now.

Chapter 30 - Jack now.

I hate being lost. When my sense of direction is completely out of control, it's one of the worst feelings in the world.

I continuously silently curse Niall and Katy as I make my way past trees and avoid sharp branches. I've already got one white scratch on my cheek and a deep cut on my hand from walking through the unruly forest. It's a miracle that there's even phone signal here.

"Is there any sort of . . . Tree, or landmark near where you are?" I ask half-heartedly through the phone to Niall. Meanwhile, Katy's screaming in the background, and it would fit perfectly on some sort of midwife drama show, like a woman in labour. I'm not even joking.

"I dunno, we're near a clearing, and there's a big tree near the way we came. Which is the way that you came." Niall's beyond panicking. He's going to start speaking another language if someone doesn't get to them quickly.

"Alright."

I begin to run then, and I feel bloody hopeless. It only feels like a few seconds ago when I woke up to see Alyssa beside me in bed, with her hair splayed out all across the pillow and her little arms wrapped around my middle. I quickly look around for an abnormally large tree of any sort, and keep on ploughing on.

"Niall!" I call out. "Katy! Can you hear me?"

Suddenly there's a quiet shout, sounding like it's coming from about ten miles away as a whole flock of birds suddenly take off from branches above my head. I jog in that direction, and shout, "Keep calling so that I know where you are!"

It takes about five whole minutes after that, until I spot two dark figures on the ground a way off. I start sprinting then, and then suddenly skid on a pile of wet leaves, falling down onto my back. It feels for a second like I've paralysed my whole spine, right from my tailbone to my neck, but I get up and I have to just walk now, limply, to where I can see two people.

"Jack!" Niall suddenly yells. As I get closer I see that he's sat down and Katy is half lying, half sitting beside him with her legs straight out in front of her. I try to walk as fast as I can, but the place around my tailbone is fucking killing. It feels like I'm internally bleeding.

Finally, I reach them, and slowly crouch down beside Katy, who looks like she's going to pass out any second. I can see Niall is shivering violently whilst pressing something to Katy's leg. I feature for him to move it aside, then I'm staring at a humongous gash all along the outside of Katy's calf. I take the thing he was pressing against it - Niall's jacket, I realise - and that's when I spot the layer of yellow outlining the wound.

"How long have you been here?" I ask, and position myself slowly on the ground as to not hurt my injured back anymore.

"Since like five in the morning," Niall answers hoarsely. "It's not stopped bleeding."

I look down at the blood-drenched jacket then quickly press it hard against Katy's wound. Immediately she begins to scream.

"You're not applying enough pressure, that's why," I growl over Katy's screeches. "It looks like she's lost a load of blood, and now it's infected, too."

Strings of profanities flow from Niall's mouth, and I look around to see if Alyssa's here with her dad, but I'm kidding myself - they have to find the forest first, and then find us. I watch as Niall slowly strokes Katy's matted hair, as tears run down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry," I mumble to her. Then I ask heatedly, "Niall, why the fuck were you out here?"

"It's a long story-"

"Tell me the simple version," I demand, then press harder on Katy's wound, making her go mad. She can't lose too much blood, otherwise she'll pass out and have to have a blood transfusion.