Are We Out Of The Woods? - (a tayvis story)

3

"Taylor!" A voice called, but Taylor was too tired to care. It must have been at least half an hour, and her hand was still gripping Abigails tightly. The tears had stopped not long ago, but they left clean tracks in the dirt.
"Taylor!" It was a different voice this time, a female voice.

"Taylor!" Travis yelled. She wasn't where he had left her, and now he was scared. He had Blake with him, but no sign of Austin or Patrick yet.
"She- she was right here" Travis gestured to the spot where he had left her, worried that something had happened.
"Its fine, I'm sure she's fine" Blake reassured him. "Taylor!" They wondered around a bit, looking for her.

"Travis, here!" Blake called, running towards the blonde. Travis turned at her voice, following here. There Taylor was, leaning back against a fallen tree, her eyes closed. The blood had seeped through the makeshift bandage and was now smeared on her leg, and she was holding someone hand. As they got closer they could see the gear tracks down her cheeks and... Abigail? That's who's hand she was holding. Abigail who looked lifeless, and... Dead.

"Taylor" Travis knelt down before his girlfriend, placing his hands on her shoulders and shaking gently. Her eyes squinted open, as Blake checked for Abigails pulse. She shook her head sadly as Travis looked on.
"Shes dead" Taylor whispered, bringing her best friends hand up and holding it close. Once again, tears began dripping down her cheeks.
"I know baby, I'm sorry" Travis said, wiping away a tear.

"Its getting dark, and we need to fix that 'bandage'" Blake said, gesturing towards Taylor's leg. "If we can move her towards the plane, there's clothes that we can use, and we can make a fire"
"Good plan" Travis said, nodding up at her. "You hear that baby? Can we move you over there? " he asked Taylor.
Taylor shook her head. "Abi will be alone. I need to stay here with her"
"Abigail will be okay, but you need to say warm. We need to fix your leg, but we can only do that over there, okay? She will be here in the morning, and we can come and see her then" Travis said gently. Blake looked at him out the corner of her eye, unsure as to whether her body would be there the next day. Travis ignored her.

Taylor nodded reluctantly, setting her hand down on the ground.
"I'm gonna carry you, okay?" Travis asked, and Taylor nodded. He hooked one arm under her back and the other under her uninjured leg, making sure not to tough her hurt one. She groaned slightly as it brushed against her other leg, and Blake looked on in sympathy.

Travis set her down in front of the same tree as earlier, making sure she was comfortable before unwrapping the makeshift bandage. The wound didn't look any better than before.
"We need to wash it" Blake said, rolling up her sleeves. "Oh, don't look sweetie" she said to Taylor, who was grimacing at her calf. "Could you grab some water? And a suitcase or two" she directed the question at Travis, who set off to look.

Travis returned soon after, armed with a blue suitcase in his right arm, a black one in his left and a water bottle under each arm.
"Perfect" Blake said as he zipped open each case. She reached for the water bottle, opening the lid, and grabbed a t shirt.
"This is going to sting, okay?" She asked as Travis sat down next to his girlfriend, taking her hand in his.

Blake poured water over the wound and started dabbing it with the orange 'surfing' tshirt, making Taylor flinch. Once she had done that, Blake grabbed a towel and wrapped it around the wound tightly, making Taylor cry out. Travis rubber her hand comfortingly- he hated when she was in pain. Blake then grabbed another jumper and tied it around the towel, securing it all in place.
"That should be okay for now, but we need to keep it clean" she said, looking at Taylor. "Go easy, okay?" Taylor nodded, as something else dawned on her.

"Where's Austin and Patrick? Are they not with you?" She asked worriedly, looking between the pair who shared a glance.
"We haven't found them yet, but I'm sure they're okay. We can go look for them again in the morning." He said, squeezing her hand.

It was getting dark, so they decided to start a fire. Blake and Travis wondered around, gathering various bits and pieces as Taylor sat there, feeling as useless as ever. After about thirty minutes, twenty matches and a burnt finger the fire was alight. They only had four matches left, so couldn't afford for the fire to go out now. It was pitch black and freezing, and the trio were getting colder by the minute.

Travis moved Taylor towards the fire and went to the suitcase to gather some clothes. Once they were all layered up, they settled down. Travis holding Taylor, Blake on the other side as they all huddled under the one blanket they found for warmth.
"No falling asleep" Blake whispered, her breaths coming out in puffs in the cold air in front of her. "We need to keep talking, who wants to tell a story?" She continued. There were no takers so she set off, talking about something funny that James did last week.

Taylor could feel herself slipping away, and as she tried keeping here or awake she gripped onto Travis's hand.
"That's it, stay awake" he murmered sleepily, squeezing her hand back. They kept at that throughout the night, eventually stopping when all three had passed out and the fire was nothing more than a couple of burnt logs.