Growing Pains

Chapter Eighteen: Enough

Finn backed away from the screaming teenager, his face white and breath hitching. "Oh gods... oh gods, oh gods, oh gods!" Images flashed in his mind: a fallen roof, blood soaking the snow, Benen bleeding to death. A sharp protrusion of wood sticking out of his chest.

Pounding footsteps on stairs broke him out of his panicked stupor and Horst and Cliff emerged. The older man gasped at Erick and ran forward, stripping off his belt and tightly tying it above the teenagers' knee. Erick jerked at the movement, a hand clawing at Horst's arm.

"Hold on, Erick, hold on! Finn, WHAT happened?"

Cliff screamed and backed against the rail, his eyes wide and terrified. Finn watched Horst's mouth moving, yelling at the two boys to do something. His stomach churned and he barely made it to the edge of the platform before he vomited. Images flashed in his mind again, combined with Erick's agonized screams. Tears welled in his eyes; this wasn't supposed to happen.

Finally, Horst's voice broke through the barrier. "CLIFF! GO GET HELP! GO!"

Cliff scrambled off the floor and tore down the stairs as fast as he could, his panicked sobs carrying down the stairway. Finn glanced over at Erick and nearly dry heaved. His entire right foot was gone, the bone fragments choppy and uneven and blood pouring from the exposed limb.

"FINN!" The teenager's gaze snapped to Horst, whose face was white and fearful. "HELP ME!"

Finn didn't know what to do. He wanted to run away. He wanted to scream and cry. But instead, he gripped his hair, yanking hard to force himself to focus. Then he edged forward, trying not to gag on the stench Erick's blood.

Lowering to his knees, he stared at Horst. "W-what-"

"Let's get him flat." Horst ordered. "We have to stop the bleeding."

Xxx

Hiccup and Toothless marched through the village as fast as they could, keeping at eye out for both Haddock children. When the chief had caught wind that his son had busted out of jail, his first thoughts went to his daughter. Finn had threatened Adrianna, and so help him Thor if that boy hurt a single hair on her head, he'd... he'd...

Well, he didn't know what he'd do. But he had to do something. This wasn't even ridiculous anymore. It was spiraling out of control fast.

Hiccup was told somewhere that Adrianna was at Gregory and Magnus's house babysitting earlier in the day. He hoped she was still around or at least, if Finn had showed up, Brandyn was there to beat the boy to a pulp for him.

Toothless jerked to a stop beside him, sniffing the air. Then he growled low in his throat. Hiccup stopped a few paces ahead of him, instantly on alert. "What is it, bud? Is it Finn? Addie?"

The Night Fury huffed a "no" before a strangled cry sounded from a nearby street. Cliff Smedley tore around a corner, nearly plowing over an old woman and her granddaughter. The teenager caught sight of him and sprinted over to him. Hiccup's vision narrowed to the teenager, whose eyes were unfocused and pouring with tears, his face pinched in terror.

Cliff plowed right into him, grabbing his armor. "Ch-ch-chief, n-need help, we g-gotta g-g-go, h-he needs help-"

"Cli- CLIFF!" Hiccup held him tight by the face, forcing him to look into his eyes. Cliff's eyes focused on his and he forcefully asked, "What happened?"

Tears poured from the teenager's eyes and he choked, "It's Erick! At the mill!"

Hiccup didn't listen for more. He released the boy, jumped into Toothless' saddle and took off.