Reversal (Camren/Norminah)

Chapter 60: Dawn

LX.

As she spoke, I managed to catch the slightest hint of movement in the trees, a flash of red plaid that was quickly whisked away by the arrival of the sunrise.

"Those IDIOTS!"

A sharp voice cut through the trees, and I opened my eyes momentarily to see a number of figures rushing towards us.

"Camila! Lauren!"

It only took seconds for Dinah to start hovering directly above me, horrified concern in her bronze coloured eyes. "What on earth did the two of you do? How did this happen? Are you STUPID?!"

"Dinah, we can yell at them later. Let's bring them back and start dealing with this. It looks bad, there's a lot of blood." Ally's voice echoed, and I felt a gentle hand touch my arm.

"Camila, we're going to get you on your feet now alright? If something starts to hurt too badly, then give us some kind of signal." It was Normani. "You'll be just fine, I promise."

Opening my eyes, I blinked a few times to see the girl knelt over me, and Ally at her side. Nodding, I felt a number of smooth, ice coated tree roots slid out of the ground and lift my body up, supporting my weight and moving me towards the girl. She moved my arm over her shoulder her own wrapping tight around my waist.

"I've got you." Her voice was soft. "How bad does it hurt?"

"Pretty bad." I coughed, straining muscle in my body to bring my hand up, then draw it away to see that my palm was speckled with blood.

"Let's get you back." Worry was thick in the girl's voice. "Dinah?"

"I've got you Lauren." Dinah was doing the same a few feet away. Her body was cloaked in a soft red glow, the heat from which was feeding into the barely conscious fledgling. "Steady now, hold on to me."

"You too Camila." Normani snaked her way beneath me just in time for my legs to give up again and my body to drape against her back. She smelt like soap and flowers. "Do your best to hold on alright? We're going to get you both back as fast as we can."

I forced myself to stay conscious as the forest moved around me, the cool dawn air soothing some of the open wounds on my shoulders. Ally was just ahead, in one hand was my knife, reconnected with it's double counterparts, and in the other were Lauren's own bloodstained weapons. She was fast, carving a path through the woods by bending and twisting the surrounding branches away two at a time.

Some time later, the five of us arrived back at the underground entrance. Normani dropped down after Dinah, landing steadily on the dark orange concrete and quickly traversing the corridors to the infirmary. The hallways were empty, not a sound was evident through any of the rooms.

"It's so quiet." I murmured weakly. "Where is everybody?"

"They all left just before the sun rose." Normani replied over her shoulder. "Everyone said to say goodbye to you, as well as a genuine thank you. They were pretty excited to finally get out there and start new lives."

"I'm glad." I murmured. "So what are we going to do next then?"

"Next we're going to make sure the two of you make a full recovery." Normani replied, following Dinah into the room and waiting as Ally prepared two tables. "Then we can talk about where we're headed next."

"Alright." Ally approached me first. "Camila, let me see your arm, I'm going to get you hooked up to an IV."

Nodding slowly, I braced myself for the cool surface of the table, ensuring my arm was extended as Ally slid a fresh injection into the inner crease. She then stepped towards my head, accepting a heavy piece of cloth from Normani and using it to apply pressure against the wound on my chest.