(COMPLETED) The Lunar Chronicles - Winter's Summer

Part 33

"KAI!"

Cinder's horrified shriek pierced Cress's ears. It wasn't unlike the one that Iko had made when she saw that Kai was shot. High and shrill. Winter just appeared to go into shock. Thorne ran out to help, gun brandished. And Cress just couldn't turn her gaze from the portscreen.

"Kai, oh my stars, oh my stars, JACIN, help me, help please help me!"

Jacin became visible when Cinder looked at him, his face entirely white. He seemed to shake himself out of a trance before saying "Right! Uh, grab his arms. We need to get him to the medbay now!"

The image of Jacin went up and down, Cinder nodding her head. She went around to grab Kai's torso, like she had been instructed to do, and Jacin grabbed him by the ankles. He looked just prepared to lift him when Thorne ran into the room, barely giving Cinder a second glance. He already knew what was going on.

He aimed his gun at Wynn's head and shot twice, then, without looking at Wynn's bloody form, turned to Cinder and asked "Where's Wolf and Scarlet?"

"The window!" Jacin professed, gesturing to it. Thorne climbed out, going to retrieve their friends. "Cinder, on the count of three. One, two, THREE!"

The lifted Kai, beginning the arduous process of carrying him down the stairs. Cinder kept trying to speed up, desperate to get Kai to the medbay, and Jacin kept telling her to slow down, worried she might drop him.

When Cress saw the blue of the sky through the portscreen, she realized with a jolt that they were going to be at the Rampion in mere moments. She jumped from her chair, startling Iko out of her panic induced haze.

"Winter! Clear all of the stuff out of the medbay hall. Iko, start preparing the ship for take off. Hustle up!"

It was so unlike Cress to be the one giving orders that it took Winter and Iko a moment to realize that they had jobs to do. Winter ran across the Rampion, shoving miscellaneous crates to the side of the halls, clearing a path.

At hearing Jacin's cry of "CAREFUL, CINDER! YOU'RE GOING TO DROP HIM!" then Cress put down her portscreen, it being rendered useless.

She saw Jacin and Cinder enter the Rampion, and Cress skittered to Jacin's side, asking hurriedly "What can I do?"

He huffed, adjusting his grip on Kai's ankles. Without a glance in Cress's direction, he said "Stay out of the way."

She nodded, returning to the ramp to wait for the arrival of the rest of their crew, fiddling with the hem of her dress the entire time. She couldn't help but notice the thick stream of blood that trailed behind Kai, tracing his path to the medbay.

She fought the urge to throw up.

When she saw the three people walking towards the ship, she heaved a sigh of relief, starting to feel desperate to leave, to get back in space, where the dangers are all below her on the ground.

Wolf strode up the ramp first, holding a sleeping Scarlet in his arms. He didn't say anything or pause at all, just continued down the hall to where his and Scarlet's room was.

Thorne came a little after, sweeping past her and into the cockpit. She followed after him, hoping that he could give her a job, something to do. She hated feeling useless while her friends were all in crisis.

Thorne, at seeing Iko in front of the control panel, promptly asked "Did you get it started?"

She nodded, backing away from the control panel to where Cress stood, seeming grateful that Thorne had arrived so that she wouldn't have to be the one responsible for flying the ship. She wouldn't be able to do it very well anyways, with the whole not-being-able-to-move thing.

Cress heard a faint hissing noise, a sign that the ramp was closing. With a determined look carved into Thorne's face, he started the ship with a jerk, getting them off the ground the fastest he ever had, inputting coordinates to New Beijing.

Cress had fallen against Iko's gurney when Thorne had taken off, and was still trying to stand up when Thorne brushed past her, heading towards the medbay.

He had a flash of guilt in his eyes as he made eye contact with her as he passed, but Cress wasn't offended that she was being ignored for the moment. Everyone was just trying to make sure Kai and Scarlet were safe.

Cress played a role in the operation, and now her part was done. Now all she had to do was wait. She padded across the room to the co-pilot's chair, sitting down and curling up into a small ball.

Iko sat next to her, and Winter joined a few minutes later. They sat together in silence, anxiously awaiting news about their friend and feeling like burdens.