Aeris woke up, still tied to a tree like a rag doll. Her body ached from the cuts she received. This pain was worse then her mothers death. She felt like she was dying, falling into a state where she was in between the living and the dead, and she could feel herself being pulled to her end. She couldn't keep herself upright, her legs weak from blood loss. The only thing keeping her up were the ropes hanging her arms up, which kept her whole body from falling limply to the ground. Her face was pale and she felt feverish. She wanted to die, end her suffering, but death could not greet her. Yet.
A small figure, most likely a teenage girl, untied the ropes around her wrists and ankles. She could not see her clearly, as her eyes were blurry from the tears, sweat, and blood which covered her body. Aeris' body collapsed to the soil. Her hands hit the ground harshly. The girl bent down to her ear and whispered cone word.
❝Run.❞
Aeris was pulled up by the girl who struggled to pick her up. She got Aeris to her feet and pushed her gently, trying to get her to move.
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Aeris looked into the girls eyes and nodded weakly, damaging every muscle in her body to get her through this. She prayed she would have enough strength to run. Her foot pushed her forward, and she began a walk. She pushed harder, working her legs to move faster until she picked up to a jog. Each step she took, pain would echo through her sore body.
When she was almost out of the clearing, she could hear people exiting their tents. No one had seen Aeris yet, but she wasn't betting that they wouldn't see her eventually. She mentally begged her legs to move faster with any energy she possessed. She moved into the trees, trying to use the forest to her advantage. She hid within the brush and silently jogged farther.
Aeris could hear people yelling farther back. They knew she was gone. She heard shouts of "This way!" come from the group. She could hear them coming closer, when one yelled, "I found her!". The footsteps got louder, closer. Aeris' heart raced. She could feel it beating through her whole body like a drum.
She heard a blaster when something sharp hit just above hit hip on her back. Aeris screamed in pain, her whole left leg seized up, barely moving. She moved left instead of forward, looking for anywhere to hide.
Aeris found a bunker opening, opening it quickly, covering the lid with some mud and leaves, hopped in the bunker, and closed the top gently and quickly. Aeris panted loudly, her heart beating rapidly, not slowing until she heard the yelling fade away. She had no idea how long she had been in the bunker. It could've been minutes or ours but Aeris was too tired to think about it.
In the bunker, there was a bed and a mini kitchen, just with a pantry, sink, and refrigerator. There was a small table and chairs in the middle. She had no idea why there was a bunker out here, but she was glad it was here. Aeris limped over to the bed, unable to move her left foot at this point. She had most likely damaged some nerves in her leg, and although she did not have much medical knowledge, she knew chances were not high for her to be able to move her leg again.
She found some medical supplies in the pantry and got some running water and a towel. She soaked the towel in the water, turned the faucet off, and took of her shirt. She cleaned her hip wound first, wiping the blood and dirt off of it. She then continued to clean the rest of her many cuts, nursing them gently, although they stung. She knew she probably needed stitches for some of the deeper cuts, but that was something she didn't have the supplies for. She simply placed a pad of quake on each wound and used medical tape to keep them in place.
Aeris knew she needed to sleep before she got back to her ship, so she climbed into the covers of the bed, her head falling back on the limp pillow. The mattress felt like a cloud compared to her experience earlier. Her eyes fluttered closed and she fell asleep, dreaming of nothing but returning home.
☰☰☰
Although Aeris had not gotten the parts she needed, all she cared about was getting home. She slowly made her way across the marsh forest, reaching the city eventually. She avoided anyone who tried to come near her, focused on getting back to the resistance base. Aeris knew she needed medical help, now. She could die and she wasn't about to let herself. She had barely lived.
When Aeris made it to the hangar, she found her ship and quickened her limp. She asked someone for help getting up, unable to complete the task with only one leg. They helped her up into the ship, giving her clearance to leave as well. She started her ship up and began her liftoff process. Her ship flew out the hangar and out of the atmosphere, going into hyperspace as soon as she could. When she got closer to D'Qar, she left hyperspace and flew to the planet, entering the atmosphere roughly and flying into the hangar. When her ship had landed successfully, she hopped out of her ship. When her feet hit the ground, she groaned loudly, catching someone's attention.
"Hey, we need to get her to the medical bay!" Someone shouted. Aeris fell to the floor on her knees and a group of men lifted her up by the arms and helped her walk to the medical bay. She whimpered in pain the whole way there. When she arrived, she was hurried over to a gurney, and they examined her.
The medics didn't ask her what happened, knowing she was too weak, the simply looked at her wounds. One of the nurses informed her, "You've damaged some nerves in your leg and back. Your left leg is paralyzed, I'm sorry." She paused. "We can take care of your cuts and blaster wound, but those nerves will never be the same.".
Aster gulped and nodded solemnly. The nurses worked for about an hour before she was let go. They have her crutches and a brace that would help her move around easier. She hobbled to her quarters and fell into her desk chair. Her elbows rested against the desk and her face fell in her hands. Tears trickled down her face slowly.
She was a cripple.
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