à la folie (To Insanity)

Chapter 15- Jackson

Raven is lifeless lying there on the ground. Taking care of her injuries helps take my mind off of other things. Elizabeth hasn't shown up after the attack, believed to have been lead by Evan. Some of her group is also missing. Small groups of people have been tricking into our camp slowly, mostly those who were lost. Raven had been the one to warn us of the attack, seconds too late. She had also figured out what had caused it, the tracker implant chips from Evan. I stitched up everyone else's hands, and found one of Elizabeth's girls, Nicole, to help me stitch my hand.  

    I look back down at Raven, she's going to wake up soon. Nicole finds me again, needing help with the other wounded. I look at Raven again, covering her with a blanket, and walk reluctantly to help Nicole. Most everyone has sustained some form of injury, ranging from simple scrapes and bruises to broken bones and bullet wounds. Not many of the girls with The Gift were caught too badly off guard, only a few are in as much pain as Raven.I shake my head, trying to clear my mind of anything other than the task at hand.  Someone comes running over when I'm about halfway through my rounds, obviously worried about something.

    “It's the girl you've been taking care of. She's…you need to help her.”

    “What's going on?”

    “She's awake. Whatever you gave her is wearing off I think. It's...it's bad.”

    I yell at Nicole to tell her I'm leaving. The girl who ran to find me runs just behind me as I sprint to get back to Raven. She is awake, and clearly in the middle of an attack right now. I drop to her side, pulling her back to me. She's struggling against me, unaware that it is me who is holding her. The girl who grabbed me is standing there, scared. I slowly try to ease Raven out of this, talking quietly to her. Nicole rushes over soon after, looking guilty.

    “I'm sorry, I didn't realize she'd be this bad when she woke up.”

    “It's fine, not your fault. The medicine is wearing off, and that makes it worse. I didn't want to give her the injection, but she needed it.”

    Raven yells something, clearly in pain again. I pull her closer to me, tightening my arms around her. Gentle pressure should help her calm down, knowing it's me here for her.  Slowly she quiets, twisting herself around to curl into my body. She presses her face into my shoulder, still shaking badly. It takes awhile for her to breathe normally, still terrified of something. I stay with her the whole time, even after she falls asleep again. When she wakes back up, I can tell the attack is over. Her breathing has evened out entirely, and she is moving around a bit. She doesn't try to get up again, thankfully, but instead is content to sit with me. I don't push her to talk, to explain anything. It's too soon for that.

    She shuts me out again, blocking out the world entirely. I fall asleep with her in my arms, leaning against one of the rough-barked pines. When I wake, Raven is gone. Everytime I look away something happens to her, my mind floods with everything that could happen to her right now. Alone. Injured. Sick. I get up instantly and start looking for her. It is cold out, and dark. She left her jacket, and mine, next to me. I grab both, pulling mine on, and set off. When I find her, she is sitting blankly staring. She managed to slip out of the camp unnoticed, and make her way back into the trees. I walk over to her, more than concerned for her.

    I see just how thin she has gotten, wearing only a tank top. Even this hangs loosely off her thin frame, I haven't kept track of her as well as I had thought. She barely looks up as I put her jacket over her shoulders, entirely lost in thought. I sit by her side, wrapping my arm around her when she leans into me. It's hard to tell how long we sit here together, silently staring into the dark. The only sound to break the silence is our breathing, and the hint of sound from the sleeping camp.