Flying Through the Flames || Poe Dameron [The Force Awakens + the Last Jedi]

One Foot in Front of the Other

Nyssa's POV

I was by his side in an instant, rolling him over to make sure he was still breathing. I held my ear over his mouth and watched his chest, and my heart soared at the sound of breath. Shallow, but there. I shook him. "Poe?" No response. "Dammit," I hissed. "Wake up!" I shook him against my better judgement as I considered the terrifying possibility that he wouldn't wake up in time to walk out of here.

I wasn't sure why he passed out again, but I was willing to bet that it was from the heat. That or his head injury was worse than I thought. Either way, I needed to get him off this planet. I sat down next to him for a moment, considering my options.

I could leave him, run and try to find a ship... No. I wouldn't leave him. I couldn't.

I didn't have any choice. I had to carry him. Normally, there would be no question of ability. I was very strong and worked hard to keep it that way, but I hadn't had a decent meal in weeks. I was already dehydrated and nearly spent. I hadn't slept in days. I blocked that out and straightened. I would do it. I had to.

I stood up. We taught the recruits how to pick up and carry an unconscious person a few months ago, and I had demonstrated on Poe. It was another thing I hoped I'd never use.

I made sure he was flat on his back before I picked up his pant leg, positioning myself so I could roll over him and pick him up. I rolled, grabbing his thigh with my other hand, landing on my knees with him on my back in a fireman's carry. I closed my eyes as a wave of nausea hit me, no doubt from the dehydration, paused for a moment, and stood up.

Standing with him on my back was hard enough, but I gritted my teeth and reached the peak of the dune we were on, slipping under the unsteady footing. Breathing was a struggle with so much pressure on my upper body.

One foot in front of the other.

One foot in front of the other.

One foot in front of the other.

*

My body was on fire. I was going to combust and take Poe with me. But I couldn't stop, even though I'd been walking for hours. My eyes hadn't moved from the outpost they were trained on, still a ways off.

Left, right, left, right, left, right...

My brain could hardly let in signals beyond the pain and discomfort I was in. The heat. The suffocation. All I could think of was my feet. They were moving. My mouth was as dry as the sand covering my boots and the rest of me.

As the outpost became clear, I saw different ships of various sizes. I was not above just jumping in one and taking off without so much as a "Hello." Though jumping didn't seem to be on the table at the moment. A dusty old cruiser caught my eye, mostly because it had easy access and was out to the side of what seemed to be a junkyard.

I had no energy left to be discreet and trudged in the direction of the ship. I willed us to be invisible, not that it had any effect, I was sure. I was carrying a person bigger than me on my back.

I kept my eyes moving, waiting for someone to jump out and demand what I was doing. Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened. An alien species I didn't know the name of was sitting near the ship and leapt to their feet at the sight of me.

"Oi! What are you--"

Before he or she or it could finish the sentence I used the Force and the creature was unconscious on the ground. I didn't have room in my desperate heart for pity. We would die if I didn't steal the ship.

With no small amount of effort, I clambered inside, almost crying with relief when the sliding door shut behind me. There was space behind the cockpit to set Poe down, and my back screamed in agony as I lowered him to the ground. I tied him down to make sure he didn't get even more injured when we made the jump to lightspeed and scrambled into the cockpit.

I could hardly believe we made it that far. More or less safe on that ship. Maybe the universe decided to throw us a bone.

I stopped questioning it and fired up the engine.