Fight for your life

Part 3

James looked up to the window again, screaming loudly for Cameron to bring the light back. He didn't know what was going on or what was actually wrong with Jake. He couldn't see him, and that made everything worse. Scared to touch him, he stood up quickly, calling again loudly to the outside of the bus. Looking back toward Danny, he tried to figure out what to do, but all he could think about was Ben's blood all over his hands and something stabbing him as he'd touched Jake.

Cameron pulled back slightly, pressing a quick and firm kiss to Sam's forehead before stepping back quickly. "I heard James and Danny, but I haven't heard Jake or Ben. Stay here," he instructed, keeping Sam a good distance from the bus while he heard James calling for him. Quickly grabbing the flashlight to hold between his teeth while he scaled the undercarriage of the bus to climb onto the side again, he lay on his stomach over the window, looking down at James. "James, James, I need you to look at me, mate. You need to get Danny, okay? Get his attention and bring him here," he instructed while James nodded absently, turning back to Danny, though he knew this was almost useless.

Danny's body continued to shake as his eyes seemed locked on Ben's body. He could faintly hear Cameron's voice in the background and even though leaving Ben was the last thing he wanted to do, he knew deep down they needed to get out if there. He gently sat Ben's hand down, stumbling toward the window "Cameron, Ben's in bad shape" he started, taking a moment to compose himself before he could continue "he won't wake up & theres so much blood" his voice was soft, almost childlike as he shined the light back in Ben's direction.

Sam didn't listen to Cameron's instructions, instead following him toward the bus. "I'm not letting you do this alone" he said, trying his best to keep calm when he heard Danny describing what kind of condition Ben was in. His heart was racing and he knew they needed to get them out.

Cameron looked down at Danny, toward the light, then closed his eyes momentarily to compose himself as the blood spilled into what was once the back lounge. Turning quickly when he heard Sam's voice, he shook his head, eyes wide with panic. "I said stay the fuck back!" He screamed loudly, not really wanting to alarm anyone with his exact reasoning. Turning back to Danny, he tried to lower his voice. "Danny, I need you to go to the front and I need you to turn the bus off because I smell gas and if we don't kill the engine, there's a distinct possibility that none of us are making it out alive," he explained as calmly as he could, though the wavering in his voice wasn't doing much in the way of hiding his emotions. Grabbing the flashlight again, he shined it through the window, eyes landing on Jake. The sight made his stomach turn just from the sheer gore, never mind that it was one of their friends, easily another brother. He closed his eyes slowly, quickly shining the light away in hope that James wouldn't see the extent of it.

James looked down quickly when Cameron shined the light in, and his knees gave out as soon as he saw the lifeless body, glass protruding from pale flesh, glistening with blood that spilled from every slice of his face, neck, chest and legs. Moving his hand to the side of Jake's face while he cried silently, whispering brokenly to him. "Please don't leave me, Jake," he begged quietly, scared to check for a pulse for fear of accidentally dislodging a piece of glass that very well could have been preventing him from bleeding out then and there.

Danny swallowed hard, his eyes falling briefly on Jakes body. He turned his head, unable to look at the sight in front of him. He looked up at Cameron, giving a nod as he carefully headed toward the front of the bus. He stumbled a bit, pushing his way past the rubble. He stretched his arm as far as he could to turn the bus off. "It's off!" He yelled toward the back, hurrying back to Ben's side.

Sam shook his head, "fuck that!" He yelled back, unwilling to let Cameron go through this alone. They were all in this together and they'd either all make it, or none of them. "They're my family too, Cameron. I'm going to help whether you want me to or not" he said, noticing lights pulling up behind them. He turned his head, realizing it was one of their buses.

Cameron looked back at Sam when he argued, shaking his head quickly while he hung over the edge of the bus. "Sam, please. Please just do this for me and step back like fifteen feet," he begged, the smell of gasoline getting more intense as the engine ran. "Please, baby, I need to know you're safe if anything happens," he pleaded, reaching his hand out for Sam's to bring to his lips, kissing the back of it while his eyes closed and he tried not to cry again. "I love you, Sam. I love you so much," he assured him, reaching his free hand down to move over his hair slowly, trying not to make it sound too much like a goodbye. He looked up as the lights of the second bus flashed in his face, squinting against them while he made out the shadows of bodies running toward the crash. "Stop! Don't move!" He commanded quickly, waiting for the all clear from Danny while his heart raced. Looking back down at Sam, he carefully pushed his shoulder. "Go, Sam. Please go," he begged again.

James couldn't move. He was frozen where he was, not the slightest bit concerned with his own life while he moved to lay beside Jake on the floor, finding a spot on his temple that was free of glass, ignoring the coppery taste of blood on his lips while he kissed the side of his head slowly. "Please don't leave," he begged again, his entire body trembling violently.

Cameron looked back quickly when Danny called back to him, exhaling a sigh of relief. Looking up and toward the group that had huddled yards away, he motioned them forward quickly. "It's safe, come on!" He called quickly, thankful for the help. Grabbing for Sam first, he helped to pull him up on the side of the bus, sitting up on his knees once they were both on it. "Are you okay? Are you weak?" he questioned, settling his hands on Sam's arms, trying to gauge whether or not it was a good idea to involve Sam in the removal process if he wasn't going to be able to lift anything, not wanting to do any more damage than what may have already been done.