Forest

Chapter 9|-/

Possible trigger warning!

In the blink of an eye, I've been at camp a week now, and the ridicule from my cabin mates has only gotten worse.

It's now escalated from verbal to physical, and in the growing heat and humidity it is becoming extremely hard to hide both the bruises and the scars.

"Listen up you little slut." Jasmine sneers. "I can't believe someone as stupid and talentless as you got into this camp. You should just drop out now!"

I cry out as one of her 'friends' yanks my hair, pulling my head back. "Listen to her cry! The little baby!" She laughs. The shrill sound pierces my ears, making me flinch away more. This only ensures a tighter grip on both my arms and my hair.

I've always thought that I'd be able to get myself out of a situation like this. Maybe one on one with someone, but not with four of them holding me back.

"You're so pathetic!" Jasmine spits in my face, pulling back her fist and landing a blow to my stomach. Before I get a chance to recover she starts kicking at my ribs again and again, leaving me no choice but to sit and take it. Blow after blow the laughter of her and her friends only get louder and more shrill in my ears. Blow after blow it only gets harder to breathe.

"P-please!" I gasp out between blows. "S-t-op"

"Ha! She wants us to stop!" She laughs before leaning down into my face. "I'll stop if you drop out. Go back to whatever garbage bin you call your home."

"I-i can't-t" I wheeze out. What would my parents think? Theres no way I can go home. Not any time soon.

"Well then I'm not stopping." She stands up again and resumes kicking, this time my stomach, causing the remnants of my lunch to make a reappearance all over her shoes. "You little whore! You're gonna pay for that!"

She lands a swift punch to my cheek, pulling back for another blow when the bell for our evening session rings.

"You got off lucky, slut." She spits in my face. "Don't think we're done here."  Her friends drop my arms and hair and I drop to the ground, unable to move. I watch their feet as they walk away, curling into a ball in the dirt. They dragged me into a secluded part of the camp, so theres no hope of anyone finding me.

It's nearly supper time now, so the sun has started casting cool shadows over the forest floor. I just so happen to be lying in one, sending a chill through my body. I have to get out of here.

With a newfound sense of determination, I crawl towards the nearest tree, using my little body strength to pull myself up. Pain seems to course through my veins. I lean my face against the rough bark, trying to focus on something other than the pain.

Taking a deep breath, I push myself towards the next tree, and onto the next. Eventually I make it to the edge of the trees, finding myself at the edge of the clearing behind the cabins. I try to take a step, and make my way to one of the cabins, but my knees buckle underneath me and I'm once again in a heap in the dirt.

In an instant, the pain seems to double in intensity, and I find myself choking back sobs. The very motion makes my body ache more, making more tears fall. It's a never ending cycle. 

"Kya?" Tylers voice calls from across the clearing. "Kya!" He calls again, running towards me. I hear his footsteps approach and open my eyes to see him kneeling down next to me.

"T-ty—" I choke out.

"I've got you, Kya." He replies. "What happened? What's wrong?"

"I-it hurt-s,"

"What does?"

"Everything" I take a deep shuddering breath, some reason causing me to cough. Cough after cough causes more pain, but the thing that concerns me most is the blood on the dirt below me.

"We need to get you to the hospital. Now." The worry is evident in his voice. "I'm gonna pick you up. It's gonna hurt, and I'm really sorry, but I have to."

He runs through the camp with me in his arms, everyone in their evening sessions meaning the grounds are empty.

"We're almost there, Kya, stay with me." Tyler carries me into the main building, walking in the opposite direction we usually do and down a few hallways I don't recognize. In the end, I realize we're in some sort of makeshift hospital.

He sets me down on a bed, leaving the room momentarily before returning with someone else.

"Gosh, what happened to her?" A mans voice asks.

"I don't know, I found her lying at the edge of the forest crying, and then she started coughing up blood, and I brought her here.

"Okay," I hear a few drawers open and close before a chair rolls up towards the bed. "Hi sweetie, I'm Aiden, I'm here to help you. Can you tell me your name?"

"Kya," Tyler tells him when I don't answer.

"Alright, Kya, first things first we need to calm down. It looks like you've injured your ribs, and crying and panicking is only going to make it hurt worse." Aiden speaks. "Lets try and breathe for me, okay?"

I try to follow his instructions and although it still hurts, it's not as bad.

"See? Thats better isn't it?" He pulls on a pair of gloves. "Do you remember hitting your head?"

"No,"

"Okay, good. Can you tell me what happened?"

Instantly my mind starts racing. What do I say happened? Do I tell the truth? Will things only get worse if I do?

"I- uh," I stutter, trying to come up with a believable lie.

"Kya, just know that lying won't help anything here."Tyler speaks up.

"He's right. I can't help you properly if I don't know exactly what happened." Aiden tells me.

So I spill. Everything. About Jasmine and her friends, how it started the first day of camp and has only gotten worse. I try to ignore the look that Tyler's giving me, but I can't.

"Kya, I promise you, we will get them kicked out, and you out of that cabin." Tyler moves over to squeeze my hand. "You have my word." He squeezes my hand one more time before walking out of the room, leaving me alone with Aiden.

"Alrighty, Kya, here's what we're gonna do..."

I zone out as he drones on about all the different things that are gonna happen, one thing drifting around my brain:

What is Danny gonna do?

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