When We All Go

Chapter five

Day five.

I'll skip the boring details, Jac tried to get my leg out. He got my leg out, just not my foot. It hurts, really bad. I don't like it. Jac isn't that much better. The skin around his face gash was red and slightly inflamed, his right arm is twisted weirdly, and his left hand has almost no skin on it. His shirt was also tattered, so you can see the scraped up flesh and skin underneath.

Today I think we both feel rather... cranky. Jac stares at the rocks that formed our roof. There are dark shadows underneath his eyes, and his skin is a pasty, sweaty, white colour, I suspect it's from blood loss.

I shiver. Both of our clothes are damp and soggy. I have a feeling that we're probably going to die from hypothermia. It's either that or Blood loss or the slow painful death of starvation. I don't have any hope to get out of here, and I don't think Jac does either. We don't know what shape the world is outside of our rock dome. What affects the earthquakes have caused. How many people have died? I wonder what will happen to us if we did get out. Will my parents still be alive? Will they just send me to more intense therapy? Will they just give up on me and send me into the system again? Will I stay there for three years until I end up on the streets? I already know the answer though.

No.

They might send back into the system or send me back therapy, but I won't stay. I'll run away.

"No more prison for me," I mumble.

"Huh?" Jac says, looking over at me.

"What?" I ask.

"You said something," Jac answers.

"You must be hearing things, Cause I didn't say anything," I shot back.

Jac sighs, rolling his eyes.

"Whatever."

I grin.

"Whisper, whisper, whisper, JAC, blah, blah, whisper," I mumble.

"What?" Jac says, looking over at me again.

"Hmm, what is it this time?" I ask, barely keeping a straight face.

"You said my name," Jac says firmly.

"No, I didn't," I tell him.

"You're messing with me, aren't you?" He asks.

"No, I'm not," I say, shaking my head. He raises his eyebrows.

"Really..."

I nod, "Really," I say firmly.

"Uh-huh..." He says slowly, staring at me with his eyebrows still raised. I can feel something bubbling up inside, but I can't figure out what it is, I'm fairly sure it's not vomit...

Jac smiles slowly

"You sure?" He asks, his voice shaking slightly from laughter.

"I'm completely serious," I say, my voice cracking at the end of the last word. Jac grins wider, and I burst out laughing.

"Ha! Caught you!" Jac Exclaims, pointing at me.

I cover my mouth in shock. I haven't laughed in years.

"Don't try to hide it, it's too late," Jac says. I smile and put my hand down. I giggle into my shoulder. Jac rolls his eyes, his mouth forming a crooked smile.

"I didn't think you had that kind of humour," he says.

"No, you didn't think I HAD a sense of humour," I respond.

"Well..." Jac trails off, chuckling.

Our laughter lapsed into silence. It's weird that we're laughing in the face of almost certain death. Crazy how the human mind works, always trying to find the light amid the darkness. Jac coughs violently, I look over.

"I'm fine," He mumbles, his eyes half-closed.

I snort.

"Really?! Cause you don't look fine."

He waves a hand weakly.

"Don't worry,"

I roll my eyes.

"I don't think I've ever worried about a person in my life, so I'm not sure I know how to."

Strange, you spend four or five days stuck in a crater with the same person, and they start to affect your attitude toward life.

A whisper of a smile passed over Jacs lips.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out," He mumbles.

It dawns on me that Jac had probably never gone a day without food, so five days without food must be harder for him than me. I've already done the painful twisting stomach feeling enough times to build up an immunity.

"We'll make it out, don't worry," I say.

Jac looks over.

"That's the catch, I'm worrying for the both of us," He winks at me, then turns away. I hope that worrying is an alternate version of praying because I have a sinking feeling, we're both going to need all the prayer and worry we can get.