The Race Against Time

Chapter 37

Brooklyn

Lucas and Xander both wrapped their hands around my arms and torso making me be able to walk. I couldn't hold myself up on my own and I was in a lot of pain. I didn't want to tell Xander and the rest because I don't want them to worry about me at the moment. After all, they can't even do anything about it now.

"When I was out looking for you guys I saw a lot of mountains and hills from afar, that is our only chance of getting to safety. We need to walk down this river stream, after a while, you will begin to see it. However, our only major challenge is getting food." Xander explained

"How are we even supposed to get food in this forest, all I see are trees and more trees." Yori exaggerated.

"I know we are all hungry but the only thing that we have is this river, and the water is more important because we can only go without water for 3 or 4 days and without food for 3 weeks."

After walking along the river stream for a while we reached a certain point where we could all see the mountains and hills. Xander made us drink the water here because he didn't want us to waste time by getting water near the shack and risk being caught.

Both Xander and Lucas helped me down towards the water and I drank till I couldn't drink anymore, if I jumped my stomach would definitely make the sound, bloop! After everyone drank there full share of water we went back onto the trail, we were basically at the edge of the forest, to get to the mountains we had to cross the river. This wasn't going to be any kind of challenge mainly because the river was shallow enough to wade across it, at least that wasn't going to be difficult because I know many rivers back in my home town that are wide and inhumanly deep.

I felt so powerless right now. I could barely even move, if something were to happen I would be dead in a second. Without Xander and Lucas' help, I'd be like a blobfish. After a few minutes of walking, we eventually reached to point where we could cross the river.

I hated the fact that I had to get my pants wet, but who cares at this point, no one. The water reached up to my thighs soaking the white pants that I took from one of Esmerelda's workers. As we crossed the river we were again met with more trees but this area seemed to be a lot denser than where we previously were. Every single area we walked it had branches, I tried moving some out of the way but sometimes the branches end up hitting me and Xander and Lucas would simply reply with a sorry.

"How much longer until we reach, I'm beginning to become depleted by the minute."

" Stop complaining Xiomara we've only been walking for half an hour, don't tell me you have never been a walkathon before."

"I haven't Yori, so stop judging," she said stressing on Yori's name.

"Whatever."

The ground that was just flat minutes ago when we crossed the river bank was beginning to get steeper.

Unexpectedly we heard a rustling of the bush at the side of us. Everyone's head snapped in the direction of the noise studying the area but there was nothing there.

"Could just be a rabbit or something," Tyler murmured

There was this weird feeling that something bad was about to happen that didn't settle right in my stomach.

I bent over sharply as if I had been punched in the stomach and began to cough uncontrollably. there was a metallic taste in my mouth and I just knew it was blood, drops of blood ran down my mouth, and on the forest floor.

Xander and Lucas quickly held on to me so I wouldn't fall. By slow torturous degrees, the coughs eased in intensity and then slowly, slowly passed.

"O, shoot I don't think I can go any further."

I raised my jersey saw that the vest that was meant to stop the blood flow was soaked in blood and the blood was dripping down my stomach on my pants.

"She's losing a lot of blood," Tyler said anxiously.

"I can see that, you know I'm not blind."

Xander carefully rest me down on the ground and lifted my shirt. He took off the vest that was wrapped around me soaking in blood and threw it the side. Tyler took off his shirt and tossed it to Xander.

"Here use this.

From behind the tree, someone jumped out of the bushes with a knife in his hand and grabbed Yori placing it to her throat.

"Hey, hey, hey calm down don't hurt her," Xander replied calmly

"You don't tell me what to do, tell your boss Esmerelda if she doesn't come soon one of her precious workers is dead."

The confusion was etched on everyone's face, why did he think that we were working for Esmerelda.

"We don't work for Esmerelda, right now we're trying to get as far away as possible from this place and go back home."

The man examined our faces and then released Yori.

"I'm detective Keith Barron, I was assigned on the case of finding out about this organization. I've been trying to find out for weeks but the only thing I accumulated was that the head of the organization is Esmerelda Saxon"

"She takes people and injects them with a serum that is supposed to make all their senses enhance however it didn't work so she was planning to kill us but we escaped just in time," Tyler said to the man.

I could feel blood just slowing oozing out of my stomach, I was beginning to feel dizzy and no one paid attention.

"Xander I think I'm about to pass out," I said tugging on his pants.

The detective ran over to me and kneeled on the ground examining my bullet.

"I need to get the bullet out and get this cleaned up, if it gets infected there will be problems."

He ran over by one of the neat trees and pulled out a large back duffle bag. He zipped it open a too out a big medical kit. When he opened it there were a lot of small knives and bottles with clear liquid and bandages.

"Wha's your name?" 

"Brooklyn," I said answering him.

"Brooklyn, what I am about to do is going to hurt a lot but I'll try to do it as quickly as I can."

My heart rate accelerated and it felt like was have another anxiety attack.

"Four of you need to hold her down or else I wouldn't be able to finish and do this correctly, it would be a lot easier if I had anesthesia but we don't have those kinds of resources here.

I observed his every movement and when he put alcohol on a cotton swab and cleaned the wound it was the worst feeling ever, it felt like that entire area was burning a melting.