Last Summer ✔️

Chapter 11

SCOTTY

  All Scotty could was stare, he stared as Cory dropped the rock out of his hand next to Ruth, he stared as blood gushed out of two wounds now he stared as the blood collided with the rock, leaving a pool of red, he stared and knew the damage Cory had done.
  He stared and he heard that sound again, that crack that undoubtedly had split her skull open, he stared as Ruth's chest eventually went completely still.
  He stared at her hands that rested just above her head, her fingers spread apart as if she too had tried to stop what had come and failed. Her hands were pale and stained with blood, her right arm and pinky finger bend in a strange and unnatural ways.
  The cracking noise slowly faded, but Scotty didn't doubt he would be hearing it again.
  The forest had gone silent, no birds to be sang, no birds chattered, no leaves danced in the wind, nothing but complete and utter silence.
  The sun send a beam of light down to shine upon Ruth, making the blood from her wounds glister as it rolled down over her face.
  Her eyes halfway open and stared up to the sun dully, as if she was looking at her next destination, had she seen what had happened? 
  With trembling hands Scotty carefully closed her eyes, a tear rolled down her cheek as he had done so gently, trying to hold his hand still, as if scared to hurt her even more, he wiped it away with his thumb, blending his blood with her tear, leaving a big smudge under her eye.
  The ringing in his ear rang louder and he suppressed a sob. He wanted to wipe the blood away, he wanted to clean her face. This couldn't be the end of her story.
  Hands touched his shoulder and he recoiled, lifting his hand in protection of whatever was about to happen.
  The ringing in his ears distorted, ringing even higher for a moment until eventually fading.
  Hesitantly he looked up, as though accepting his faith. His vision was blurry and all he saw was a silhouette come near him, close to him, too close, he flinched as the figure reached for him again, but the silhouette didn't go, it's hands grabbed him by the shoulders and just before he was pressed against the silhouette's chest he recognized it, someone he could trust, and he sobbed, he screamed and cried as he shut his eyes. The wind began to rustle the leaves and the birds cried with him. He wished to wake up, for this to be another sick dream.

  Arms wrapped around him when every sense returned, when all the pain, all the memories and sound, everything returned.
  ''You're alright Scotty, You're alright.'' The warm and gently voice of Izaak filled his ears and a wave of guilt washed over Scotty, he shouldn't be here being comforted by Izaak, someone had to comfort him.
  ''Breathe, Scotty, remember to breathe.''Scotty inhaled though it started a second wave of sobs. The emptiness inside him lived on the pain, it fed and grew on it. He tried to breathe in but he lost the control on his second breathe.
  The pain in his arm and nose and every other single cut stung and burned.
  ''Take a deep breathe.'' Izaak said, his voice steady but a little off, a quaver of while he spoke.
  ''Scotty, listen to me, follow as I do breathe in.'' Izaak inhaled, Scotty felt his chest fill with air and then slowly releasing it, he tried to compy him but he couldn't, he couldn't slow down his breathing.­ He pressed his eye shut even tighter but he continued to see Ruth's mutilated face, the crack sounded in his head followed with the sound of the rock falling to the ground.
  ''Scotty, we have to get out of here, please,I need you to come with me.'' Izaak begged, Scotty knew he was right, they had to get away from Cory before he could hurt them.
  ''Cory.'' Scotty said, his tears stopped as he returned to high alert, his breathing uneven but returning to its right pace and he pulled himself away from Izaak, where had Cory gone? He looked around but couldn't find him.
  ''He ran off.'' Izaak informed, ''I have no idea what he is planning to we need to go, we need to get back to camp before he can hurt us again.''
  Scotty nodded, his eyes landed on Ruth, ''What about-'' He couldn't get her name out, as if saying her name would make matters even worse.
  ''We can't take her with us, you're hurt, Ican't carry both of you.''
  ''Do we call anyone?'' Scotty panted automatically he started searching for his phone, but it was still in his backpack back by the rock he had sat on earlier when Izaak had gone looking for Cory and Ruth.
  ''I tried but no service, I'll continue to try and call. Can you stand?'' He helped Scotty on his feet, but the moment he put his left foot on the ground an agonizing pain shot through his entire leg, he clenched his jaw in an attempt not to scream of pain, the pain made him want to puke.
  ''Fuck, what happened to your leg?'' Izaak asked who had bend down to examine his leg, Scotty looked with him, his pants had a big slit in it, revealing a deep cut along his foot, when had that happened?
  ''Okay, here, lean on me.'' Izaak instructed, he took Scotty's right arm and placed it over his shoulder, then gripped Scotty's arm with his left hand and supporting Scotty by the waist with the other hand.
   Together they limped slowly over the rocks, Izaak testing every spot for sturdiness before walking over it. 
   ''Please, don't leave me.'' A soft whisper said from behind them, he jerked around, almost making himself and Izaak fall over.
  ''Woah, what's the matter?'' Izaak exclaime donce he had regained the balance, they were still only a few feet away from Ruth.
   ''Didn't you hear that?'' Scotty asked as he watched her, the sun still shone on her pale, red stained, face, how could the sun be shining now? Now that the worse thing Scotty could have thought possible had happened?
   ''Hear what?'' Izaak watched Scotty and the followed his gaze to Ruth.
   ''A whisper,'' Scotty said, he felt himself tremble, ''Ruth.'' But the look on Izaak's face let Scotty know he didn't hear the whisper.
  ''Are you sure? What'd she say?''
  ''She asked us not to leave her.'' Izaak paused to think for a second as he stared at Ruth, Scotty did the same, he knew Izaak thought he had gone crazy, her chest didn't move up or down, not the slightest movement on her fingers, had he really heard her or just imagined it?
   ''Hold on to this tree.'' Izaak said hesitantly, he lead Scotty to a tree and then when he was sure Scotty wouldn't fall, backed away in the direction to Ruth, Scotty watched him closely and he slowly knelt down next to her, he said something but Scotty couldn't hear and then reached with two fingers to her throat, trying to find a pulse, he didn't move for a while, besides replacing his fingers differently every now and again until letting his shoulders hang.