Gray Blood

Sacha’s POV
Sean picked me up before I heard the BOOM! He held on to me protectively as we watched a cloud of dust explode several hundred yards from us. Everyone was in to much shock to move, even people in the entire camp froze completely in fear and shock. And the guards were nowhere in sight.
People began running. It took me a few seconds to really start running, after Sean began dragging me by the arm to the carrier.
I finally heard the screaming behind me as we climbed on the ship and Sean pushed me forward up the ramp and into the carrier but turned to leave.
“Sean, where are you going?” He turned to me quickly, his eyes burning with fury.
“To help! Go grab the bar and wait for me there!” He ran forward towards the entrance, moving out of the way of some people coming in.
“Be careful Sean!” I don’t think he heard me, because everyone was screaming and rushing past me to grab a bar attached to the wall.
Please don’t let him get hurt.
Someone grabbed my shoulder and pulled me to the wall.
“Hey! Let go of me!”
“Sacha it’s me! Warren!” I stared at him and he smiled back at me. He reminded me of an excited puppy at that moment, and it was hard to get mad at him for it. “We’re finally getting out of here Sacha. We’re free.” I couldn’t sum up the words to say how happy I was; I only smiled back.
He grabbed the bar and I did too.
“You feeling ok?” I nodded, to anxious to speak.
He leaned on the wall and breathed in deeply. “Can’t wait to walk out of this joint and smell the fresh air. It’s been so long.” True true. I miss the air, the breeze, the everything I didn’t get here.
A red-haired boy came up to us and held a gun to Warren’s collar.
“What are you doing?” He yelled, pushing the boy off.
He pushed Warren back, pulling the trigger on the collar, causing it to fall off.
Warren blushed and apologized softly. “Sorry kid.”
“KID? Do I look like a kid to you? I’m sixteen bitch.” The guy-not a kid-did the same thing to another person before reaching over to do the same thing to my collar.
Something clicked in my head.
“DAVID! OH MY GOD!” He’s still out there.
I pushed the guy out of the way before he could take my collar off. Pushing people out of the way, I ran outside and looked around for David.
People were still struggling to get inside the carrier but I hardly noticed them. Because I ran out of the group, I could now finally see the guards coming out. With guns. And I was unprotected. Time seemed to slow down around me, and I couldn’t seem to move properly.
I turned to run but didn’t feel the actual impact until after I fell.
David’s POV
The burst of adrenaline helped me carry Alex across the camp at the speed of light, all the way to the carrier. On the way, people had been running away from the explosion as if they were on fire. I pushed them to the side and ran inside the carrier, my legs shaking after I stopped.
I finally collapsed and dropped Alex, who got two guys to bring me to the wall so I didn’t get trampled.
Someone took off my collar and I felt like I could breathe again.
“Thank god,” I muttered, still out of breath. Alex smiled at me but was pushed out of the way by Warren. “Warren! Don’t push him!” Alex fell on the floor, his hands scraping the metal and leaving a small trace of blood on the floor. I reached for him but Warren grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet. “Ugh, personal space Warren-”
“Where’s Sacha?!?” He screamed. “She went to go look for you!” I could feel my face twist in shock. But I didn’t react until Warren let go of me and ran out of the room.
I picked Alex up off the floor and told him to ‘wait here’ as I ran out of the room, pushing through the last of the people climbing onto the ship.
When I got outside, everything was a mess. Guards were shooting at the people running for the hole, trying to keep them from escaping. They didn’t deserve to stay here and be injured or be forced to have five children they’ll never see again. At this very moment, the world seemed more wrong in the camp than anywhere else. Leaving those who couldn’t be saved couldn’t be the right answer. It just couldn’t. And Sacha saw that, understood that too.
“DAVID!” I turned to the right.
Warren carried Sacha over to me, her leg dangling in the air at an odd angle. She looked at me with wide eyes, surprisingly not crying-hey, I’d be close to fucking tears if I got shot in the leg-and I grabbed her hand as we ran inside and the doors shut behind us. Symon came by us and took Sacha out of Warren’s arms. He pulled her hand away from my hand and I almost protested, forgetting that he was here to help her. To save her.
He carried her limp body to another room but I followed him there, with Warren behind me.
The ship started moving and I almost fell backwards on Warren. Sacha was placed on a table, her chest rising and falling quickly, her eyes blank.
“What’s wrong with her Symon?” He looked at me while wiping the sweat off of her forehead.
“She’s in shock.”
A red-head kid and a really nerdy looking one came into the room, carrying bags as they gathered around the table and looked at Sacha.
The red-head held the collar around her neck and inspected it carefully, his eyes glowing with interest, as if this were a game to him. He looked up at Symon.
“It’s killing her,” he stated simply, as if it were no big deal that my best friend was dying in front of him. “Suffocation.” he said after a few more seconds.
“WHAT?!?!?!?” Warren and I screamed at the same time. My heart pounded and my fists shook with anger.
The red-head nodded and turned his attention back to the collar.
“Every minute, it encloses around her neck as a defense mechanism so eventually, it suffocates her. The camps set it up to stop the old prisoners from escaping twenty years ago because it was easier to escape back then, so if a prisoner did escape, it would cut off their air supply and they would be forced to come back to the camp if they didn’t want to die. If they had gone to far and couldn’t breathe anymore, the guards would leave them there to die.....and it looks like they never got around to changing it.” I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. Of course, the geek doesn’t give a damn whether someone dies or not. Just the ‘cause’ is all that matters.
“I think we get it kid.”
“My name is Nero!” Warren blushed and looked down, for some reason I didn't understand. Symon snapped his fingers and the nerdy looking one began fixing her leg up. He looked back at me and Warren. “You guys talk to her. Keep her going ‘till we get the collar.” He turned to the red head. “Did you get everybody else’s collars off?”
“Yes. It’s only her. Why though?” Guilt crept into my body like a snake and bit down hard on my throat. My voice felt raw.
“My fault. It’s all my fault.” Everyone looked at me, as I bent down, took her hand and stroked her face. Her eyes widened and Symon put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed.
“Nero, can you get it off?” Nero-the red head-shrugged.
“I’ll try.”
“Good. Maxie, fix up her leg. Can one of you come with me to check on everyone else?” Warren and I looked at each other, glaring and waiting for the other to make the first move. I held her hand tightly and he grabbed her other hand as well. “I don’t have all day guys. Come on.” I raised my eyebrows and he glared at me.
But Warren got up grudgingly and followed Symon outside slowly, staring back at Sacha with a worried expression.
Sacha’s hand tightened as “Maxie” worked on taking the bullet out and fixing her leg.
“It’s gonna be ok Sacha. Nero here, is gonna help you.” The corners of her lips twitched but she cried out when the collar got tighter around her neck.
Nero’s face was utterly calm, almost alien-like as he “played” with the collar a few times. He leaned in close to her ear and whispered gently, “Take a deep breath.”
She did; Nero clicked something and it squeezed her neck, then fell off.
“Thank god,” she whispered. I laughed lightly and climbed up on the table so I could hug her properly without hurting her. She hugged me back but winced as Maxie pulled out the bullet and wrapped a bandage along her leg. She turned to Nero, who was packing up his bag and looking more “normal” than he had before.
“Thank you Neyo.”
“It’s Nero!”
“Sorry,” Sacha whispered. He scoffed and walked out of the room. I realized how intimidating he could be around people, despite his small size-about as tall as Sacha-and frame, how he caught them off guard, and would bite their heads off if anything was wrong. To him. Weird kid. “I hope I didn’t offend him.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault you could hardly breathe. I’m sure it was hard to hear for you.”
“It was! He should have been more understanding!” I laughed at her change of attitude and she laughed as well.
“David....I wanna ask you.”
“Ok. Ask away.” She bit her lip and leaned back on me.
“Do you know what it’s gonna be like, living in....wherever we’re going?” I sighed.
“Not completely sure....maybe a bit like Roseville, maybe not. Either way, we’ll be ok. And we’ll stick together, that’s for sure.” No matter how much her brother dislikes me.
“As long as I don’t have to get a tattoo, I’m ok.” I laughed at her but she didn’t. “I really want to know more about Roseville David. Are you going to tell me?”
“Eventually. Yeah I will. When we get some time to ourselves.....by ourselves.” She shook and pushed away from me a little. “Sacha, I was just kidding-”
“It’s not funny.” I got down from the table, feeling guilty for bring 'it' up again. It wasn't right, I didn't like, yet all I wanted to was make her feel better. “Sorry...I was just trying to make you smile.”
“I know.” Maxie finished wrapping her leg and I picked her up off the table. He fixed his glasses and left the room in a hurry, not bothering to tell us where to go.
“Oook. That was weird.”
“I guess we go to the main room.” I shrugged. “Well what are you waiting for? Walk, before your arms fall off.”
“Please your not THAT heavy.” She smacked my arm.
“You just called me fat!”
“I did not!”
“You SO did!”
“I SO didn’t!” I mocked in a girly voice as I carried her out of the room and she laughed. For once, it almost felt like nothing ever bad happened between us, that we were both going to be ok. For once.