Eli Hayes (poke_the_dragon) wrote in the_dome, @ 2013-07-14 23:56:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | 04-05-2017, eli, eli and finn, finn |
Supply-Run Gone Wrong
Who: Finn and Eli
Where: Near their house
When: just after dark
The quick errand to grab supplies for the house had taken longer than expected, because apparently everyone else had the same idea for the end of the day and by the time Finn and Eli had gotten through the small crowd, it was already dark. Finn wasn’t keen on walking home after dark, not with the warnings out about the wolves, but he wasn’t about to stay somewhere that wasn’t home. And he was armed, hatchet from work at his waist. So he kept one hand free as they walked, headed towards the house, trying not to make too much of the howls he heard or the fact that they seemed to get closer. It wasn’t until one came with an added growl that sounded just off to his left in the bushes that he really started to worry. “Eli...” he started, but the growling overpowered his soft tone. He could see the house, just up ahead, but running now wouldn’t help. He knew that much. Running would mean being chased and neither of them were that fast.
Like Finn, Eli wasn’t thrilled to be out of the house, not when there was clear danger in the dome. The supply run shouldn’t have taken near as long as it did, but there was nothing they could do about it. Now they just had to return home as quickly as possible and lock up for the night. The streets were deserted as they walked towards their house, everyone else already in for the evening, doors locked against the wolves. As their house came into view, Eli thought they’d made it home free from harm. And then he heard the growl.
Howls could be in the distance, but the growl was close. Too close. “Where is it?” Eli asked softly, slowly turning so that he might be able to find the wolf. It was a hell of a time not to be armed and Eli was regretting it already. “If we move slowly, maybe we can make it.” Running would be a bad idea, but he couldn’t just stand there and wait to be attacked.
Finn took a step towards the house, but the growl was coming from somewhere else. “It’s between us and the house.” Did it know? Was it that smart? “That way, move wide, flank the house,” he said, pointing in the direction for Eli to head. “Slow. Go.” Eli was his warrior, but Finn was the leader.
This wasn’t a time that Eli actually needed leading, as everything Finn said seemed obvious to him. The question was, would going slow really help? He supposed that it didn’t matter, since they couldn’t outrun a wolf. “Right,” Eli said, turning slowly so that maybe he could see the wolf. He drew in a breath as he saw it, meeting the wolf’s eyes.
Finn’s hatchet was in his hand, turning it easily, like it was a natural end of his hand. He turned to see the wolf, almost grinning. This is what he was built for. He was ready to attack, not two thoughts about it. “Go, I’ll take care of this.”
Eli would have been much more comfortable with that idea if the wolves hadn’t dropped so many people last night. With all the people in the hospital, there weren’t enough dead wolves for him to feel like it was an equal battle, which meant leaving Finn by himself was probably a bad idea, ax or not. Eli pulled out his hunting knife, an inadequate weapon compared to the size of the wolf, and made no move to leave Finn behind. “Not leaving you,” he told Finn, standing his ground. If the wolf wanted a fight, they’d give it one.
Finn looked back, grin there again. “Understood.” This was what he wanted. A real quest. He needed this. “Let’s do this then.” He twirled the hatchet once more then lunged. The wolf waited longer than normal, as if it was waiting for Finn to attack before leaping at him, hitting hard and knocking Finn back.
This wasn’t a quest in Eli’s eyes. This was a threat on their life, and possibly those who lived with them. He dropped the supply bag to have both hands free, and then the wolf was lunging at Finn. To Eli, it seemed huge, but that didn’t stop him from going after it. He watched for the swing of Finn’s axe, then jumped in with a swipe of his knife. It caught the wolf, but rather than seriously injure it, it just gained him the wolf’s attention. It snapped at him, teeth dragging along his arm as he hissed in pain, stabbing again with his knife.
Finn caught claws down his side, ripping through his shirt and leaving him bleeding, but he wasn’t afraid of that. Then Eli was there, distracting the wolf. It gave Finn a chance to sink the hatchet in the wolf’s shoulder, earning him a groan. Finn rolled out from under it, ready to leap into action.
Once Finn proved to be the more dangerous target, the wolf turned its sights on Eli, lunging at him with a growl. Eli was ready for it, but that didn’t prevent him from going down hard, stabbing the wolf in the neck as it’s teeth clamped down on his shoulder. He could feel claws on his chest, then teeth again on his arm as he tried to roll away. That proved to be a bad idea when the wolf caught him in the side. Eli kicked, putting all his energy behind it, but wasn’t sure he could do much more after that.
Finn couldn’t let his warrior fall. Not like this. Once he was back on his feet he lunged, hatchet out and slamming as hard as he could into the base of the wolf’s skull with a yell. He was bleeding, Eli was bleeding, and they needed to take this thing out. Now.
Eli heard the sickening crunch, then the fall of the wolf. It wouldn’t surprise him if Finn had taken it’s head off. He was good with an axe, used it everyday, and if he had a good shot it would have been easy. Eli was glad to have provided an adequate distraction. “Is it dead?” he asked, trying to pull his arms under him to push himself up. All that did was result in a cry of pain. Apparently he’d broken his arm.
Finn was reaching for Eli, grabbing under his good arm, helping him up. “For now. We need to go warrior. Can you walk?” he asked, already pushing Eli towards the house, even if his feet weren’t under him. Finn was going to take the head off of this thing, just to make sure. “How badly are you hurt?”
Eli stumbled to his feet, the world around him spinning. He’d been hurt before, while killing zombies, but never like this. His heart was racing, blood soaking through his shirt, and he was having trouble keeping his balance. That had to be bad. “I’m Eli,” he reminded Finn. “I think I need a doctor.” A real doctor, at the hospital. Liam might be able to patch him up, but this felt more severe than anything Liam could handle.
Finn’s eyes went back to a wavering Eli and his objective changed. The wolf was down for now. He switched hands on the hatchet and ducked under Eli’s good arm. “You are Eli. Eli the warrior and the strong. Liam’s at the hospital.” And their healer, their cleric, would put his warrior back together. It might not be logical, but it worked for the Ranger. That was more than enough. He started them in the right direction, supporting Eli’s weight.
“I need a doctor, Finn,” Eli said, shaking his head as they stumbled forward, leaving their supplies back in the road. “Get me to the hospital... then go back to Audrey. She shouldn’t be alone.” One foot in front of the other. That’s all he could focus on. Keep moving and they’d get there. He held his broken arm against his chest, not even sure when that had happened. When the wolf fell on him maybe? It wasn’t his bitten arm, so he wasn’t sure.
“Liam will know what to do,” Finn confirmed. Maybe not help him, but Liam knew the others at the hospital. He nodded at mention of Audrey. “I’ll make sure she’s safe. You first.” His side ached when they took a step and Eli brushed against where he’d been scratched. He needed help, too. But his team, his crew, his party, they needed it more.
“Liam can’t handle this,” Eli said, cringing in pain. He wasn’t sure why he was so adamant about this fact, except that if something happened and Eli passed out, he wanted to make sure Finn understood that the hospital was the place to go, no matter where Liam was. “Tell Corey for me? She... she’s my friend.” And he wanted her to know where he was, if something happened.
Finn frowned, but didn’t comment on it. He still had faith that Liam would lead them the right way. What mattered was getting Eli to help, which was Finn’s current focus. “I know she’s your friend,” he said, voice sounding confused. “I will tell her.” He could take care of that.
“But tell her to stay in. Keep her safe, too. She’d be... she’d be a good rogue,” Eli muttered. He thought maybe that would register with Finn, if nothing else. He’d never played Dungeons and Dragons, but he’d learned enough along the way. It was like he’d been LARPing for four years.
That admission, what Eli was saying caught Finn off-guard, causing him to stumble under his friend’s weight. They hadn’t added anyone in ages. Maybe that was what Audrey had been referring to. “I need to meet her first,” he reminded Eli. Before she could join their group. He wasn’t taking on just anyone. Too many people had left before. “I will tell her.”
Eli could feel the hair on the back of his neck bristle, and he almost growled despite his draining energy. This wasn’t up to Finn, not in his opinion. Eli would be friends with whomever he wanted, no matter what Finn said. “Not your decision who I date,” he said softly.
“You’re courting her?” Finn countered, because that wasn’t what Eli had just said and he wasn’t one to shy away from what was literally said. “I get a say on who is in the party.”
“There’s no fucking party!” Eli shouted, regretting it immediately after when his head began to ache. It also occurred to him that it might bring more wolves their direction and that was the last thing they needed. “You are my friend,” he hissed, “but you are not my boss.”
That hurt. It stung deep, not only offending Finn, but at the same time it was like jabbing an ice pick into his fantasy. “I’m the reason you aren’t dead,” he pointed out instead, still pulling Eli with him.
“So you wouldn’t save your friends?” Eli asked. “Just your party?” He knew it wasn’t the best time to be pushing Finn’s buttons, but Eli wasn’t in the mood to put up with the bullshit. If that was the way Finn thought, if he only helped his ‘party’, then it was essential he accept Corey. It felt like a circle Eli couldn’t escape.
“Aren’t they the same?” Finn asked, not feeling right at all. He focused on his steps instead, not the way his shirt was heavier from Eli’s blood or Eli’s questions and tone.
“Not if I need your permission,” Eli pointed out. “Friends don’t have set roles. I let you lead me, but that doesn’t mean I’m yours to lead.” Eli stumbled, Finn’s grip on him the only thing holding him up. If they didn’t get to the hospital soon, Eli wasn’t sure he was going to make it there.
“You act like I’ve led you astray,” Finn said, spotting the hospital up ahead and quickening the pace as best he could.
“You haven’t,” Eli said, eyes shutting for a second as he let Finn lead. One foot, two foot, left right, left right. “That’s just not the point.”
“Then you’ve lost me like you’ve lost blood,” Finn said, hefting more of Eli’s weight onto himself.
“Sorry,” Eli muttered. “It’s hard to focus.” It was easier to continue on in silence. He wasn’t sure when he blacked out, but suddenly there was nothing but the cold floor of the hospital. How they’d gotten there, he wasn’t sure.
He’d gotten there because Finn had dragged him. Eli had lost consciousness on him not far from the building, coming in and out of it really, but Finn had stayed focused, reassuring his friend until they were inside the hospital, doors shut behind him and both his legs gave out as well.
Help was rushing their way, pulling them apart. Eli’s injuries were easier to see, nurses already talking about surgery and getting him taken care of. Finn was harder, mostly covered in Eli’s blood, but hurt nonetheless. Eventually he’d gotten people off him, making a demand to see Eli and following his friend as far as they would let him. Then Finn was left in the hall, waiting and considering the requests that Eli had made.