Worth Three Lions [LBL vs Inbetweeners]

ellexias

i won't compromise
i won't live a life on my knees
you think i am nothing
i am nothing

The tooth of her ice pick punctured his bicep. It sank past layers and layers of snapping fibers like a serpent’s fang until gravity ripped him away from her. When he toppled into the bloody snow, she wasn’t sure if she had fulfilled Katelyn’s wish or not. Blood loss from trauma was the cause of death, and that wasn’t merciful. He could probably feel the throb of every gash, and sense the gradual draining of his energy. She didn’t know what it was like to bleed so excessively. The cannon signaled his passing moments later. She was relieved that it hadn’t lasted much longer. It didn’t justify what she did, but at least it was quicker than it could’ve been. Much quicker than the other boy's gruesome death.

The charred slab of flesh and bone was to her left, and she turned away from it. Smoke was still rising from the fallen flames, carrying with it a ghastly odor that seared the insides of her nostrils. Her stomach churned in response, not only because she was sickened by the ordeal, but because the aroma of cooking meat was naturally appealing to the senses. That part was even worse. She knew it was biological and evolutionary advantageous – something she couldn’t suppress – but it was disturbing all the same. She didn’t want to think of a human body in that fashion. She would not reduce somebody’s life to a food source.

There was sustenance in her bag, anyway. As she distanced herself from the mess, perching herself against an igloo, she watched Marchello quench his thirst. It was about time to drink what was stored in her container. The fourth day, this was? Three nights without hydration. They were reaching their limits. Her stomach was eating itself, and it felt like everything had been scraped out by a pitchfork, the wounds left infected and aching. Despite the snowflakes dancing around her hair, it was not enough to heal her chapped lips and dry mouth.

Naturally, it was cold. The weather was an earth born refrigerator, and it made her water all the more soothing as it slid down the back of her parched throat. She sipped slowly and gradually, each drop like an ice cube plummeting into her stomach. She felt its weight and waited for her stomach to settle. When it did, it felt fantastic. The air was fresh again and she took a long whiff of winter. She was aware of the apple sitting in her bag, but she needed to resist that temptation. Hydration was enough to last her several more days without food. Only then would she bite into it – if she was still alive.

The imminence of another fight plagued her. How many people were left? There had been another cannon after the careers, and she didn’t keep track. She could ask Katelyn later in the evening, perhaps. Just how close were they to separation or death now? She hadn’t imagined herself lasting this long.

What now?

Marchello snapped her out of her thoughts. ”Hey, uh, Lexi. Mind patching me up?” She gulped the rest of her water, capped it, then shoved the empty container into her bag. That answered her question. There was no planning ahead, no predicting the outcome – there was just the present, and the present happened to include her friend’s bleeding arms. Every day he emerged from a fight banged up, but his spirit was still strong. She admired him for that. "This may need both of you, actually,” he added, and she approached him with her medical kit. It was the least they could do after this horror show.

[uses first aid on Marchello]
[drinks her purified water]

i hear god's whisper
calling my name
it's in the wind
i am the savior

words: 605, graphics: rook
theme: god's whisper by raury