Brit and Regal stumbled through the dark tunnel, their hypersights no use to them in the pitch black that suffocated them. Whatever magical flow that tunnel had once had when they had first entered the premises faded away spontaneously, leaving them to both wonder if Jer could still guide them out, especially in her current condition. After a few tense minutes in the dark and only the sounds of their boots scraping against the ground, Jer finally whispered the words that caused Brit to stop in his tracks, wherein Jer began searching for the switch that would grant them freedom. The gods of luck must have been on their side at this particular moment as in the blink of an eye the ceiling opening up and the tunnel spew them out, leaving them shaken, but under a familiar red sky.
Regal felt a surge of relief wash over him when he could see his surroundings again, though it was quickly squashed when he glanced over at Jer’s limp state. Their bandages were drenched through, dark streaks of blood dripping down the exposed areas of Jer’s back and staining their pants. Brit’s coat was beyond saving as its cuffs were lined with blood from when he’d administered a hasty first aid, and his back coated in whatever excess leaked from Jer’s bandages. Their breathing was labored and shallow and it seemed like they were shivering. Regal quickly stripped his own coat off and draped it over Jer’s shoulders, tightening up their mask so that no harmful air could make its way in.
“Reg, scout Onto up ahead,” Brit grunted as he trudged forward. “See if you can't find any medical supplies or a sealed room. It’s been deserted for decades, but be alert. Send word of a location via hypersight since I can’t spare hands for my screen.”
As strong as Regal knew Brit was, carrying a fully-grown person over a mile was no easy task, and even though Brit’s expression was blank, there were beads of sweat dripping down his forehead despite the cool temperature. Although Regal didn’t want to leave Jer’s side, he was doing nobody any good hovering and he knew the best plan of action was for him to leave the two. Tightening the straps on his pack and the grip on the bag he’d been tasked to carry, he brought out his screen and began running, bringing up the actual directions to Onto on the way.
In quick time he made it to the outskirts of the town, dust clinging to his clothing the closer he got. Deserted was the understatement of the century; the entire city was practically buried in sand that seemed to grown from the ground. It shifted under his feet, making him unsteady as he traversed the roads, the exposed windows watching him with vacant eyes. The voice in his head was telling him to turn away from this cursed place, the hands would stretch from the empty buildings and eat him whole. Without the others around him, he was vulnerable, he was weak.
As he climbed a mound of gritty sand that clogged the filters in his respirator, he thought about if Jer was still alive. No, of course Jer was alive. Barely, but they were a fighter and would stay alive until Regal came back with medical equipment. And a sealed room where they could administer proper aid. And then enough food and water for them to wait until Jer recovered.
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Regal looked around at the buildings, dread soaking into his bones when nothing but cracked doors and glass looked back at him. He would be lucky if he found a clean scrap of gauze in this place, much less a room unadulterated by the environment. Using his hypersight he mapped the areas he’d already passed by--Onto was not a small city, too much for only one person--there was no way he could find anything in time. If Jer were here talking sense into him, what would they say?
He whipped out his screen and pulled up the most recent map of Onto, which was over fifty years old. According to this, there was a medical center about a quarter of a mile from him, as long as the roads provided him a proper route. And raiders hadn’t already looted the place. And the building was still standing.
Shutting out the negative thoughts Regal sprinted ahead, ignoring the little grains of sand that bypassed the respirator filtration system and grated the back of his throat. When he’d glanced at his screen, Brit and Jer were less than an eighth of a mile away, so Regal needed to find something, and fast.
He tore through the soft surface, his screen guiding him past the buildings with no names, the billboards with illegible words, several vehicles that had lost the battle against the elements. At last, there was only one large sand dune about fifteen feet high ahead of him; his last obstacle before he reached his destination. As he flung himself atop the mound, disappointment hit him hard in the chest. There was a ring of sand and rubble around a three-block radius as if an explosion had gone off and pushed buildings and vehicles out of the way, and in the center were the skeletal remains of the medical center.
“Reg, any luck?” Brit’s breathless voice came from the screen.
Brit had a sheen of sweat coating his face and was crouched in order to free up his hand to manage the screen while simultaneously keeping Jer securely on his back. His eyes had a glimmer of hope in them and Regal fought to keep his face composed, trying to think of a quick solution to this very large problem.
“No, I...I couldn’t find anything.”
Brit’s face fell and his eyes dulled.
“But I’m sure there are more places in the city. Just keep walking in my direction and I’ll find something.” Regal tried, refusing to accept what he could not do.
“Reg, I know you--”
“Listen, just give me a few more minutes, I’ll find something!”
“Regal, it’s no---”
“Look, just half a mile away there’s--”
“Regal!” Brit screamed, startling the younger man. “Just get to our location. Jer might not last any long--”
Regal shut off his screen before Brit could finish his sentence, tears pricking the back of his eyes. No, he was going to keep it together, Jer needed him right now. He turned his screen back on and traced the other’s locators, fighting away the thought of never seeing his best friend again. As he ran, memories of him tormenting Jer popped into his mind--he’d do anything to go back. They’d known each other for the majority of their lives that the very thought of Jer not having his back was inconceivable, and yet it was very much a possibility now. There was no way he was going to be saying his final goodbyes to Jer this early in life; Regal was going to kill that bastard if they died like this!