Chapter 204: 204-On Fire
Clementine:
Leaving Ian behind didn’t feel like a good idea to me. I started to protest as they tried to take me, but Troy and Yorick were forceful, and because I was sick, exhausted, and wounded, I couldn’t fight much.
"He’s not a fucking baby, you don’t have to always go after him, dammit," Troy almost chewed upon the words.
That made me stop resisting so hard. He was right. There was no point in chasing Ian, I was wounded and would only be a burden. Why was I acting like his mother?
Why was I so worried he’d get hurt? I’m pretty sure he was stronger than me, at least at that moment. I didn’t like how Troy said it, but he wasn’t wrong. It was weird that he noticed.
They took me to the bus, and as soon as they put me inside, Haiden turned around.
"Are you stabbed?" he asked.
I gave him a hand gesture, my arm wrapped around my stomach. Oriana, Mira, and the others were trying to drag Joshua away from Suki’s dead body. They did a good job. Jack was on board with the idea, so they all dragged him back.
"Okay, we’re gonna drive around, but we’ll keep an eye on Ian," Haiden uttered. Thankfully he didn’t wait for me to remind them that we weren’t going to leave Ian behind.
Once we started to drive around, we saw the wendigos rush toward the house and start sniffing around because Ian kept calling for them. We didn’t leave, we were watching him from the bus.
"What if they didn’t follow him?" Troy asked.
We had no answer, but Ian made a sudden noise to get their attention. He’d probably noticed the pattern in those things and how we could lure them. When he made those noises, all the wendigos left. Ian was inside the house now.
"I am worried for Ian," Yorick mumbled under his breath.
I didn’t say anything, I felt they’d judge me. Oriana sat next to me, holding my hand and supporting my body.
We all watched the house catch fire. The screeches grew louder. The pain the wendigos were feeling rose high in the air in the form of their screams.
Joshua sat at the back of the bus, unable to move, almost too stunned. Jack was right next to him, keeping an eye on his friend.
My eyes stayed on the house. Anxiety rose in me.
"What are we supposed to do? Are we gonna wait? I don’t think he’s coming out," Mira said.
I turned to give her a harsh glare. In response, she shrugged and sank back in her seat.
"I’m just saying, what if other monsters come? We are not safe here," she muttered, complaining because I was glaring at her.
"He took one for all of us. So come on, show some decency," Oriana hissed at her. Thankfully it wasn’t me saying it, or the others would think I was obsessed with Ian, always talking about him and never letting him do anything alone.
But at that point, I couldn’t think about anything else. I just stared at the house, and I could tell Haiden was anxious. His hands clutched the steering wheel, probably wondering if he should go or wait.
"I think we should check it out," Yorick finally broke the silence, and Troy reluctantly gave him a nod.
I didn’t expect Yorick to show such decency, but I was impressed. Before he could even reach the bus door, someone jumped out of one of the house’s windows. He was unharmed, though his jacket was slightly on fire.
It was Ian. He ran toward us, pulled off his jacket, and threw it away. A wide smile spread across my face, and even when I tried to hide it, I couldn’t. I kept smiling, watching him.
Yorick and Troy, who were about to go after him, stepped aside so he could get inside. Ian boarded the bus, and everyone started cheering because all the wendigos were gone. The boys gave him quick hugs or nods while the girls cheered louder.
"Okay, now we really gotta go," Haiden said, telling everyone to sit down.
As Ian walked past me, he gave me a brief nod, different from the others. I returned it, and he went to sit by the window in the back row. He looked outside while I kept glancing back at him.
Then I noticed something. Matthias. He sat with his head down. I turned to Oriana.
"Does he know?" I asked.
She gave me a gentle nod and closed her eyes, letting me know he did. I sat straight again.
While Haiden drove wildly toward the station, Troy appeared and gestured for Oriana to move from my side. When she stepped away, he sat next to me, watching.
"Are you okay? You’re bleeding a lot," he said in a soft tone.
"I’m fine," I answered softly.
Yorick also came over and stood in front of me. We were in the front seat, right behind Haiden. He hunched down, one hand on the window and the other on my seat.
"Tell me again, who stabbed you?" His voice was more like an order than a question.
I took a deep breath and looked back at Joshua, his head resting against the seat, his face numb. Then I looked back at my squad.
"It was Suki," I whispered.
The two of them frowned in confusion.
"I’ll tell you later," I added, letting them know now wasn’t the time. They finally stepped away.
Haiden drove us straight to the station and we all started to get off. I was really impressed because I’d heard from everyone that Haiden was the one who found the bus and drove around to find all the crusaders, helping them board while also looking for me.
They said he was hysterically asking everyone for me, and I was truly grateful.
Once we got to the station, I knelt down, wrapped my arm around my stomach, and tried to press the wound to stop the pain.
Haiden urged for me to transition to heal and I nearly fainted as I shook my head at him.