Iron Souls
Near death/temporary death?/something, choking, fear, crying, abrupt ending
1,277 words
Mr Professor asked them to get something, some type of iron for something important, something the guards couldn't collect because of their whereabouts.
And it was going fine, until it wasn't, and then there was the biggest wolf he'd ever seen in his life probably, and Zam was hurt.
"Zam? Are you okay? Hey, I'm here. Zam?"
Legundo crouched in front of her, an attempt for eye contact at her head bent forward was made.
"My, um, my vision is fading."
He was pretty sure other people were speaking then, other questions about her well being were being asked, but Legs couldn't hear anything besides Zam.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. My, my mind isn't really working the way I want it to right now."
She looked so small, so impossibly small and fragile, she still hasn't lifted her head.
"Zam, come on, talk to me."
She raised her hand to her chest, slow and weak and shaking, and you could almost hear a pin drop.
"My, my crystal broke."
"Which one?"
He knew exactly which one, he just didn't want to believe he knew which one.
"The one in the, my spacesuit, that lets me function outside of Mars."
"Come here, come here Zam, I've got you."
Legundo shuffled her closer, and so very gently, put an arm around her shoulders.
"Can you recall? Come on, let's go back to the academy. Take your time, take your time."
He could just barely make out Sausage talking to her over the blood rushing through his ears.
"Can you all make sure we have what the Professor needs? I'm going with Zam."
"I can't, I cant use my mana, I can't recall."
She stumbled forward, and Legundo tightened his hold around her shoulders.
"I, um, I."
Zam was gasping for breath she couldn't catch now.
"Come on, come here Zam."
"I can, I think I can move. I can recall. Twilight gave me her mana so I, um, I can function a little bit. I don't, um."
He kept her close, loose enough so that she could move, if she could move, but still close.
"Yeah? We can walk, it's okay, we're gonna be okay. Let's get out of here, we can come back for what the Professor needs. Come on, I'm right here."
She had lifted her head finally, but her eyes were almost foggy, looking at something far away.
"Legs. I don't, I can't- Legs, I can't see."
Goddamnit. Goddamnit.
"I'm right here, I'm right here. "
"What's going on? I don't. Where's Graecie?"
He felt the words on his tongue, he felt himself try, he felt himself exhale to speak the words.
But that's all he could do.
"She's okay, she's at the academy resting, she's okay. Come on, let's get you back, it's okay."
Thank everything Sausage was still rational enough to speak somehow.
"We'll take this nice and slow, take your time. We'll get back, and we'll talk to the Professor and see if there's any magic or anything that can fix this, and we'll be okay."
"Okay, I don't- ow."
Legundo could feel the way she tensed under the arm around her shoulders as her chest tightened with breath she couldn't catch.
"Are you okay? Do you need me to hold Twilight?"
"I think, I think Twilight being so close is helping, maybe."
"Zam, hold still for a minute."
He saw Bubbles grab the handles of an abandoned mine cart and adjust it on the tracks from the corner of his eye.
"Let's try to put you in one of these so it's easier to move."
"Okay, I, okay. I don't know, I'm sorry. What time is it?"
Her hand tightened ever so slightly, resting over her chest, trying to catch any kind of air.
"We can't tell right now in here, it's too dark.
"I don't, I. My, my mana is fading."
"Stay with us, Zam, just stay with us."
Zam turned her body just slightly in his, letting Legundo hold her steady, his own vision starting to cloud over with tears.
"Is your heart okay?"
"I don't know."
"Okay, let's- okay, come on, we've got this."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I don't, I'm, I'm sorry."
He felt a tear break from his lash line.
"Hey, it's okay, you're okay, you have nothing to be sorry for, we've got you."
"Okay, I, okay."
"Zam, come here, I can hold you."
He bent his knees and adjusted his arms to pick her up in a cradle.
"Mhm."
She turned her head into his chest.
"Come on, this way, I've got you."
"Legs, I don't, I'm sorry."
"You don't have to apologize, you've got nothing to be sorry for."
He thinks it was Bubbles who said that, the blood in his head was too loud, they could see the light outside now at least,
"It's okay, Zam, it's okay, I've got you, I've got you."
"I can't feel my arms."
She turned her face more against Legundo and gasped softly for breath.
"We're almost there, I've got you, we're almost there, come on."
"My, my vitals are falling, I don't."
"I've got you, I've got you."
"I can't see, I don't, Legs?"
Zam whimpered and nuzzled somehow closer.
"Right here, I'm right here."
"I'm sorry."
"Come on, I've got you, this way."
"I'm sorry."
"Zam, don't- hey."
He looked down to where she was cradled as the group finally made it to the mountain's edge.
"Don't apologize, you have nothing to be sorry for. I'm right here."
"I think I can recall."
"You can recall? Okay, that's good, okay? Let's go back, come on."
He loosened his hold, not leaving, just enough for Zam to try and recall on her own, Megii and Sausage already teleported back and waiting at the academy and able to catch her once teleported.
"Legs, please don't leave me, I'm-"
"I am right behind you, I'm not going anywhere, I'm right here, I've got you."
It was some of the longest seconds of Legundo's life, and then he was scooping Zam back up into his arms carefully, the group nearly running to the infirmary.
"I'm right here, I'm right here. This way, let's go this way. Come on, I've got you."
"It hurts."
"Come on, it's okay, you're-"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
"It's okay, Zam, it's okay."
Legundo was practically sobbing now, one hand reaching to Zam's head and cradling it to his chest, he thinks he heard Sausage yelling over the ringing in his ears.
"Legs, I don't, please."
He pulled one of her hands up against his chest and held it gently.
"It's okay, you're okay."
"Will you please take care of Twilight for me?"
He looked down to the twitching purple ears as she walked alongside them.
"Yes of course, of course I will, come on., let's lay down, come on."
"My body feels like it's burning up, Legs, I feel like I'm being burnt alive."
All of them practically burst into the infirmary.
"Come on, come on. Let's lay down, you're okay, you're gonna be okay."
He settled her down on one of the small empty beds, still holding and brushing the back of one of her hands.
"I don't, I'm sorry, I don't."
Her blinks got slower and slower.
"It's okay, Zam, you're okay."
Megii bent to pet the baby dragon beside her, Sausage adjusted his hold on Zam's backpack after taking it off her.
"Legs."
"You'll be fine, Zam, I'm right here. You're okay, Zam. Hey, hey."
Silence filled the room as she finally closed her eyes, he thinks people were yelling at Violet, he could hardly feel the tears running down his face.
