Big Bad Wolfie
Chapter 65: 64 - Marco Polo

I followed the trail of our scents back. I can tell they tried to cover it, but they didn't do a very good job. Any hybrid would have been able to replace us with ease if any had wanted to, so I guess that's a good sign that none did.

Unless they're all dead.

Which would probably mean Rose and Brandon didn't survive either.

But I can't afford to think like that.

I refuse to lose four family members in one sh*t show.

I sighed.

My aunt and uncle...

I shook my head. No. Enough of that.

I focused on the pain in my abdomen and watching myself put one foot in front of the other to distract myself from my thoughts.

My skin starts prickling, and I know I've reached my destination before I even look up.

Once I do, I see the once tall, strong and terrifying building reduced to a different kind of terrifying rubble.

My eyes watered at the sight of it.

I don't have time for this.

I swallowed thickly and stumbled onto the rubble.

The tears fell as I lethargically looked through the dark for my brother and sister.

This place... The monsters laying crushed under the debris with my friends. They caused me so much pain. They took my parents from me.

Please, don't let them have taken Rose and Brandon too...

Hm... My parents. I think about them a lot. In the day I think about all the awesome sauce things they did, what they stood for.

In my dreams though, I watch them die. Over and over and over. When I wake up panting and crying, I always have to remind myself I'm not there, I'm home, safe... Ish.

But now, if I turn my head a few degrees to my left, I'm actually here. I'll actually see where my parents were ripped apart right in front of me, all those years ago. Where he took them from me. The hybrid king. I want to hate him. I want to hate him with all my being. But I can't.

Because I'm absolutely terrified of him instead.

I made the mistake of looking over to the clearing where he killed my parents... I couldn't help but fall down the hole.

Fear out-ways any other emotion I have, when it comes to him. Well, that and helplessness.

It has from the first time I saw him when I was nine.

I don't fear many, and when I do, it's rather easy to look past, to overcome.

But with him. . .

He got to me before I was strong. Before I was brave. Before I even had a clue.

Now, when I think of him, every horrible feeling I had when I was a kid comes rushing back, and even now, strong and brave, there's nothing I can do to stop it from consuming me.

... I wasn't as afraid of his little helpers. They were evil, evil and scary, but I knew they were just that. Little helpers.

He'd tell them what to do, how many "shots" to give me, and they would.

When I would "misbehave" and make their jobs more difficult, the aftermath was always worse when he was around.

They would give me a dose of the poison to slow my healing and use a whip to shred the skin on my back. Sometimes even leave me out in the sun to burn after. There was that, among other things... I feel like throwing up...

I don't know when I fell to the floor and curled up in a little ball, but that's the position I've found myself in.

... If anyone else had done this to me, I'd feel rage.

But all I feel is fear and helplessness.

I started sobbing.

Sobbing on the ruins of my old prison... But is it really that old?

Where I watched the hybrid king destroy some of the strongest, fiercest, best people I've ever know.

My parents. My super heroes.

Gone.

I'll never understand how he was capable of defeating them. Of besting them. In my stubborn mind, he wasn't.

They'll always be the strongest people I know. There's nothing anyone can do to change that.

My sobs turned to violent hiccups, but I still couldn't bring myself to move.

But then I heard a cough.

I immediately went still.

I breathed quickly, straining my ears to hear it again. While taking a breath, I caught the smell of ashes and smoke.

I jolted like a shock of electricity ran through me.

Brandon and Rose!

Someone just coughed and if it wasn't them, I swear, I'll kill a b*tch.

Time to get my sh*t together. I've already wasted so much time!

Ugh! I'm such and idiot!

"Rose!" I yelled. "Brandon!"

Another cough.

Then, very quietly, almost inaudible. "Maria..."

"Rose!" I yelled, knowing it was her. "Rose, keep talking!"

"Mari, we-we're over here," I heard her shaky voice.

We?!

"Brandon is with you?! Is he alright?" I yell into the ground, trying to catch their scent but smelling a bunch of hybrid and smoke.

"Y-yeah," she breathed. I can tell it's a struggle for her to talk, but I need to replace them.

"Rosie, keep talking to me, I'm close, just help me out," I instruct desperately.

She didn't respond to that.

"Sh*t," I cursed under my breath. "Rose!"

Nothing.

Um, um... "Marco!"

A painfully long pause followed.

"Polo."

Yes!

It was weak but it was still there.

"Marco!"

"Polo."

This went on until I could tell I was right on top of them.

"Marco!" I called one last time to show her I'm here. I put my ear to the closest crack.

"Polo," she murmured weakly, but I heard her clearer this time.

"I've got you Rose!" I yelled down to her, "is Brandon alright?"

"Maria... You came." She laughed mixed with a relieved sob. "He's passed out, but he's still breathing," she panted. "I'm pretty sure his leg that's caught between these two pieces is the only thing keeping us from being crushed to death, though."

Well that's great.

I looked at the area around me. Wondering why they haven't been crushed by this huge slab of concrete they're under, anyway.

I found another, smaller piece, wedged up against the one they're trapped beneath, taking some of the weight off them and forming sort of a mountain shape. And according to Rose, Brandon's leg is elevating the other side a bit.

I sighed. This is going to be difficult. The second I lift the slab they're under, I'm not going to be able to let go until they're out. The smaller piece will fall and there will be nothing to support some of the weight anymore.

I heard Brandon groan and Rose try to wake him up while assuring him everything is alright.

I took a deep breath, "Alright, you guys ready to get out of there?"

"Yes! Please, Brandon's fat @ss is on top of me," Rose coughed.

I heard grumbling and knew Brandon was regaining consciousness.

I smirked, this is more like it. This is why these are my people.

"Oh, even in this situation you two couldn't keep your hands off each other," I joked, knowing they probably ended up that way when Brandon tried to shield her from the debris. I circled the slab and tried to figure out the best way to do this.

"I hate you, Maria," Rose grumbled.

"Love you too. Now Rose, follow my voice and tell me when I'm on the side with Brandon's leg under it," I told her.

I'm gonna try and do this without tearing off his leg.

"Lalalalala,"

"Colder... Warmer... There!"

"Okay," I nodded and crouched down.

"You're a pretty sh*tty singer, Y'know."

"Hush, your ears are just messed up from the blast."

"Mhm..." She trailed off.

I sighed, once again, and looked at the covered up holes in my abdomen. Can I even do this?

I steeled myself.

I have to.

"Rose," I called, "and Brandon if you can hear me, I need you to push up as hard as you can, I'm injured and am gonna need help lifting this," I tell them.

"Okay," I heard Rose say, "But Brandon is out again."

Of course he is.

"Alright on three," I guess we'll have to do this without him.

"Okay..." She said.

"One."

Rose joined in on "two."

"Three," Rose grunted and I screamed, the pain immediately seeping in.

I looked down and saw them.

They're alive!

And they need to get the f*ck out of there before I drop this wall back on their heads.

And crap, Brandon's leg is mangled.

It's okay, nothing doc can't handle, I tried to reassure myself.

I saw Rose struggling to try and push Brandon out.

"Rose, you come out first then pull Brandon out, quick," I gritted my teeth as my shredded stomach muscles screamed in agony.

"Alright," she said hurriedly as she climbed out.

Just as she made it out, my grip slipped. "Sh*t!" I yelled.

Rose caught it just in time to keep Brandon from becoming a pancake.

She looked at me in alarm as I readjusted my hold, I nodded at her to continue as I got reset.

She looked down at my bleeding stomach, the cause of my instability, and put her hand on my shoulder.

She gave me an uncertain look, but at the end of it, I gave her a stronger nod of reassurance.

She jumped into action, knowing we're on a time crunch, and reached in to pull Brandon out.

She started to pull and I closed my eyes as tears fell.

Don't let go, don't let go, don't let go.

"Sh*t, his arm is stuck!" I heard Rose yell.

I cried out and begged for strength.

Don't let go, don't let go! DON'T LET GO!

Just as I was about to collapse, the pain and weight overtaking me.

Someone caught the slab.

I turned, startled and completely exhausted.

Wolfie.

I let out a laugh of pure joy as he was able to lift the slab higher.

I dropped to my stomach to help Rose get Brandon. Wolfie grunted at the extra weight, but I saw Happy's shoes run over to help lift the heavy slab higher.

Rose got his hand free, and I helped pull her closer while Stephan and Cali ran over to pull them both out the rest of the way.

I collapsed onto my back and smiled up at the night sky.

My friends are safe now. . . I can take a nap.☐☐☐☐