Day 46: Medium Well Done
Eli's breath came in ragged gasps as he stumbled through the ruins, the world around him a blur of crumbling walls and twisted metal. The pain in his face and arms was unbearable, his skin raw and blistered from the searing heat of the Listener. Every step was a struggle, but he forced himself to keep moving, driven by the desperate need to find the others.
The air had cooled significantly since he'd fled, the oppressive heat from the Listener fading as he put more distance between them. But the agony remained, a constant, throbbing reminder of how close he had come to death.
He rounded a corner, nearly tripping over a pile of debris, and finally saw them—his group. They were gathered in a small clearing among the ruins, their faces tense with worry and fear. Cass was crouched down, holding Ben close, her eyes scanning the area as if searching for any sign of him. Luke and Raya stood nearby, weapons at the ready, while Jay, Mae, Dom, Sara, and Blake kept their distance, their faces set in grim determination.
When Eli appeared, stumbling into view, they all turned to face him.
For a moment, there was nothing but silence. Then Cass's eyes widened in shock, and she rose to her feet, still holding Ben. Luke's expression shifted from relief to something else—something darker. Raya's gaze hardened as she took in Eli's condition, her eyes narrowing in a mixture of pity and horror.
Eli slowed his steps as he approached, his body trembling from the pain and exhaustion. He could see the way they were looking at him, their expressions a mixture of pity, disgust, and shock. He didn't need a mirror to know why. The burning heat of the Listener had left his face and arms covered in painful, bubbling blisters, his skin red and raw.
"Eli," Cass breathed, her voice heavy with concern. She took a step toward him, but there was hesitation in her movements. Even Ben, usually so eager to run to Eli, stayed close to Cass, his small face twisted in fear.
Luke took a cautious step forward, but his expression was hard to read, a mixture of anger and sorrow. "What happened?"
"I…" Eli tried to speak, but his voice came out hoarse, his throat dry from the heat and the pain. "It… got too close."
Raya's eyes flicked over Eli's blistered skin, and for a moment, she looked away, unable to hide the grimace on her face. "You're lucky you're still alive," she muttered, but there was no relief in her voice—only a cold acceptance of the horrors they were facing.
Jay and Mae exchanged a glance, their expressions tight with discomfort. Mae's hand rested on Jay's arm as if to steady herself, her face pale as she took in Eli's injuries. Dom, Sara, and Blake watched from a distance, their faces grim, but they made no move to approach. There was an unspoken understanding between them—they had seen injuries like this before, and they knew what they meant.
Eli tried to focus on their faces, tried to see past the pity and disgust, but the pain was too much. His vision blurred, the world around him spinning as the adrenaline that had kept him going began to fade. He felt weak, his legs trembling beneath him, and his breath came in shallow gasps.
"I… I'm sorry," Eli managed to whisper, his voice cracking.
Cass took another step forward, her expression softening with concern. "Eli, we need to get you somewhere safe. We need to—"
But before she could finish, Eli's legs gave out from under him.
He collapsed to the ground, the world tilting on its axis as darkness began to creep in at the edges of his vision. The pain in his face and arms was overwhelming, a searing, unbearable heat that consumed him from the inside out. He could barely register the others rushing toward him, their voices muffled and distant as if they were coming from somewhere far away.
"Eli!" Cass's voice was the last thing he heard before everything went black.
The pain faded into nothingness, and Eli slipped into unconsciousness, the world around him dissolving into darkness.