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"Oh." Indy lowered her knife. "Oh. Boss, stop whining and help me find the spring pin for this, pronto." Quickly clambering over to the woman, she found her water bottle and offered it to her. "How long have you been stuck here?"
"About three seconds," the woman hissed, voice shaky from pain. "Just stepped on the dang thing. I don't know if it broke my leg, or what."
Bss quickly stopped flopping about and came to help, concern written across his face. "Do you know how to open these things?" he asked, hovering anxiously/
"Sure." Indy crouched down to examine the trap, then placed both hands on either side of the woman's foot and pressed the springs of the trap down, opening up its jaws smoothly. "Okay, get outta there quick. Catch her, Boss, we don't want her falling down into that ravine right next to us."
The woman dragged herself back and Boss steadied her until she was completely free. She slumped back with a groan, rolling up her pant leg and examining the dark bruised and bleeding wound. Boss glanced at Indy questioningly. He wasn't the best when it came to medical situations, and he didn't want to make anything worse.
Indy let go of the trap and unslung her backpack, rummaging through it for her first-aid kit. "Yeesh," she said casually. "That thing really nibbled your leg, didn't it? Boss, put those broad shoulders to good use and get some shade over her face." She poured some water on a clean cloth and started washing the woman's injury. "What's your name, hon? I'm Indy, and this–as I just said–is my pal Boss."
Boss grumbled but did as bid, moving to block the sun. The woman closed her eyes, trying to hold still as Indy dabbed at the wound. The bleeding had already stopped, but the skin surrounding the wound was flushed and angry purple, some bits dangerously close to black in color.
"Bee," she said shortly. "And thanks."
"No problem, Bee." Indy grinned, bandaging up Bee's leg so it wouldn't be chafed as she walked. "What a cute name! You from around here?"
Bee gave a look that contained many thoughts of murder and stood unsteadily to her full height of not very tall. She tried to put weight on her injured leg, but hastily withdraw it with a grunt.
"No," she said, letting the cute comment slide for now. "I think my leg's broken"
"Oh, shoot. Boss, find us some sticks so we can make her a splint, yeah?" Indy rose and supported Bee on her bad side. "Look sharp now, we need to built up a good rep with strangers after all the stuff we did in the last state."
Bee gave her a look that clearly read what is that supposed mean? but she realized she wasn't in any position to be asking intrusive questions. Boss, on the other hand, nodded hurriedly and rushed off, clearly not eager for a repeat event.
"Here y'all go," he said, presenting two worthy-looking sticks. "Have at you."
Indy propped Bee against Boss and quickly bandaged the sticks to either side of her leg, making sure they were secure but not cutting off blood flow. "Don't you just hate when long-dead pre-war farmers don't pick up their garbage? I'm amazed that trap still worked, considering how long it must have sat out here. See any more around, Boss?"
"I don't see anymore!" he said cheerfully. "Though that might be the problem, eh? If we can't see 'em, we might be all about to die."
Bee wrested herself clear of their attentions with a mildly frantic energy of one who suffers claustrophobia. "I'm good," she all but snapped, catching a helpful tree-branch to help her balance. "Thanks, but I'm okay."
"Welcome." Indy swept her hair back and casually tied it into a loose bun. She took note of Bee's discomfort, but didn't mention it yet. "You out here all by yourself, fam? Or is your group somewhere around where we can get to 'em?"
"They're not near," Bee said, sounding frustrated for some reason. "They're…I'm…It's complicated. but i have to keep going. So thanks yet again, but…I have to go."
Indy frowned. "Hey, woah there, sister. Where do you have to go so fast on that broken leg?"
"It's complicated," Bee repeated through grit teeth, struggling to escape the copse. "I'm being chased, long story short. And I can't be caught. I was dang lucky you guys showed up, or else they would have found me by this evening. I can't afford to let them get closer, I'm barely staying ahead of them as it is."
Indy perked up curiously at that. "Oh, you're being chased? Maybe we can help you."
"Uhhh, why would we do that?" Boss interjected, flashing an apologetic look at Bee. "We have enough of our own problems, and what do you want us to do? Dress in drag and do the hula? That'll work for sure. Are you Pumba?"
"Chill out with your ancient references, pal," Indy drawled, slapping Boss on the shoulder. "And I'm obviously Timon, by the way. Listennnn, what are you talking about? We don't got any problems over here….except being bored out of our minds." She grinned slyly. "Besides, who are we to abandon a fellow loner when she's in danger?"
"Look, okay, but I still don't see what we're supposed to do," he grumbled. "I don't really wanna abandon her either, but I'm sorry if you forgot, I'm trying to find my friends."
"I don't need your help," snarled Bee, making no progress by herself. "If you have better things to do, then by all means. Get to it."
Indy watched Bee struggle for another couple of minutes, then reached over and caught her arm to keep her from falling down the hill. "I get it, fam, you're juuust fine on your own. Totally." She heaved her backpack over her shoulder once more and grinned. "C'mon, at least let us help you find a place to hunker down while your leg heals."
"I can't 'hunker down,'" Bee snapped, more frustrated at herself than them. "They'll find me, I guarantee it. I have to keep going."
She stopped trying to walk and stared up the hill, feeling more tired than she had in years. What was going to be the end result of this? She had no idea. The group chasing her had been able to read her every move thus far, driving her farther and farther away from her people and gaining on her every day. It was to the point she could see their fires at night. Because of this, she hadn't been able to make fire f her own, and had spent several cold nights curled as tightly as she could under bushes. Winter was coming, she couldn't keep that up, and she'd tried so many times to lose them, all to now avail. Now she had a broken leg, and wouldn't even be able to keep up a decent pace.
Everything was starting to seem hopeless.
Indy studied Bee's face, becoming more serious at last. "Well….that's no good. And I'm guessing it isn't an option to stand and fight the people chasing you?"
Bee barked a laugh that was down right depressed in tone. "Nope. They're too well-trained, too many of them. I'm trying to get around them, get back to Vermont, but they've cut me off every time. They've got a heck of a tracking team, let me tell you. They chased us all the way from the west coast."
"Well I have an idea," piped up Boss. "Though I'm not sure it'll get us all the way back to Vermont, holy cow girl, how long have they been chasing you?"
"Years," Bee replied grimly. Boss whistled.
"Hot shot," he muttered. "Well, we can try it, anyways. Indy? Do you remember that thingy of mine I was telling you about?"
Indy eyed him. "The…voices, you mean?" Then she blinked. "Oops, sorry, heh. Didn't mean to make you sound crazy or anything."