Chapter 174 ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-FOUR

Chapter 174 ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-FOUR
Scarlett's POV

It was Orion. Freaking Orion.

I stood there blinking, completely stunned. The men carrying Blue stopped in their tracks, surprised by the voice, and carefully set Blue back down on the soft grass.

Orion climbed all the way out of the narrow hole, looking worse for wear. He was covered in dark bruises, his hair was noticeably singed at the tips, but he was very much alive.

"I..." I stuttered, my tongue tied as I tried to form a sentence.

Orion looked at my worried face and offered a soft smile. "He is alive."

I held my palm to my face, letting out a massive breath of relief. "Where is he? Did you use a stretcher or something?"

"Yes," Orion said, wiping soot from his forehead, "but I'm going to need some help getting him up the shaft."

"Is he conscious? Can he walk at all?" I asked quickly.

"Yes to both," Orion replied, "but he will need some support."

I turned to Stan immediately. "Please wait and help him so we can use the proper stretcher for Blue instead of carrying him by his arms."

Stan nodded in agreement. He turned to one of his guys and barked a quick instruction. The guy ran off somewhere, while Stan and the two other guys bent down, reaching into the tunnel shaft. Together, they carefully hauled Tanner out into the open air.

I had never imagined it would feel this ridiculously nice to see Tanner again. A wave of happiness washed over me. I ran over to him, patting his shoulders and arms as if to make sure he was actually real.

The moment Tanner's tired eyes found mine, he wheezed out, "Where is the boss?"

I let out a soft laugh despite myself. "Funny how that's the first thing you want to know. He is fine, Tanner... but he's not in great shape."

Just then, the guy who had run off returned with another crew member. They retrieved a canvas sheet from the tunnel and placed Blue gingerly onto it. After securing him properly, they quickly began carrying him off through the bushes to wherever the nurse and everyone else is.

I wanted to follow them right away, not wanting Blue to be out of my sight for a single second, but I knew he was safe surrounded by his trusted men. I wanted to stay back for a moment to ensure Tanner was fully supported, knowing just how happy Blue would be when he woke up to find Tanner alive.

One of the guys helped Orion support Tanner’s large frame, easing him upright. Stan stepped over and carefully dragged the wooden board back over the tunnel hole, covering it up with loose dirt and leaves to hide the entry.

I looked over at Orion, bewildered by how he had managed all of this. "What even happened back there?"

Orion exhaled, steadying Tanner against his shoulder. "Tanner was practically bleeding out on the floor by the time I finally brought the wheeler to the library. I knew we couldn't just walk out like that, so I took him to the infirmary first."

Orion paused, shifting his weight. "I was actually in college studying medicine before I got sent to Bellamy... so I took a gamble. I grabbed some tools and pulled out the bullet that was lodged in Tanner’s chest, right near his collarbone."

I shook my head in disbelief at the terror of doing that mid-chaos.

"It didn't hit any vital spots," Orion continued calmly, "and luckily, the bullet itself hadn't expanded or shattered. I stitched the wound up quickly and then wheeled him out through the back corridors. On my way, I noticed a bunch of Derek's guys standing around a hole in the ground near the far wall. That told me right away there had to be a secret way out down there."

I mused to myself that Orion was actually quite smart and observant.

"Those guys entered the hole and didn't return for a while," Orion explained. "Later on, something heavy fell from close by and covered the top opening. I had to leave Tanner behind in a storage closet for a bit while I went to pull the debris away, then I backed off to hide and see what would happen."

"And?"

"The guys who had entered came crawling out looking battered," Orion said, a faint smirk touching his lips. "They pulled themselves out of the hole, groaning, and just walked away from it. I went closer to the opening after they left. I didn't understand why they had turned around... didn't the tunnel lead outside? But then I recalled the terrible state those guys were in, and I figured only Blue and his crew could cause that kind of damage."

"I guess so," I agreed with a small laugh.

"The fire was slowly but surely spreading toward where we were," Orion said, his tone turning serious again, "so I had no choice but to enter the shaft. I tried to lower Tanner down carefully on his good side, but the edge slipped, and he fell the rest of the way down to the stone floor. That sudden impact knocked him back into consciousness, and he started groaning in pain. I realized the whole wheeler wasn't going to fit down the narrow path, so I folded up the thick canvas sheets from the cart and abandoned the frame up top."

Orion gestured down at Tanner's bandaged torso. "I climbed down with the cloth. I gave Tanner some strong painkillers and water from the stash I grabbed, hoisted him onto the reinforced canvas sheet, and literally started pulling him along the floor. I just followed some subtle symbols marked on the stone wall... and voila. Here we are."

"You both were unbelievably lucky," I said softly, looking between them.

Tanner let out a cracked chuckle, shaking his head. "I wouldn't call it luck... A smart and brave someone saved us both."

Orion immediately looked away, a bright blush spreading across his cheeks as he focused on the dirt path.

Supported by the rest of the crew, we slowly made our way through the dense trees, finally arriving at a small, hidden wooden shack tucked deep away from the main road.