Warrior ◊ Star Wars

chapter thirty-two; it all fell down

All she could think was four words;

I'm not like him. I'm not like him.

Her hand slipped on the railing after a gust of wind managed to sway her sideways, falling the last few feet down the ladder and being caught by the copious amount of snow. The landing racked her, but she had become a mess of nerves and organs and overloaded synapses that could only process the idea she had to keep moving. Shock tore away an coherent thought as she watched crimson red stained the white beneath her.

I'm not like him. I'm not like him. I didn't kill Armitage. I'm not like him.

Mara struggled to get back up, not registering the amount of pain that erupted from forehead. The wounds from earlier fighting bled freshly now from the rough fall, stinging through the numbness. The shallow breeze grew stronger as she lifted her face from the freezing substance, eyelashes coated in ice as she stumbled to regain her bearings.

I'm not like him. I'm not like him.

"Mara! Mara we have to go!"

I'm not like him.

Rough movements and a hard grip dragged her from the ground, and she could barely keep her footing as a pang of agony danced across her body from the jump. Finn held her by her shoulders, pulling her away from oscillator building, "This whole thing is gonna blow, C'mon!"

Her limp limbs began to steady themselves as the shell shock of it all began to subside enough for her too focus on what he said; they needed to leave the planet. Han was dead. They needed to get to the ship and go.

Mara nod was cut short as Finn made her speed up to a run despite her muscles trying to deny it. Her head began to clear once she saw a brief glimpse of Rey's face against the rocky mountains embedded in snow; red and tear-streaked with shaking skin.

Get her out of here. Get us out of here.

She ran, boots sinking into the white ground as if the planet itself wished to slow her down. The blonde caught up to Rey, reaching for her arm as the scavenger tripped. She felt her friend's trembling form, not used to the frigid weather. Her ragged breathing alerted Mara to the fact sobs made her breathing patterns sporadic as she invited frosty air into her lungs. The two women anchored each other up, each balancing the other out as they went to follow Finn once more.

Behind them, the oscillator was in flames. The atmosphere tasted of burning metal and iron, fractured by the explosives that somehow went off. Finn still had his set in the bag bouncing in his side, the remote for it in his pocket. Chewie must've set the bombs off from inside. Mara sent up a silent, muddled prayer that the Wookie had made it through the mess.

Her muscles burned as they jogged uphill, her body dependent on adrenaline to keep her moving despite the chaotic mix of shock, cold, and pain. The forest loomed ahead, the towering trees casting shadows over the group. A sickening feeling cut through the harsh mentality to just keep herself moving; something wasn't right. It descended on her so profusely that her grip on her friend tightened, slowing them down as they reached the crest of the hill. Her stomach seemed to turn inside-out as she resisted the urge to double over. Every sense she possessed became overrun by the feeling of despair.

"The Falcon's this way!" Finn called as he twisted through the dismal woods, the other two not far behind. The blonde kept herself wary of her surroundings, not trusting the shadowed forest.

Rey suddenly stopped, making her come to a halt as well. Finn had already ceased running at the sight before him. Mara's lungs felt stripped, gasping and out of breath as all three shared a hopeless gaze with once another. The clearing before held something they couldn't run from, they couldn't escape from so easily.