Biting The Bullet

Chapter 6

Inhale. Thump thump. Exhale. Thump thump. 

She took care to maintain a regular gas exchange, sucking in more air to clear her thoughts. Adjusting her position on the grass allowed her chest to rise and fall completely. She wondered how many more cycles she could do before it all ended.

Her whole life she had been numb to fear. When people ran out of ghost houses, shrieking, she'd always look on with confusion. To her, the skeletons and zombies weren't real enough, and you basically knew when one would pop up. What was the big deal with bugs either? As long as you ignored them they wouldn't cause you any harm. Evangeline, though, viewed insects as her pet aversion, and Kassidy couldn't help but smile at the time she screamed the roof down at a fake spider. Those were the good old times, when both their fathers weren't consumed by business yet.

Until she remembered they could no longer be together. Evangeline had been shot on the run and the same fate would befall her too, as well as the person she loved the most, who had fallen unconscious beside her.

She wasn't going to let death get the best of her, and a mental breakdown would only waste the little time left. For once, she was glad that time stretched itself out. Although she was mentally prepared for what was to come, it obviously wasn't something she looked forward to. Her eyes scanned the surroundings, hoping to take in as much as possible where she was spending her last moment on planet Earth.

It would be an instant death. A flash of excruciation, then nothing.

Inhale. She was ready.

***

It had happened in a matter of seconds. George's ears pricked at the sound of a gunshot, yet it was too late. Something that felt like a pebble came in violent contact with his body, but it didn't bounce off as a pebble would. It wasn't until it burst through his flesh that it came to a halt. There was no pain, however. Covering the wound with a hand, he almost tripped at the sight of red liquid soaking through his white t-shirt.

Nausea swarmed up, clouding his head. He fought control over his eyelids which were already starting to droop. There was a strange force inside him, one that assassinated his senses and reduced the world into a dizzy blur. Having to keep running while fighting control over his own body was not an easy task. The strange force was determined to rule his consciousness, spreading through his body until he lost his coordination and his balance. 

Then he blacked out.

When he woke up he found himself lying on the grass in the recovery position. The wound on his hip was now swollen, but he felt the comforting presence of a hand on it. He rubbed his eyes to see his sister, who was stroking his hair with her other hand and muttering apologies like crazy.

"It's alright," he mumbled.

On hearing him speak, her face lit up. "How are you feeling?"

"What do you mean?"

"You fainted multiple times..."

"Wait really?"

Kassidy let out a sigh. "I don't think you remember. Anyway, what about your wound? ... Hello? George?" She moved her hand up and down in front of his face, but his eyes remained shut. Seemed like he had fainted again. Now she would be spending her final moments in silence.

Speaking of which, where on earth was that gunman?

There was no thudding, nor crunch of footsteps. It didn't take a marathon runner to catch up with them, not to mention a few minutes had passed already. Besides, what he had was a gun,  and there was something called long range shooting.