Try To Change Me

Chapter 16

Austen threw himself down on his knees, hands fluttering awkwardly over ebony. He took a breath and quickly ran his fingers down her sides. They came away sticky with blood.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god." Gently, the boy rolled ebony onto her back. Her head flopped to the side, eyes shut. She looked peaceful even as Austen panicked over her. He drew her shirt up over her hip, trying not to feel like a creep, and wiped blood aside carefully as Phitz crashed to the ground beside him.

"Is she shot?" He asked harshly, eyes wide.

"I got shot." The voice came from across the yard where the others were still standing awkwardly, Salena weeping silently. Hazmat was watching ebony's chest rise and fall calmly. "It hurts."

Austen focused back on the girl. She tossed her head, letting out a soft sigh. He took a deep breath.

"She's not shot," he murmured in relief, " she's just been grazed. It's superficial."

For no reason that Carrissa could comprehend, Austen's eyes flicked to her at that point.

"You guys need to move," he continued, casting a desperate look at the fence. "They'll be following."

Mr Irving shook his head. "They'll have found those men by now. They'll regroup before they follow us."

"Men?" Salena asked weakly. She turned and threw up in the bushes. Carrissa stepped away from her daintily.

Pursing his lips, Phitz made a noise. "Regroup? You mean reload right?"

"If they weren't going to kill us before," ms smith agreed, "they most certainly won't hesitate now."

"It's a good thing they wanted to kill us then, isn't it?" Her colleague snapped. Ms smith bristled but the group quickly changed to confusion as his words sunk in.

With a chuckle, mr Irving rubbed the back of his neck with his hazmat-free hand. "Never thought I'd say that."

Austen's head jerked down as ebony moaned. Her eyes flickered, her fingers dancing on the ground. "Go," he urged them, "Phitz and I will get Ebony."

Mr Irving was nodding as ms smith frowned. "Where will we meet you?" She asked, "I don't think it's a good idea to split up."

Austen looked at Phitz. "The skatepark. It's being renovated so everyone is using the one across town."

Finnegan nodded. "I know the one."

Carrissa folded her arms under her chest, raising a thin brow. "You skate?" She asked.

"Yes!" Finn yelped indignantly before licking his Luis and looking away. "If by skate you mean crash boards into and off of walls."

Phitz nodded. "Cool. You know the old half pipe? Meet there?"

He nodded quietly, swallowing.

Ebony murmured again, and Austen glared at them. "Then clear out."

Ms smith opened the gate to the next property and the group hurried through, leaving Phitz and Austen beside ebony.

Her eyes opened. "What the hell is going on?"

Austen hushed her. "You fainted. Come on, we gotta go."

"No. Get off me." She thrashed about until he took his hands back from her hips. Pulling her shirt down, she sat up. Ebony's head spun and she caught it in one hand.

"Tell me you didn't drug me," she growled, "I beg you."

"You're hilarious," Austen muttered, nodding at Phitz. they each grabbed one of her arms and heaved her to her feet. "Can you stand?"

Ebony nodded, yanking her elbow out of Austen's hands. She smiled at Phitz and gently wormed her other arm free. Standing tall, she lasted several moments before her knees gave way and Austen caught her in his arms.

"You sure about that?"

She groaned, not looking at him. "What the hell is wrong with me?"

"Shock," Phitz supplied, nodding wisely. He jerked his head at the house behind them and Austen nodded.

Austen easily looped at arms under ebony's legs and picked her up, carrying her gently. Under the deck was covered with wooden slats, creating a secure, shadowy room underneath.

"Woah," ebony groaned, "you're making me seasick. Put me down."

He ignored her until, slipping in behind the wall, he bent and plopped her on a chair in the corner. She rolled her eyes at him and lent backwards, looking at her side. It, the gash from the bottom of her rib cage to the top if her hip, was clotting, dry blood crusting at the top of her pants. She hissed in pain at her fingers probed the wound and stopped, deciding she didn't care.

"What are we doing here?" She demanded. The boys had lifted an old dresser between them, both straining under the weight, and they crab-shuffled it towards the door. Austen kicked it closed with his toe and then blocked it with the dresser.

"We," Phitz growled, stepping away and stretching his back, "are hiding."

Ebony took a deep breath and regretted it. "From the suits?" She confirmed.

"Was your memory this bad before you passed out?" Phitz asked. When she glared at him, he backed away. "You might have a concussion.

"I'm just checking." She hissed indignantly.

Austen walked back to her side, frowning. "No, not the suits: Finnegan. We've decided to play an impromptu game of hide and seek."

"Oh goody," ebony clapped her hands, "and he's it?"

He scowled at her. "I was kidding."

She returned the glare. "And I wasn't?"

Phitz shushed them, backing away from the slats until he was immersed in shadow, several paces from the other two.

Ebony looked around suddenly. "Where are the others?"

Austen raised a finger to his mouth as a rough scraping noise came across the yard.

"We're hiding here from the suits?" ebony hissed suddenly, standing up, "I did not agree toothed plan." The blood rushed to her head and she fell.

Both of Austen's arms shot out, one to catch her waist and the other to clamp across her mouth. He was nearly successful.