Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 106092 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106092 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
The next eight to ten hours of travel are going to have my nerves entirely frayed by the time we get there. I’m hoping and praying it’s all for nothing. That the military has a handle on things there.
The twist of my gut tells me otherwise.
I wake to my head thumping against the back window as Aaron accelerates and bounces over something in the road. It’s growing dark, either from an impending storm, dusk, or both, but I notice several sets of wide, worried gazes from the others in the bed of the truck.
“What is it?” I croak out, ignoring the need to take a piss. Badly.
Kellen hands me a water bottle and frowns. “Cars up ahead. Looks like a caravan of headlights headed our way.”
Great.
Everyone tenses as we approach.
Keep going, Aaron.
No one says a word as Aaron cruises past the first vehicle in the caravan of what looks to be ten to twelve vehicles long. After several seconds of nothing but icy wind whipping through my hair and beating on my face, I almost think I worried for nothing.
Until I hear the first pop…
Gunshot.
And another.
Pings can be heard hitting the side of the truck as the report of gunfire continues. These people are shooting at us! Kellen grabs hold of the back of my neck and jerks me down. The sound of glass shattering and raining down over my back tells me we moved just in time. My heart races nearly as fast as Aaron as he weaves the truck along the road in an attempt to make us less of a target.
Are they coming after us?
Is this where we all die?
Wayne howls in pain and my chest seizes up. I’m smashed down under Kellen’s weight, so I can’t see what has him hollering. Chaotic voices of our group can be heard over the cacophony of gunfire.
And then it stops as quickly as it began.
Kellen eases up and lifts to look over the lip of the truck bed. “They’re not following us,” he calls out. “Fuck. Wayne? You okay?”
Wayne grunts. “Took a goddamn bullet to the ass.”
“Pull your pants down,” Hope instructs. “Tyler. Get over here with your kit.”
Aaron doesn’t slow, which is for the best. If those people decide to turn around, we need to have a head start so we can outrun them. I yank my kit out of my bag and scrabble over to where Wayne is lying on his side. Hope has a flashlight, aiming it right at his lower back. Jesse swaps places with me to make room.
Wayne’s bleeding like a stuck hog.
“What do we do?” Hope asks, gesturing at Wayne’s bare, hairy ass that’s gushing with blood. “Tyler!”
I snap out of my daze and fumble through my kit. Amy was gracious enough to restock it with more supplies, including pain relievers, both over the counter and behind. I yank on some rubber gloves and then tear open one of the alcohol wipes. He yelps when I swipe it over the round hole that’s dead center on his right ass cheek.
“Did it go through?” I ask Hope.
She runs her hand down Wayne’s front and he mutters something about how hard it is not to get an erection when a hot chick is fondling him. I catch her eye roll, but relief shines in her gaze. If he can crack jokes, he’s going to be okay.
“No exit wound,” she confirms.
The truck bounces and swerves, which is going to make my next task a whole lot of fun. “I have to fish out the bullet.”
“Nah, I’m good,” Wayne says, making to sit up.
Hope pushes him back down. “No, you’re not. Don’t be a baby, you big oaf.”
He grumbles under his breath, this time griping about sassy women.
I pilfer through my kit until I find some scissors and a pair of tweezers. I soak both down with a clean alcohol wipe and then motion for Hope to hold the light closer to the hole. As gently as I can, I stick my pinky into the hole in his flesh.
Wayne curses like the sailor he is.
About an inch in, I feel the inorganic hardness of the bullet. We hit a bump and my pinky jams deeper.
“Fuck!” Wayne roars. “Get your finger out of my ass!”
Jesse cracks up laughing and then Wayne groans as he realizes what he just said. Smirking at Hope, I focus on using the tweezers to get this damn bullet out. I’ll use the scissors as a last resort.
Each time I get the tweezers around the end of the bullet, it slips off. It’s like playing that game Operation, but the stakes are a whole helluva lot higher than a noisy zap. I’m starting to wonder if I should cut the hole open a little wider. It’ll hurt and might make things worse, but we can’t leave the bullet in his ass.