Page 73 of Girl, Bound

But Ava's head justlolled, her rasping breaths growing fainter by the second. Ella's visionblurred, hot tears cutting through the grime on her cheeks. She was losing her,the kid slipping away right before her eyes, and there wasn't a damn thing shecould do.

But then, the chirp ofher phone. Ella fumbled for it one-handed, never letting go of Ava. She glancedat the screen, vision swimming.

Holbrook. Ella stabbedthe answer button, already bracing for the worst.

‘Ella? Ella, youthere?’

Not Holbrook. Ripley,her voice shot through with pain. Ella's heart clenched.

‘I'm here,’ shecroaked. ‘Ava's here. But she's fading fast, Mia. I don't... I don't know whatto do.’

‘Listen to me, Ella.Focus up, 'cause we ain't got time for a pity party. Holbrook's hurt bad, buthe's hanging on. And he says there's a first aid kit in his trunk. There's anepipen in there. You gotta get it, stick the kid and jump-start her ticker. Youhear me?’

Ella's mind reeled,the words hitting her like a bucket of ice water to the face. An epipen. A shotof pure adrenaline, mainlined straight to the heart. It was insane, a Hail Marypass with Ava's life on the line.

But what choice didshe have? The kid was circling the drain, one foot already in the grave. IfElla didn't do something, anything, she'd never be leaving this body bag.

‘I hear you,’ shesaid, voice steadier than she felt. ‘I'll do it. Just... just keep Holbrookbreathing, okay? No one else is dying tonight.’

‘Roger that. Now moveyour ass.’

The line went dead,leaving Ella alone in the clearing with a dying girl and a desperate plan. Shelaid Ava down gently, thumb brushing over her fluttering pulse. ‘I'll be rightback,’ she whispered. ‘Don't go anywhere.’

Then she was up andrunning. Her whole world had narrowed to the car, to the precious cargo hiddenin its trunk. The trunk popped open with a squeal of hinges, revealing a jumbleof junk - old coffee cups, crumpled reports, a couple of moth-eaten blankets.

And there, nestled inthe chaos like a gift from the gods, a battered first-aid kit.

Ella snatched it up,numb fingers fumbling with the latch. She dumped the contents on the ground,scrabbling through the detritus of bandages and burn cream. Gauze, scissors, ahalf-empty bottle of iodine.

There. A slim redtube, capped with bright yellow plastic. The EpiPen, her last hope, her ace inthe hole.

Ella grabbed it andran. She crashed back to the roadside and knelt beside Ava.

The girl was stillnow, her chest barely rising, her lips tinged blue. Ella fumbled with theepipen, hands shaking as she popped the cap and lined up the shot. She took adeep breath.

‘Forgive me,’ shewhispered.

And she slammed theneedle home, right into the meat of Ava's thigh.

For a moment, nothinghappened. Ava lay there like a broken doll, still and silent as the grave.

Had she been too late?Had death beaten her to the punch once again, left her holding nothing but acold and empty shell?

But then, a miracle.

Ava's back arched, herchest heaving as she sucked in a whooping breath. Her eyes flew open, wide andwild, darting from one side of the sky to the other.

She thrashed, limbsflailing, fighting an unseen enemy. But Ella grabbed her, pulled her close,murmuring desperate words of comfort.

‘Easy, easy. I gotyou, Ava. You're safe now. Just breathe, kid. Just breathe.’

And slowly,wonderfully, Ava quieted. Her breathing evened out, color flooding back intoher pale cheeks. She blinked up at Ella, confusion and fear and desperate hopewarring in her eyes.

‘I thought... Ithought I was...’

‘Don’t say a word.Just keep breathing and thinking about your bro.’

In the distance, thewail of sirens. The cavalry, fashionably late to the party. But Ella barelyheard them. She just clung to Ava, willing her own lifeblood into her.

---