Page 28 of Trigger

“Thisis bullshit,” Carter said, running his hand through his hair. “We’re nevergetting out of here.”

Despitemy natural optimism, I had to agree. Dying here with him seemed like the mostlikely outcome. I just didn’t know if starvation would get to me first or hissense of humor.

Chapter 6

In the Darkness

Carter

““I’mhungry,” Thorsen said, and it made me want to strangle him.

“Yousaid that a billion times already.”

“Aren’tyou hungry, too?”

I wasstarving. We were in this bunker for what seemed like an eternity, although Isuspected it was only the next day.

Thorsenlet out a heavy sigh. “What would you like to eat now more than anything?”

“Canyou please stop asking me that?”

“Thenanswer me.”

Itouched the wound on my head that was slightly throbbing. No wonder I couldn’tthink.

“Is itbleeding again?” Thorsen said, moving closer to me. “Let me see.”

“Stoptouching me,” I growled, pushing his hands away. “I’m fine. It just hurts.”

Hishands stubbornly returned, searching for my wound in the darkness. When hisfingers grazed my lips, he mumbled something that sounded like “putain”followed by a breathless “sorry”. I merely shook my head in frustrationand let him do his thing because I knew how pigheaded he could be. When hishand found the injured area, he carefully felt the skin around the gash. It wasstrange how such a big dude could have such a gentle touch.

“Maybeit’s infected, but I can’t see anything in this damn dark,” he said, soundingexasperated. “Fuck!”

“It’snot infected,” I grumbled, reluctant to speak about it. “Let’s change thesubject. Tell me something. Anything.”

Icouldn’t believe that I encouraged him to speak.

“Doyou want to know what I would like to eat more than anything right now?”Thorsen mused. “Plain old burger and fries. I would kill you for a burger rightnow.”

“Well,I would kill you for free.”

“Howlong can you live without food, anyway?”

“Iwould worry more about water.”

Starvation.I never expected to die that way. Bullet, sure. But this…

“Bythe way, I have to pee,” Thorsen said, standing up. “And don’t tell me to holdit.”

Ishook my head in frustration, although I knew this subject would come upeventually.

“Justuse the farthest wall, okay? It can be—”

“Our lavatory?”he suggested.

“Andkeep your back turned to me. I don’t want to see more than I have to.”

“Onlyif you tell me what you would like to eat right now more than anything.”

---