Page 102 of Five Survive

“Don’t leave me, Red,” Maddy cried, staring up at her.

“I’m not leaving you.” Red lowered her face so they were eye to eye. “I’m not leaving you, okay, Maddy? I promise. Never.”

“Okay,” Maddy cried through the pain, tears falling into her open mouth. “He shot me. It’s bad, huh?”

Red’s head wavered, between a nod and a shake. “It’s bad,” she said, “but Reyna can help you. I need to drag you inside the RV, okay? There’s nothing I can do for you out here.”

“Okay,” Maddy said, the word swallowed by an awful scream as she tried to sit up.

“It’s going to hurt like hell, but I need to move you quickly, okay?”

Red pushed up to her feet.

“Don’t leave me!” Maddy screamed, watching her.

“I’m not leaving you, Maddy!” Red crouched down behind her, where Maddy couldn’t see. “I’m right here, and you’re coming withme.”

Red slotted her arms in under Maddy’s armpits, reaching forward until her elbows were locked in.

“I don’t want to die!” Maddy cried, her breath rattling through her throat.

“You’re not going to die,” Red promised her. But she couldn’tpromise that, she didn’t know. That was a lot of blood already. “Okay, three, two, one, go.”

Red raised Maddy off the road, her legs bent as she skated backward. Maddy screamed and screamed, her feet dragging through thedirt.

“Stop!” she screamed, the worst sound Red had ever heard. “Stop, Red, it hurts too much!”

“I’m sorry, I can’t!” Red said into her ear, checking the path behind her, over her shoulder. It wasn’t clear, Don was right there, but Red had to keep going.

She stepped over Don, her sneaker pressing against his empty hand, harder than flesh should ever be. Maddy’s feet got tangled in his as Red dragged her over the body.

“Red, stop!” Maddy screamed. “Just for a minute!”

“I can’t!” Red screamed back, tightening her grip. She didn’t know if Maddy had a minute left. “I have to get you inside!”

Maddy’s hands grasped Red’s arms, nails biting in.

Heat prickled in Red’s cheeks. Was it from the effort of dragging her best friend, steadily bleeding out, or was the red dot poised there, waiting, and she could somehow feel it on her skin?

Red checked behind her shoulder. The steps were right there, a few feet away. She looked back down at Maddy, screaming wordlessly now, a long red streak staining the road, following them wherever they went. Fuck, that was a lot of blood.

“I’ve got her, Red!” Arthur’s voice appeared behind her, crashing down the steps. “You get her feet.”

Arthur’s hands took over from her, slipping under Maddy’s arms while Red darted around to pick up her ankles. The blood had soaked all the way down here, wet against Red’s fingers. It just kept coming. How much could Maddy lose before it was too much?

“Go,” Arthur said, hoisting Maddy up and climbing the first step.

Maddy’s head fell back and she screamed.

Red pushed, carrying Maddy’s feet as she tilted, top half going with Arthur, up the last step now, into the RV. Red followed, bringing her legs inside.

“Over here,” Reyna called, pointing at the floor in front of the refrigerator. She had a beach towel ready in her hands. “Put her over here.”

Simon darted forward and slammed the door to the RV shut as Red crossed the threshold.

“Fuck,” he said, catching sight of Maddy’s leg, and Red looked again too. So that was what one of those bullets did to flesh and bone. Ripped a hole right through her.

Red looped around with Arthur, laying Maddy down carefully on the floor, sitting up, her back braced against the refrigerator door. She was still screaming, head at an unnatural angle on her neck. Because the strings had been cut.

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