I ran. I continued to run despite the blood streaming from my arm and side, painting dark trails down my skin that the wind tried and failed to dry.
The bullet that had caught my side was merely a graze—painful but thankfully not dangerous for a body as strong as mine. But the other bullet, the one lodged deep in my left arm, was a different story entirely. I could feel it embedded in the muscle tissue, a foreign object of hot metal that sent waves of burning agony radiating outward with every pump of my heart, every flex of the limb. The pain was sharp and insistent. I pushed through the sensation, my legs continuing their relentless rhythm as I held Maribel securely against my chest.
"H...Hey!" Her voice was muffled against my shoulder, barely audible over the rush of wind and the pounding of my footfalls.
