Gunslingers

Rae screamed and her hand left mine. I didn't dare look to see why her hand had left mine. I could only hope it was to better steady the AK-47 I had given her.

I shot another man, the last one left. The compound was silent after the deafening roar of the guns. Throwing the AK on the ground, I turned to Rae to congratulate her on making it through a battle with me. She was on the ground, blood seeping from two holes.

"Rae!" I dropped to my knees and pushed my hands against her wounds. She moaned softly and a feeling washed over me. "Rae, we've got to go."

I helped her sit up and then pulled her into my arms. She winced and her lower lip trembled. Without looking, I could tell the bullets were still inside. I had to get them out, but we needed away from this compound first. Before we could leave, I needed to quickly gather supplies that would help us survive the desert.

"Rae, I'll be right back," I said after tying on two tourniquets.

Leaving her outside, I raced through the compound to find the items we needed. Just as I was about to go back to Rae, I spotted a truck. Now that could come in handy. I loaded it with the supplies I had found and retrieved my fallen soldier.

She sighed as the truck started to move. She was beginning to pale. "Rae, stay with me. Rae!"

Her head lolled to the side and she passed out.
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Pulling the truck over after about two kilometers, I ran over to Rae's door and opened it. She was too pale for my liking which meant I would have to do a blood transfusion with my own blood.

"Come on, Rae." I tapped her cheek gently. I needed to know her blood type. "Rae, babe, please."

Her lolled to my hand. "Matt?" She croaked it out like it was very painful to talk.

"Yes, babe, I'm here." Shit, I'd called her babe twice. We weren't even together, and we hadn't really ever been. I needed to nip that habit in the bud.

"What happened, Matty?"

I grabbed the bullshit medical supplies I'd found. "You got shot, Rae. I'm going to make you better, okay?"

"Matty, it hurts." Tears started to stream down her face.

"I know, I know. Can you tell me your blood type?"

She started hiccuping, and I was afraid she was going into shock. "It's A positive."

"Good, we match. Stay still for me, Rae. This isn't going to feel good." I handed her a folded piece of cloth to bite into and then grabbed the alcohol I'd found at the compound. That one had been a surprise.

She put the cloth in her mouth and looked at me. Pouring some of the alcohol onto her thigh, I grabbed my knife and poured some on there too. Rae grimaced as I gently dug my knife into her thigh and retrieved the bullet. It came out with a little force, and I poured more alcohol on her thigh and patched it up with some cloths I'd found. Was it sanitary? No, but it would keep her alive.

"You did so good, babe." I stroked her hair and moved up to her shoulder. "Just one more."

Tears slowly streaked down her cheeks as she spit the cloth out of her mouth. "I can't feel my arm."

I kept my face neutral. That wasn't good; it meant she had some nerve damage. If I didn't get her to a hospital soon, she might never regain use of her arm.

"Don't worry, Rae, I've got you." I gently placed the cloth back in her mouth and repeated the cleaning process. The second my knife entered her shoulder, I could tell something was wrong. There was no way Rae would be able to recover from this.

"I've almost got the bullet. Just a little longer." I pulled it out and dropped it, immediately cleaning and dressing the wound. "You did so good, Rae." I stroked her hair and kissed her forehead.

"I still can't feel my arm." She looked at me as I climbed back in the truck. "I can't feel it, Matty."

My tough Marine was panicking, and I had no idea how to help her.

Notes

OH BOY! What's going on now? Is Rae going to be okay? Why does Matty keep calling her babe?

Just wait and see ;) Please rate and comment!

Heretic Blood