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It must have been across the other side of the hallway.
I inched to the corner of the wall and listened. Nothing.
I raced across the hall and tripped to the ground, my ears ringing. I pushed myself up, and felt a hot trickle down my leg.
I stumbled into the wall, bracing myself, and kept moving.
Yes!
Room 142.
It was locked, of course it was locked.
I fired the gun again and again at the door handle, and it finally fell to a clatter on the floor and I shoved the door open.
I hardly got a scream out as an arm immediately snaked around my throat.
No sooner than the arm had closed around my neck, it suddenly released. “Emma!” Mason sputtered in surprise. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
As he released me from the choke hold, he reached out for me as I stumbled forward and braced myself on the nearby table as I coughed, catching my breath. I looked over my shoulder and just gave him a smirk, and then I went down.
I cried out in pain, my leg suddenly giving out underneath me.
“Shit.” Mason lunged for me as I crumpled. His eyes were wide with horror. I followed his gaze down to my leg, and my eyes widened in equal surprise.
I struggled to comprehend what I saw… I’d been shot.
I gingerly touched the wound, shocked. I brought my hand to my face and gazed at the blood on my fingertips with confusion.
When had I been shot?
The thought made me dizzy.
In a flash, Mason’s hand snaked up under my pant leg and whipped the gun out, firing it two times into the hallway, as I screamed, covering my head.
“You’re shot.” He breathed, talking more to himself than to me. His eyes were wide, I could see them working, quickly making a plan. Suddenly, he shifted. I could tell he was forcing the panic out; his demeanor became calm, in control. “We’re going to have a long conversation about why the hell you thought it was a good idea to come storming in here.” He growled, but I sensed his tone was more fearful than angry. His eyes were manic as he looked at me, wild with equal parts fury, confusion, awe, and pride.
“Yeah okay. Hi to you too, ya big dummy.” I winced. “Can’t believe you let them catch you.” I hardly got the words out before crying out, as I tried to stand, I earned myself the most intense pain I’d ever felt in my life.
Mason grimaced. “Don’t put any weight on it.” He gently eased me back to the floor. “I’m going to get us out of here.” He stroked my face gently, gazing into my eyes for less than a millisecond. Mason quickly took one of the many utility belts I had strapped to me, and stripped all the knives and nick knacks off it and quickly looped it around my leg, positioning it above my wound. He pulled the makeshift tourniquet so freaking tight I cried out in pain.
That registering of pain started to fan out all over my body, and I could feel my whole body now trembling involuntarily. I struggled to hold in little sobs as the adrenaline subsided enough that I could feel my pain in its fullness.
“I’m sorry, baby.” Mason’s brow crinkled in guilt as he tied off the tourniquet. Pain inflicted to keep me from bleeding out. “Just keep breathing, in and out.” He said in an eerily calm voice.
He quickly pulled the other utility belt off me, as well as the gun holsters, and strapped them to himself. Then he hauled me up and threw me over his shoulder, and I nearly blacked out from the flurry of it.
He raced into the hallway, it was a flurry of smoke, and gunshots as I swung wildly over Mason’s shoulder. I wasn’t sure if it was gunshots coming towards us, or Mason shooting at someone. I panicked as he groaned in pain, worried that he himself had been shot. But I couldn't focus on the fear because my own pain was radiating through me more and more intensely with every breath. The pain pushed out all other sensations and thoughts. It railed against my senses with ruthless relentlessness.
Then we were outside, the fresh air pulling into my nose. We’d made it, Mason had gotten us out. The world swirled again as Mason deposited me into the front seat and frantically buckled me in.
His hands worked over my entire body. “Keys, where’d you put the keys, baby?” I could hear the terror in his voice.
My throat was so dry, I could hardly swallow. I winced as I nodded to the ignition.
Mason laughed maniacally, “Of course you left them in the ignition.” He kissed me on the forehead in gratitude and relief, and then sprinted around the car, peeling us out onto the road.
“Just hang in there.” Mason encouraged me. “You did so good.” I slumped against the door and watched his eyes flash with concern as he flicked his gaze between the road and me. “I’m tempted to throw you over my knee and remind you why you should never do that again.” I could hear the strain in his voice. I knew he was trying to make a joke, to distract me, but I couldn’t muster enough energy to even chuckle at the statement. I felt my eyes fluttering shut. Mason's hand was on my shoulder. “Emma.” He drew the words out in frustration. “Stay awake, baby. Can you keep your eyes open for me?” He continued moving me gently by the shoulder. “Can you talk to me?”
