Week 213 – Every last ounce

Blood. Pain. Exhaustion.

Those three things swirled around in Becca’s subconscious as she hovered between consciousness and unconsciousness.

Slowly fragments of memory started to return. The fire, jumping from the second storey of her brother’s house, the man grabbing her, the jump from the trunk, running for her life, Walt appearing, the gunshots, pain in her head.

Using every last ounce of strength she had, Becca forced her eyes open to find herself and Walt in a large building, maybe a warehouse or something. Her ankles were bound, her left knee swollen and puffy from landing on it, there were stabbing pains in her chest every time she breathed so she thought she might have cracked some ribs, and her left shoulder hurt so badly she was pretty sure it was shattered.

Walt wasn’t moving and even in the dim light she could see blood streaking his face.

Was he dead?

No, he was bound, hands and feet, so he couldn’t be dead.

He was lying about three feet away but with the way her body hurt it may as well have been three thousand. Gritting her teeth, Becca used her good arm to help her shuffle along on her bottom to reach Walt.

“Walt?” she whispered, shaking him, she needed him to wake up, she … needed him. That was a weird feeling for someone like her who had spent most of her life being fiercely independent. “Wake up, please,” she begged.

Beneath her hand she felt him stir, then he grunted, and his eyes snapped open. He jerked upright then winced at the movement, his eyes rolled a little and she was sure he was about to pass out again, but then he saw her.

“Becca,” he said on an exhale, his gaze raking over her and obviously not liking what he saw. “You’re hurt.”

She nodded, she was and she wasn’t sure she had enough strength left to walk out of here, but she could do whatever it took to get Walt out. “He shot you.”

“Skimmed my head, I think I hit it when the force made me loose my balance, concussion but I’ll be fine,” he said so seriously that she believed in spite of the blood and the look of pain on his face.

“He only tied my ankles so my hands are free, I might be able to get you untied,” she said, gesturing to the ropes binding him.

He took in the way her left arm was cradled protectively against her chest and appeared doubtful but he nodded and shuffled around so his back was to her.

It took her a long time since she only had one hand to work with but eventually she got the knot to loosen a little.

“I can get my hands through that, just hold it still,” Walt said. She did and a moment later he wriggled his hands free. “Rest for a minute while I untie my ankles,” he ordered as he looked around the warehouse, obviously working on a plan to get them both out of here alive.

Since she was so tired she was shaking, Becca did as he said, resting back against the wall and closing her eyes, trying to compartmentalise the pain so she could help Walt however he needed her to.

“Lets go.” She was gathered up into Walt’s strong arms, doing her best not to cry out as the movement jostled her shoulder, crying wasn’t going to help right now so she had to do her best to ignore the pain.

“I can walk,” she offered, knowing Walt was hurting too, he shouldn’t have to carry her added weight.

“No. You can’t,” he stated flatly. “I’m surprised you’re even conscious with the amount of pain I know you’re in. You’re a mess.”

His brutally honest words surprised a chuckle out of her. “You don’t mince words do you?”

“Don’t see the point. And I know you would walk if you could, I know you’re strong, Becca, I’ve seen it in the way you fought when you thought I was an intruder, in the way you defended your brother, in the way you ran for your life. You jumped from the moving car didn’t you? Its how you got hurt.”

“Knew you would be coming, that I just had to stay alive till you got there. And you did come for me.” Despite the pain she snuggled into Walt’s arms, resting her head on his broad shoulder.

“No way I wouldn’t come for you,” he vowed as he carried her across the warehouse to a door.

They were most of the way there when it suddenly swung open. A body was tossed inside and then a cheery voice announced, “Sorry, I’m late to this little family reunion, had one more person to bring to join us.”