Barrel

17

Gunfire rained down on them as Barrel pulled the car out of the parking lot. Her ears rang, and her heart raced so fast that it hurt. She swallowed when a hot pain jabbed her shoulder.

She frowned, wondering if she had hit something. Everything happened so suddenly that she couldn't remember falling. She didn't remember much since leaving the hotel room. Everything moved so quickly.

She moved, and a sharp pain stung down her arm. She sucked a breath in. Something wasn't right. She rolled her shoulder once more, feeling warmth trail down the back. She winced as she looked down, seeing she had been grazed by a bullet. She froze, her eyes staring at the wound. It wasn't deep, but enough that she needed to take care of it before it got worse.

All the adrenaline she had been working off trickled out, and now she was feeling the hit. She ground her teeth together and asked Barrel, "Do we have a first-aid kit?"

Barrel frowned, confused but kept his eyes on the road. "I'm not sure. I have a few things on me. Why?"

Eva didn't want to worry him, she knew he had a lot on his mind, but she wasn't entirely sure she could not mention it. It could be worse than what she was thinking.

"I've been shot," she said. "Grazed on the shoulder. I need to clean it."

Barrel glanced at her, then back to the road. "Let me see."

Eva moved, showing him her wound. He frowned. "Take your jacket off."

She pulled it off, and Barrel once more looked at it. He frowned. "It's not too deep. You'll just need to clean it well and cover it, so it doesn't get an infection. Check in my bag. I should have everything you need."

She opened his bag and pulled out the rubbing alcohol and the gauze. She bit down on her lower lip as she poured the alcohol over her wound.

She held in a yelp, and Barrel looked at her. "Give it a minute to settle in before you wrap it." He patted her knee, giving her a reassuring squeeze.

Eva took deep breaths before she started to wrap it. She tied it off, wiping off the blood she could with napkins stashed in the car. She cleaned her jacket off the best she could before she leaned back, taking a final deep breath in.

Her arm ached, but it wasn't as bad as it had been before. She wished she had something for the pain.

"I have some Advil in the bag as well," Barrel said, giving her a soft smile. "Might help with the pain. You should eat one of the granola bars too."

Eva didn't bother asking if he was sure. She went for it, taking the medicine and eating the snack, rehydrating while she could. She rested her head against the window, staring outside the glass. She watched the scenery, taking her mind off her pain for a while.

"Are you feeling a little better?" Barrel asked, giving her a soft smile once more.

Eva nodded. "Yeah, I just needed to settle myself. I didn't even realize I was hit until you started driving."

Barrel held his smile for a moment. The car made a sputtering sound and started to slow down. Eva looked at him, confused when the car came to a stop. Barrel scowled. "I was afraid that would happen."

"Afraid what would happen?" she asked, looking around. No other cars were coming or going, which was good for them.

"We are out of gas."

Eva looked at the gauge and realized he was right. The needle sat on empty, making her heart sink. They would have to walk again.

"I knew we were going to need to fill, but I didn't think it was prudent that we did that when we had gangsters up our ass at the crack of dawn."

Eva tried not to smirk, knowing Barrel was a little upset. She had no idea how much farther they needed to travel, and as much as she tried keeping up, she was slower than him.

She wanted to lighten the mood since they were still going to be with each other for a while. "Is this one of those teen tricks to get a woman alone?" she chirped.

Barrel snorted, glancing at her from the side. "I would think of a much more romantic place to do that in. Not when we are running for our lives from people."

She gave him a smile, enjoying the conversation.

Barrel punctured the car tires, then grabbed his bag, swinging it over his shoulder. Eva looked at him, confused. "Why'd you do that?"

"So no one follows us," he said, shoving his pocket knife back into his jacket. "Don't want anyone putting gas into it and coming after us."

Eva nodded, not having thought of that. It was just a reminder that they lived different lives. Eva didn't think about the after steps in a plan, not like Barrel did.

They continued on their way, walking along the road, side by side. The heat was starting to pick up, and the road sat bare. It was silent except for the wind rustling in the trees. It gave Eva time to think.

But she didn't want to think. She would much prefer to be done with everything. But walking with Barrel made her wonder how, in a matter of hours, they trusted each other. She couldn't deny that.

She wondered if she would be able to just walk away from him when this was all done. Would she be able to go back to her normal life? No, it wouldn't ever be normal again. She had been kidnapped, after all.

She sighed, and Barrel gave her a chuckle. "You tired yet?"

"No," she lied, giving him a sideways glare. "I'm not that weak, Barrel."

"I never said you were," he replied. "If anything, you're too strong. Not everyone would have made it as far as you have."

Eva took his words in, feeling her insides stir. It was nice to hear. She needed to know what she was doing well, even under all this pressure.

The sudden sound of a car forced the conversation to a halt, and Eva looked over her shoulder, taking in a large black car coming down the road toward them.

She heard Barrel grumble, "Really? Can we just catch on damn break? Just one. That's all I'm asking for."

Eva frowned. "Oh, no. Not again." Eva wasn't sure what was about to happen, but she was sure of one thing. It wasn't going to end well.