8. Bout Blown Our Heads Off

I woke up to feeling of the car stopping.

"Well," Jorge said as he opened his car door. "I guess we are on foot."

I glanced to Newt and felt the heat rush over my cheeks. I had never slept on a boys shoulder before.

I was rummaging around in the trunk of some abandoned car when I noticed the bullet hole in the side door.

"What the," my sentence was cut short by the sound of a bullet rickashaying.

"Get down," Thomas screamed and I quickly obliged.

I was running to a car when I felt a sudden pressure through my shoulder.

At first, I thought I was hit by some random pebble and dove behind a car. I scooted farther behind it on my butt, just to be safe.

Then the intense burning started. I yelled in pain and looked down. Blood began seeping through my jacket and down my arm.

I had been shot. "Son of a bitch," I said through clenched teeth and a whine escaped my lips.

The deep throbbing traveled from when the bullet hit to down below my shoulder blade on my back.

It must be were it exits.

"Hey," I heard Thomas yell. "Is everyone okay back there?"

No, everyone is not okay. I scoffed at his stupid question but other seemed to all be fine.

"Anyone know where those bloody shots came from?" I heard Newts soft voice ask.

I looked up to the cliffs. My exit wound was below the entry, so they definitely came from their. "Above us," I said. "On top of the cliffs."

I heard Jorge and Thomas talking, but my mind was on other things.

I looked back down to my shoulder. Blood was soaking into my gray shirt and running down my front.

The throb was becoming unbearable as my whole body seized from pain and I let out a cry.

I tried to move, but blood gushed from the bullet hole and I let out a scream.

"Beth?" I heard Brenda say but I didn't answer.

Jorge said something, but then I saw the girls.

"On your feet," one of them snapped. "Lets go."

I pulled myself up and wobbled as my head became incredibly light and flashes of blue filled my eyes. I put a hand on the car to steady myself and use the other to put pressure on the wound.

It was fatal, I knew that much. But it still happened to be the worst pain I have ever felt.

I stood at the back of the group, cowering behind frypan as my breaths became ragged and the blood dripped from my finger tips.

"Aris?" One of the girls asked.

I heard them exchange greetings before one of the girls mentioned that Aris was lucky they didn't shoot his ass.

"I'm not so lucky," I said shakily.

Newt quickly turned around, his eyes growing large when he saw me.

"Shit," one of the girls said.

My head began spinning as I took a step forward. My legs suddenly felt like jelly.

"Beth," Brenda said and rushed towards me.

My legs gave out and I leaned to the side. Newt stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me.

I looked up into his eyes. They were frantically looking me over, until they fell upon my own. We seemed to be staring into each other's souls, catching all the little mistakes.

"You are okay. You are going to be just fine, okay" he said, but it seemed more for him than me.

I laughed. "Oh Salamander," I whispered.

I reach up and touched his cheek. He froze from the sudden contact but then placed a hand over mine, squeezing it tightly.

"You'll be alright, just stay with us," he reassured.

My head felt like it was floating as the pain seemed to drift away.

I heard people yelling and running around me, but the last thing I saw before I succumbed to the darkness was Newts eyes staring into my own.