Alarm

[holiday_pirner]

The night was cool enough to still be considered nice. Holly had considered cooking dinner, but her fridge was desperately lacking. There was a little convenience market not too far from her flat. The brunette decided to walk instead of drive.

Once she was on the pavement, she adjusted her purse on her shoulder, looking around for any sign of her shadow. He was well-hidden tonight. But he would be around. It was just after 9 PM. A light breeze tousled her hair as she began to walk.

"It's a nice night," Holly said, knowing her voice would drift to reach him, wherever he was. "Too bad I'm all alone." She knew if anyone else were around, they'd think her insane. "I'm sorry I was mean to you the other night."

It was easier to say the words without having to face him. She hated apologizing, not because she didn't mean it, but it meant acknowledging she had made a mistake. And that was something that Holly didn't do well.

Comments

[birthright_npc]

Rhys coughed. He could taste blood at the back of his throat. The smell of it was everywhere, hot and coppery. The crotch of his pants had gotten soaked with the stuff while Holly was gone.

"Don't worry, this has happened before." He tried to laugh, but it made his lacerated stomach hurt, so he stopped. His fingers were slick with crimson fluid.

"I should have gone for the head shot. People get killed in this city all the time. No one would have missed him."

His voice was growing faint as blood loss began to take its toll, and he pressed his hands more tightly to the wound so the pain would keep him conscious. He mustn't die, not right in front of her. He was not a failure or a weakling.

"Shannon. Tell...tell Shannon..."

[holiday_pirner]

Her hands covered his, pressing harder in an attempt to stem the blood flow. There was so much blood, too much of it. Where the fuck was the ambulance?

"Who's Shannon?" Holly wondered if she should slap him. She had seen it done in movies, when people were in shock. Rhys definitely seemed in shock. She gently nudged his shoulder instead. "Hey. Wake up."

There was the sound of sirens in the distance. "They're coming, okay? Whatever you want to tell Shannon, you can do it yourself."

The brunette realized she was crying, in a mixture of relief and fear. Colored lights washed over them.

[birthright_npc]

"Tell her I'm sorry."

Red-blue-red-blue, the lights of the wailing ambulance splashed over the bricks and Holly's form where it crouched over Rhys in his sitting position. The blood had spread further. His eyes rolled into the back of his head, mercifully allowing himself to pass out. The corpsmen were here. They could do triage. He was so tired.

"Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to move," one of the paramedics said, gently putting his hand on Holly's shoulder. "This man needs our help."

[holiday_pirner]

Holly pulled back, sitting on the ground as they tended to Rhys. She looked down at her hands; they were soaked in his blood. She blankly watched them put him on a stretcher. This wouldn't have happened to him if he hadn't been hired to watch over Holly.

The brunette shook herself out of her trance when they began loading him into the ambulance. She stood. "I'm coming with him."

[birthright_npc]

"Come on, then," the same paramedic said, holding the door open. They were going to have to get this guy to the E room in a hurry. It was a miracle he hadn't already bled out.

When the door to the ambulance slammed shut, the vehicle's engine roared and tires squealed as the driver pointed it in the direction of the nearest hospital. The police were just beginning to arrive on the scene, more sirens and lights causing people to come out of nearby stores and apartments.

Just another night in Sin City.