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The first thing that brings me out of my daze is a scream. My own scream.

I sink to my knees, screaming so loudly that I can already feel my throat protesting. I look around the room, frantically, not knowing what to do. I can feel myself shaking but I can't tell if it's from anger or from being utterly frightened. Probably both.

"What did you do?!" I scream. "What did you do?!"

They've already fled, taking the drugs with them. I don't think Bruce actually meant to fire a shot at us.

I don't think he actually meant to hit Hunter.

"Hunter?" I whisper.

"Ellie," he whispers, barely audible. "Grab...grab my phone from my pocket. Call...dad."

In any other circumstance, I would not have obeyed so easily. The thought of dialling Andy's number and having to hear his voice makes me shudder.

When I look at my hands, covering Hunter's phone, I realise they are soaked in blood.

Hunter's blood.

I put the phone to my ear, trying to stop the gagging that seems to be getting stronger and stronger.

"Hunter, son," Andy says, very relaxed. "Did the job go well?"

I look down at Hunter, watching his eyes flutter open briefly and then closed. He does this a few more times, and I know then that if don't hurry up, he won't make it.

The bloodstain that is spreading over his shirt is only getting worse. Red is spreading everywhere.

"Hunter?" Andy says, sounding annoyed that no one had answered him yet.

"Not Hunter," I breathe out, barely able to say the words. "Ellie."

"Ellie?" Andy says, sounding slightly astonished.

I look away from Hunter, feeling my lip quiver and my sobs rising again. "He's—he's...I need...I need an ambulance."

"You're not making sense, Elena," Andy snaps. "Put Hunter on the phone. Now."

I suddenly scream again, angry. "This is all your fault! You made him take this fucking job and now he's bleeding—bleeding out!"

"What is going on?" Andy snaps again, sounding agitated. "What are talking about?"

I start to panic. I'm wasting precious time; time that Hunter needs in order to stay alive.

"I need help!" I scream down the phone."He's been shot! They shot him! He's wounded in the stomach and the blood—oh my god the blood. Hunter? Hunter, can you hear me? Hunter!"

I can hear Andy take a sharp intake of air, gasping quietly. "He's been...shot?"

"Yes!" I shout, frustrated. "I'm calling an ambulance."

"No," Andy growls. "You can't call an ambulance."

"You're just going to let your son die? I will not! I don't care what happens to your stupid club! He's dying for god's sake! Do you even care? Do you even—"

"That's enough, Elena! I didn't say I wasn't going to help him, but we can't call an ambulance. It will just cause more problems that we don't need. I'll send someone to collect both of you."

I pull my hands into fists. "How long will that take?"

"I'm not sure, but—"

"How long will it take, Andy?" I scream, impatiently.

"I don't know," he snaps. "About 20 minutes?"

I look down at Hunter. His eyes are closed now and his breathing is slowing. I cover my mouth with my hand, fighting back the vomit.

"He doesn't have 20 minutes!"

"Well, we don't have a choice!" Andy shouts, making me flinch. "That's the fastest I can get someone out there to bring him back to the farm! Once he's there though, Marcos can help him."

If I wait 20 minutes, just sitting by Hunter utterly useless, he'll die in front of me.

A sharp pain goes straight through my stomach and I clench my teeth. I can't lose him. I won't lose him.

"I'll just have to do it myself then," I say, ending the call and placing the phone in my back pocket.

I only have one idea. It may have been very, very stupid but there is no other way.

I'm going to have to drive Hunter back on the motorbike myself. I'll have to strap him around me with—what can I strap him around me with?

I kneel back down next to Hunter, trying to sit him upright. He winces, groaning in pain.

"This is going to hurt, but I need you to help me, alright? I need you to stand up. I'm going to do most of the lifting, but I'm going to need some help."

He grunts in response and I wrap my arms underneath his armpits, standing at his back. I lace my hands together over his chest. When I yank him up, he places his feet on the ground, pushing himself up. He screams in pain and I feel the tears prick my eyes, feeling awful.

"I'm sorry," I whisper. "I'm sorry."

"It's...it's not...your fault," Hunter pants, sounding breathless.

"Listen to me, Hunter," I say. "I need you to wrap your arm around my shoulders so that I can walk you back to the motorbike, alright?"

Once he's leaning against me, I undo the belt around his jeans, much to his confusion.

Once we reach the bike, I lean him up against it and grab his helmet, fastening it on his head.

"I don't know if this will work, but I have to do something," I say, more to myself than to Hunter.

I grab Hunter's belt, wrapping it around his waist. Lucky it's long enough to fit me into as well, as I fastened the strap around my stomach so that I'm now tied to him. This way I hope he won't fall off if he loses consciousness.

"Okay, Hunter," I shout over the engine. "Place your arms around me, alright?"

I speed off, back down the road we came. We pass town even faster than when we came from the other direction. If I happen to pass any police cars, I will definitely be in a lot of shit.

Hunter's head rests on my shoulder and I can feel his shallow breathing against my back. If only I had something that could have slowed down the bleeding. If he loses too much blood because of his position, it'll be my fault.

I speed down the road until I meet the dirt track back towards the farm. I can feel Hunter's grip on my waist growing weaker and weaker and I start to panic.

What if he falls off while I'm speeding 130 kilometres per hour? If he doesn't die from the blood loss, he'll definitely die from that.

I catch sight of Andy, standing with his arms crossed over his chest, waiting patiently. When I cut the engine in front of him, he jogs around to grab Hunter. Marcos swings open the flywire, the door banging against its hinges.

I unbuckle the belt holding us together so that they can both carry Hunter back inside.

"Why didn't you just let me take him to a hospital? Look at him!" I scream at Andy.

Andy grunts under Hunter's weight, turning to look at me. "And tell them what? Do I really need to explain to you why we can't take him to the hospital?"

Andy is only covering for himself. If Hunter is admitted to the hospital, people will start asking questions. When people start asking questions, the cops will definitely get involved.

He wouldn't just go down for drug dealing, he'd go to jail for kidnapping me, too.

I clench my fists, cursing myself for not thinking of this earlier. But I hadn't been able to think of anything except Hunter.

"What are you going to do for him here, huh?" I remark. "He's fucking dying!"

"He'll have all the help he needs here. Marcos used to be a doctor, Elena," Andy growls, glaring at me.

I follow Andy and Marcos as they rush Hunter into a room I've never seen before. It's filled with medical equipment.

"I need space," Marcos says, laying Hunter down on a bed. "I need everyone to get out so I can work on him—his hearts stopped!" Marcos says, calmly.

Andy grabs my shoulders, turning me around towards the door. "No!" I shout, trying to get back to Hunter. "No! I need to make sure he's alright."

"You aren't helping anyone by being in there," Andy says, slamming the door in my face.

I lean back against the door, my whole body shaking. I can't stop sobbing.

"I need you to tell me exactly what happened."

I shake my head, drawing my arms around myself. "I...he just—"

"Elena," Andy snaps. "What happened?"

"He was shot! What do you think happened?"

I look down at my clothes suddenly. They're covered in blood. I fight the bile that reaches my throat, pressing a hand to my mouth.

"I need you to tell me the details. How did he get shot?" Andy asks, guiding me into the lounge room, sitting me down on a couch.

"With a fucking gun! How else?" I flinch away from him, not forgetting the fact that he's the reason I feel so vulnerable. I will never forget the fact that he almost strangled me to death.

He gives me an exasperated look and I sit down on the edge of the couch, hands clasped between my knees. I try to slow my breathing, calming myself down. "We—this guy, Bruce, I think his name was—and...and Thomas. Thomas was the one who..."

You can't have possibly thought that you could get away that easy.

Leaving? Who said you could just leave?

Silly girl, don't you understand anything?

"Who what?" Andy presses, drawing me from my thoughts.

I clear my throat, releasing a shaky breath. "Bruce sh-shot Hunter. He...Thomas was...he kissed me and then he...he did it to annoy Hunter and then..." a sob rises in my throat, but I keep talking.

"You're not making sense. Start from the beginning."

I'm a mess. It's crazy to think how much your life can change in a matter of weeks. I never thought this would have happened to me at the beginning of summer.

I take a big gulp of air, look up at Andy and I tell him everything. Starting from the beginning, not leaving out a single detail.