the tube steady and slid the plunger as quickly as she could. The stream was much stronger. Water spurted into the center of the blood “volcano” and what dripped back out was red. A clot of thickened blood tumbled from the hole, and blood began to flow more freely after it.
She glanced up at Benjamin’s face. His eyes were closed and his head turned away. She cradled his arm and steadied it to get a better look. “And of course I fell,” he was saying.
And then another voice came, from behind her. “Don’t move. And don’t go for that rifle.”
Chapter 3
Aw shit , Coral thought as she turned her head to look behind her. There were two of them, a man and a woman. He had a rifle in his hands and she had a handgun in a holster. Her jacket was open showing it, and her hand rested on the butt, but she hadn’t drawn it. Yet.
“I’m in the middle of something,” Coral said, surprised at how calm her voice was. Benjamin’s muscles were tensed under her hand.
“We see that,” said the woman. “You a doctor?”
“Something like that,” Benjamin said.
The woman moved closer. The man said, his tone tense, “Kathy. Be careful.”
“I’m careful,” she said. She stopped six feet away and bent to look at Benjamin’s arm. “That’s a bullet wound?”
“Rifle,” said Benjamin. “Maybe from that one there.” He jerked his head toward his own rifle.
The man spoke. “You don’t know?”
“No, not exactly.”
Coral said, “We were escaping this crazy cult. They almost caught us. The gun was theirs.”
The woman nodded. She was a tiny thing, only five feet tall, if that. “There’s been some of that, I know. Cults.”
Coral began to think she might not be shot in the next few minutes. The woman seemed normal, as much as any human being she’d run into—at least since she’d met Benjamin half a year earlier. “Can I finish what I’m doing here?” she said.
“Okay,” said the woman. Kathy.
“Don’t make any sudden moves,” said the man.
Coral turned back to the syringe and loaded it up again. Once again, she shot it into the wound. Another clot was dislodged, and blood flowed quickly, dark and normal looking. “Looking better,” she said to Benjamin.
He was watching the people with the guns, and Coral knew he wanted to do something about it, could feel the bottled energy in his quivering arm, could almost smell the controlled anger coming off him. “One more time,” she said. If he was going to do something brave and crazy, she was giving him a time frame for it.
She loaded the syringe again and irrigated the wound one more time. Benjamin stayed where he was. Without turning to look at the strangers, she said, “You guys wouldn’t have a sterile bandage on you, would you?”
“Not here,” Kathy said, as the man said. “No.”
Coral sensed them engaging in some sort of non-verbal communication back there. They were deciding about her and Benjamin. Trust us? Kill us? Coral didn’t know what their options were, but whatever they decided was beyond her control. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to sound sane and calm and friendly for now. She could always escalate to violence later—and if Benjamin did, she would join him. “Okay, so I’m reaching for these bandages on that rock there. Don’t be alarmed.” She took one of the clean strips of bandage and dabbed at the blood running down Benjamin’s arm. Going for a second bandage, this one still slightly damp, she tied it around the wound. She felt him flinch. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Does it feel better or worse now?”
“It’s fine.”
“You’ll have to put on your old shirt for now. I don’t think the other is dry yet.”
“Wait,” said the man. “Kathy, check him for weapons.”
“I have a pocket knife, right there on the rock,” said Coral, figuring they’d already seen it. Her pointing it out would make her seem less a threat.
Kathy circled the two of them, always leaving a clear shot for
She glanced up at Benjamin’s face. His eyes were closed and his head turned away. She cradled his arm and steadied it to get a better look. “And of course I fell,” he was saying.
And then another voice came, from behind her. “Don’t move. And don’t go for that rifle.”
Chapter 3
Aw shit , Coral thought as she turned her head to look behind her. There were two of them, a man and a woman. He had a rifle in his hands and she had a handgun in a holster. Her jacket was open showing it, and her hand rested on the butt, but she hadn’t drawn it. Yet.
“I’m in the middle of something,” Coral said, surprised at how calm her voice was. Benjamin’s muscles were tensed under her hand.
“We see that,” said the woman. “You a doctor?”
“Something like that,” Benjamin said.
The woman moved closer. The man said, his tone tense, “Kathy. Be careful.”
“I’m careful,” she said. She stopped six feet away and bent to look at Benjamin’s arm. “That’s a bullet wound?”
“Rifle,” said Benjamin. “Maybe from that one there.” He jerked his head toward his own rifle.
The man spoke. “You don’t know?”
“No, not exactly.”
Coral said, “We were escaping this crazy cult. They almost caught us. The gun was theirs.”
The woman nodded. She was a tiny thing, only five feet tall, if that. “There’s been some of that, I know. Cults.”
Coral began to think she might not be shot in the next few minutes. The woman seemed normal, as much as any human being she’d run into—at least since she’d met Benjamin half a year earlier. “Can I finish what I’m doing here?” she said.
“Okay,” said the woman. Kathy.
“Don’t make any sudden moves,” said the man.
Coral turned back to the syringe and loaded it up again. Once again, she shot it into the wound. Another clot was dislodged, and blood flowed quickly, dark and normal looking. “Looking better,” she said to Benjamin.
He was watching the people with the guns, and Coral knew he wanted to do something about it, could feel the bottled energy in his quivering arm, could almost smell the controlled anger coming off him. “One more time,” she said. If he was going to do something brave and crazy, she was giving him a time frame for it.
She loaded the syringe again and irrigated the wound one more time. Benjamin stayed where he was. Without turning to look at the strangers, she said, “You guys wouldn’t have a sterile bandage on you, would you?”
“Not here,” Kathy said, as the man said. “No.”
Coral sensed them engaging in some sort of non-verbal communication back there. They were deciding about her and Benjamin. Trust us? Kill us? Coral didn’t know what their options were, but whatever they decided was beyond her control. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to sound sane and calm and friendly for now. She could always escalate to violence later—and if Benjamin did, she would join him. “Okay, so I’m reaching for these bandages on that rock there. Don’t be alarmed.” She took one of the clean strips of bandage and dabbed at the blood running down Benjamin’s arm. Going for a second bandage, this one still slightly damp, she tied it around the wound. She felt him flinch. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Does it feel better or worse now?”
“It’s fine.”
“You’ll have to put on your old shirt for now. I don’t think the other is dry yet.”
“Wait,” said the man. “Kathy, check him for weapons.”
“I have a pocket knife, right there on the rock,” said Coral, figuring they’d already seen it. Her pointing it out would make her seem less a threat.
Kathy circled the two of them, always leaving a clear shot for
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