Western Flame

Chapter 38

"I swear I heard it, it was a chopper!" Liam whispered, his eye to the window crack. It was near dark, the inside of the room they were in almost too dark to see.

"Could be a medivac, they're always going back and forth overtop of Brightside," Liana mumbled. She was half-asleep on the chair, huddled into her coat, her bad arm and wrist inside her coat to keep it warm. The pain was radiating up into her elbow now, and there was swelling on either side of the bandage. She'd set her hand up on her shoulder to keep her fingers from turning into sausages, but all it was doing was putting her hand to sleep. She shivered. The cold was making her sleepy. That was not a good sign.

"Hey, you okay?" Liam was in front of her. "Let me look at your arm."

"What are you gonna do?" she asked groggily. Liam carefully unzipped her coat, his face concentrated, and he peered at her hand, prodding it gently.

"Shit, that's bad," he said. "You sound like you've been drinking, you're slurring your words. I thought it might be because of that."

"You're a smart kid," Liana remarked. "It's cold and I'm just really tired."

"You need to eat more. I left some of the jerky for you." Liam rattled the bag of dried up meat. "At least one piece?"

"We're out of water," she said and closed her eyes. If she ate that jerky, the salt in it would swell her up more. "I'll be okay."

The door handle jiggled, and Liam shot back, baring his hands from his coat sleeves. Liana was too tired to move, and she turned her head. She had no fight left in her right now.

"Don't do anything stupid, Liam," she warned him. "They're bigger'n you."

A blast of cold air hit her and both men shuffled into the room with a skiff of snow blowing across the floor. Liam stood in front of her and puffed out his chest. "What do you want?" he said, trying to pitch his voice low. "We need a hospital for her. Her arm is broken."

"Get up, we're movin'," the one named Percy barked, and grabbed Liam by his upper arm, jerking him out towards the door. The other one looked at Liana and gestured. "You gonna co-operate or do I have to snap your other wrist?"

Liana debated kicking him in the shins for fun. He was standing close enough, but as she moved, sharp pain echoed out from her arm and she hissed in pain.

"Leave me here," she snarled. "I don't want to move."

"Shut up. Move your ass or I'll drag you," he clipped, and bent to grab her arm. She swatted his hand.

"Alright, alright. Don't fucking touch me, asshole," she growled, and swayed up onto her feet. She fumbled for her screwdriver in her sleeve and gripped the handle with her pinky and her thumb, feeling for the bumps along the bottom of the handle. She was dizzy. Fuck, that wasn't good.

She shuffled out the door, the icy wind snapping her to attention almost immediately. Liam was being stuffed into the truck's back seat, and he kicked out at Percy as he got in, catching him in the elbow. Percy howled in pain, but then immediately rocked back and punched him square in the nose with the other arm. DJ grabbed Liana's arm as he did.

"Fucker!" Percy swore as he staggered back, testing his arm.

"Liam!" Liana yelled, and she helplessly watched as his eyes rolled into the back of his head. He flopped over onto the seat, blood bursting out, cascading onto his coat.

"Get him on his side! Do it or he'll drown in that!" she screamed and struggled in DJ's grasp, panic rising.

"Shut up!" DJ hissed. "Move!"