Forever Safe

-CHAPTER 13-

"Lou."

"Lulu. Wake up, honey."

Lou startled awake, her head jolting with the motion. She made an audible noise of pain as her head throbbed. She gripped her forehead, struggling to adjust.

It took another moment for her to realize what had just happened. She and Rune were walking to their car from dinner, and then bam.  

Rune had been shot.

Her eyes opened in fleeting panic.

"Rune," she yelled, jerking herself harshly, not realizing her hands were tied behind her back. She figured that they had been separated, but she had to get to him.

"I'm right here," he grunted. "It's okay."

Relief flooded her as she laid eyes on him, sitting next to her. His hands were behind his back like hers, but the blood soaking his clothes was obvious, even against the black that he always wore. It was pooling on the floor.  Her stomach twisted.

"Rune," she sobbed. "What's going on?"

"I have no fucking idea," he sighed. He was sweating badly, and it was obvious to her that he was in so much pain. His right eye was swollen and bruised. She didn't know what to do.

"You're going to bleed out," she cried, scooting closer to him so they were touching.

Rune's frown softened. "No, I'm not baby. It's going to be okay, but I need you to stay calm."

"I can't. I can't do the blood, and-"

"Lou, I'm going to walk you through how to get your hands out of those binds."

It was so hard to focus. She was trying to do as he said, but the rope was tight and she was frustrated. She couldn't control the tears. She couldn't lose Rune while she was sitting next to him. And that's what encouraged to keep trying.

She got her hands free.

"Good job," he told her, and she untied his hands. He sagged in relief, finally able to release the tension in his shoulders and abdomen and relax the wound in his side.

"How do we stop the bleeding?" Lou whispered, dropping her head on his.

"I don't think there's much we can do right now. There's one door. I doubt it's unlocked, but why don't you try it?"

She nodded. The room was dingy and dusty, and the big wood door was tightly shut and locked.

"Did you lose your phone?" Lou asked.

"I texted Blue when they were transporting us. That's how I got this black eye."

Lou felt a spark of hope. "You texted him?"

"He doesn't know where we are, Lou, but at least he's looking. I have something else, too."

She moved closer, dropping down next to him. Her head still ached, but her adrenaline was running now.

Rune had his jacket scrunched, pressed against his side. He used his other hand to pull out a small handgun and several small knives.

"That gun had ten rounds in it."

"Did you recognize who took us?"

"No, but I heard them talking. They said there's a bounty for my head that they're trying to collect," Rune sighed, looking at her. "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. I should've never dragged you into my shitty life."

"You didn't drag me, Rune," Lou whispered, smoothing his damp hair from his face. "You're the only person in my entire life who's taken care of me." 

His face was hot.

His expression didn't change. She gently blew air on his heated cheeks, trying to offer him any kind of relief that she could.

His eyes closed, and Lou tried to hold back a painful cry.

"Rune," she whispered, shaking his shoulders gently. She couldn't blink away the salty tears fast enough. Her heart ached. "Rune, please. Open your eyes."

He was taking slow, ragged breaths. Lou knew it wasn't good. She didn't have much time.

Lou took the knife. She was always small as a kid. The older girls in her group home liked to lock her in the bathroom for hours. She learned how to pick the lock quickly, otherwise they almost always made her miss dinner so they could have her share.

She inserted the knife between the door and the wall around the height of the door knob. She heard the knife scrape against the metal latch and she pushed. It took several tries for her to get it pushed in the right away.

The door swung open.

Lou peered down the long grimy hallway. It was quiet. She looked around for cameras but found none.

The next door was a storage closet that looked like it hadn't been touched in ages.

She began to come up with a plan. She only had moments before it was too late.

She had to move Rune.

He grunted as she dragged him by his arms. She knew it wasn't good to move him, but she couldn't just leave him in there for the kidnappers to come back to.

She tucked him away behind some shelves, covering him with a disgusting drop cloth used for god knows what. If anyone looked in from the door, nothing would seem out of place.

She cleaned the blood trail with his jacket.

"I love you," Lou told him, kissing him gently, smoothing his hair back. "I'll just be a few minutes. I'm going to get Blue."

Lou took the gun.