Annihilation

Save Me

Jin fell in line with them, keeping pace while giving directions and checking out Taehyung's shoulder. "Get him on a table. Jungkook, get the med bag." He called to us.

Jungkook pivoted into motion, blurring past me to go inside. He held the door open for them while Shelby fell into my arms tearfully. She was soaked from the rain though her dress was surely lighter, relieved of the wide petticoat she typically wore and the skirt ripped so that it draped asymmetrically, the split showing most of her leg.

Jungkook was back out the door before I could thumb away the tears that fell down her cheeks and smear of blood on her chin, his tone demanding and alert. "What happened out there?" He questioned, his shoulder nudging mine as he pressed forward to get closer to Shelby. The second she stuttered he pushed harder, repeating the question harshly. "What happened?"

"Back up, let me talk to her." I shoved his chest to put him an arm's length away, ignoring the annoyed huff he breathed and turning my attention back to Shelby.

Her eyes were haunted, bloodshot red from lack of sleep and wired with adrenaline. I ran my thumb across her knuckles with enough pressure that she was pulled away from the shock for a moment, her hand closing around mine tightly.

She blinked, absentminded as she uttered a plea. "They have to save him." Her eyelids fluttered as she looked down at the blood that stained her hands and arms, seeped into what was left of her gown, spots that painted a fresh coat of red on her skin and others that dried to a deep burgundy.

"I should get you cleaned up first." I lifted her chin with my fingertips, bringing her focus away from her body to me.

"I need to be with him." Her head darted back and forth, her feet just as quick when she stepped away from me, brushing past Jungkook and through the restaurant doors with force.

Jungkook shook his head in disapproval, fussing under his breath as we followed her inside. Taehyung lay flat across one of the tables, surrounded by Namjoon, Yoongi, and Jimin. Jin leaned over the injured side of his chest, blood gushing from his wound as Jin attempted to locate and remove the bullet. Though Namjoon appeared concentrated on absorbing blood into a towel to keep the area Jin worked on clear, he addressed Shelby.

"When did he get shot?" His specific line of questioning seemed to help her ability to communicate.

"Right when we got out." She answered, pushing herself between Jimin and Yoongi so that she had access to Taehyung's hand. I watched the way she curled her fingers around his until they were entwined. "We didn't know where to run to get Gideon off our trail and it didn't look like he was bleeding much, but maybe we were too distracted with running to notice. I did everything I could do to slow the blood and put pressure on it but I was basically carrying him by the time we got to the city and he collapsed where you found us." She looked to Yoongi, his expression weighted with apprehension toward her.

Sweat beaded against Jin's hairline as he focused, muttering a reminder to himself to be steady and noting that he was only a hair away from the vena cava.

I used my sleeve to dab away the droplet of sweat on the tip of his nose, pressing the fabric in to absorb every drop as he took a deep breath.

"We should give Jin some space." I said, Jimin and Yoongi nodding quickly before moving to occupy a booth in the corner of the restaurant.

I stepped closer to Shelby, her statement unquestioning and firm. "I'm staying."

Jungkook scoffed before turning to walk away too, his boots clunking against the floor as he joined Jimin and Yoongi. Namjoon glance at her through his eyelashes before nodding me, a cue to leave them to their work.