Of Mice And Men AU w/ OC Insert [W.I.P]

part 3

 The moment Martín reached the ground, he rushed over to his father's, taking in the sight of his torso lying on the dry dirty sand, and his lower half soaked in the water stream. He noticed that the stream had thing streaks of red washing in the water, and looking down, he could see the bullet that shot right at his leg.

"Papa..!" Martín's voice quivered from the sight of his father in extreme pain.

Andrés weakly tried to move to his side to look at Martín, but every movement jolted a sharp agonizing pain.

"Augh!-" He grunts. His hands clutch into themselves bearing his teeth.

Martín mind was in a panic, his eyes darting back and forth from his dad's face back to the bullet mound on his leg. Then in the distance, echoing through the grass and hill above them, they heard a faint bellow along with another bullet shot in the air.

"Yall are dead bastards! Ya hear me?!" The man's voice was loud enough that they were able to depict the words he was yelling.

With that, Martín stepped into the water as it lightly splashed at the ends of his pants. He took off his frail flannel and went in front of his father, bending down and tying his shirt around his wounded leg in the water trying to stop the bleeding. His hands shaking and struggling. Andrés flinches and keeps groaning in agony. Martín then put his arm around his shoulder in an attempt to try and lift him off the water.

"Por favor Papa!.. Por favor levántate!" (Please get up) Martín only got most of his body out of the water, dragging him while his legs remained submerged.

Andrés watches as his son desperately tries lifting his limp bleeding body. He couldn't move and his other hand was still holding onto the dress. Andrés arm slides off Martín's shoulder staring at his son with a helpless look, almost defeat. Andrés slowly lifts his arm, holding up the dress to Martín, flapping his hand.

"Hijo, llévate el vestido...y mi chaqueta. Tiene las hojas de trabajo para los dos y algo de dinero. Necesito que salgas de aquí." (take the dress...and my jacket. It has the work slips for both of us and some money. I need you to get out of here.) Andrés finally spoke while he slowly took off his jacket gunting in pain.

"¡Papa no! No te dejaré aquí!" (I won't leave you here) Martín desperately refused with tears forming in his eyes. He grabbed his arms to stop him from giving him his jacket.

"Necesitas escucharme y salir de aquí ahora mismo!" (you need to listen to me and get out of here right now) His eyes start to water as well.

"¡No! ¡No te voy a perder, ya perdimos a mamá, no quiero estar solo!" (I'm not going to lose you, we already lost Mom I don't want to be alone!) Martín snapped with his voice cracking and his tears started escaping his eyes slowly going down his face.

Andrés stares at his son, the boy he's protected his whole life, provided for him, sacrificed for him. And ever since his mom died, it's only gotten tougher for them. But everything he's done for his family was to give him a better chance in life, a chance for opportunity. And he couldn't risk that chance for his son, despite the situation he was in.

"Martín," He spoke sternly to get his attention "Trabajé toda mi vida con estas manos. encorvado, ardiendo de calor y soportando las agotadoras horas al aire libre." (I worked all my life with these hands. hunched over, burning in the heat, and enduring the grueling hours outside.) 

He paused, inhaling a short breath before continuing. "Y en cada momento de mi trabajo, pensé en ti. Para asegurarme de que tu futuro fuera mejor que el mío y el de tu madre." (And every moment of my work, I thought of you. To make sure your future was better than mine and your mom's.)

Andrés took his jacket off completely, poorly folding it in between the dress, and pushed it towards Martín. Before he was about to speak again, a shout arose again from the meadow, it was dangerously close.

"Where are you?!"

Andrés looked at Martín with eyes of desperation and urgency. "Martín, tienes que huir ahora! Encuentra el rancho y estarás bien. Por favor." (You need to run away now! Find the ranch, and you'll be okay.) His voice grew more serious and had a hint of plea.

Martín was not about to easily accept the fate of his father. He wanted to do something, anything, to help him. But as he looks at his father, he saw how tired and weak he was. Glancing at the stream, he saw his blood leaking through the cloth on his leg, once again, streaming down the creek. His eyes darts to the hill, then back down at his father again. Eventually, he reluctantly grabbed the jacket with the dress, his hand gripping it tightly. He slowly backed up, almost stalling while stepping out of the water onto the other side of the creek where the thicket was behind him.

Andrés voice cracks before he spoke softly, "Te amo, mi hijo." Tears streaming down his tanned cheeks.

Martín took slow small steps backing away. But then he paused. He couldn't bring himself to leave him. Not like this. Not now. "Papa..." His voice strains, instinctively taking a step back forward.

"¡Ya vetate!" Andrés screamed, almost as if he was shooing him away. 

Martín flinched at his voice, and began to sob with thick tears streaming down his face. He starts backing up again. Just then, he looked up and saw a figure standing at the edge of the hill. Andrés turned his head too, and he felt his heart stop. His head jerks back to Martín and shouted.

"¡Correr ahora!" 

Martín felt his body about to freeze up once more, he saw the man about to step down onto the hill, but in a second, he finally turns away and dashes straight towards the forest.

"¡Más rápido Martín! ¡No mires atrás, sigue corriendo! ¡Sigue corriendo!" (Faster Martin! Don't look back, keep running! Keep running!) Andrés encourages as his voice grew more fainter and fainter the further Martín ran. The branches and leaves brush against him and dodging most of the trees in front of him. His legs felt a tightness of being worn out from running so fast earlier but he refused to stop and kept on running.

Andrés watched as his son disappeared into the forest as he couldn't even hear his footsteps anymore, trailing away. His tears run down his face crying silently still staring at the direction his son went as he rest his head on the sand, closing his eyes.

Soon enough, while Martín was running, he heard a faint gunshot in the distance behind him. A group of crows flew out of the trees going in separate directions into the sky cawing in response of the gunshot. Martín starts to cry harder out loud, his vision goes blurry from the thick tears streaming down his face and snot runs down his nose. He held the jacket and dress against his chest tucking his hands into them deeply breathing heavily coughing up and despite all of this, he just kept on running, like his father told him to. He wasn't sure how far he was supposed to go, and he didn't know where the forest would lead him to. But he kept running.