"Stop!" I screamed as my feet got a mind of its own and carried me to the front of the homeless man. I was now standing in a dark alley with little light, between him and his attacker. "B**ch what the hell are you doing?" the gunman shouted turning his weapon sideways in a threatening way, I didn't have an answer, I didn't know what i was doing.
I turned my head around to sneak a glance at the battered, dirty, hairy middle aged man. His long dark knotted hair and matching beard already had streaks of grey and his sad deep seemingly black eyes looked as if it had seen so much pain, I turned back toward the thug holding the automatic weapon, then i looked to the sky and prayed silently. 'Lord Only you know how much i mean these words i'm about to say so if i die today, save a place for me, forgive me.'
I turned towards the young man holding the weapon, "you can't kill this man, he has nothing left but his life and you want to take that away?" I almost shouted the last part as anger started to boil on my insides. "Who the f*** do you think you is girl? Tryna tell me how to live my life, whats it to you anyways if another hobo is shot down, now move it or take his place" he shouted back and i knew he meant it. 'Why was i doing this? he's right, this man means nothing to me, or anyone else for that matter, why am i risking my life?'
"Shoot me then" i heard myself say, and that was it, he raised his hand and the last thing i saw before i closed my eyes was the unsure look on his face. He didn't want to shoot me, maybe he didn't have the guts? maybe he was afraid he'd get cau- I FELT IT. But only for a split second, i heard the loud sound of the barrel releasing its silver and i felt the sharpest pain in my belly, to the far right, above my hip bone, then the pain was gone.
I opened my eyes and saw blood trickling down my torso and if my head could rotate from the anger it would. "What the hell man? are you blind or stupid, do you like letting people suffer before they die?" His eyes opened even wider than they already were and i could see the fright in them, "You-you- what? i shot you-" "Not very well you didn't, now i'm gonna bleed to death!!" I Belted out at the top of my lungs. "Nah man that ain't right i'm outta here, demon b**ch" He said softly as he turn around and ran out of the alley.
The homeless man followed a few seconds after as if i had grown two heads, i just saved your life, could have atleast called me a cab. As soon as they were out of sight my legs crumbled beneath me and my whole abdomen felt on fire, i felt delirious and the shrieks that were coming from my mouth sounded unearthly even to me but i knew if i didn't get help i was going to die.
As if angels had heard this thought a curious and brave man who looked in his early thirties came speeding towards me and as soon as he saw the blood, he removed his shirt and started calling for help. "Hey Help!! Howie get the pickup and reverse it in here, someone's been shot and there's a lot of blood" he shouted at the top of his lungs while applying a little too much pressure to my already aching wound.
I started to daze out, my head got lighter and i was losing touch with reality to the point where i didn't feel myself being lifted into the truck, it wasn't until i heard the loud noise the horn made as this man and 'Howie' were zooming and trying to maneuver through traffic at an UnGodly speed that i realized i was in a vehicle. Stretched out along the back seat of the double cabbed pickup truck "mmhm" i whimpered as the pain shot through my entire body as the truck came to an abrupt halt, I'm never going to make it, the nearest hospital was 26 miles away and traffic wasn't being too kind i deduced from all the horns blaring outside.
"Hey guys" I struggled to breathe out, my voice sounded hard and gritty. They both turned around and looked at me with so much concern it nearly stopped my weakening heart. "Its okay, you tried" I forced out with a weak genuine smile, and i saw their hearts breaking bit by bit.
So i held on to my life, it would have been so easy to just give up and die, but they wanted to save me, and i couldn't let them down, i was weak and still losing blood , my heart was slowing and i could hardly breathe, but i held on. It seemed Mystery guy could sense this so i saw him start to reverse the vehicle and drive into a different lane and we were off again...and then i blacked out.
I kept coming and going for what seemed like hours, getting little pieces of conversations
"Dude you're in the wrong lane!" "I KNOW!"
"How much farther?" ..... "we're almost there"
"She's out! her eyes are closed", "What no, she can't be, check her pulse or something she might still...huuh she...oh God no, shit, she can't...gr-", "Wait she's breathing barely but she is...and look i see the hospital's sign up ahead, she's gonna be okay"
