Atlas | NovaHD

XXI: Breath of Life

He didn't see the Hunter until it was too late.

Aleks heard a ricochet of bullets crackle sharply through the air, and he threw himself to the ground.

A flare of agonising heat tore through his shoulder, but his pain didn't matter when he heard James scream his name.

Aleks erupted, desperate to protect the man he loved. He rolled onto his knees, firing his rifle rapidly in the direction of the Hunter before he could turn on James.

He didn't miss his target.

The Hunter crumpled to the ground, three of Aleks's bullets embedded in his chest.

Aleks rose to his feet, realising the vulnerable state he'd placed himself in as he swiftly scanned his surroundings. He was out in the open, completely exposed.

Running for cover wasn't an option though. He was never going to leave James.

He remained standing in the middle of the clearing, blood saturating his shirt from his bullet wound. The bullet had scraped him but he was completely immune to his pain, too focused on the danger that he and James were surrounded by.

James was motionless too; both men were fixated by the sounds of the forest, listening out for the Hunters. Aleks's heart hammered against his ribcage and under the skin of his wrist, pounding away at him as if trying to climb right out of his flesh.

Suddenly, he heard a twig snap behind him.

Aleks whirled around to confront the sound, coming face-to-face with another Hunter as he approached the field.

But the Hunter didn't have a chance.

Aleks was high on adrenaline, high on his need to protect James, and he shot him dead.

The next sound he heard was the most important.

A strangled cough, a gasp for air.

James.

Aleks turned, feeling his face whiten when he saw James slump over, coughing up blood as he retched.

The remaining Hunters – if there were any left – could wait. James couldn't.

Aleks holstered his rifle and dashed forward, closing the distance between them.

James straightened up as he approached, his lips curving up into a weary smile. "Hi baby." He whispered tiredly, and his greeting brought Aleks to his knees.

He fell to the ground, drinking in the sight of his lover, alive. "God damn it James." He breathed, eyes squeezing shut against a sharp dampness. He reached forward to drape his arms around him, gripping him tight underneath the light of the sunrise. "You fucking asshole."

James attempted a laugh, but the sound was choked, his chest rattling from the exertion. Aleks leaned back, and he carefully brushed James's hair back from his forehead, wincing at the bruises to his skin.

He was too scared to look at his other injuries, knowing that he was going to see wounds that were a lot worse, but he knew he had to. Steeling himself, he glanced down to where James's hands resided, pressed tightly over a gaping wound in his stomach.

"How bad is it?" Aleks asked quietly, knowing he'd been shot.

James lifted his hands away, allowing Aleks to see for himself.

The wound was deep, the bullet buried within his skin. Aleks knew that he couldn't remove the bullet, as much as he wanted to. James would bleed to death if he did. They needed Stefani's medical knowledge, and access to the camp's medicinal supplies.