Everyone Dies in the End #20

Artemis

Her breath was warm in his ear, her body soft, pressing against him.

“They’re here,” she whispered.

As tired as he had been, as heavy as he was sleeping, Arty was immediately and completely awake. He was on the floor, the cold tile cushioned by a pad of blankets. He had given Susan the bed, but she was next to him now, her lips brushing his ear. The room was black, but not completely so. Dawn’s weak light leaked through the windows.

“Who’s here?” he returned her whisper.

“I don’t know.” He could feel her head shake, the movement stirring the air, the air carrying her scent, musky, yet nice. “But I can feel them. They mean us harm.”

Artemis didn’t question that. Maybe yesterday morning he would have questioned that, but he needed to only touch his shoulder, his newly-healed shoulder, to remind himself that this girl had talents he had never dreamed of.

He looked toward the door, standing open, the blankets on which Todd had slept empty. “Where?” He didn’t get to finish the question.

“Gone.”

Artemis shook his head. “Damn.”

“”We’ve got to go.” Urgency in her whisper now.

“Okay, okay.” He sat up. Stood up, began to gather his things. She placed a hand on his arm. “No time for that.”  He finished strapping the holster on his thigh, and pulled the unfamiliar 9mm from the holster. “Is there time for this?”

She nodded and bent to her back pack. The contents rustled, and she stood, a revolver in her hand. Artemis cocked an eyebrow, remembered the dim light, and whispered. “For real?”

He saw her shoulders shrug. “Not like I know how to use it,” she replied, her voice barely audible.

Artemis paused, not sure what to do. The door was open, the room getting lighter by the minute. He really, truly didn’t know what to do, but he did know that staying here would accomplish nothing. He gestured toward Susan’s backpack. It had her clothes, some snacks from the previous day, spare ammunition, he guessed. “Grab it.”

She did, and he led the way to the door.

He peeked around the edge, first left, and then right. He didn’t see anything. Should he?

“Come on.” His voice was so quiet he wasn’t sure that Susan got the message, but she would figure it out when he moved.

Into the hall now and still nothing. A quick glance back to ensure she was behind him. She was. Plaid shirt, baggy shorts, and boots now visible in the increasing light. He jogged toward the exit at the end of the hall, Susan right behind. His hand was on the bar that opened the door when the rifle fired.