Page 70 of Redemption in the Dark (The Righteous 5)
“Son of a bitch,” Jimmy panted and flopped to the ground, dragging Wolf with him. “I can’t do it. I just can’t walk anymore.”
Wolf laid on his back, panting hard as he stared up at the group that had paused to let them catch their breath, but no one looked like they could move another step. Even Duke was curled up in the shade of a large rock like he needed a power nap.
“Come on, man, we need to find cover before dark. We are sitting ducks out here,” Wolf said, shoving his friend in the arm.
“I don’t care. Leave me the fuck here for the buzzards to pick at me, man. I’m done.” Jimmy’s face looked washed out. His cheeks were sunken in at the lack of food and water. They’d all suffered. But he wasn’t leaving his friend here to die.
“Trev already said we will stop for a solid four hours tonight. We’ve gained a little space.” Wolf rolled himself over onto his stomach and pushed himself up onto his hands and knees. He stayed on all fours as he tested to see if his muscles would hold him. Arms shaking violently, he pushed himself up to his feet and waved for Dean to come over.
“Fuck Waya, just stop already. Leave me alone.” Jimmy lifted his arm and pushed at his calf. “Just fucking go and leave me here, man. I’m slowing you all down.”
Dean leaned over Jimmy, his shadow blocking out the sun. “What the fuck is this?”
“Aw fuck I forgot you were here,” Jimmy groaned as he looked up at Dean’s face.
The three of them had known one another almost from the time they’d enlisted. If there was a hierarchy among friends, Dean was the Alpha of the group. Jimmy tried to look away from the stern glare Dean was giving him, but Dean reached out and grabbed Jimmy by the front of his shirt. With a strength that Wolf no longer had left, he hauled Jimmy to his feet.
“Ouch, fuck man, ouch. This isn’t a fucking flesh wound,” Jimmy said, wincing again as he pointed to the still bleeding gunshot wound and the material and belt that was tightly wrapped around his leg.
Dean yanked Jimmy toward him until they were nose to nose, his voice a growl as he spoke. “I don’t care how much pain you’re in. You keep moving until you’re dead, that’s the code, that’s the deal you signed up for, and you’re not fucking dead yet, and we’re not leaving you here so you can fuck off with that bullshit and walk like the soldier you are.”
Dean wrapped Jimmy’s arm around his neck.
“Wolf, take the other side. You’re going to owe me for dragging your fat ass around a god-forsaken desert when we get back. Too many beers and donuts, I told you that shit would catch up,” Dean grumbled, but Wolf knew he was joking. Jimmy had treated his body like the thing was the Taj Mahal.
“Why the fuck won’t you assholes just let me die already…bunch of inconsiderate pricks,” Jimmy complained as Wolf took Jimmy's other side and began to walk like they were in a slow three-legged race. “I don’t know why I thought you were my friends.”
“You’ve always had a nasty habit of talking dog shit. No wonder that mutt of yours likes your ass. You smell the same from both ends,” Dean said, and everyone in ear shot laughed. It was the first sound of true happiness in weeks.
They’d all lost their morale. They were all barely putting one foot in front of the other as they trudged like wounded prey across the rough terrain that never seemed to end. They’d found a small watering hole, which was the only reason they were still alive. They’d all filled up whatever they had, drank as much as they could, threw it all up, and drank again until they could hold the fucking liquid down. But they hadn’t been safe, and after a couple of hours of rest, they were on the move again.
“Don’t be bringing my dog into this. Duke and his nose is the only reason our asses are still alive at all.”
“Oh, I’m not saying he’s not good at his job. I’m just saying he has terrible taste in owners.” The group snickered again as Dean and Jimmy bantered back and forth.
“That, man, is something we can both agree on.” Jimmy looked up from his feet to where Duke was walking beside them. “I have no idea what he sees in me, but I wouldn’t be alive without him.”
The silence grew around the small group once more as they stayed close and shuffled along.
“We’ll stop here,” Trev said as they reached a large group of rocks that formed a semi-circle.
He pointed to put Jimmy and Kes down in the most protected areas. Kes whimpered like he was a dog as he was helped to sit. Wolf glanced at the man’s side and knew what the skin looked like under the dirty bandages and had no idea how he was still alive.
Jimmy reached out and grabbed Kes’s hand, but by that time, he was in a delusional faze he’d get to when they’d pushed for too long. The pain from his burn would be excruciating, but every day Morry would clean the area as best she could before forcing him to take antibiotics and continue onward. Kes obeyed and swallowed the mouthful of water before his head lulled toward Jimmy, his eyes unseeing.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” he mumbled over and over until he finally passed out, his head on Jimmy’s shoulder.
Morry held out a couple of the same antibiotics to Jimmy, and his eyes rolled up to meet hers. He sucked in a ragged breath. His breathing was getting worse, and there was no hiding it now. The rattle could be heard with each intake of air.
“How many do we have left?”
“It doesn’t matter. You need to take these, or your leg will get infected.”
A sad ghost of a smile spread across his face as he held up his hand and pushed Morry’s away. “It already is, and those won’t help.”
“All the more reason for you to take them,” Morry said as she squatted and held out the pills again. “We need to keep the infection at bay until we get out of here, and they can give you something stronger, Jimmy.”
“How many damn pills do we have, and don’t lie to me?”
