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“You’re going to be fine,” Alex says, cradling my face in his lap

“Alex” My voice is scratchy “I’ve been shot”

His lips flatten Chaos swirls in his icy blue eyes, tellingto make it”

I moan when he lifts me into his arms and rises to his feet

“Your phone,” I say, breathing through the sharp waves of pain “Call for help”

“I have to get you to safety first”

We el, because the wind stills to a breeze and the snowfall calh to allow visibility

Sheltering ainst his chest, he takes a step The snow is so thick he sinks knee-deep On the other side of the ditch, a field stretches out before the forest He has to cross that distance before we can hide in the denser vegetation We won’th the snow

“Put edly “Make the call”

He pauses, hesitates

“You’ve lost too much blood You can’t carry me all the way there The snow is too deep”

Indecision flashes in his eyes He knows I’ht because after another second, he lowers me carefully The snow is cold beneath me Soon, my jacket will be damp If I don’t bleed out, hypothermia will set in If the bullet has severed an artery, I’ll need surgery and fast The professional side of s off his coat and lays it out like a blanket

“No,” I say through bloodless lips “Keep it on You’ll freeze to death”

He flashes rew up in it, remember?”

I’m not from Florida either, but that doesn’t make either one of us immune to simple science Once his body terees, he’s dead