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Panic. Blood. Those were the words running through their minds while they ran through the woods. Wednesday sprinted in between the trees, not looking back as Joel limped closely behind. He groaned in pain, his hand pressing against the wound on his shoulder. Both took a few shots in the leg, but it didn't seem to have any effect on Wednesday.
After a while, Joel stumbled onto the ground, making Wednesday look back as he landed on the dry leaves and dirt.
"We don't have time for this," Wednesday grumbled, walking over to him and grabbing him by the wrist.
Joel tensed up as she yanked on his arm. "Okay just give me a sec!" He pulled himself up, clenching his teeth as he stood up and began limping again alongside her.
"How long until Pugsley gets here?" Wednesday asked, looking back while her hand moved underneath Joel's arm to help him.
Joel winced and shook his head. "I don't know, I haven't checked if he's responded to my text yet."
He reached into his jacket pocket for his phone, but felt his heart skip a beat when he heard the sound of glass cracking. He slowly took it out, his hand shaking as he saw a clean hole through the screen of his phone.
"Oh you gotta be shitting me..." Joel let out a frustrated huff before throwing his phone to the ground.
Suddenly, Wednesday caught something from the corner of her eye. She looked back and saw dots of lights shining between the trees. Flashlights. Lots of them.
"We need to go." She said firmly, "Now!"
Joel moaned in pain as her grip tightened around his arm, his voice strained and dry from the night's events. He could hear his own heartbeat ringing in his ear like a drum, and each step he took moved the wound on his thigh, sending torturous shocks through his body.
After a couple long minutes of running, they run into a cave with a mossy entrance. Wednesday briefly looked back, sensing that the officers were still not far behind. Joel's breathing was uneven, clearly in need of his inhaler. Left with no other choice, she leads him into the dark cavern.
"Sit." Wednesday helped him down on the cold stone ground. "Where's your inhaler?"
Joel weakly pointed at his jacket. "Pocket..." He uttered weakly.
Wednesday's hand hurriedly searched for his inhaler. She took it out and popped the cap off, her hand slipping to the back of his head to hold him steady while she brought the inhaler's mouthpiece to his lips.
As she pressed down on the canister, Joel's eyes trailed up to look at Wednesday, feeling his heartbeat slow down after he breathed in the mist. He gently took the inhaler from her hand, his fingers brushing against hers.
"Thank you..." He said softly, still a bit breathless.
But then, Joel shifted his weight a little more onto his leg, his face twisting as a strong sting of pain reminded him of his wound. "Oh motherf..."
Wednesday's gaze fell to his leg, her eyes hardening at the sight of his pants stained in blood.
She takes out a black handkerchief from her jacket pocket and presses it against his bleeding wound. "Did the bullet hit your femoral artery?"
Joel winced. "I hope not..."
"Just hold that in place until we can leave." Wednesday walked over to the cave's opening and peeked her head through, checking if anyone managed to follow them.
Joel took off his glasses, leaning back against the stone while shaking his head. "I told you this was a bad idea." He muttered through clenched teeth. "We should've just walked away."
"After what she did to my plans?" Wednesday said, his voice sounding more bitter than usual. "She was lucky to get that quick of a death."
"No, she was lucky I was there to try and reason with you."
"You're the one who stabbed her."
"On accident!" He clarified in frustration. "Don't act like you weren't planning on skinning her."
Wednesday briefly glanced over at Joel, her eyes narrowing before looking back outside. "It's what she deserved." She said quietly under her breath.
Joel slowly turned his head to look at her, disbelief written all over his face. "Are you serious?"
Wednesday looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. "What?"
"You know how unbelievably stupid it is that you're still mad over this?" His eyebrows furrowed as he spoke. "What do you expect would happen when you discussed your plan to me in front of Amanda Buckman, of all people!"
Wednesday's eyes widen slightly, not expecting him to snap at her in such an angry tone. "I, uh..."
"I mean, you'd think that after all these years, you would maybe consider the fact that she could report us. But noooo, 'She's still the same dumb blonde from summer camp!'"
His voice echoed throughout the cave, the sound of his enraged rant hitting every surface until it slowly died down to the dark abyss. The two hold each other's gaze, not knowing what to say to the other after that.
But then, the sound of footsteps and leaves rustling alerted Joel that someone was outside. He grabbed Wednesday by the jacket and quickly pulled her into the cavern's shadow where no one could see them.
Wednesday fell back onto the hard ground, letting out a silent groan before propping herself up on her elbows. Her eyes moved back to Joel, watching him as he listened for anyone outside. Once the rustling settled, he leaned back, closing his eyes and letting out a deep sigh of relief.
"Okay... I think they're gone now..." He turned his head over to look at Wednesday, putting his glasses back on to see her more clearly. His expression turned into confusion when he saw her just staring at him with a slightly surprised look on her face. "What?"
Wednesday was still speechless about him snapping at her. It felt so... strange. If it were anyone else, she'd probably slit their throats open without hesitation. But surprisingly, she's actually taking a moment to consider what he just said.
Realizing her reaction was probably from his outburst, Joel shyly looked down and cleared his throat.
"I'm... I'm sorry." His voice was quiet, yet dripping with sincerity. "I shouldn't have talked to you like that-"
"No." Wednesday interrupted, sitting up properly. "I'm sorry... for getting us into this mess."
She made her way over to him, sitting down beside him with their shoulders touching. She brought her legs up to her chest, her eyes staring blankly ahead.
Joel slowly lifted his head and looked over at her, her eyes lingering on her for a couple seconds before his lips formed a small smile. He leaned his head back against the stone, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose before exhaling slowly.
"So... do you think we'll still make it?" Joel asked softly, his eyelids growing heavy with each passing moment.
Wednesday glanced over at him and raised a curious eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"
Joel tilted his head to meet her gaze, his eyes now half-lidded. "Well, we're in the middle of the woods at night, hiding from cops while bleeding out... And we don't even know if Pugsley got our message."
He paused for a moment. He looked down at his leg, his hand still pressing against his gunshot wound with a handkerchief. He gently took it off and turned his palm up, seeing how much blood had soaked into his skin.
Unexpectedly, Wednesday slithered her hand into his, intertwining his fingers with his. Her cool touch contrasted the warm blood that had painted his palm red. Yet, her touch was comforting.
"Worst-case scenario, one of us dies. Best case, both of us do."
While her words were grim, her tone of voice was gentle. Reassuring even. She laid her head on Joel's shoulder, leaning against him while giving his hand a tender squeeze.
Joel glanced over at her from the corner of his eye. He quietly observed her, admiring her calm features while she rested against his side. Even with all the chaos and fun he's experienced with her, it was the quiet moments he appreciated. And knowing that he's one of the lucky few who gets to see her like this besides her family.
He tilted his head down and planted a lingering kiss on top of her head before slowly pulling back. He rested his head on hers, closing his eyes as the exhaustion from the night's events consumed him.
Everything around them went black and silent. It didn't feel like they were in a cave anymore.
It was just them.
Nothing else.