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“Fuck,” she hissed, fresh hot tears stinging her eyes.
She slammed it down into the ground, her body shaking with rage.
This couldn’t be happening. Not now. Not when Saff needed her to get them out—needed her to get them help.
She slammed the gun down onto the pavement again with a sob.
“Please wake up,” she whimpered, her head dropping onto the limp shoulder in front of her. “Please, just..” Her voice trailed off, the words lost in her quivering lips
She sat there, slumped against Saff’s body, every thought tumbling between panic and calm every time she felt the woman’s breathing falter for a moment before returning.
And when she heard the light scrapes and groans in the distance approaching, she didn’t even have to think about it as she picked up the second grenade.
She didn’t try to be quiet then. There was no use. The sputtering cries wouldn’t stop, even if she tried.
When she finally heard the clear groans of the infected drawing closer, she took a steadying breath, then pulled the pin in the second grenade and lobbed it toward them.
As she released, she curled over Saff’s body once again, pulling her head in close to her own neck, and shifting her body over her.
This blast was louder—much louder—ringing through her ears as the ground rumbled beneath them.
A shower of debris rained down upon them. And it was so much more than the first time that she briefly wondered if shehadn’t thrown it far enough—if the blast was too close to have reached the approaching infected.
But she didn’t have more than a second to think about it before large hard chunks cascaded down over them.
She tightened over Saff, shielding every inch of her head and chest as the wreckage assaulted her, landing with a vengeance across her body.
Then something hit the back of her head with a sickening thud that sent her sprawling, her forehead knocking against Saff’s.
A metallic taste filled the back of her mouth.
Her fingers crept up to the back of her head to find a small pool of wetness.
Ringing filled her ears as she slowly pushed herself upright.
The world seemed to tilt on its axis, and she tore one hand away from Saff to steady herself on the ground.
But finally, as the ringing began to wane, she listened.
Silence filled the air, save for the slight rustling of nearby trees as a breeze blew past.
No groans or grunts, or sounds of approaching infected.
She shifted, falling back before checking Saff’s breathing again.
“You’re okay,” she whispered. “You’re okay.”
And this time, she wasn’t sure if the words were for Saff, or for herself.
She pulled her in close, hand trailing down until it froze on wet crumpled fabric.
She pressed down hard on it, keeping as much pressure as she could against the leaking wound in Saff’s side.
Saff’s body seemed to stiffen slightly before immediately falling back into its limp state.
“You’re okay,” she whispered again. “I got you.”
Chapter forty-five