"What you don't think I can hang?" the man's voice echoed around as they started to wander back down the trail, the little cliff he had found on one of his runs was a place he had wanted to take her for a while. The sunrise and coffee had been perfect, everything for once was going according to plan, not a racoon in sight to ruin it. The summer heat was already starting to bake the cool waters of the lake, warming to the perfect temperature in the evening. He was tempted to take the boat out while she went to her appointments a few towns over, not that he needed to know what they were.
Heading down the little ravine Rick hopped over the creek, he bent down playfully ready to splash her, "I am King of the Racoons," he proclaimed flicking some water her way. Pushing off the rock he had knelt by he heard a few branches snap around them, some deer spooked by their presence. Just another day.
Glancing up the one side of the hill he saw the deer struggling to scamper away, "Shit- that was a six point-" the gun shot was unexpected at best. The boom making all the birds resting in the trees take flight and the rest of herd take off in all directions, Rick was spun around by the force. Toppling over himself he half fell into the water, head glancing the rock was she supposed to use to cross, the cool water was an unpleasant shock to a already haywire system.
It wasn't even a full second before she was turning him over, gasping for air and from the pain he grabbed on to her. They weren't in a forest anymore, "Adra get-" he wheezed for a moment, "get down-" eyes were scanning for a building, a sniper primed to take her down. His hands grabbing her shoulders to shove her back, but she wasn't going, someone was calling to them as they rushed down the hill toward them. The gun was all he saw, as the man ran faster toward them Rick managed to throw himself between them. Shoving the man against the tree he couldn't hear much, his heart pounded in his ear, adrenaline was all that kept him upright as his forearm pushed against the man's throat.
Seeing the man's face Rick started to notice the trees again, the ache in his shoulder of the arm not pressing the man to the bark. Blinking he felt someone trying to tug him back, a hunting rifle laid beside them, someone was yelling his name. With things slowing the pain was spreading and drowning the picture again, he felt dizzy- taking a step back he became uncertain he could keep upright.
Stumbling back he took a knee to keep from tipping right over, "Adra."
The day was going by perfect. It was supposed to be just a casual hike, having coffee while they watched the sunrise. It was undeniably romantic although she knew better than to assume anything. They were still knowing one another’s idiosyncrasies, dropping hints of hope and gentle promises of what could be. “No!” she shot, warning him although she was grinning at his bent position over the water to... Adra giggled, shooting him a playful derisive look as water droplets flew onto her face. “You’re going to pay for that, I assure you,” she feigned scolding him, wagging a finger.
She heard the branches snapping although she was unfazed. It was the forest, they were not alone obviously. Adra was about to question him when the gunshot exploded. Everything else went silent around the chaos that had short-circuited all of her other senses other than her touch and sight. In that moment, Adra found herself back in her own classroom to that fateful day, scrambling on her feet as she fought through the tears, keeping everyone safe except herself. That memory snapped shut the moment Rick’s eyes widened at her, tipping over. She was moving through the motions as Rick fell into the water. Propelling herself forwards, she made he wouldn’t drown face down. Adra didn’t know how many times she had to call out his name, shaking his body to make him conscious. When he snapped out of it and came back to her, him shoving her down surprised her no less.
Adrenaline was drumming wildly in her veins as she heard rushed footsteps behind them. Shock and terror painted over her features as she watched the stranger nearing her. “What the f-” she was pulled away immediately, hitting the ground and when she whipped around, Rick was lunging towards the man. “Rick!” Adra pushed forward, attempting to pull him away from the perpetrator. Not because she didn’t want him to hurt another person, it was because Rick was clearly injured himself. Injured as he was, he managed to suffocate the perpetrator enough to faint.
She held onto him, willing him to using her as support but he was clearly running on diminishing adrenaline. Adra struggled to keep him upright. Her name left his lips in a rasp as fell to one of his knee. “Fuck -” she cursed, worry colouring her expression within a split second. She could tell that his eyes were threatening to close shut. “Don’t you dare close your eyes on me, Rick!” Adra cried out, trying her best to shake him awake. No,no, no.No! She was not going to lose him like this. Not this way.
Hot tears were stinging her eyes as she willed herself to take in the scene, suddenly terrified about the other man regaining his consciousness and ending them with the gun that laid beside them. Her hatred for this weapon raised something feral inside of her. Adra scrambled forwards, grabbing the very thing she vowed to never touch in her life. With a strangled cry, she flung the rifle gun away, out of reach into the bushes. Her breaths were laboured as she turned her attention to the very man who brought them out here. His blood was pooling. “Rick, come on,” she desperately cried out. Fear had sunken its sharp talons into her skin as she applied pressure to his wound. Adra cradled his torso, hand on his cheek, repeatedly tapping to make him conscious.
