Brian didn't expect Molly to respond like that. He froze as Molly pressed her body against him. Her arms wrapped around his neck made him weak in the knees and unable to move or even reciprocate. The sensation was unlike he had ever felt. All of this relaxed him as he realized that in his heart, he was happy. He was so happy that it almost hurt him. He was scared he wouldn't ever be this happy again. He could feel the pulse in her wrists as he reached out to touch her.
Molly was still crying. There were so many things going through her mind and she didn't have the strength to straighten them out. All she could think of was the horror of what had just happened. Tears kept rolling down her cheeks and she made no effort to wipe them away. At that moment, she smelled something odd. Her fingers had seemingly touched something sticky. She pulled away to look at her hands. She was horrified to find that it was blood. She looked at Brian terrified. The thought of him being shot scared her.
She opened her mouth wanting to say something but unable to. She raised her hand and tried to comfort him but it wouldn't make sense. There was nothing she could do now. It had already happened. She couldn't do anything to ease his pain. Molly never really was good at hiding her emotions - it always showed in her face. Right now, her face showed her confusion, her fear, and everything else in between. Her head was spinning and she was gasping for air now.
"Don't cry, I'm okay. This isn't a serious injury." Brian's voice was as calm and composed as usual. He raised his right hand and gently wiped her tears away. His face showed no emotion,"Do you think you will be able to walk?"
Molly was unable to answer him, still shaking. Her eyes were blank and her mouth was quivering, unable to feel anything. She just didn't know what to do or how to act in such a horrible situation.
"Listen, I only stalled them for a while. They can catch up with us soon and if we don't leave soon... they might hurt us again." Brian explained the situation to Molly in such a calm voice it was as if he was just talking about the weather.
Brian's calm demeanor comforted Molly. She nodded, gaining a sense of reality. She started to check his wound.
"They shot me in the shoulder. My legs and feet are fine." Brian said because he noticed the worry in her eyes. He was touched that she gathered her energy to worry about him despite being scared to death just seconds ago. He realized right then and there that there really was something between them. She had penetrated his heart.
The car doors were jammed because the car directly hit into the trunk of the tree. Brian struggled the open the door on his face so he checked to see if the door on Molly's side was any easier - it wasn't. With a severe look on his face, his eyes scanned their surrounds first before going in to smash the front windshield with his gun. Bang! Bang! Despite his injured shoulder, he was still able to muster enough force to shatter the glass panel. As soon as the glass shattered, the cold wind hit them. Molly shivered.
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