Saved By The One I Ruined Chapter 04

Saved By The One I Ruined Chapter 04

Jared’s blood drenched my back. 

I dragged him through three blocks, my legs turning to jelly with every step. His breathing grew fainter, but his arm stayed locked tightly around my neck. He insisted on “covering” me like this, even as he was about to slip into unconsciousness. 

“Hang in there,” I said to him. I kicked open a grocery store’s side door, sending dust swirling in the moonlight. The place had been abandoned for ages, leaving shelves toppled everywhere. But at least, it could provide shelter for the time being. 

By the time Jared slid to the floor, he was barely conscious. I tore open his shirt–the bullet had grazed his kidney. With just an inch closer, it would” ve killed him. We had only a few bandages left in the med kit. I bit off the cap of the alcohol bottle and poured it straight onto his wound. 

“Ugh…” He arched in pain, cold sweat dripping from his jaw. I shoved a folded piece of cloth between his teeth and told him, “Bite down.” 

The suturing felt like torture. The sound of the needle piercing through flesh made my stomach. churn. Jared’s pupils kept dilating and constricting, yet he stubbornly refused to pass out. I had to 

admit he was crazy. 

“Done.” I wiped the sweat from my face and threw the blanket I grabbed from the car over him. “You will survive.” 

He showed me a weak smile and said, “What… a messy job.” 

“Why don’t you do it yourself?” I pretended to tear 

off the bandage, but his icy fingers caught my wrist. 

“Thank you,” Jared murmured, his words barely more than a sigh. 

I froze. This was the very first time Jared had ever said this to me. 

Later that night, I kept watch behind a makeshift barricade of shelves, my gun always within reach. Jared’s breathing gradually steadied. Moonlight streamed through the shattered window, tracing the sharp contours of his face. Without that usual cocky grin, he looked almost vulnerable. 

I reached out, gently brushing aside the sweat- dampened strands of hair clinging to his forehead, not even realizing what I was doing. 

He suddenly frowned, startling me into pulling my hand back. But he unconsciously turned sideways. and sank back into a deep sleep. 

Sleepiness overwhelmed me. I planned to rest for just five minutes, but I immediately plunged into a nightmare. In my dream, Andrew leveled his gun at Jared’s back. I screamed with all my might, but no sound came out. 

Something warm brushed against my cheek. My eyes flew open to find Jared’s fingers hovering there. Thinking I was still asleep, he gently traced the scar on my left cheek–a scar from a mission half a 

year ago. 

“Had I known I’d fall for you, I would’ve found you sooner,” he whispered, his voice barely audible. 

My heart skipped a beat. As I pretended to turn over, I caught him hastily withdrawing his hand. He immediately busied himself fussing with the bandages, as if nothing had happened. 

Just before dawn, the rain began to fall. Huddled in my sleeping bag, I listened to Jared’s stifled coughs. His wound had festered, and his fever was burning dangerously high. I dug out our last two antibiotic pills and helped him sit up and take them. 

“Open up.” I gripped his chin and pushed the pills. into his mouth. He was strangely docile. When his tongue accidentally grazed my fingertip, an electric jolt shot through me. 

“We need to talk,” he said in a hoarse voice. 

“Save your strength,” I said, unscrewing the water bottle and handing it to him. “We’ll talk when your fever’s gone down.” 

He shook his head, then suddenly began coughing violently. He covered his mouth, and thin streaks of blood seeped between his fingers. I instantly tore open his collar to check on his wound–it hadn’t reopened; it might be internal bleeding. 

“Listen.” Jared grabbed my sleeve. “If I die…” “Shut up,” I snapped, my voice cracking with fear. “The third safe in the basement…” He gasped out each word as if enduring excruciating pain. “The code is your birthday.” 

A lump rose in my throat. I didn’t even know when he changed the code. 

The rain began to pour. I rummaged through the store for fever reducers, only to find a few packets of powdered medicine that had expired three years ago. When I returned to our makeshift camp, Jared was trying to stand up, his face ghostly pale. 

“Are you trying to get yourself killed?” I rushed over and steadied him. 

He pointed at the window and whispered,” 

Someone is there.” 

The glass reflected several shadowy figures moving outside. I instantly doused the fire and shoved Jared behind the shelves. His body was burning with fever, but he still stubbornly tried to shield me. 

He shoved a dagger into my hand. “I’ll draw their attention, and you take the back exit…” 

“I won’t leave alone.” I clutched his arm desperately. 

The footsteps were getting closer and closer. Peering through a gap, I spotted five ragged men. armed with metal pipes and makeshift bows and arrows. They were tramps–at a time like this, they were sometimes even more dangerous than zombies. 

“Search every corner,” barked the bald leader while kicking over the checkout counter. “Get anything useful–the medicine and food, and even the sanitary pads.” 

Jared suddenly let out a muffled groan. His wound was oozing blood again, and the blood scent was pungent in the confined space. I clamped my hand over his mouth, my heart nearly pounding out of my chest. 

However, it was too late. 

The bald man suddenly whipped around toward us and barked, “What was that?” 

I tightened my grip on the dagger, calculating the odds of a preemptive strike. Five against two, with Jared critically wounded, our chances were slim to 

none. 

“I’ll draw them away,” I whispered into Jared’s ear. You take the chance to…” 

He shook his head, shoved me aside, and struggled 

to his feet. 

The bald man shouted, “Who the hell is there?” 

Jared staggered out with his hands up in surrender. “I just passed through here, fellas.” 

I held my breath, not sure what he was doing now. 

“Drop the bag,” the bald man barked, jabbing his metal pipe at Jared. “Make a full turn–slowly.” 

Jared turned as the man asked, perfectly blocking their view of my hiding spot. Even in the dim light, I could see the bandages on his back were completely soaked through with blood. 

“Oh, that’s quite a deep wound,” the bald man sneered. “What are you, one of the Safe Zone’s lapdogs?” 

“Got bitten by a dog,” Jared said casually, as if this weren’t a life–or–death situation. “I’ve got some canned goods in my bag. Help yourselves with them.” 

The bald man motioned for his men to grab the bag while closing in menacingly on Jared. He ordered, ” Strip yourself.” 

My heart was in my throat. Jared had a gun tucked in his waistband, and if they spotted it… 

“That’s not cool, man.” Jared took a half step back, his tone deliberately light. “I’ve got… a contagious. disease.” 

The iron rod on the bald man’s hand came crashing down on Jared’s knees. With a pained grunt, Jared dropped to his knees, only to be brutally yanked back up by his hair. 

“Boss.” The scrawny guy rummaging through the bag suddenly held up something and reported, ” Check this out.” 

It was my photo. It must have fallen out of Jared’s wallet. 

The bald man narrowed his eyes. “Isn’t this the traitor wanted by the Safe Zone?” He suddenly choked Jared by the throat, snarling, “Are you her accomplice?” 

Jared smiled, “Worse than that.” With a sudden burst of strength, he elbowed the bald man away and added, “I’m her boyfriend.” 

The store instantly turned into a mess. As I rushed out, I saw an iron rod crashing toward the back of Jared’s head. Blood sprayed, yet he still clung desperately to the bald man’s wrist. 

Jared collapsed to his knees, his hand stretching desperately toward me. “Amanda, run…” 

I pulled the trigger without hesitation. 

Gunshots echoed through the store. The bald man howled in pain and covered his shoulder, while his gang scattered in panic. I kept firing until I emptied. the magazine before I lunged at Jared. 

He lay in a pool of blood, his eyes half–lidded. With trembling hands, I felt for his carotid artery–a faint pulse was barely detectable beneath my fingers. 

“Stay with me, okay?” I tore off my T–shirt and pressed it hard against the wound on his head, my voice breaking. “Please don’t go…” 

Jared’s lips moved weakly. I leaned in and barely 

caught his whisper. “Nice shot.” 

His hand fell slack, dropping a bloodstained fragment of my photo.