Read Online As the World Ends by Marian Lanouette - Free Book Online Page A

Rob questioned. The man’s a buffoon if he thinks I’m buying his explanation.
    “I…I need some water...please.” Rob watched Lauren reach into her bag and walked over to her.
    “What are you doing?” He took the bottle of water in her hand.
    “He’s badly hurt, Rob.”
    “Who cares? He jumped me, Lauren. Get with the program. What do you think he had in store for you?” Has Lauren’s brains checked out here?
    “I’m sorry,” Roan said to them.
    “Yeah? You think that fixes everything?” Rob inquired.
    “No, I don’t. I’d like to start over. What if we are the last three people left on this earth. What then?”
    Rob stared Roan directly in the eyes, “Then there’d be two.”
    “Oh.”
    Rob shot Roan in the leg and grabbed his bag. He flung it over his shoulder then seized Lauren’s hand and pulled her along toward their truck.
    “Oh my God, Rob. Why did you shoot him?” She tried to pull away from him.
    He gripped her hand tighter. “Because he can’t follow us now, can he?” Rob turned, looked back at Roan to be sure.
    Roan was yelling, “You can’t leave me here. I’ll die without treatment.”
    “Who’s going to treat you?” Rob questioned.
    “Rob, did you leave him with a gun or knife to defend himself?”
    He turned away from Lauren to walk back to Roan. How stupid of me not to check?
    “Where are you going?”
    “To check for weapons, thanks for reminding me.”
    “Rob, you can’t leave him defenseless.”
    The look on Lauren’s face changed Rob’s mind. “I’ll check for a gun. If he has one I’m taking it. No argument, Lauren. I’ll leave him a knife.”

    Roan watched them disappear into the woods. Jesus, that bastard’s really going to leave me here. My leg hurts like a bitch . He tried to stand, pain shot up his leg, knocking him back on his ass, causing his stomach to roll up and down with each movement. Every time he tried to get up, sweat poured off his forehead into his eyes burning them. He’d never sweated so much before. Taking his belt, he tied it around his wound to stop the bleeding. The skin ripped open, started oozing again, but not excessively. Thankfully, Rob missed the artery. Bad news for him, he wasn’t anywhere near the spring or his bag, so he couldn’t clean the wound.
    Jesus, they got right up in the damn movies when they were shot. What bullshit! Now I know. The body doesn’t react well to bullets. Well, duh.
    He must have passed out again because the sun was setting when he opened his eyes. Roan heard the animals in the woods and knew he had to get up and move if he wanted to live out the night.
    With all his strength he pushed to his feet. “Oh shit…fuck…crap…that bastard. When I catch him, I’m going to torture him for this.” Never once in his mind did it occur to him that he brought this on himself.
    Picking up a long stick, he used it to lean on. Cursing, he walked over to the bush and he bent down to retrieve his backpack from where he left it. With his leg dragging behind him he made his way to Rob’s cave. Too many predators out this time of night. Roan knew it was useless for him to try to make it back to his cave. He didn’t want to be someone’s supper. Hopefully, they left him some food and water. Maybe there was something he could use to care for his leg. Barely making it inside, he collapsed. The wound was throbbing, but the bleeding had slowed.

    Once they were in their SUV heading down the road they had taken up only four days ago though it seemed like a lifetime. Lauren felt safe. Both were silent, lost in their own thoughts. Trying to avoid looking at each other while they tried to process what had just occurred, until Lauren couldn’t take it another minute.
    “I don’t know you anymore, Rob.”
    “The bastard jumped me. What was I supposed to do?”
    “You weren’t supposed to shoot him. You already beat him up. You should’ve tied him up. We could have left when he was unconscious.” She turned in