Going Bush

“Where’s Ike?” Taylor asked, rubbing his face worriedly as they began to head in a direction to the right angle of where he’d come.
“He’s at the ranger station, where I’m taking you. You just keep going straight-“
A sudden blast rang through the air, and Zac stopped mid sentence as Taylor almost jumped out of his skin.
“What was that?!” Taylor exclaimed softly, looking around warily.
The blast had seemed so close.
Zac grabbed his arm, before he started to cough.
“Zac?” Taylor frowned, looking down as his brother hunched over.
That’s when he noticed him clutching his chest, and the blood that was seeping from between his fingers.
“Oh no, ZAC?!” Taylor cried, following his brother to his knees.
Zac then fell onto his back, and Taylor pulled his hand away to get a look at the wound.
“Oh… oh my God,” he breathed, his eyes wide.
Instinctively he began to apply pressure to the wound.
“Zac? Zac? Hold on, please,” he pleaded, shaking his head, “come on man, I’ll get you to the station. They’ll call an ambulance. You’ll be fine. Zac? Zac?!”
“I’m afraid that’s not entirely true,” came a new voice.
Taylor froze, his eyes widening instantly. Zac continued to choke. Taylor heard the sound of a gun arming behind him.
“Get him.”
Taylor felt rough hands on his shoulders, as Nate pulled him up and away from Zac.
“Who’s this? A friend?” the larger of the two men indicated Zac on the ground, raising an eyebrow at Taylor.
“He’s… he’s my brother. Please, let me help him,” he almost cried, trying to get to him again.
Nate held him back and Taylor cringed.
“He should be dead in a few minutes. Best you don’t worry about him. Now, where were we…?”
“No, ZAC?!” Taylor practically screamed as they had to literally half drag him away.
Zac couldn’t reply, the taste of blood in his mouth. He managed to roll onto his side in time to see the three men disappear from sight, before coughing blood onto the ground.
He slowly managed to reach for his phone, and he slowly dialed for Isaac.
Hearing him pick up, he tried to say something.
“I… Ike? I’ve been shot,” he managed to croak out.
“Zac?!” came Isaac’s worried voice, “where are you? Where’s Taylor?”
“They… have, him,” Zac managed to get out, “back… to… camp. Help.”
With that, he fainted.

*

“Hello? Hello?” Isaac fretted on the other end of the phone line.
“What’s happened?” came a constable’s voice, noting Isaac’s obvious distress.
“My brother’s been shot,” Isaac said seriously, turning around, “please, call an ambulance. He’s somewhere between where we were camping and here.”
“Certainly,” the constable nodded, then rushed to organize something.
Isaac bit his lip, remembering what Zac had said about Taylor.
At least Taylor seemed fine. Zac was the one he had to worry about now.