“That doesn’t mean he’s dead.”
The guy looks like he’s around my dad’s age. He’s got a thick, dark beard and is wearing baggy pants and a lightweight jacket that’s ripped on the sleeve. His clothes are dirty and wrinkled, and I’m wondering if maybe he’s homeless.
I kneel down, feeling like I’m going to throw up. I’ve never been this close to a dead body, assuming he’s dead. There’s a chance he’s still alive.
I reach down to his wrist.
“Don’t touch him!” Briggs yells.
“I have to! I have to check for a pulse.” My hand’s shaking as I wrap my fingers around the guy’s wrist. I don’t feel a pulse, but it could be because I’m shaking so much. I inhale a deep breath.
“Do you feel anything?” Briggs asks.
“Not yet.” I move my fingers around, thinking I might be in the wrong spot.
“He’s dead,” Briggs says.
“We don’t know that. Just give me a minute.” I focus on my breath, trying to calm down. My hand stops shaking, and I press more firmly against his wrist. I think I feel something. It’s faint, but it’s there.
“Is he dead or not?” Parker asks, appearing next to Briggs.
“We don’t know yet,” Briggs says.
“He’s not.” I look up at them. “I can feel a pulse. He’s still alive.” I stand up and get out my phone. “I’ll call for an ambulance.”
Parker grabs my phone from me. “You’re not calling an ambulance! Are you fucking crazy?”
“A guy is lying here dying! We’re calling for help! Now give me my phone!” I try to take it, but he holds it too high for me to reach.
“What the hell’s taking so long?” Finn yells, coming up to us. “Let’s get out of here.”
I stare at him in disbelief. “You just hit a guy and you want leave?”
“If he’s dead, why the fuck would we stick around?”
“He’s not dead,” Parker says, staring down at the guy.
Briggs is oddly quiet. He’s usually the leader, but he’s not saying anything.
“So what are we gonna do?” Finn looks at Briggs to answer. Parker does too.
“I don’t know,” Briggs says, rubbing his jaw.
“I say we get the hell out of here,” Finn says. “If someone drives by and sees us, we’re fucked.”
“You’re saying we just leave him here to die?” I say, shocked he’d even suggest that. I knew these guys were assholes, but nothelping someone who’s dying is beyond being an asshole. It’s pure evil.
“I agree with Finn,” Parker says. “I say we get out of here. It’s not like we can help him. We’re not doctors.”
“I can’t believe you guys!” I look at them both. “You seriously want to leave a man to die? Not even call for help?”
Parker looks down at the guy. “Yeah, it’s wrong but I don’t know what to do. We can’t stay here.”
“Let’s go,” Briggs finally says. “Everyone get in the car.”
“We’re just leaving him here?” I say, furious that they’re all okay with this.
“We’ll go call for help, but we’re not doing it here,” Briggs says. “And we’re not using our phones. We’ll go to that gas station a few miles up that has a pay phone.”
