Page 80 of I’m The Worst

“Listen to me.” I grab her chin, forcing her eyes to mine. “We are getting the fuck out of here. You stay with me. No matter what. You hear me, solnyshko?”

She nods frantically.

“Good. Now move.”

I grab a gun and knife off the corpse, check the mag—only ten fucking bullets. What kind of dumbfuck walks around with half a clip. No wonder he didn’t last longer.

I shove the door open.

Cold air floods the hallway. It’s empty. For now.

Grabbing her wrist, I pull her left, down the dark corridor. Heavy boots echo somewhere ahead. We’re not getting out without a fight.

A door cracks open up ahead.

We freeze.

I shove AJ behind me and raise the gun. Two men step out. I fire twice—center mass. Both drop.

AJ whimpers, her hands gripping my waist.

“Keep moving.”

I grab her again, shoulder pulses as I drag her toward the stairwell. My head pounds so hard I can barely see straight. The floor feels like it’s tilting under me.

More boots pound from the other end of the hall.

Fuck. “AJ, run!”

I spin around and shove her toward the stairs, then raise the gun and fire down the corridor. Men scatter and return fire. Bullets slam into the wall beside my head, the concrete flying in our path. I back up fast, boots slipping in blood. The second I turn, something heavy slams into my side.

I’m thrown against the wall.

AJ screams.

The impact rattles my skull all over again. I clench my teeth to stifle a groan as pain bursts behind my eyes.

I twist, knife already in hand, and slam it into the gut of the motherfucker who tackled me. He grunts. Ripping the blade free, I stab it between his ribs—again, again, again—until he stops moving.

More men are coming. Too fucking many.

We’re out of time.

I shove the body off me and grab AJ by the arm, rushing with her toward the stairs. We stumble up two steps at a time. My boots keep slipping in blood, and my head is spinning so badly the stairs feel like they’re moving.

AJ is breathing so heavily she can barely stand.

I fire behind us blindly. Someone screams.

We reach the top of the stairs. A long hallway stretches ahead.

I push her forward. “Run!”

She doesn’t hesitate, and I cover her, firing until the slide locks back empty.

I take a breath and keep moving. But the walls are shifting before me. My feet are stumbling. I can feel warm blood running down the side of my face from a gash I don’t remember getting.

I’m slowing down.