**A/N: Welcome to my first fanfic! First and foremost, I own nothing. Twilight and all it's characters are property of Ms. Meyers. I'm just playing with them a little. No copyright infringement intended. Second, this story has a Mature rating for a reason. If you are under 18, please click the back button and exit. Third and lastly, I will try to update this as frequently as possible, so as not to leave you lovely readers hanging. Without further ado...on with the show!*****
I could feel the breath ripping painfully in and out of my lungs, burning like fire as my chest heaved. There were black spots filling the edges of my vision, but still I pushed my leaden legs forward. Smacking the pavement again and again in a frantic rhythm that my heart tried to outpace. The familiar doors in the distance seemed leagues away, and I knew I wasn't alone in that sentiment as Jasper cursed lowly on my right. Eyes scouring frantically, we sprinted, laying it all out for the promise of safety behind those double doors.
If we could just make it inside, we might have a chance.
Years, days, moments later we both collided into the doors with the force of our mad dash and tugged at the handles frantically, gasping. Locked.
"FUCK!" I screamed, the hysteria and maniacal need of our pursuers getting closer by the second.
"Move!" Jasper barked, aiming his pistol at the lock. I stepped away and scanned the treeline and quiet road, wondering how long we had. Ten minutes, at most. The bang of the gunshot was something I was now disturbingly accustomed with. I barely flinched. Wrenching the door away from the shattered lock, we ducked into the warm stale air of the sealed school with nearly simultaneous sighs. No direction was needed as we both started to shove desks and chairs from the nearest open classroom in front of the doorway.
Anything to buy us time.
Barricade in place, we took off for the second story stairs, shoes squeaking loudly on the linoleum. Any other time it might have been funny. Chests still heaving from our chaotic break for the shelter of the school, we made it to the science wing. The mundane Biology classroom seemed almost obscene in it's normalcy when every other fucking thing had dissolved into chaos. I wanted to rip it apart, just so it mirrored the madness I felt. Another makeshift barricade went up against the door to the classroom, and both our eyes reflected that we couldn't believe we had actually made it this far. But for now we had shelter, and a vantage point.
Ever the soldier, Jasper moved to hunker down behind the teacher's desk, and made busy inspecting his rifle. I grimaced at the trickle of blood that ran from over his eyebrow and the new scrapes and bruises along his battle-scarred hands.
This was all my fault.
"Stop feeling so goddamn guilty and check your weapons. I'm fine." Jasper gritted out, and I sighed. If he was in my position, I would be exactly where he was. Defending him with everything I had.
Groaning, I slowly lowered myself to sit next to him, and pulled my shotgun from behind my shoulders. I could still smell the smoke and gunpowder on it. I was reaching for my bag of ammo when the horde of voices slammed into my awareness and I groaned, hands instinctively going to my temples. Anything to try and stop the throbbing noise.
They had reached the school grounds.
Jasper doubled over, hands finally beginning to shake, eyes shut against the onslaught. He had lost his hold, and I could feel the hate and pain seeping out of him like poison gas. My insides twisted, witnessing his battle of control.
"That was fast! There must be more of them than we thought. Shit. Think we can hold them off, man?"
No reply.
"Jasper?" I pressed, his silence scaring me nearly more than anything today. Suddenly his eyes snapped open, and he craned his neck to stare at me, face contorted into abject hate and anguish. His normally steely blue eyes had gone the blood red that now haunted my every step, and I flung myself back. Tears streaming down my face, I scrambled to put distance between us, head shaking in denial.
"No, not you! Not you Jasper! I can't fucking do this alone!"
My best friend's hands trembled violently as he raised the rifle and peered down the sight, aiming directly at my heart. Pain, sorrow, rage all rolled off him in sickening waves until he finally gritted his teeth and put his finger on the trigger.
"Run!" He snarled, and for the briefest flash I saw the real Jasper come back.
Without pause, I threw myself through the second story classroom window, screaming in agony as I braced for impact.
The crack of a gun sounded not a moment later.
**A/N: There you have it. The prologue. Want more? Feel free to let me know. Chapter one will be up tomorrow!*****