Disclaimer: I don't own anything OC related.

AUTHOR'S NOTE & WARNING: This fic contains disturbing images and ideas. It involves a shooting at school and should be read at your own risk.

-Please forgive the author for starting a new fic with others still in progress, the author apologizes but blames it all on her muse. The author has a long weekend coming up and a new episode of the OC on Wednesday as well and promises to update everything on Monday.

"There's been a shooting, Sandy, at one of the high schools," Rachel announces, walking into his office.

"What?"

"It's on all the police scanners. Harbor Heights?"

"Damn, that's Seth and Ryan's school…" Sandy gasps, already holding his phone to his ear.

*****

"Ryan. Ryan. She's gone…come on, man…please…" Seth's voice barely penetrates the screaming in the crowded cafeteria. He's sticky.

*****

"Say that again, Sandy?" Kirsten asks her husband as she stops at a stoplight.

"There's been a shooting at the kid's school and I'm heading over there," Sandy repeats.

"I'll meet you there," Kirsten says, pulling a U-turn as soon as the light changes.

*****

"Ryan, please, stop it…oh god…" Summer's cries are inside his head. He registers her thin arms clinging to him from behind. He's holding Marissa and she's cold. All her warmth has puddled in the floor below them. It's soaked in his skin. Red.

Suddenly the sprinklers come on, soaking them all in cold water as the police and paramedics burst into the room. Kids start streaming from the cafeteria in panic, even though the threats are gone. Luke and Ryan took care of them.

When the first shots were fired, Ryan was standing with Marissa, his arm around her waist. Luke had just made eye contact with him, a glare of jealousy that put Ryan on instant alert. Ryan had reacted instantly, pushing Marissa to the floor and pulling Seth down with them with his free hand.

That's when he first felt the stickiness. Sticky and red.

*****

"Sandy!" Kirsten finds her husband with a crowd of other parents in the parking lot of the school. Police and rescue vehicles are taking up the lawn of the school.

"They won't tell us anything, they just got inside a few minutes ago…a couple of kids took guns into the cafeteria, they said that there were definite injuries but that the gunmen were immobilized…" Sandy tells her in a rush, embracing her.

"Do you know if the boys were there?" Kirsten asks.

"I don't know anything, Kirsten, we're just waiting now, they're bringing kids out over there," Sandy points to a small area a few yards away flocked with police officers.

*****

"Ryan? We need to take her, son…" Ryan vaguely recognizes his chemistry professor.

Ryan can't speak but he doesn't protest as they take Marissa from his arms.

When he had realized that Marissa had been hurt, he blanked out. She was gasping and holding her stomach and he covered the holes with his hands as Summer started to scream.

"Ryan!"

Luke's voice was so panicked that Ryan had glanced up. Luke made a motion toward the gunfire and Ryan had nodded, not thinking.

"Seth. Hold your hands here…do it…" Ryan muttered to his friend. Seth obeyed, too shocked to refuse.

Ryan glanced up and saw the backs of the two shooters. He motioned to Luke and they both sprang into action from opposite directions. Ryan took down the one closest to him with a tackle that broke a table and successfully knocked the gun across the floor.

Luke was on the floor with the other kid and slammed his head into the floor twice until he stopped moving. Ryan released the shooter and several of Luke's friends pulled him away.

"Ryan!" Summer yelled and Ryan made his way back to Marissa, falling to his knees.

"Ryan…don't leave me…" Marissa breathed as Ryan took her in his arms, holding his hands over the bleeding holes in her body.

"I'm not going anywhere, baby…" Ryan whispered. He could see in her eyes that she was gone. And he was gone, too.

"Hey," He whispered, willing her to meet his eyes. "You know I love you, right?"

She smiled with a gasp as her strength wavered. "Always?"

"Always," He replied as she closed her eyes.

"Ryan? Ryan?" Summer's frantic voice had made him look at her and she knew. Seth automatically embraced her as she started to wail.

"Ryan? Man, please, look at me, man…come on!" Seth's voice finally breaks through and he glances up.

"Seth…"

"Thank god…can you get up?" Seth's face is streaked with tears and Summer is attached to him. Seth is holding her trembling body tightly against him. "We have to get out of here…"

Ryan can't move. Finally after a long pause, he stands up, swaying. He falls into a table, staggering as he holds himself upright.

"Ryan?" Seth calls, reaching for him.

"I got it…" Ryan says after a pause. He starts toward the exit but stops cold, turning to face Seth. "Are you alright? Did they get you?" He asks, suddenly, pulling at Seth's bloodstained clothes.

"No, Ryan, no…just Marissa…" Seth whispers, taking Ryan's arms by the wrists.

Ryan slowly nods. Someone pulls on his sleeve and he turns and starts toward the exit.

The sunlight is startling and it takes his breath. He's going to be sick. He breaks out in a run and falls to his knees between an ambulance and a police car, emptying his stomach. Marissa's dead and he can't breathe, he can't be here…

"Ryan…" Seth is beside him with a paramedic. "He's okay…"

"I want you to take a deep breath," The lady urges, holding out an oxygen mask.

"No, I'm okay…" Ryan coughs but she forces him to take several deep breaths from the oxygen.

"Better?" She asks. Ryan nods. "Are you hurt?"

"No…just Marissa," Ryan mutters, getting to his feet with Seth's hand steadying him.

*****