Everything seemed to happen in slow motion, the boom of a gun, the tear of the bullet through flesh and Alice stumbling back and falling to the floor.
"MUM!" Lauren screamed high pitched almost feral.
Alice touched her stomach, her fingers coming away coated in thick sticky fluid. She swore. Lauren grabbed her arm trying to pick her up, "C'mon mum we have to go!" she said breathlessly, staring at the blood slowly flowing from Alice.
Alice pushed her away. "Run!" she gasped. This wasn't supposed to be happening this way! "Get in the truck and go to your dad…." Alice looked past Lauren and saw Emma aim her gun on Lauren. Alice pushed her forcefully aside and a bullet whizzed past.
Lauren looked back at Emma, face pale and terrified.
"She has a gun!" Alice told her frantically. "GO NOW!"
"I….
"NOW!" Alice ordered.
Emma had sat up and was fumbling for more ammo. Lauren hugged her mum briefly then stumbled into the bush and disappeared. Alice rolled and pushed herself up to her knees. Was on her feet and fell against a tree, blood oozing.
Emma reached her and spun her, Alice fell back against the tree slumped against it.
"Well Alice, me and you, the way it should be!" Emma narrowed her eyes and shot Alice again, near to the original shot. Alice jerked and slid down the tree, her face coated in sweat, eyes half mast.
"I've waited so long for this day!" Emma laughed. "To see you broken, bleeding, an empty shell!"
"Lauren…got …away…she'll tell Danny….my girls….are safe…."
Emma laughed. "You think HE can keep them away from me? He doesn't have the best of track records does he? He couldn't protect you."
Alice's eyes darkened.
"I mean how easy was it for my dad to separate you? How easy was it for me to get you out here? This is the way he wants it Alice, as soon as you are dead he'll have the house and the money, yeah he'll have your brats but maybe if I kill them it'll do him a favour! Maybe he'll thank me."
Rage was clear to see on Alice's features and her face was hard.
"About your brats I may go find Lauren, let her watch you die. It'll be an enlightening experience for her."
Alice shook her head, "She's gone…."
"You think she'll leave you here knowing how hurt you are? You don't know her very well do you…." Emma smiled. "Well of course not I saw to that!" Emma was down on her haunches. "You did a good job, we both did. You taught her to love you, but I taught her loyalty. She won't leave you here, she's close by, planning how to save you. A kind of absolution for her sins, coz she has sinned you know. She almost killed you in the hotel that first morning, you were asleep on the sofa and the pillow was on the floor. She told me how she felt, how much she wanted to do it. She told me how she pushed Lily around, told me how she was splitting the family down the middle. She described it so vividly it was almost like I was there…..or maybe I was, in her!" the gun shaking as she spoke, eyes alight with madness.
Alice clenched her jaw, sweat trickling down her face, her eyes rolled and Emma pushed her so her body was tight against the tree. "Don't you dare pass out!" and pressed the gun against the blackened hole in Alice jumper. Blood oozed over the tip and Alice moaned loudly.
"You have NO idea what it was like growing up as Alice Collins stalkers kid!" she hissed, eyes focused on Alices intently. "I was hated! People spat on me! I had no life, my mum killed herself from the stress of it all. And YOU were in the papers every day, like a reminder, you were loved, getting married…..a good thing out of it all, you fell in love, but me?" she pressed the gun harder on the wound. "I WAS HIS BRAT!" voice full of rage. "That's when he spoke to me and told me what to do. I'm gonna do what my dad failed but I'm taking your kids too…."
"Danny won't let you, he'll keep them safe, he'll do anything….." her voice distant.
"The fun in this Alice, is watching him fall apart, if he loves you like you claim he does of course. My plan is to take you, then Lily, then Lauren and finally if I'm feeling merciful….."
"Leave my kids alone!" Alice warned voice strong and unwavering.
Emma moved the gun from the wound on her stomach to her forehead. "There's something I feel you should know before I kill you. It's the reason why I took Lauren and not Lily. It wasn't as random as you might think. Lily was such an active child back then wasn't she? Always running off, eager to investigate anything and everything, Lauren on the other hand used to stick close to her daddy, such a daddy's girl then wasn't she? Is she still like that now?"
"Shut up!" Alice warned. "Don't talk about my daughter like you know her!"
"I had numerous opportunities to take Lily Alice." Emmas voice snide. "I actually thought that I might have to take her but the one I wanted was Lauren, specifically.
Alice froze heart pounding unable to tear her eyes away from Emma.
I have your attention now huh?" Emma asked. "Who do you love Alice? Who made you happy when my whole life was falling apart? DANNY! He made you happy when I was in so much pain! I took Lauren because she looks like her dad. I took Lauren because I knew how much it would kill you to think of your mini Danny sat in a room all alone sobbing, begging to go home. I sat and laughed Alice, the louder she cried the more I laughed."
Alice was about to lunge for her when a dart whizzed through the air and grazed Emma's head. Emma fell on her hands and Lauren ran from no where and hit her head with the butt of the gun three times. Emma lay on the ground, definitely unconscious this time.
"Lauren?" Alice breathed.
Lauren picked up Emma's gun and threw it into the bush then put her mums arm around her shoulders and started dragging her towards the car. "I couldn't radio dad, I didn't know the frequency, but I found the dart gun and knew what I had to do to the crazy bitch!"
Alice nodded. "You did good…." the truck appeared in the distance. They went to it and Lauren helped Alice inside. "It's…." she saw a flash of colour in the bush and quieted. "You drive…." pulled open the vet box which was on the drivers seat.
"Me?" Lauren gasped.
Alice kept glancing in the bush and was sure she saw Emma's face. "Just steer and press the peddles! I'll deal with the gears."
Lauren moved the box and climbed in and turned the key. When Lauren's head was turned Alice grabbed something from the box and pressed it on the wound. The truck began to move slowly, Lauren put on more pressure and they were on their way.
Alice was pulling materials out of the box looking for anything that would help. Lauren glanced at her.
"Head for the road on the right." Alice ripped open more bandages, wadded them up, pressed down and swore profusely. She noticed the terrified look in her daughters eyes. "Your stomach ok?" She asked Lauren softly.
"I put some bandages on before I came back to you."Alice heard the faint sound of a truck in the distance and knew they were being watched.
"Your dad….will sort it…." Alice winced. "Left…" sweat trickling down her forehead.
"You'll be ok mum." Lauren told her gently making the truck move faster. "It'll stop hurting soon."
Alice nodded. "Pain is good... pain means I'm still alive." her eyes drifting closed.
"No mum don't sleep! Talk to me!" Lauren panicked.
"You could sing me a song." Alice suggested.
"You sing me a song." Lauren countered. "A really good one." anything to keep her mum awake.
Alice smiled nostalgically. "I have a song for you actually, found it a few weeks ago."
"Go on then!" Lauren told her turning the wheel.
Alice took a breath and sang a song low and heartfelt, put all her pain in the line. "I had no chance to watch you grow, so sadly beautiful." eyes losing their light. "You have your fathers hair and your fathers nose but you have my soul…." Alice voice growing softer and lower.
Lauren could barely see the road for the tears blurring her vision. "You're gonna get better right?" Lauren pleaded.
"Yeah…" Alice breathed, raised her hand and dropped it on Laurens. "Can't keep us Trevanion's down huh?"
"Don't do this to me mum." Lauren whispered, knowing Alice was lying, she swallowed sob. The house appeared in the distance and Lauren floored the accelerator. "Nearly home, tell me what to do!"
Alice head was rested back on the seat, eyes almost closed. "Get your dad." Alice told her. "Take care… of yourself…and Lily…you're stronger….than her…."
Lauren nodded and jumped out of the truck as soon before the truck stopped. She fell to her knees but scrambled up into the house. Alice turned her head away.
"DAD!" Lauren yelled running into the house. Danny appeared from the living room and when he saw his daughter his jaw dropped. She was covered in mud and blood, her face bruising. "Lauren what's happened?"
She grabbed his hand and pulled him to the door. "Mum needs you!"
As he was being pulled outside He took out his phone and dialled a number, his voice deserted him again when he spotted Alice. 2 pads were resting limply against her stomach which was bleeding slowly. Her hands hung limply by her sides, those two smeared with red. The chair she was sitting on was drenched, blood dripping onto a small puddle on the floor of the truck. "Ambulance please, Leopards Den urgent!" then he tossed the phone aside, ran down the stairs and was by Alice's side. He knelt in the truck lifted the pads gently and saw her two wounds. "Oh Jesus!" he breathed sickness filling him when he saw she'd been shot twice! "Alice….Alice sweetheart do you hear me?"
Her eyes seemed to focus onto his at the sound of his voice. "It's good to say you." she whispered voice distant. "Hi honey."
He examined the wound again, grabbing fresh pads from his box, sickness filled him as the blood on the floor seemed to be growing, her lips and tongue were red too. "What happened to you huh?" he asked voice shaking trying to be flippant, like she wasn't dying in front of him….dying…. He began rooting in his box again while putting pressure on the wound on her stomach.
Alice began to giggle inappropriately, proof of her delerium. "An accident." she laughed more. "I got in the way of a gun, twice. Bad Alice. Bad bad Alice." her chuckles subsiding as she quieted looking into the distance.
Danny glanced at the front door and saw Lily stood there, her face terrified, eyes wide. "Lily cally Mandy to come and get you and Lauren." he said.
Alice grabbed his hand tightly. "YOU need to stay with them." her eyes no longer unfocused but full of fire. She squeezed his hand and he looked at their joined hands, felt a pain in his chest. He lifted his eyes to look at her face. "Emma's here! Promise me you won't leave them! Promise me!" her voice slowly growing weaker, the fire in her eyes diminishing.
"Sweetheart…." he said voice breaking.
"Who's here?" Lily asked tears on her face.
Lauren appeared behind her with her a clean -shirt on, holding her stomach. "Doesn't matter." Laurens voice raspy, her eyes red rimmed.
"Lily get my box." he asked then added softly. "These pads are soaked through. She wasn't going to last long with all the blood she was losing….
Lily pushed passed Lauren to get inside, Laurens back hit the doorframe and she winced.
"We were good huh?" Alice asked Danny softly.
Blood oozed under his fingers and he grabbed the blue sheet from out of the box in the truck. "Lauren lay this in the back of the truck."
Lauren moved as quickly as she could, spread the sheet quickly then returned to the veranda which was helping to keep her upright.
Danny had picked up Alice, and her clothes saturated with blood left him coated. He lay her in the back and she flopped down.
"Alice?" he demanded.
"Everything is so blurry." she mused looking up at the blue sky. "And shimmering, its pretty and bright.
"To answer your question. "We are good" he told her heatedly. "We ARE!"
She looked up at him and swallowed painfully. "It passed so quick….all we've done…all we…." she trailed off breathless.
Danny put his hand on her cheek. "Stay with me sweetheart."
"I…I loved you from the beginning." smiled nostalgically, eyes glassy panting. "You stood…looking all superior, taking no rubbish…." she smiled. "I liked that." inhaled sharply. "I thought smart and good looking…..I might marry him…."
Lily arrived with the box, he took it. Lily stood by Lauren on the veranda, both of their faces stoic. Danny was throwing things out of the box he couldn't use. "You'll be ok sweetheart, I promise you'll be ok." he told Alice eyes full of tears knowing he was losing her. Rage filled him suddenly and he pushed the box away. "I CAN'T USE THIS!" his heart pounding. "Alice…." his voice breaking as the rage drained as quick as it came. "I can't do this without you."
"You made me laugh…." carried on like she hadn't heard or seen his outburst. Her body jerked forward and she vaulted up. He caught her and their hands joined. She exhaled a large breath as he rested her back down, her head turned to the side.
Danny turned to his girls. "LILY LAUREN INSIDE!" he shouted. They didn't need to see this.
He turned back to Alice, her face full of pain, hands fisting the sheet tightly, blood trickling from her mouth. Eyes rolling to the back of her head, blood wouldn't stop flowing!
"I love you…" she panted, her voice even sounding like it was in pain.
He wasn't doing this! He refused to say goodbye! "KIDS!" he roared.
Lily and Lauren remained where they were.
He closed his eyes and pressed a closed his against his head.
"Our girls…." a shudder wracked through Alice, her hands and clothes covered in her own blood. Her eyes growing dimmer, she was loosing too much blood. "I love…I love.…" she was blinking slowly almost like she was tired.
"Alice come on." he whispered, his tears falling on her face. "Don't do this, not here, not now."
"You forgot…. The little….p word…" she gasped.
"What? tears falling fast now. "Prat?" his voice breaking.
Alice lay still looking up at the clear blue sky, "It's ok really….." she whispered. "I'll be….. ok." Alice told him softly, a tear fell from her eye as they drifted closed. "You need….. to be strong I…." Alice exhaled softly and that was it.
Danny started hyperventilating. "No." he gasped and started CPR. "No….no….come on sweetheart! Don't do this to me!" he hung his head, hands stopping, his body losing all strength. "Please." he rested his head on her chest tears flowing down his face, he was quiet for a moment. "Remember Alice." he whispered so low so only she could hear. "Remember when the girls were born. Remember when we got married. Remember in Canada. Remember the snow? You loved the snow, remember thinking we were going to be snowed in our log cabin and not caring? Remember the cold? Remember walking hand in hand the snow falling on our faces? Remember one fell on you face and you…..you laughed…your eyes twinkled…." barely able to speak past the lump in his throat the ache in his chest growing with every word. "If you remember you won't leave…."
Alice remained unmoving, no sound came from her.
He clenched his jaw as grief hot and overpowering flooded him. Sirens wailed in the distance.
Lily and Lauren approached. "Dad?" Lily whispered tears falling.
He was sat in the back of the truck obscuring their mother so they couldn't see her in a this state. He wanted them to remember her as she was. "Go in the house please," he croaked.
"But mum…." Lily began.
He exhaled a shaky breath his face pale and tear stained. "Please go inside."
Lauren saw the look on their dad's face and knew he was barely holding everything together. She took Lily's arm and they walked up the stairs. As they headed inside they saw an ambulance pull up.
As the ambulance technicians approached Danny walked up to them. They spoke and they nodded solemnly and Alice was put on a stretcher, before she was placed inside Danny pressed a soft kiss to her head. "I love you always." he promised. She was placed inside and they left. Danny watched it go then walked up to the house, heart heavy, shoulders slumped. He found Lily and Lauren in the living room. Lauren beside a first aid kit.
"Here I'll do that." he croaked noticing she was holding her stomach.
She shook her head silently.
"Lauren?" he asked.
"Dad…." she whispered.
He sat beside her and moved her arms slowly, pushed her t-shirt up to reveal her stomach all covered in bandages. "What's this?"
"Emma had me." she whispered.
He stood up and took her arm gently. "We'd better get you to hospital."
Then he grabbed some keys to a car and left the house. All three people ignored the blood soaked truck as they left.
A/N well you found out why emma took Lauren and no it wasn't random
alot of you mentioned you wanted me to kill Emma and i wanted to...but nope it was Alice...how is the family going o react, but more importantly how is emma going to react?
I am going to try and get the next chapter up tonight but who knows I still have deadlines Eugh! x