Frank's cell phone rang. It'd fallen so eerily silent in the lecture hall that when it did ring, everyone jumped out of their skin.
"Donovan."
"We got her."
Frank's shoulder's slumped and he sagged against the door even as he heard a baby screaming in the background and Monica's voice as she tried to calm her down.
"Take care of her... I'll see you both when we there." He shut off his phone and looked up at Wallace. "That was Cody. They're alright and they have Angelina."
Alex and Jake had heard the phone ring and were looking over at Frank anxiously. When they saw him slump against the doors, they feared the worst. It wasn't until they saw Wallace's relief and Frank reaching for the doors that they deduced it was really good news. Following Frank in, they all found Litha pressing Boone to the floor with her legs locked around his neck. Boone's face was turning a shade of purple and he too looked like he'd lost a fight with a stone wall. His nose was swollen and bloody, both of his eyes were turning a shade of blue and purple, his lips were bloody and he had smears of blood all over his face and neck. Litha didn't look too good herself. She had a black eye and a bloody nose in addition to a split lip. Blood was trickling down her chin from her mouth and she had smears of fresh blood on her shirt and hands.
"Get out Frank" she hissed and jerked Boone's neck a bit tighter.
"Let him go Litha. He's not worth it." Wallace stepped closer down the steps.
Litha's response was to jerk the gun from it's holster, cock the hammer and raise it to him. "I said GET OUT! I'm not letting him go until he tells me where they are!"
"He won't, you know that. But it doesn't matter. Dodge, Monica and Cody found them. It's over Litha, let him go and come back... I'll take you to our daughter..." Frank was pleading with her, his eyes dark with concern as he reached out a hand to her.
Litha's face froze. They found Lina... "Mother?"
"Yes, Elizabeth too... come on Lovely... let him go and we'll go see them both. Cody and Monica are on their way to the hospital, just to get affirmation that everything is alright."
Her legs relaxed from Boone's neck and she slid off of him. She sat there for a moment, gun lowered to the floor and in shock. It was over. Her baby was alright...
Frank and Wallace both helped her up and towards the doors. "It's alright Adam. I can walk on my own."
He nodded and left her to Frank's help. Alex and Jake moved back from them. Litha looked like hell, Boone not much better. None of them saw Boone's hand clench around Litha's forgotten twin pistol on the floor behind them all. Litha was trying to holster her gun, Frank's hand helping her slide it in. "Easy... you're going to be sore. Let's get you out of here and to the hospital. That nose is going to need some tending and so is your mouth."
"My other gun... I -" she turned around to go back down to get it.
Alex and Jake's eyes followed her and saw Boone's hand raising the gun, hammer cocked. Instantly they drew their guns and took aim. Wallace turned around to see what the noise was and Frank's head swiveled in time to see Boone's finger squeeze down on the trigger.
Simultaneous cracks shattered the room repeatedly as everything seemed to slow down to a crawl. Litha's body jerked once, Alex and Jake both squeezed off a shot... Wallace was reaching for his own gun under his jacket as Frank was reaching out to catch Litha... Boone's body jerked and a second shot fired from the gun in his hand... Alex squeezed off a second shot that threw Boone over onto his back, the gun flying out of his hand to clatter to the floor... Litha's body fell back into Frank's arms and he slid down to the floor...
Time sped up to normal again. Wallace was running down to check on Boone, Jake and Alex over towards Frank.
"CALL AN AMBULANCE!!"
****
"Donovan."
"We got her."
Frank's shoulder's slumped and he sagged against the door even as he heard a baby screaming in the background and Monica's voice as she tried to calm her down.
"Take care of her... I'll see you both when we there." He shut off his phone and looked up at Wallace. "That was Cody. They're alright and they have Angelina."
Alex and Jake had heard the phone ring and were looking over at Frank anxiously. When they saw him slump against the doors, they feared the worst. It wasn't until they saw Wallace's relief and Frank reaching for the doors that they deduced it was really good news. Following Frank in, they all found Litha pressing Boone to the floor with her legs locked around his neck. Boone's face was turning a shade of purple and he too looked like he'd lost a fight with a stone wall. His nose was swollen and bloody, both of his eyes were turning a shade of blue and purple, his lips were bloody and he had smears of blood all over his face and neck. Litha didn't look too good herself. She had a black eye and a bloody nose in addition to a split lip. Blood was trickling down her chin from her mouth and she had smears of fresh blood on her shirt and hands.
"Get out Frank" she hissed and jerked Boone's neck a bit tighter.
"Let him go Litha. He's not worth it." Wallace stepped closer down the steps.
Litha's response was to jerk the gun from it's holster, cock the hammer and raise it to him. "I said GET OUT! I'm not letting him go until he tells me where they are!"
"He won't, you know that. But it doesn't matter. Dodge, Monica and Cody found them. It's over Litha, let him go and come back... I'll take you to our daughter..." Frank was pleading with her, his eyes dark with concern as he reached out a hand to her.
Litha's face froze. They found Lina... "Mother?"
"Yes, Elizabeth too... come on Lovely... let him go and we'll go see them both. Cody and Monica are on their way to the hospital, just to get affirmation that everything is alright."
Her legs relaxed from Boone's neck and she slid off of him. She sat there for a moment, gun lowered to the floor and in shock. It was over. Her baby was alright...
Frank and Wallace both helped her up and towards the doors. "It's alright Adam. I can walk on my own."
He nodded and left her to Frank's help. Alex and Jake moved back from them. Litha looked like hell, Boone not much better. None of them saw Boone's hand clench around Litha's forgotten twin pistol on the floor behind them all. Litha was trying to holster her gun, Frank's hand helping her slide it in. "Easy... you're going to be sore. Let's get you out of here and to the hospital. That nose is going to need some tending and so is your mouth."
"My other gun... I -" she turned around to go back down to get it.
Alex and Jake's eyes followed her and saw Boone's hand raising the gun, hammer cocked. Instantly they drew their guns and took aim. Wallace turned around to see what the noise was and Frank's head swiveled in time to see Boone's finger squeeze down on the trigger.
Simultaneous cracks shattered the room repeatedly as everything seemed to slow down to a crawl. Litha's body jerked once, Alex and Jake both squeezed off a shot... Wallace was reaching for his own gun under his jacket as Frank was reaching out to catch Litha... Boone's body jerked and a second shot fired from the gun in his hand... Alex squeezed off a second shot that threw Boone over onto his back, the gun flying out of his hand to clatter to the floor... Litha's body fell back into Frank's arms and he slid down to the floor...
Time sped up to normal again. Wallace was running down to check on Boone, Jake and Alex over towards Frank.
"CALL AN AMBULANCE!!"
****