Julian laughed and pulled the trigger. In an instant, I saw that Leah wasn't going to move. She was going to take the shot and die as she said she would have. I tried to force my body to go shield her, but I couldn't move. I watched helplessly as the bullet moved towards Leah..

The gunshot echoed through my ears, and it seemed the whole world stopped. Everyone was paralyzed with fear, as Leah dropped to the ground beside me. I watched as Julian and his followers exited the bar and out into the night. 'Why can't I move?' I asked myself. Nothing was responding. and the emotion that controlled me was alien to me.

I could hear my own heartbeat echo throughout my mind as I looked down into the puddle of blood that was steadily surrounding Leah. I dropped to my knees and grabbed her up in my arms and held her. Tears ran freely down my cheeks and landed on her as I held on tightly. I cursed myself for being so stupid, for not moving, for even letting Julian get close to her. I couldn't even accept this new reality: the woman I loved was dying in front of me while I could do nothing but watch.