Chapter 3

Can you hear my heart beating like a hammer?
Beating like a hammer?
Help, I'm alive, my heart keeps beating like a hammer
Hard to be soft
Tough to be tender

Come take my pulse, the pace is on a runaway train
Help, I'm alive, my heart keeps beating like a hammer
Beating like a hammer

If you're still alive
My regrets are few
If my life is mine
What shouldn't I do?
I get wherever I'm going
I get whatever I need
While my blood's still flowing
And my heart still beats...
Beating like a hammer
Beating like a hammer

Help, I'm alive by Metric

E&BE&BE&BE&BE&BE&BE&BE&BE&BE&B

I was pretty sure that I had looked at the classical section at least twenty times just so I wouldn't look up at him, I really needed to get a grip, I was pretty sure he was taken. I sighed; the good ones are always taken! I was alone all the time.

Moving on to another section once the sex god went to the back of the store, I went to look at what he had in rock. I wasn't exactly picky at music, I liked anything as long as it wasn't rap, had good lyrics and o nice beat.

Looking around the store again, silently telling me it wasn't checking to see if he had come out again, I noticed there were people running outside the store. Some were frantic and some yelling. I stayed rooted where I was but the others didn't. I saw a man walk up to the front of the store and peer out into the mall. Whatever he saw caused him to bolt towards the mall exit. There was screaming everywhere now and I was looking around to see what was happening.

I saw a man walk into the store, dressed in black. I looked around quickly. Everyone was running out the door and he was holding his gun up. I froze, not knowing what to do. He shot his gun quickly and yelled.
''EVERYONE GET TO THE FOOT COURT OR I WILL SHOOT YOU ALL!' I had felt all of my breath come out of my body and crumpled in pain. I could feel and hear everyone running past me. I dropped down to the floor clutching my ribs and stomach, gasping. Hopefully the man wouldn't see me and leave. It was suddenly quiet and I looked up in fear at the wall that was behind me. In one of the records rested a bullet covered in blood. Well, that record was permanently ruined with my blood. I wondered if I would have to pay for that.

I could feel my heart beating at a maddening pace and my breath was speeding up. My vision was clouding and I lay down on the ground. I knew Alice would be sad because she would have one of her bride's maids missing for her wedding. Well, she was going to miss me too. She would be mad at me because I died in a mall while she wasn't there.

My father would be sad; he had lost my mother and now lost me. I prayed that those mothers and children had gotten out safe. This was a traumatic incident that they didn't need to see. I hoped that a senior citizen with a heart condition didn't die because of the gunmen. I didn't know if there was only that one guy but there has got to be right? I mean, we're in a mall. Who takes hostages in a mall? There are at least a hundred and fifty people walking around here, a lot more.

This whole incident was something that wasn't supposed to happen. Did the guy get bullied? Did they need money? Did they need an escape? Did they want revenge? Who knew!

All I knew was that I was going to die. I wasn't shot in the heart but a bullet wound near the heart that goes right through you wasn't something good. I would eventually die from too much blood loss. I wonder who would find me. I was ready to die; I didn't exactly have a real family left. Alice would be fine, she had Jasper. My mother would be fine because she had Phil and Charlie had his job and his fishing. I was just an editor that lived in a medium sized apartment that had nothing.

Lastly I hoped that sex god would be safe, I hoped he was. He had someone to go to most likely; he might lose some customers because I died in his store. Ouch, that wasn't a good thing then? Maybe I should hope for something else... I hoped he wasn't the one to find me. It would be pathetic. My insides clenched at the thought and I could feel sweat starting to coat my hairline. My hand was covered in blood and I started to feel nauseous. I try to sit up but groaned in pain and gasped for breath. It would be a while until I died.

I could feel footsteps making their way towards me; I closed my eyes and lay still trying not to breath. If it was the gunmen, maybe he would think I was dead! I heard a gasp and the footsteps moving faster. They dropped to their knees in front of me. Cold hands brushed my hair aside and two fingers searched out my pulse point. They sighed and nudged me. The pain they inflicted burned and I gasped and groaned, my breath becoming laboured.
"Wake up! Please wake up you beautiful girl! Don't die! Don't fall asleep; c'mon let me see those eyes?" I opened my eyes to find the one person I least expected: sex god.