Fix You
Chapter Three
Bella's POV
There's blood everywhere.
It's pooling rapidly by my leg and I can feel that it's warm and wet, slowly saturating my clothes. I'm using all my strength not to look down or over to the left but there's something pulling my eyes that way. I know that, if I take a glimpse, the image will be scorched into my brain for the rest of my life, yet some invisible rope helplessly makes me do so. The curiosity is overwhelming and it overtakes my common sense.
I glance over for the briefest of seconds, but that's all it takes, and a strangled sob escapes from my lips; the sound echoes eerily around the quiet room.
The middle aged man from earlier is slumped forward, still attached to the table leg with duct tape, and I can clearly see the stain around his chest where the bullet recklessly tore through him. His eyes are wide open from shock and will stay that way in death, and they stare lifelessly at the floor, never able to see another image again.
None of us even knew his name.
Victoria, who's positioned directly beside him, is clearly trying to look calm, but the way that her bottom lip is quivering tells me that she's breaking apart inside, and I wouldn't blame her one bit; a man has just died a few inches away from her.
There's movement from my right and I drag my eyes over to look at Carlisle; in all honesty, I'd completely forgotten that he was there. I try to make my face move as we look at one another, but nothing happens. Instead, I just feel hot tears burning my cheeks. Without making a noise, he just stares at me with his mouth slightly open, and the fear there in his eyes makes a shiver travel across my skin. He seemed so calm before and this contrast is terrifying.
"Why are you doing this, James?"
We both jump when Victoria suddenly erupts from the corner, anger and desperation dripping from her voice, and I see now that she's shaking violently; the panic she'd been trying so hard to contain has clearly grown out of her control. In response to the loaded question, James just smirks and casually saunters over to kneel in front of her.
Oh God, not her too...
"Why do you think, Vicky?" he replies. He rests his arm on her shoulder and the gun points in my direction. Unable to bear what could happen, I just close my eyes and listen, trying to imagine I'm somewhere else.
"I haven't done anything wrong," she whispers weakly and I picture that I'm merely hearing a minor argument; I'm still in the cafe drinking coffee happily. It's all perfectly normal.
"Don't give me that bullshit!"
His loud voice shatters the fantasy and my eyes snap open back to reality. Now, the gun's against Victoria's temple and the urge to cry is overwhelming once again.
Why is this happening to us? We're all good people, we don't deserve this-
"Bella... Bella."
My body stiffens noticeably when Carlisle quietly says my name. I give him an incredulous look; does he have a death wish? Despite this, he meets my eyes and somehow manages to pull me in for a brief moment. "It'll be okay," he murmurs.
I quickly glance over to James and see that he's still busy taunting Victoria, seemingly oblivious to everything else. Reluctantly, I look back to Carlisle and sigh. "I'm finding that hard to believe."
"Have a little faith."
"Faith? A caring God wouldn't put us through this." My voice almost sounds like a hiss and for one terrifying moment I fear that James might have heard, but he seems to be absorbed in all things Victoria and doesn't even move. All I can think is that she must have done something awful for him to react like this.
"Just trust me, Bella," he replies eventually. "I'll get us out of this."
"You shouldn't make promises that you have no way of keeping." My voice breaks during my reply and I stare down at my hands desperately.
"Bella, if this is going to work then we need to trust one another."
After glancing over to my left, I sigh, feeling suddenly drained. "We've only just met."
"Well it's a good job I already feel a connection with you, then."
I stare at him in surprise but he just looks steadily back at me, tilting his head as an indication for me to speak. When he does so, a strand of his blond hair falls onto his forehead and I find it hard to grasp any words.
"This shouldn't be happening," is all I can manage.
"Why's that?"
My blood runs cold the instant I hear James' voice, and he steps over to block my vision, taking away the light and covering me with the darkness of his shadow. Mirroring his actions towards Victoria, he kneels down and positions himself a few inches away from my face. His warm breath fans my cheek and his dark eyes bore into mine; I also feel a painful pressure on my leg and, after flickering my eyes down there, I realise that it's the gun.
It's suddenly difficult to breathe, and my chest rises and falls frantically in an attempt to get air.
Each one could be my last breath.
"Did you not hear me?" He presses the gun harder down onto my leg with each syllable and I wince, feeling the cold barrel against my skin. "Why shouldn't this be happening?"
I want to say so much, to scream and claw at him, but nothing comes out; my lips just won't co-operate and they keep shaking.
"Why do you think?"
Carlisle's voice makes me jump and I half-expect everything to implode.
James' eyes flash over to him and they narrow dangerously. He's locked onto his next target like a predator taunting its prey and I suddenly want the attention back on me; I can barely bear to think of Carlisle getting hurt, and that puzzles me.
Perhaps he's right about us connecting; the thought of him being in any kind of pain makes me feel sick.
I vaguely wonder if he feels the same way.
Then the fact that there's a man pointing a gun at him hits me like a punch to the stomach and I protest without even thinking. "Don't, please!" They both turn to face me and a menacing grin crawls onto James' face, while Carlisle's eyes just widen even further in disbelief.
"Oh, you can speak now?" the predator sneers. "Defending your boyfriend, eh?"
I swallow and try to find some words. "You s-shouldn't be doing this."
"Oh, really?" The gun presses down against my leg once again and I think helplessly back to how normal things were just under an hour ago. "I'm the one who's in control here."
"You've got no right deciding who lives and dies," I say in a rush, regretting each word just a little too late. "You're not God," I add limply. After stealing a quick glance at Carlisle, I see that he looks horrified; his eyes are wide, staring at me intensely.
I've really over-stepped the line this time; it's always been a habit of mine but now it could be the last time I ever do it.
When he starts to raise the gun, I close my eyes and focus on the images flicking rapidly through my mind; I think of my parents, of all my friends that I've drifted out of contact with, of the man next door that I've never bothered talking to who always looks so depressed and lonely...
The regrets just won't stop attacking me.
"This really is fun."
James laughs darkly and I slowly open my achingly raw eyes to look around; he's moved away from us and the gun is now back in Victoria's direction. I shouldn't feel relief, but it's the most dominant emotion that overcomes me. I chew on the inside of my lip and try to stop myself from breaking down.
My chest hurts, my eyes are stinging, my throat is raw, and my stomach is in knots of anxiety that will take a long time to be untangled.
I'm not normally this selfish.
"Don't do that again."
Carlisle speaks once more and, when I carefully turn towards him, I see that his eyes actually seem to be blazing with a hint of anger. It makes another shiver travel across my skin and give him a confused frown. "I helped you," I whisper.
"You might have gotten yourself killed," he replies frantically.
"I could say the same for you!"
He sighs and shakes his head. "I guess we're even, then. Just don't do anything reckless that might end up hurting you... I couldn't deal with that."
"Why not?" I can't help asking and wait curiously for his answer; speaking to this man brings a small moment of relief that I need to savour and cling to.
I might be imagining it - it wouldn't be surprising giving the circumstances - but a little pink flushes his cheeks. Is that because...? No, of course it's not because of me; it's because there's a mad gunman in the same room who could shoot at any moment.
Whenever it's put like that, my stomach seems to flip over and spread nausea through my entire body.
"Because, Bella, I... I have this instinct to protect you."
He speaks in a rush and I can only nod numbly. I don't know how to feel.
All I know is that I have to trust this stranger so that all of us innocent victims can somehow make it out of here alive.
Not much to ask, then.