The noise in the commons is nearly deafening. Jack pushes through the crowd, searching for Amelia.
She sneaks up behind him and grabs him around the waist. He turns around, smiling, and kisses her forehead. "You surprised me."
"That was my intent."
"Isn't it always?" He asks with a small smile. She stands up on her tiptoes and kisses him once, softly, on the lips, then pulls back. He puts a finger under her chin and examines her face. "You look exhausted. How late…"
A gunshot shatters through the sound and cuts off his words. The crowd surges and panics. Amelia shrieks and he holds her close, looking up to see where the shot had come from.
The gunman is standing just inside the doors of the school, laughing. With careless ease, he cocks the gun and shoots a nearby police officer.
Jack tugs at Amelia's arm, eyes locked on the gunman. "Amelia, come on. We've got to get out of here."
"Jack…" Her breath comes sharp and fast. She's hyperventilating. "Jack, he has a gun!"
Jack tugs on her arms, trying to pull her away from the killer. Most of the crowd has disappeared into various hallways, but Amelia is frozen to the spot. Eyes glowing with malevolence find her, and shift to Jack's face.
"Did you know that sometimes, when confronted with death, sometimes prey will freeze rather than run?" the man asks. He walks up to Jack, staring directly into his eyes, and presses the muzzle of the gun against Amelia's head.
The man's voice rises. "If you move, I will kill her."
Jack glances around and sees about six police officers standing around, pointing their guns at the man.
"Tell me your name," he says, examining Jack with eyes that burn with insanity.
"Jack," the boy replies tightly.
A smile splits the killer's face. "Hello, Jack. I'm Chance."
For a long moment, there is no sound but Amelia's breathing.
"Tell me her name."
"Amelia," Jack says.
"Amelia. Pretty name. Pretty girl. Tell you what, Amelia. If you run away, I won't shoot you or your boyfriend. I'll let the both of you get away. How's that?"
Jack looks down at her. "Amelia, run."
"I… I can't…" she gasps, verging on sobs.
Chance smiles. "See what I mean? When confronted with death, prey will sometimes freeze, even if they have the chance to escape."
Panicking, Jack pushes at Amelia, but she won't move. Her breath is short and hard; her pupils dilated impossibly wide. She's in shock. Fear, hot and sharp, bubbles up in Jack's chest, and he meets the killer's eyes.
"Why?" he asks.
"Why what?"
"Why are you doing this?"
Chance sighs. "I'm not really sure, you know. I'm just sick of the world and its lies and I'm too cowardly to commit suicide, so I'm going to let other people do it for me." He leans closer to Jack, eyes sparking with madness. "Would you like to do the honors?"
"Hardly."
Suddenly, Chance's finger tightens. Amelia jerks in Jack's arms, then slumps. He falls to his knees beside her, barely aware of the gun that is now pointed at his own head. His voice is shocked away, and he mouths Amelia's name over and over. Desperately, he takes her head in his hands and gazes into her lifeless eyes. Blood trickles onto his white gloves from the hole in her head. Agony wells up in his chest and he closes her eyes with blood-spattered, gloved fingers. For a long moment, he just sits there, holding her to his chest, not caring that the blood is getting all over his white vest. All he can think is that she's dead. His love, his only friend, his strength… is gone.
"Amelia," he whispers, and his voice breaks. "Amelia…"
"Oh no," says Chance. "Did I kill your precious dove?"
Before he knows what he's doing, Jack is upright, wrenching the man's gun out of his hand. Without thinking, he points it at the killer. "How dare you," he says. "How dare you murder her."
The man raises his hands and shrugs.
Jack snarls. "I hope you burn in hell."
"I'll see you there," Chance replies, and laughs. Jack pulls the trigger, abruptly cutting off the maniacal laughter, sending the man staggering backwards until he collapses onto the cold tile floor. Blood wells from the hole in his forehead, runs down into his eye, across his cheek and onto the grey floor.
The police run forward, surrounding the dead man and Jack. Two of them grab his arms and cold metal snaps around his wrists.
Laughter bubbles up in Jack's chest, and he doesn't stop it. As the police drag him past the dead man, he tugs a Joker card out of his sleeve and drops on Chance's chest. "Hell it is!" he says, still laughing. "We are all going to hell!"