Chapter 9: The Last Stand
I sat down in the ground with my head in between my knees. Son of a bitch how could any of this happen? I was completely out of ideas and all I wanted was to make everything go back to normal. However, since half of the school was leveled, Crabblesnitch would go to court, and all the other shit that happened, this school would be at an unavoidable end. The school would be demolished after everything was said and done and there wouldn't even be a memorial for any of it. Bullworth was a town full of nothing, and anything here was not worth saving. It would be nothing but a crater left in the Earth to commemorate a fictional story of how aliens blew it up or something ridiculous. There was probably no point in fighting anymore since careers will end, lives will deteriorate, and a once blooming town will soon be forgotten.
Catie crawled over to me keeping her head down. "I know this must be tough for you. You have to stay strong." She said. "But for what? Is there any point in fighting anymore? They just want me dead, and that is the reason why they took Kalel, the attack on the school, and the framing of the principal. Nobody will even care if I'm gone; I am only respected out of fear. Even then people don't like me." I said trying not to feel sorry for myself. "I know someone who might care…" She said looking deep into my eyes. Catie moved closer and she kissed me on my lips. I kissed her back and enjoyed this moment since it would definitely be my last. "I love you." She said breathing slowly. An explosion went off in the distance.
"This isn't necessarily the most romantic fireworks set off I suppose. I always dreamed my first kiss with you would be more romantic than this." I said jokingly. She smiled and stared into my eyes. "I think this makes it more memorable." She said back. "Boss what are we going to do they are getting close!" One of them yelled. I was snapped out of this daze and got up with her. Anthony soon got up knowing I was probably going to do something he wouldn't like. "Fire at will. Charge them head on and don't stop until all of them are dead. Leave Smith to me." I said as they all charged the group head on. "Anthony go and find Kalel and get her to safety." I said to him and he looked at me.
"What are you waiting for Anthony? Your woman is at the entrance! Good luck!" I said trying to sound more sincere than usual. He nodded and ran towards the main entrance of the school. I radioed Ian. "Ian I need you to provide cover fire for Anthony, he's going to find Kalel at the entrance." I said. "Roger that. What are you going to do about the leader and Gary?" He asked. "Leave them to me, but if necessary neutralize the leader." I said. He confirmed it and I ran to charge through the fighting crowd. Some of the militia had been brought down and left an open path to finding Gary. He didn't look all too worried when he saw me coming but I charged him with a knife I pulled out of my belt. He smiled and pulled a gun out at the last minute and shot me in the chest. He only sidestepped as I collapsed next to him on the ground.
This definitely took me by surprise. "Oh, I'm sorry. It is highly recommended to bring a gun to this fight. Looks like you were a little shorthanded." I clutched my chest as he stepped closer to me and circled around me like a vulture. "Come on. What happened to the psycho that used to be?" He asked rhetorically as he kicked me in the ribs hard. "I thought you had more rage than this. I guess you didn't have enough rage to kill me as quickly as James was disposed of." He kicked me again in the face causing my nose to bleed profusely. "Funny. You look just like James did when you kicked his ass. Soon you'll look like he did in the infirmary on the day of his death, bloody, scalped, cut open, and hell we might even cut a limb off just for fun." He said then stomping his boot into the open wound on my chest.
I yelped in pain, which may have been the first in a while. "I thought you were tough my friend. To think I was going to be your biggest fan if you turned out to be indestructible. Now I think it would be safe to put you out of your misery before your mangled body becomes viral." He said as he cocked the gun and pointed it to my head. I waited for the end of my life, which I had envied those who lost theirs so much. Anybody in the life of running, hiding, and fighting any corner they turn knew that a moment like this would be nothing but momentarily blissful. I truly had nothing to live for and I knew there was only sorrow in Catie's voice when she told me she loved me. There was no way she meant that truthfully. I just waited for the trigger to be pulled by this psychopath who nobody would have guessed would actually bring him to kill another human being. I felt the force of his boot fade away but I did not feel a wound open when the gun went off.
I didn't know if I was still on Earth in spirit form, or if he was just a terrible aim. This would contradict itself to a high degree since he shot me while I charged at high speeds. I soon opened my eyes and realized he was not standing there and I looked around. I realized the battle was fading in sound, I could barely hear the grunts of people struggling to break free, I couldn't hear the constant pattering of bullets as they ricocheted, and I only heard a muffle of an explosion. The only thing I could truly focus my hearing on was the sound of a familiar enemy and a girl I knew. I looked to the left were it was coming from and I saw Gary above Catie trying to drive a knife into her chest.
"It's a shame it has to end this way, I wanted to have fun with you, but I guess I will have to settle for the next best thing: Killing you!" He yelled as the blade got very close to her heart. I quickly recovered and it seemed like everything was frozen. I looked around and the fast paced fighting was nothing but a freeze frame, Gary close to driving the blade in, and I quickly ran over to him and knocked him off of her. We were now the only two out of this frozen coma the world around us was having. I punched him as quick as I could and he bled profusely as I continued to drive him into a wall, which ended up collapsing despite its strength. I drove him through the wall and slammed him against a large piece of stone. He soon got up with a gun in his hand and I stopped in my tracks. The frozen world around the muffled sounds and us resumed at a regular pace as bullets flew, explosions rocked the earth around us, and grunts of dying men surrounded us.
He shot the gun but missed as I knocked him to the ground and drove the knife into his chest. "Missed me you bastard!" I said chuckling at his low level of weaponry. "I wasn't aiming for you…" He said chuckling as he faded into the blissful death I had been wishing for only moments earlier. My smile faded when I turned and saw Catie standing there clutching her stomach. She looked at me and had a pale, emotionless, expression on her face as she looked down and peeled her hands away from her bloody clothes. I ran over to her and caught her before she could land on the solid ground. "No, please God no. Don't die on me!" I yelled. She looked at me with glazed eyes and smiled. "I guess we're even." She said. "Ian get a fucking doctor down here now!" I yelled into the radio. "It's no use." She said all hope lost in her voice.
"Angel I spotted the leader and he has been shot. I repeat he is down!" Ian radioed and I tried ignoring it. I saw a smile brew across Catie's face. "Looks like it's over. You won." She said trying to chuckle but only coughed harshly. "This victory is nothing! Not without you!" I said looking into her eyes. "You still need the doctor?" Ian radioed. "Yes I need the fucking doctor! Now immediately at the parking lot damn you!" I yelled even harder. "Just leave me. All that matters is your life can move forward again. You don't have to run anymore. No more hiding from your past or your enemies, and definitely no more fighting. This is what you have wanted for so long isn't it?" She asked. She knew me, but I don't know how. I heard footsteps drawing close and I could recognize Ian and Anthony along with four extra pairs. "Don't die on me!" I yelled. I could sense Ian and Anthony behind me as they stopped dead in their tracks. "Oh my god." Anthony said to himself. "Will she be alright?" I could hear an unfamiliar female voice ask him. I assumed it was Kalel.
The doctors rushed to Catie's side and they pushed me back. Ian, Anthony, and Kalel dropped down next to me. "You're hurt." Kalel said concerned as Anthony looked at my wound. "It's nothing. I just want them to help her." I said. "No, you've got a lot of blood coming out man. You need just as much help as Catie does." Ian said. I looked down and sure enough there was blood gushing out and I realized it must have been from the possible adrenaline rush earlier. Made my blood pump faster than anything and now it was wearing off. "I am feeling a bit weird. Just… Get her help…" I said. "Angel. Doctor!" Was all I could hear yelling before I went into what I thought was my permanent sleep. It was quiet in my head. Everything replayed in my mind over and over again.