Erica shut her eyes. The sound of the gunshot reverberated in her ears. He shot her… he shot her!
But then why didn't it hurt?
Erica then heard a moan. Her eyes sprung open as she turned to see Jackson fall. Ricky had shot him instead.
Jackson tumbled backwards, a grimace of pain and surprise on his face. A blossum of blood appearing through the shoulder of his jacket. Ricky walked slowly up to him; kneeling down beside him before pressing the gun against Jack's temple.
"She left me no choice you understand…" said Ricky coldly, his finger tightening on the trigger once more. He turned to Erica. "Now tell me where she is! Where is Kendal?"
"Don't tell him anything." Jackson grunted through the pain, clutching his bleeding shoulder as he tried to sit up.
Ricky roughly nudged the gun hard against his head to keep him down.
"I thought I made myself clear. This is not a game." said the murderer harshly.
"Don't hurt him." begged Erica.
Ricky glared back at her.
"I'm not going to hurt him. If you don't tell me what I want to know; I'm going to kill him! And then we will go into the next room where your other daughter lies sleeping and I will ask the question again…" Ricky's calm voice suddenly broke and he screamed at her. "Tell me where Kendal is!" At the same time his finger tightened on the trigger.
Erica just stared at him. She couldn't let him kill Jack… but she couldn't let him find Kendal either… God knows what he planned to do to her! Should she lie?
"I'm not hearing an answer." cried Ricky. "This is my last time of asking! Where is she? I will give you to the count of ten. Ten… nine…"
"Don't say anything!" insisted Jackson.
"Eight… seven…"
All Erica could see was the gun at Jackson's head.
"Take me instead!" she cried "Shoot me!" but Ricky didn't react, she wasn't telling him what he wanted to hear.
"Six… Five… Four…"
"Please…no…" begged Erica.
"Three… two…"
Ricky's finger pulled on the trigger and the hammer of the revolver began to pull back…
"One…"
"I'm here! Don't shoot him, I'm here!" cried Kendal emerging from Bianca's room with her hands raised in surrender.
Ricky released his grip on the gun and smiled at Kendal.
"See that wasn't so hard." he said smoothly.
…