Warning! Domestic gun violence
Chapter 10:
For the next few days Maura analyzed and studied Jane intensely. She got more and more trusting of Jane, but she still stayed cautious. Maura didn't want to trust Jane completely until she could absolutely, by no doubt, trust her.
Today seemed to be a strange, ominous day. The sun was out, but was covered by the clouds. The sky was covered in grey as if it were going to rain, but it was bright and sunny enough to conclude that it most likely won't rain until later that day.
I rode my bike to school like I did every day. And, like always, I met Frost and Maura out front. To me, today just felt… different. I couldn't explain it. No words could be put together to describe what I was feeling. I looked around to see if I could be able to tell if anyone else might be feeling the same way I did. Since I didn't get an inkling from anybody else I decided to speak up.
"Does anyone get this… strange feeling? Like, does today seem kinda… "off" to you at all?" We all stopped in our tracks and looked among each other. Frost was the first to speak after taking a long glance with a creased brow at Maura.
"Hmm, no, today doesn't seem different at all. Well, I don't seem to feel anything different. What makes you ask?"
"I don't know. It's hard to explain."
Of course Maura had to put in her two cents. "Jane, what did you eat last night?"
"Uh, Lasagna, why?"
"Well, you know how if you eat really late it can dictate your dreams, right? The symptoms could have lapsed into today. That could be one of the reasons. Another reason is th-"
"Ok,ok, sorry I asked. Let's just get to class before you give us, class." We continued to walk and I couldn't help but to notice the boy with long dark hair that covered his eye walking swiftly in the opposite direction of the school. I disregarded it as nothing and continued to walk in to school with my two best friends by my sides.
We all went to our appropriate lockers and got what we needed. After I got everything I needed from my locker I went to Maura, who was still at her locker, to walk to class with her. Luckily, our classes were right next to each other.
We walked to our classrooms talking about almost anything and everything. Frost had already proceeded to class. Once we arrived to our classrooms we said departing words. "So, I guess I'll see you after class, Maura."
"Ok, bye, Jane."
I was so happy when first period was over. I hated math.
Maura met me outside my classroom (like always). I couldn't help but notice that we had a strange bond. We were so different but couldn't seem to be able to live without each other. I kind of felt bad for Frost because since Maura came along, he's sort of been pushed out of the picture. It didn't seem he minded though. Or, at least he hasn't given any indication of him minding at all.
Maura and I continued to walk down the hall to our next classes, Brit Lit and Latin, when suddenly the fire alarms started and the lights flicked off. Everyone seemed to have been frozen in place by confusion of not knowing what was going on. Without warning, three distinct 'pops' went off. At that, everyone seemed to scatter. A few screams were heard, and so were more 'pops.'
By now mostly everyone had a good idea of what was happening. I grabbed Maura's arm and pulled her into the nearest classroom with some other students. No one said a word. No one dared to.
After a while of us cowering in fear, the 'pops' seemed to get farther and farther away. I grabbed Maura's arm to pull her out of the classroom. "Where are you going?" One student whispered harshly.
"Where do you think I'm going? I'm getting out of here." Before I walked completely out of the room, I cautiously looked to both sides of the hall. They were clear. With Maura's arm still in my grip, I ran down the hall until we reached a point in the hall where the hall broke off into a hall in another direction. I stopped and peeked around the corner slowly. It was clear. "Ok, Maura, you need to watch our back so the guy with the gun doesn't sneak up behind us. Ok?"
I took a look at Maura who only nodded before she whispered, "Why didn't we just stay in the classroom?"
"We couldn't. If the shooter was going from classroom to classroom we would have been trapped in there with nowhere to go. You see? Only one way in and one way out, and the shooter would have been blocking it." I peeked around the corner one more time to see of it was clear before I advanced down the hall.
Finally, we made it to the door that led to the parking lot. I cautiously opened the door and looked around. It was clear. I walked over to the corner of the building and crouched down. I let go of Maura's arm for the first time since I grabbed it in the hall to pull her into the classroom. I scanned the parking lot until I found what I was looking for. My body turned toward Maura. "Maura, I want you to stay here. I am going to get something to get us out of here. Ok?"
"Jane, what are you going to do?" She looked intensely into my eyes. I could tell by her eyes that she was filled with fear.
"I'm just going to hotwire that motorcycle over there and get us out of here. We'll be safe. I promise."
"Jane, you can't do that. That is stealing. It's not even ours to take."
"Maura," I couldn't stop from chuckling at her comment. She had such a kind and caring heart that she possessed, "listen to me," I had grabbed both of her arms by now. "I have to. It's the only way we can get out of here fast enough. Just trust me, please." 'Pops' of the gun could be heard in the distance.
She was silent for a moment before she spoke. "Ok, Jane." With her approval, I turned to face the parking lot. No one was in sight.
I carefully made my way between the cars, kneeling before I moved from one car to another. I stayed low so I wouldn't be seen. I glanced up one time and saw the shooter coming from the right of me. He wasn't looking or walking toward me though. He was walking toward, Maura.
A rush of adrenaline and panic filled my body. Without really thinking of what I was doing I stood up and started sprinting toward the dark haired boy holding the gun. When I reached him I tackled him to the ground before he could shoot Maura, or turn and shoot me.
I wrestled him all over the ground for the gun. Neither one of us was going to let go. We both did a quick roll and he was on top of me. Both of us were still struggling for control of the gun when he was able to turn the gun in my hands to face me. He pulled the trigger and I felt the heat in my abdomen. My hands immediately flew to the pain. The warm liquid covered my hands. I let out a groan. Out of breath, the boy stood to his feet and aimed the gun at me. Kill shot.
I anticipated the shot. I anticipated to reach the feeling of nothingness when he pulled the trigger; but it never came. Someone out of nowhere tackled the boy to the ground and restrained him.
I could feel Maura by my side. Her very act I would cherish. Even though the whole struggle from my initial tackle to Maura being by my side happened in seconds, it felt like minutes. She lifted me into her lap as she applied pressure to my wound. She was crying and calling out my name. I had a hard time keeping focused. Then, everything went black. The darkness overtook me. I could no longer hear, feel, or move. My life, for all I knew, was over.
Thanks for all of the reviews and comments so far. I knew I had readers from all over the world, I just didn't know it was THAT all over the world. You guys amaze me. And, I am extremely happy to know that different people from all over the world are reading and enjoying my story. Thank you for all the reviews, comments, favorites, and follows. They mean so much to me. Furthermore, I was able to get this chapter in before I went on vacation and before finals started. That means I may not update in a while, but I will as soon as I can. Again, thank you for reading. I enjoy the support.