Noxious

46 | raining blood

Charly 

We were going to die. 

Of all the times I had imagined the possibility of letting death win, this hadn't been one of them. Being shot to death by revengeful gang members that had hunted us across the country was not something I imagined to be reality. 

Another bullet struck the concrete pillar and bits of concrete sprayed across my face from the impact. I flinched and ducked my head, even when my cheeks were soaking wet and I couldn't stop crying. 

I didn't want to die. 

Out of pure instinct, I grabbed onto Rowan and kept my hand firmly over his heart. He was seemingly unconscious, his skin clammy and pale. His eyes fluttered and another pained groan left his lips from the pressure I applied. 

I pulled his head into my chest, protectively wrapping my arm around him.

It might have been pointless, I couldn't actually protect him if a bullet struck us. I just felt slightly better in my panicked state holding onto him while he couldn't open his eyes. I didn't know if it made him feel safe but I was choking through terrified sobs. 

Kyle had hunkered down on Rowan's other side and kept his head locked between his hands. The terror was paralyzing. It was pitiful that we simply had to accept our fate this way. 

More bullets rained down upon us, sending concrete flying in every direction until all I could was close my eyes and pray for a miracle.

I prayed that if there was some way that someone could send us an angel in the midst of our world crumbling to pieces, they would become our guardian.

Those men were just toying with us. 

I knew they could have killed us with one shot but they were purposefully shooting around us because they twisted, sick bastards. They enjoyed our fear, and they would enjoy their kill even more. 

I was screaming for them to stop until my throat was raw. 

Suddenly, there was a pause in gunfire. 

That is until I heard gunfire from a different direction. 

Cautiously, I lifted my head and opened my eyes. I saw the two men that had been hellbent on killing us. Their attention was no longer on us. They were looking up, and then they were ducking behind trees as more gunfire sounded. 

I realized that someone was returning fire from the bridge above us. 

I watched with unblinking vision as the two men disappeared back into the woods without getting shot down. I almost wanted to see them suffer a bullet wound, just like they had done to Rowan.

Slowly, I registered that help had finally arrived. Someone had come for us. 

And they had saved our lives. 

"H-help," I cried out, "Help! We're here!" 

My cries weren't ignored. 

Within seconds, officers came down from the roadway and they approached us huddled beneath the bridge. Their expressions were hard and void of emotion. My stomach twisted but I licked my cracked lips and spoke. 

"He needs help--" 

"Hands up!" 

I didn't immediately raise my hands because I was utterly confused. Why were they being like this? 

"I said, hands up!" 

I heeded the officer that approached with a stern expression. He didn't waste a second as he reached down and hauled me to my feet. I protested weakly as Rowan didn't have anyone to hold pressure on his wound.