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44: Rose

"Summer, it's okay. They're only shooting to lure us out," Alex whispers once again.

"No, they're not. Kal was right. I got us into it and now their bosses want us dead."

I can barely get the words out. I feel like the shittiest person in the world. I know I am.

Alex forces a smile and squeezes my hand. "That's not going to happen. The police are on their way. All we have to do is stay quiet. Easy, right?"

No. "Yeah, okay," I reply with a nod.

It gets harder to stay still when the walls rattle. Next thing I hear is furniture being pushed.

Alex doesn't have anything else to say. He glances at me, his eyes wide. I have no courses of action to suggest, either. We hide in the space between the sink and the bathtub, though we both know it's not going to save us. With no possible exit, I can only hope they don't think to check in here.

I can hear that hope shatter when the knob starts to turn.

This is it, I think to myself. I look at Alex and wonder what could I say to him.

Sorry for getting you killed.

Sorry for dying in front of you and traumatizing you.

Sorry for making your last days the worst.

Time passes slowly. It's like the knob is turning half a degree per minute while my heart is beating faster with every passing second.

When the door finally opens, one eternity later, my brain is empty. All I can see is two legs.

Two legs and a decorative glass dispenser, right at my feet. Without another thought, I grab it and throw it at the intruder's face.

He doesn't have time to react. It shatters at his forehead at the same time he pulls the trigger of his gun.

I don't have time to think of all the reasons why that was not the best move I could have made. The bullet hits the marble floor, cracking it.

When I look at the man, he's rubbing his eyes with his fists.

Alex gets up and grabs the gun that's now on the floor, and I follow suit. I push the intruder away from the door and Alex and I run out of the bathroom. Before we can go any farther, I close the door behind us.

"The hallway looks clear," Alex says. He's out of breath. "The other one must be wherever Olivia and Kal are."

"Maybe he's still looking for them?"

Alex nods and looks down at his hands. Then, his eyes widen as he shrieks "I HAVE A GUN". He flails his arms and throws the weapon to the other side of the room.

I pat his back. "It's okay. We need it in case-"

"Summer, no. We could kill ourselves by accident!"

I'm already making my way towards the weapon to retrieve it when I hear footsteps.

Oh great, I had a chance to not die and I blew it.

I brace myself for the worst. Just when my heart is about to burst, two police officers step into the room.

"There you are," one says in a calming voice.

His partner rushes to the gun on the floor and retrieves it. "We only found one intruder," she says. "The other one must have escaped but-"

I point my arm towards the bathroom. "He's in there. Unarmed, most likely."