Don't Catch Me!

Chapter 30 - Surprise!

Chapter 30 - Surprise!

I looked at the gun then at Joel.  I was weak with fear.  He was going to kill Joel.  He was pointing the weapon at me but he was going to kill Joel.  This I was fairly certain of.  For someone who had no conscience and no morals, murder wasn’t such a big leap really.

Trent had the gun pointed at my abdomen from where he stood in front of me.  Joel was off to the side but had stopped in his tracks, he was looking at me nervously.

“Yeah, I figured that you would risk yourself but you would never allow any harm to come to her,” Trent took a step closer to me.  “So you are going to do what I tell you to do, right?”

 The rest of the pool hall and the fighting around us ceased to have any meaning.  It was just the three of us and the loaded gun. 

“Trent, put the gun away.  There is no need for that.  You don’t want to hurt me.”

“No one treats me like that, babe.  No one treats me with disrespect.  I’m Trent freaking Burnside!  Look at my face babe, look what he did to my face!”

“Point the gun at me then Trent.  She isn’t involved in this.  This is between you and me.”

“Yeah, well maybe I will, but that comes later.  First...” he didn’t finish what he was about to say because someone staggering backwards banged into him. 

Several things happened very quickly. 

Trent annoyed eyes spun to the man who was bracing himself against the bar and holding his jaw. 

I threw myself in the opposite direction to that which the gun was now turning in. 

Joel launched himself at Trent. 

Then the gun fired.

My body landed on the wooden floor with my legs following and rolling me back to my feet. 

Joel was on the floor.

Trent stood looking shocked at the gun still in his hand.

The entire room was silent.  All the men had stopped fighting .  Everyone had turned to look at Trent with wide frightened eyes.

Everyone except me.

I looked at Joel with wide frightened eyes.

He was on the floor.  He wasn’t getting up. 

I dropped to my knees and crawled to him.  Blood was soaking through his shirt.

I cradled his head to my chest and as the tears streamed down my face.  I tried to stop the bleeding.  Through his grunts of pain he attempted to smile his half smile at me but it didn’t travel to his eyes.  His eyes were full of pain and fear. 

“Can’t let him hurt you,” Joel muttered as he tried to push away from me to stand.

I could hear sirens in the distance through the still silent room. 

“No Joel, let me look after you,” I cried as I clung to him.  “He won’t hurt me, Two-Thirty’s here and the other guys.  He can’t hurt me.”

 The wound was bleeding profusely but it was in the shoulder.  No major organs.  But I still had to control the bleeding.  He still could bleed out in my arms if I couldn’t stop the flow.

“Where the hell did you get the gun from, boy?  They’ve been illegal for over 10 years!”  I looked up as Two-Thirty stood leaning over Trent.  His furious eyes left Trent, who was edging away the gun still in his shaking hand.  Two-Thirty took one look at Joel then grabbed a box from behind the bar before he dropped down to his knees next to us.  Without saying anything he gently removed my hands, ripped open Joel’s shirt and examined the wound. Then he pulled from the white box with a red cross embossed on it a long yellow thick bandage and began to wrap that tightly around Joel’s shoulder.