(Reece's POV)
We sit there in the office, all of the blinds are closed and we're all silent. Luckily the nursery wasn't open yet so there were no children. Marjorie had sent out an email to all of the parents telling them that the nursery would be closed for the day. Now we were all just sat here in the office.
"Reece, Autumn, come out now and there won't be any collateral" A voice says.
We stay silent. My mind is racing but I decide to get up.
"Reece, what the fuck do you think you're doing?" Marjorie whisper shouts.
"I can take these bastards on." I say.
"Reece, no." She says.
"I'm not having any of you hurt over this." I tell them.
"Reece, sit your arse back down, now." She says.
"Reece, please, don't go out there." Carly chimes in.
I look at her, she's giving me the same pleading look that she gives me when she wants a lift, she knows it's my weakness.
"Fine." I say.
I sit back down with everyone.
"We need a plan though, we can't just sit here" I say.
"I agree, let's put our heads together and get them out of here" Autumn says.
We make a plan and decide to divide and conquer in twos. Winter and Aut, Carly and Sorscha, Me and Marjorie. Thankfully Jodie wasn't in today and Trudy wasn't at the nursery yet.
Marjorie and I head out of the office first and down the corridor to the baby room, Autumn and Winter head to the preschool room and Sorscha and Carly go to the toddler room. I nod to everyone and they nod back and then I kick a chair over, it makes a loud crash as it hits the floor.
"Big mistake, you're in for it now" A different voice says.
The men come towards the baby room passing the other two rooms. Marjorie stood behind a cupboard at one end of the room and I stood right behind the door holding a stapler I took from the office.
The men come in and I hit the one closest to me on the head with the stapler, knocking him out.
The other man turns around and kicks me in the stomach. I keel over and fall to my knees.
"Reece!" Marjorie shouts.
The man looks over at her.
"Oh Marjorie, you absolute pillock" She says to herself.
The man walks over to her.
Autumn comes into the doorway and clears her throat.
"Excuse me but I believe it's me you want. Not her." She says.
"Aut, what the fuck are you doing?" I ask.
"I believe the term is saving your ass." She says.
The man turns around and looks at Aut.
"So you're the one that killed our brother?" He asks.
"Who's asking?" She retorts.
"You better stop being so cocky" He says.
"Hmm" She replies.
Autumn steps into the room more and Winter follows after her along with Sorscha and Carly.
"Divide and conquer failed but now it's 6 against 1 so let's have ye" Sorscha says.
Marjorie is still behind him so he takes his chance and grabs her, he pulls a knife out of his waistband putting it to her throat.
"Let her go! You can take me and kill me, do whatever you want, just let her go" I say.
The other guy starts to wake up and it distracts the guy holding Marjorie. Winter and Carly jump for Marjorie, Winter gets the guy's arm and pulls it off of Marjorie and sets her free. Carly jumps on the guy and frantically punches him, she grabs a bottle off of one of the tables and whacks him on the head, knocking him out. Autumn and Sorscha both go for the other guy and knock him out too.
Carly got up off of the guy and we put them both together, Winter went into the garden and grabbed the hose and we tied them together with it.
We all sighed in relief that it was over. Then we noticed. The knife had blood on it.
"Guys..." Carly said.
We looked over at her and saw that she was clutching her stomach, blood soaking through her jumper and going all over her hands. She collapsed.
"Carly!" I shouted.
I got up and immediately ran to her.
"No!" I shouted. "No, Carly, I can't lose you, not you.."
"Someone call an ambulance, now" Autumn commanded.
Marjorie fell to her knees and began to sob uncontrollably.
Sorcha called for an ambulance. I pulled Carly into my lap, her breathing was shallow.
"Reece, I'm not gonna make it, I'm sorry for being stupid" She says.
"No, don't talk like that, you're gonna make it" I say, tears forming in my eyes.
"Reece, can you sing to me?" She asks.
"Of course I can" I say.
"Sing that one song that you always play in the car for me" She says.
I hold back my tears.
"Okay" I say.
"You are my...sunshine...my only sun..shine" I sing between choked sobs. "You make...me...h.."
I feel her breath getting weaker. The light begins to fade from her eyes.
"Keep...singing..." She breathes.
"You make..me happy...when..skies..are grey. You'll never...know dear..how much.. I love you." I sing.
I take a deep breath before singing the next line.
"Please don't take..my sunshine..."
She stops breathing.
"Away."
