Chapter Six

12 2 0
                                    

"Shit!"
The door leading from the gym into the stage slowly creaked open.
Liam jumped up, switched off the lights, and shoved me into a few boxes. My back hit the cardboard, and I bit my tongue to keep from saying anything.
The door hits the wall with a thud. Then, the lights flash back on.
Inbetween the carboard I can see Tyler standing in the doorway. He shoved what could be his gun into his pants pocket.

"Oh cutie." Tyler's voice echoed throughout the room.
"Are you in here?"

I bit my bottom lip so hard I tasted blood. The nickname "cutie" brought back terrible memories.
Tyler stepped out of the doorway and faced the other direction, checking some of the boxes. Beside me, I felt Liam shift. He was getting up.
Holding me down by my shoulders, Liam propped himself up, clutching a chipped wooden baseball bat.
I saueezed my eyes shut to avoid screaming at him. What he was going to do was very risky. Last time I checked, a wooden baseball bat can't stop a bullet.
Liam tiptoed down to Tyler, hoisting the bat over his shoulders. In a flash, Liam let out a grunt as he swung as hard as he could.
Tyler's body spun, and he collapsed to the ground in a heartbeat.
I squirmed out of the boxes and approached Tyler's limp body.

"Jesus." I whisper to him.
Suddenly, the sounds of the gym doors open again. Before I know it, Max comes running into the room, Calum shortly behind him.

"Why are you here?"
Max shrugged. "We thought you would need backup."
I gave Max a fist bump.
"Jacks, look out!"

I could barely register Calum's shriek as I felt cold hands grab my shoulders from behind. I was yanked back and fell on my ass. Tyler.
Max stepped over my body and launched himself at Tyler, grabbing his arms. In seconds, Max pulled Tyler off me, and Calum helped me to my feet.
"Lets get out of here. C'mon!"

Calum dragged me out of the room by hand, Max and Liam following us.
"Wait!" I shrug off Calum. "Where are we going?"
Calum looked back at me, something sparking in his blue eyes.
"To the West Gym." He told me, his voice hushed. "Everyone else thought it would be best to regroup."

As we darted down the hallway, we noticed Makoy, Xander, and the others turning the corner.
"Makoy!" Liam called out.

Suddenly, Tyler appeared behind them. Like he spawned there.
"Behind you!"

Liam grabbed my free hand and pulled me down the other hallway. The four of us continued running for a bit, down towards classroom six. It would be a good stop to rest before heading to the West Gym.
"Liam!"
Makoy's shout echoed through the hallway.
The others were at the other end, near the stairs.
Without thinking, we all ran towards them.
I put a hand on Sukaina's shoulder and wrapped her in a tight hug.
The seconds of peace was ruined as the sounds came back again.
Slap.
Slap.
Slap.
Slap.
Before I knew it, Tyler was at the other end of the hallway.

"Get upstairs. Now!" Danielle shouted.
Sukaina pulled out of my arms, dashing up the stairs next to Xander and Danielle. Max and Calum quickly followed.
Tyler solemnly stepped towards us, only a few inches away.
Makoy stood frozen in front of us, his eyes going cold.

"Makoy! Run!"

Makoy turned to us.

And thats when I heard it.

Crack.

Makoy's body jerked.

Crack.

Makoy's body jerked again. I saw the cloudiness in his eyes before I could fully register what was happening.
Before I knew it, Makoy's corpse had slumped onto the floor in front of me and Liam.

He died before he even hit the ground.

My ears started ringing, my vision filling with haze. I heard the sound of Liam dropping to his knees beside me. He let out a scream, full of agony and rage. I felt myself falling next to him, tears welling up in my eyes.
Liam screamed again, lowering his head onto Makoy's unmoving torso. I looked up, staring Tyler dead in the eyes.

"You monster!" I roared. "You deranged lunatic!"
Tyler's grip on the gun loosed at my cries as it fell to the ground. I could hear Liam bawling beside me, in complete denial about his best friend's death.
I looked back up, ready to grab Tyler's gun and finish him myself.
But he was gone. Gone like a flash. And so was the gun.
My dark gray hoodie was stained with red as blood spurted from Makoy's fatal wounds. But I didn't care.
My hands were covered in the crimson liquid, and I placed them back on Makoy's black t-shirt.

"C'mon." I heard Liam say between sobs. "Lets get going."

Before I knew it, he grabbed my arm and dragged me down the hallway. He pulled us both into the nearby ladies's washroom. He slumped to the floor, leaning back against the wall.
His face was drenched in red, and his clear white t-shirt was covered in blood. He was wiping his face with his arm as I quickly washed my face in the sink.
After taking a quick glimpse of myself in the mirror, I sat down next to Liam.

What I heard next shook me.
"I'm gonna kill him."

"What?"
"You heard me. I'm gonna kill him."

I grabbed Liam's hand and squeezed it. I could feel how tense he was.

"Liam. You're not gonna kill him. We are both gonna kill him."
I stared at him with pure determination in my eyes.

"For Makoy."

Suddenly, my nokia buzzed. It was Calum, again.

"Hey, where are you guys?"
"Still downstairs. Are you all safe?" I say, pressing my lips to the speaker.
"Yeah. Can you guys try and get up here? We have a plan."
"Okay."

I clicked off and slowly stood up, gently guiding Liam to stand.
As he stood next to me, his grip on my hand never let go.

"Okay. Lets do this."
He said, looking me deep in the eyes.

I peered out the door, scanning for any signs of Tyler. Nothing. All that was left was a pool of Makoy's blood near the stairs.
God, I wanted to throw up.

Gently, I guided Liam out of the room and up the stairs. He followed my lead.
Wandering down the hallway, I noticed Max's head peering out the door to classroom thirty. At the sight, I picked up the pace and silently slipped the both of us into the classroom.
Sukaina wrapped me in a tight bare hug when we got inside.

"Thank god you guys are alright! We heard gunshots!"
Sukaina slipped out of my arms and saw my hoodie. It took her a few moments to realize.

"W-where's Makoy?" Xander's voice quivered.
I looked down at my laced boots and shook my head.
Danielle gasped.

I sat down on a desk next to Liam, twidling my thumbs, slow and silently.
Max let out a grunt and punched a pencil cup off the teacher's desk.

"That motherfucker!"
He exclaimed, panting. Calum got up and rested a hand on his back.

After some more silence, I pitched in a question.
"So what was that plan you had, Calum?"

Calum looked at me deep in the eyes.
"Well, mine and Danielle's plan, but-"

Danielle finished his sentence.
"Two of us goes down to the office and loot it for supplies."

Bullet For A LoveWhere stories live. Discover now