Bullet For A Love

Chapter Eight

By the time we made it to Tyler's locker, I was concerned that Calum lost all humanity in him. He was almost like a fricking robot.

I fumbled with the lock for a bit and forced it open. The locker door swung open with a bang, and Calum flinched.
I dug through his smelly bag, his books, everything.
It took a little while, but I finally found it.

A phone. With cell service.
We could call for help.

I was ready to wave it to Calum, but when my head turned, he wasn't there. He had walked down a bit, down the hallway, and was staring at the wall.

"Calum? What are you doing?"
I called out to him.
He turned back to me, something glimmering in his eyes.

"I'm gonna go find Tyler, so he can kill me."

His words shook me. My heart skipped a beat.
"W-what? No!"

I shut the locker door and skipped to him, grabbing his arm. Using his other hand, he forcefully shoved me off.

"Calum, what is wrong with you?"
I snapped. "What changed?"
Calum stopped in his tracks, rubbing his face with his sleeve.

"He likes you, doesn't he?"
My heart skipped a beat.
"What?"
"Liam. You two like each other. Right?"

I bit my tongue to keep from screaming.
"Calum-"
"Its fine. I get it. Whats not to like about him?"

Calum began walking down the hallway. He didn't turn back.

"Calum! Jeezus!"
I dashed forward, grabbing his arm again.
"Will you just tell me your feelings? Whats so wrong with-"

"Because I like you!" Calum snapped, looking back at me. "I guess I always have, haven't I? I miss our old friendship, and now its melted away into nothing."

He pulled my arm off and stepped away. Something inside me clicked.

"Calum! Will you stop being such a baby and listen to me!"

He stopped and turned back to look at me, something glittering in his eyes.

"Do you even know why you're here?"
"What?"
"When we got the phone call from Tyler. On the nokias. He said I knew why we were all here."
"You don't make any sense, Jacks."

I took a breath and exhaled.
"Tyler wants to kill everyone special in my life because he wants me to himself. I'm sorry I didn't say this before, I was too insecure-"

Calum blinked at me. He stepped forward.
"You mean-"

I rubbed my eyes.
"Yes. Yes, I really mean it. You might not think you're special to me, but you are. More than you think. I promise. I..."

My mind couldn't process my words before I said them.

"...I can't imagine a life without you, Calum."

Before I knew it, I was swooped into a giant hug. Calum's warm arms were around me in a second.
I felt my own arms wrapping around him, a wave of bliss flooding over me.
Calum gently sobbed into shoulder, I could feel it slowly get wet.

Crack.

Calum melted out of my arms.

"Calum!"

My vision cleared to see Tyler once again, his gun pointed at Calum's body on the floor.

"No!" I cried.

Tears welled up inside me, like my sadness was gonna ring me out like a damp towel.

"What the fuck! Calum!"
I felt myself screeching.

Tyler gave me a weird smirk.
"I'm impressed he's lived this long, cutie."

"Shut up! Shut up! Aagh!" My hands tensed.
Something gently grabbed my foot.
I looked down and saw Calum's hand wrapped around my ankle, and he was squirming on the ground.
I bent down instantly, grabbing his free hand.

"Calum? Holy shit-"
He looked at me, a glint of scaredness in his eyes.
"Jacks. My leg. It hurts."

I checked him over, and sure enough. He had a bullet wound, dripping red, in his right calf.
"Holy-" I cussed.

Standing back up, I heard Tyler reload his gun.
He pointed it directly at Calum.
"Wait! Stop!"
I stepped over his twitching body.

"If you want to kill him, you have to kill me first."
Tyler smirked at me again.
"Oh cutie. I could never hurt you. Not on purpose."
My shoulders fell a little at my sides.
"Really? You've hurt me enough!"

Tyler's hands gripped the gun harder.

"Wait! No!"
I shrieked, stepping forward. I raised my hands.
"Just let me save him."

Tyler made eye contact with me.
"Why should I?"

"Just this once, okay? Let me save him. I'm begging you."
I really was about to drop to my knees and beg. I wasn't gonna let Calum die. Not now. Not when I had a chance to save him.
Tyler backed away and turned the corner. I exhaled, then dashed back to Calum.

He let him go. For now.

I placed two hands over Calum's wound, atempting to stop the bleeding. The sleeves of my hoodie began getting more and more stained.
Then I remembered, I left my extra hoodie in classroom thirty. I pulled out my nokia and called number five. Liam.
He picked up immeaditly.

"Jacks?"
"Liam! Help! Calum's been shot! Bring my extra hoodie!"
Liam didn't say anything. He just hung up.

"Okay, okay.... Calum, we need to move you."
Calum looked up at me, his eyes glimmering in his tears of pain.
"No.... I can't move-"

"This is gonna hurt like hell, but I need you to work with me."
I grabbed him by the arms and slowly began dragging him down the hallway.
Calum let out a pitched scream, and I squeezed my eyes shut.

"Holy shit, okay-"
I bent back down.
Placing his hand in his mouth, I pulled again.
Another little muffled scream.
I could feel my face growing hot with tears as I braced myself on my heel.

"Jacks! Max, help me get him up!"
Liam, Sukaina, and Max appeared behind me. I helped scoop Calum up, his head resting against my chest. I ran a hand through his golden blonde curls.

"You'll be okay, alright?"

We dragged him into classroom six, the closest one. Laying him down on the floor, I grabbed my extra hoodie from Max.

"Calum? This is gonna sting."

Before he could say anything, I wrapped my hoodie around his wound and pulled. Liam had to cover his mouth to keep him from screaming.
Propping Calum up against the wall, I looked around.

"Where are Danielle and Xander?"

Max shrugged.
"I dunno. They didn't come back."

My panic was elevated when a high pitched scream came from down the hallway.

"The office is just down that way-"

That was Danielle!

"Max, come with me!"

I sped off, Max close on my tail. Dashing down the hallway, we sped down the hallway.
The sight was horrifying.

Xander was on the floor, squirming. He had a gash running up his arm, from elbow to wrist.
Danielle was placed under Tyler's grasp on the floor, pushing his hands up and away from her torso.
Tyler had a twelve inch knife in his hands.

I immediately ran to Xander's aid while Max grabbed Tyler's shoulders from behind.
I grabbed the a first aid kit from a pile on the floor and searched for the bandages. Or anything that could cover his wound.

Meanwhile, Max and Tyler were tussling. Max landed a hard blow to Tyler's stomach, sending him flying back into the office desk.
Tyler got up and swung with his knife, cutting Max's cheek open. Max fell back, falling into the door frame.

"Max!"