Voices (A Sawyer Fredericks Fanfic)[sequel to A Gentle Touch]

Chapter Seven

Violet's POV

I remember that night. Like it happened yesterday. Sawyer, Clayton, Lucas, Ren, Josie, and I had all gone to get pizza. Once we had eaten we had gotten coffee. Then we all came back to my place and had a mass sleepover. We had made it a tradition. Every Friday. It was already the second semester. Sawyer had refrained from going to LA, but it had been a long enough time. We were planning to leave next week. But that's when it happened.

It was Monday. I was sitting in Algebra. It was the same routine as it was everyday. Except something didn't feel right. I just had this gut feeling that something was going to go wrong, but I brushed it off.

The High School campus was huge. There were so many twists and turns that any new student would get so easily lost in. Once the bell had rung I gathered my things and shoved them in my locker. After stuffing my phone in my pocket I began making my way to the art room when I heard it. A gunshot and then a scream. The crowded hallway fell silent and everyone was frozen. Soon we heard more gunshots. Then the loudspeaker came on.

"THIS IS NOT A DRILL. THERE IS A SHOOTER IN THE BUILDING. FIND COVER."

That's when the chaos erupted. Everyone just started running left and right. I started to run too.

Sawyer's POV

I was sitting at home playing on my phone while Violet was at school. Music was blasting in my ears when suddenly the phone rang. It was the school. My mom picked it up and started to look more panicked the longer she stayed on the line. After she hung up she turned on the news.

"Mass shooting at Fonda High School. The shooter is still believed to be inside. Nobody has made it out. Police are on there way. Corpses lie in the parking lot. Two bombs have reportedly gone off. It is believed there are more bombs placed..."

My heart dropped to my stomach.

"Violet..." I cried.

Suddenly the phone rang again. My mother picked it up once more. I could barely hear the conversation. Violet could be dead right now.

"Sawyer!"

"What?" I turned to my mother.

"The shooter is dead. We need to get down to the school."

We got in the truck and started driving.

Violet's POV

Everything was chaos. I looked up the hallway and saw burning red flames. The second bomb had just gone off. I ducked out from under my table and ran to hopefully a safer place. Until I bumped into someone. It was Brandon. The boy from my Spanish class. He was sobbing.

"Hey Brandon, it's ok. Whoever the shooter is, he won't hurt you. I'll keep you safe." I soothed.

"Violet don't you get it?!" He yelled.

I was confused. He must have noticed. That's when he held up the gun.

"I am the shooter."

He started to sob harder.

My brain told me to run but my heart told me to stay.

I slowly inched towards the gun. Probably not the smartest idea. When I saw him just watching I grabbed it and held it away from him.

"Why?" I questioned.

"I-I don't know." He cried. "I just couldn't take the bullying anymore. I never thought it would go this far. Violet I killed so many people already!"

I kneeled down to him.

"I know you did. I can't seem to wrap my brain around this but I can never forgive you for doing this. It was wrong of them to bully you but Brandon... I can't believe this. I can't process this."

That's when he pushed me over. The fear in his eyes was evident. He grabbed the gun from me and pointed it at my face.

"There's still one more person that needs to die."

I froze. I couldn't move at all. I was so scared. I had finally wanted to start living and now here I was about to be killed. When he did something unexpected.

He pointed the gun at his head and shot. The bullet going in and never coming out. He dropped the gun as his eyes rolled back into his head. He feel right beside me. Dying instantly. It was over.

Sawyer's POV

We pulled into the street. The parking lot was full but there was no traffic. Only chaos. I hopped out of the car and ran into the parking lot. I stopped dead center and started scanning. When I saw her. The only one for me. Violet.

She was at least fifty feet away from me. Walking out of the school. Seeing me too she started running towards me and I her. As I got closer I noticed she was covered in blood. As j got even closer I realized the blood wasn't her own. I stopped but she kept going. That's when she ran into my arms.

"I saw it. I saw them die. I saw the shooter he killed himself. Sawyer it was so bad. It was so so bad."

She was sobbing the loudest I had ever heard her cry. I can't even classify them as cries. They were loud, pain-filled, blood-curdling screams. As if somebody was repeatedly stabbing her with a knife.

I held onto her for dear life. Not loosening my grip even once. I wasn't going to shush her or whisper anything this time. I stayed silent. I just let her scream. She needed too. After what she had just witnessed, there would be no way to calm her down.

"I NEVER WANTED TO SEE ANYONE DIE AGAIN!"

That's when I remembered her parents. I held onto her even tighter.

"I don't want to go back to school. I never want to go back. Please take me home! I can't go back! Please don't make me go back! I want to go home!" She rambled.

"Shh you never have to come back here."

"Your voice! I thought I would never hear your voice again!" She sobbed. "Please keep talking!"

I put my hand on the back of her head and rested it on my shoulder. As she sobbed into my shirt I started to sing Iris. When the song finished I noticed she wasn't sobbing as much. Everyone was looking.

"Sing another one." She whispered. "It's giving people hope."

I knew what I needed to sing. I started with For What It's Worth and ended with Imagine. Then it was time to go home.