Winter Break -- VERY SLOWLY EDITING

Chapter 24

Jake and I walked out side and I froze.
  "You want me to get on the back of that?" I forgot Jake traded in his car for a motorcycle. He looked back at me and gave me a slight smirk, "Get on, or are you to scared?" Truth was, I was terrified. I had never rode a motorcycle before and I didn't want my first time to be on the back of one with a brother who has a thirst to hurt someone. I really didn't want to be the one that got hurt, especially on the back of a motorcycle.
  "Don't worry kid, here take the helmet." He ruffled my hair like I was his younger brother and we were just going to the park. I grabbed the helmet from him and put it on and got on the back of his bike.
  "Have you ever rode a bike before Nate?" I took a deep breath before responding, "Nope. This is my first time. Try not to kill me okay." I laughed a little. 

     We pulled up to 6224 Pebble Beach which just turned out to be a pool in Rachel's neighborhood. It was a huge pool, there were two pools and what I call a lazy river. The gate was cracked open so we just pushed our way through. As soon as we stepped into the pool area Jake's attitude just changed completely. He was almost a different person.
  "Yo Kyle where are you?!" Somebody popped out of the little shrubs near the smaller pool, but it wasn't Kyle.
  "Hey Nate how nice of you to join us! Oh, and who is this friend you've brought?" Ashley said eyeing Jake.
  "Where the hell is she?" Jake took a step closer to Ashley.
  "Oh I don't know who you mean?" She put a fake smile on her face trying to pull off that smile that can wrap anyone around her finger. Luckily Jake wasn't taking it and neither was I.
  "I'm Melody's older brother, now where the hell is she?" You could hear a crackle of a walky-talky break through from somewhere behind Ashley. A deep male voice came through, "Ash you never said that you invited Jake! Our plan is screwed if he comes down here!" There was only one path that went down so I started running with Jake just a few feet behind me. Once we passed all the trees and bushes I could see Melody tied up to a chair sitting in the island in the middle of the big pool. She had a gag around her mouth and even though I was still several feet away I could see tears in her eyes.
  "Melody I'm coming! Hold on!" Jake jumped fully clothed into the pool at started swimming to Mel. I followed after him once I broke free from the trance that fell over me from seeing Mel in that condition. When we were halfway to Melody she started trying to desperately yell something at us but with the gag in we couldn't understand what she said.
  "Just wait a second Mel we are almost there." I called out to her. Once we were at the island Mel was able to maneuver the gag so she could tell us what she was trying to say.
  "Stop! Don't come any closer!" She was breaking down now.
  "What do you mean?" Jake stepped up onto the island when a shot ran out through the secluded section we were in. "No!" Melody yelled. Jake dropped on his knees infront of her a dark liquid seeping through his blue shirt that said Parks and his jersey number on the back. He rolled over clutching his side and yelling in pain. That's when I saw Kyle step out from the shrubbery that was across the island from Mel. It was all a set up. They wanted to hurt Mel and what better way then to hurt the ones she loves?
 
   Although I knew Kyle was sitting there waiting for me to go and try to shoot as soon as I stepped up to help. So I swam through the water and jumped up onto the island and dodged the first shot and picked up the knife sitting in Jake's hand. I ducked behind Melody and briskly cut her ties loose at her hands and moved infront of her to cut her feet loose. Than another shot ran out. I braced myself for the impact but nothing came. I looked up at Melody and her eyes were wide with fear and her mouth gaped open in shock. I turned and looked behind me and saw Jake kneeling infront of me his body taking the shot that was meant for me. I sliced through the ties around Melody's ankles and whispered to her, "Run and call an ambulance. Be careful Ashley is up there near the front." She started to shake her head in protest but I stopped her short from refusing, "Go now Melody! Go!"

   I jumped into the pool swimming as fast as I could to the other side in a zig zag pattern. Kyle just kept shooting into the water. A bullet hit my arm and I dropped the knife I was holding. I swam down to get it and came back up. My lungs were on fire but if I broke the surface I risked getting shot right through the head so I kept on pushing.

   Just as black spots started to cloud my vision I got to the other side of the pool. I jumped out and started to climb up the side when another shot ran out, but just like that last, there was no pain. Nothing hit me. I looked up just as Melody fell into the pool, the clear water turning red with her blood.