Adopted By Rachel Platten

Chapter 18

Nora's POV

Uh Oh. I brace myself for what I'm about to face.

"So, you tried to escape, eh?" I gulp.

"Bad choice little girl." Cody says with a smirk. He forcefully drags me up the stairs and into a room with Jazz. Cody closes the door behind him and walks over to Jasmine.

-------------------------It gets a little sensitive past here-----------------------------

He produces a black whip and strikes Jasmine hard on the hands multiple times as I watch in horror. Then he does the same to her soles. Cody reaches towards his private area as my eyes widen. Without thinking, I run and jump onto his back causing him to flinch momentarily. He retaliates sending a fist into my jaw, knocking me back on to the hardwood floor. I feel blood trickling out of my mouth and a pair of strong arms holding me down. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Jazz slowly tiptoeing to the door. 

---------Sensitive part is over.-------------------

Jasmine's POV

I'm almost at the door. Just a few more steps. That's it, I've made it. I scramble out and down the hallway. The first door I reach is on my left, I realize, its the one that Matt's in. I open it and I can see him sitting upright on the bed.  He understands what I'm getting at when I point in the direction of my room. Meanwhile, as he heads over to help, I rush down the stairs, looking for a telephone.

"Adam! Tyler! I need help!" A shout rings through the house. Alarmed, I deke into the kitchen, spotting a misplaced cordless phone on the counter. Without hesitation, I swipe the phone off the counter and dial the police. I hear footsteps going up the stairs.

"9-1-1 Emergency, what's your emergency?"

"Kidnapping, Rachel Platten, I'm her daughter, Jasmine." I say, out of breath.

"Okay, do you know where you are?"

"Uh, no."

"Don't worry, we'll just track this call. Officers on their way. How old are you?"

"13."

"I see. You're doing a great job. Who else is with you?"

"Rachel, Melanie, Matt, Nora and Stephanie."

"Thanks. Do you know how many men there are and if they have guns?"

"At least three and they are armed with handguns I think."

"Great Job! The officers are on your street now. If you can and feel safe, open the front and back doors, so the officers can get in?"

"Okay." I hold phone and tiptoe to the front entrance and leave it wide open. I do the same with the back.

"Done."

"Well done. Officers should be there now. Just hold tight, alright? You'll be okay." As the dispatcher finishes, I here somebody running around to the back. I turn my head around to see its an officer motioning for me to head over. I nod and slowly make my way over and hand him the phone. Surprisingly, he could sense my uneasiness and pulls out his badge and identification. I automatically relax and he leads to me to a secured police car. He heads back to the house and I hear shots being fired.

Nora's POV

I'm helpless as I feel his hand work its way down my body. But then, he stops. His hand abruptly moves upwards on to my throat. As he applies pressure, my lungs begin to burn, my vision begins to blur.

Matt's POV

Judging from Jasmine's facial expressions, I can tell that somebody is hurt. I quickly confirm my understanding to Jazz and she heads downstairs, while I head to the room she pointed at. Once I got there, I was horrified at what I saw. Nora. On the floor. Limp. Rage made its way through my body as I look at the man on top of her. Acting on instinct and adrenaline, I lunge at the man taking him down. He looks at me in surprise, then yells:

"Adam! Tyler! I need help!"

I put my hand over his mouth as he continues to yell. Footsteps echo through the hallway and into the room. Seconds later, two men enter the room and drag me off. I watch in horror as the first man once again returns his hand to Nora's neck. I struggle desperately but its no use, they're too strong. 

Narrator's POV

Two officers enter the residence from the front and two secure the rear. The two officers entering from the front confirm the ground is clear before ascending the steps to muffled grunts and sounds of a struggle. As they approach the source of the noise. Upon entering the furthest room at the end of the hallway, they see two males on one side of the room resisting another on the floor. Meanwhile, a third male pins a young female on the other side. 

"Freeze! Police! Hands up where I can them!" One of the officers yell. All three men restraining both the male and the female freeze before pulling out handguns and firing. The officers return fire, knocking down two of the three men. The third male continues to fire erratically. One of the officers strikes the assailant in the lower left leg, causing him to stumble. 

Matt's POV 

An officer points to Nora and yells at me:

"You, get her out of here, now!" Without hesitation, I scoop up a limp Nora and sprint out of the room and down the stairs where I'm met with two officers. 

"Are you Matt Hudson?" They ask. I nod

"Please help Nora." I beg. The taller officer takes Nora and exits the house. The second officer guides me to the couch. Twenty minutes later, Rachel, Melanie and everyone descends the steps. The officers releases us and we step outside where they point to the cruiser where Jasmine was. 

"Are you alright honey?" Rachel asks. Jazz nods. I tell them what happened to Nora and they all look at me, stunned. I walk over to the nearest officer who agrees to take us to the hospital. They inform us Nora is in a coma in room 108. We head down the hallway to Nora's room and slowly enter. Melanie and Jazz immediately make their way to Nora's side while we approach behind them. Her neck is swollen with clearly visible finger marks. A heart monitor beats next to her bed. Suddenly, a long beep causes me to snap my head up. Flatline. My hands shake as I comprehend what to do.

"Nurse!" I yell desperately. Two nurses come rushing in with a doctor. They push aside and start CPR. After five minutes of CPR, the doctor stands back and looks at his watch.

"Time of death- "

Thanks for reading guys! Comment your thoughts and suggestions!

~Desmond