When We Lost The World

Chapter 9~Joy

Chapter 9~Joy

You could smell the death in the air, the icy cold air was still. After Jensen shot Ryder, no one could speak. I could only stand there with my mouth dropped open.

Then the tears came. And Danielle looked like she was going to scream. I dropped to my knees still in shock. AJ ran up to Ryder's crumpled body and knelt down beside it taking his hand and covering Ryder's own hand.

Ryder was the bright spot in a gray sky. The class clown. The one who would make you smile no matter what; the one who was always there for you, now he was gone forever.

Danielle was sitting one the floor with no sign of emotion or ever moving again. I walk over to AJ who is rocking back and forth on the floor next to Ryder's body. I sit down opposite from him and start crying my heart out just like he was doing.

At this point Mr.Halinski had found us again and when he saw what happened a quite, "Oh no," was all he could mange.

None of us were talking. I'm not sure any of us still could talk through the horrible shock we were feeling. What was the point of talking if Ryder wasn't here to make it better?

It feels like my throat was ripped out. David and the remainder of his group left to allow us to grieve as they mourned there own losses. I don't know what to do with myself because there is nothing to do because absolutely nothing could make anything any better yet nothing can get any worse.

Danielle is next to me now and I cant help but bring her into me because now a sob is racking her body."Why, Why? Why Ryder?! How is the fair?" she squeaked out between tears.

"I don't know Danielle, its not fair." I say trying to calm her.

AJ isn't even blinking anymore. He is just staring at Ryder like he is trying to will him back to life but by counting about 8 bullet holes I doubt that's going to happen any time soon unless he returns to us as a zombie.

Finally, AJ stands up and storms out of the room slamming the door hard enough to make the whole hallway walls chake. Danielle looks up briefly to see what happened but puts her head back into my lap and continues sobbing away.

I'm not sure how much time has passed but enough to make Ryder's body cold. Danielle has fallen asleep with her head on me from crying so much. I cant blame her though. Ryder was with us since the very beginning where we were all in Mr.Halniski's room and Ryder and AJ were in detention. Those were the easy days. The days I'm craving for now.

Its when I hear the loud banging that I get up to see where AJ ran off to. I take off my jacket and make a pillow for Danielle and lay her head down gently.

I walk out of the room too see the door to another room open and I assume that's the source of the banging. I walk in to find AJ punching the wall in anger. I walk up to him carefully "AJ. come on this isn't solving anything. come on just step away." I said as carefully and gently as I could.

After a few more punches AJ stepped back and took a couple deep breathes before turning to face me. "Come here. Your knuckles are all bloody now." I told him as I walked towards him some more.

I took out my water bottle and poured some on his hand to clean them. He flinched a bit from it stinging, I got a odd sense of deja vu doing this. I guess its from cleaning up my brother after all his fights. That's one of the things I miss about him most. the way he always wasn't afraid to defend what he believed in.

AJ still looked like he was going to cry again. Either that or beat the piss out of someone. Hell, maybe even both.

I found some bandages in my bag and wrapped AJ's hands up. I looked at him and tried to give him a small reassuring smile. He just nodded and walked out.