Still Waters Run Deep

Chapter 34: Riding the Tides

Chapter 34:

Riding the Tides

There was a buzzing sound in Ali's ears, the sound of the gun being fired having blasted loudly and echoing off of the walls. Her arms were still burning from the reverberation energy of having pulled the trigger. The vibration had hurt her hands. She stared at the gun for what felt like an eternity, but only a few seconds had passed.

Her head snapped up and she gazed across the room. She couldn't see Ben behind Emily, but she saw fresh blood trickling down Emily's face where the bullet had struck. There was a shocked expression frozen in her eyes. Ali heard a loud cry. It took her a minute to figure out that it had come from her mouth. One of the kids gasped. It sounded like Eli.

Both Emily's and Ben's bodies fell against the floor, blood splattered all over them. There was a groan and then blood started seeping on to the floor.

Oh, God. Ali thought. She'd missed. Emily...

Neither one of them moved. Ali's heart leaped into her throat, an agonized cry building up within. She felt her knees go weak and she almost collapsed on to the floor. She thought she was going to pass out. But then she saw movement. Emily rolled over and crawled off of Ben, breathing fast and hard.

She reached down to feel for a pulse, but didn't feel anything. She grabbed his gun and pushed herself to her feet, her adrenaline pumping. She had a fresh trail of blood trickling down from a gash right below her left temple. She scuttled away from Ben, moving to the kids first.

"Lily, Eli, are you two okay?" Emily rubbed her head where the bullet had grazed her, blood coating her fingers. A centimeter to the right and she'd be lying on the floor with Ben. But at least it would have been over.

"Yeah." They nodded, both of them on either side of Zane, who was still dazed from hitting his head.

Emily looked over at the shocked teenager.

"Zane? Are you alright?"

"He..." He blinked in surprise. "He's dead."

His gaze was fixed on Ben, sprawled out on the floor. His face was cracked and misshapen from where the bullet had hit him below his right eye. The bloody skin on his cheekbone had flowered out in layers, his facial bones shattered and sticking out.

"Hey, don't look." Emily tried to block their view. She grabbed a blanket off of the couch and covered the body and moved them away from Ben.

She glanced at Ali, who was equally as stunned. Ali was still staring forward in shock. She was lost in a trance, the gun still raised...like nothing had happened yet, like she hadn't just killed someone.

"Alison?" Emily said softly, trying to get her attention.

When Ali didn't respond, Emily closed the distance between them. She put her hand against Ali's arm, lowering the gun, but Ali still didn't react. Her breathing was quick and shaky. Her entire body was trembling. Emily gently put Ben's gun down on the end table. She tried to take her gun out of Ali's hand, but Ali had a death grip on it. Emily reached up and cupped Alison's cheek with her right hand.

"Alison, hey, look at me."

Emily remembered what it had felt like to take someone's life. It had been self-defense for her, too. But that still didn't make the rush of emotions she went through any easier. Ben had more than deserved it, but killing someone, whether they deserved it or not, changed something inside of a person. Emily stroked her cheek.

"It's okay."

Ali finally reacted, looking at Emily. She saw the gash on the side of her temple, the track where the bullet had scraped her.