Caught In The Mission

Eighteen

Julianna's POV

My heart stopped beating at the sounds coming from the speaker. The world stopped moving and I stopped thinking. Everything was at a standstill. I listened to what was going on, the sounds of struggles, screams of pains and items falling. Zoe!

"Alex, what was that?" I asked frantically into my headset. He didn't respond. "Alex, what was that?" I asked again. This time louder and clearer, I sat up straight in my seat putting the key into the ignition. "Zoe are you there?" I asked, hoping there would be a slim chance she would answer, but there was nothing. "Joe?" I called out too. When I got no response I punched the top of the steering wheel heard letting out a scream. "Alex! Where the fück are you." My voice was raging with anger now.

"I'm here." His voice was low and slow.

"Did you hear that? What is going on there." I spoke quick.

"I don't know-" he began but I cut him off. I was getting stressed out and aggravated right now and I couldn't take any 'I don't know' answers. I speed off my parking spot letting the tires make a screeching noise. "Julianna where are you going?" This time it was me who ignored him.

"Julianna!" He shouted. I heard him jiggle with his keys before his ignition started. "Fück! I'll meet you there." He said before it went quiet.

The drive to their apartment was fast and definitely illegal. I must have crossed a dozen red lights and cut off so many people. Their apartment was in a good area, it was surrounded by a few shops and restaurants and a few family houses. I expected a commotion to be found outside her apartment with their neighbors standing around trying to get questions and gossiping about that could have happened, but that was not what I arrived to. The car park was quiet, no one was in sight. Most of all, apartment lights were switched off. They lived on the fourth floor of the complex. I quickly opened my door and jumped out looking up to the fourth floor, searching for their door.

"Alex where the fück are you?" I asked scanning for their door.

"I'm 2 minutes away." He said. Just as I was about to respond my eyes landed on their door, it was left open with the corridor light door shining "Don't go up there alone with no backup." I heard him say but it was too late. My instincts kicked, I shut the car door, leaving my headpiece in the car and ran into the lobby and up the stairs to their apartment, no one was around to give me looks or question why I'm running so fast. I reached their apartment in seconds the sight I was welcomed to made my stomach turn.

"Zoe!" I screamed as I saw her lifeless body lying in the hallway by the door, a pool of blood surrounded her. I dashed into the room, not taking any notice that I'm landing in her blood, "Zoe...Zoe honey." I called out cradling her head, but I didn't get a response, I pushed the hairs off her face to look at her. Her glasses were next to her with a crack on the left, her lips looked dry and colorless. Her body was limp as I pulled her to me, resting her head on my lap. I searched her for where she was wounded, the bottom of her shirt was damp and stained a dark red. They shot her in her abdomen. I bit my lip hard, fighting the urge to scream. I was angry I was sad I was scared. I wanted to scream and cry but I wouldn't allow myself to.

"Joe?" I called out as I checked Zoe's pulse. She was alive, with a very very weak pulse. Joe didn't respond. "Joe? Please!" I called again. "Fuck!" I shouted when he didn't respond again. I looked down at Zoe who looked so still, the light tan color of her skin was going pale. I didn't want to leave her but I had to check on Joe. While she may be breathing right now he might not. "I'll be right back," I said to her, gently resting her on the floor. It pained me to leave her but I had to check on Joe.

The whole apartment was a mess, whoever did this was either looking for something or they staged this to look like a robbery. Everything was everywhere. I ran through to the kitchen to find Joe laid on the kitchen floor beaten to a pulp. Blood covered his face as it swelled up. I couldn't recognize his face, that cute geeky face of his was gone hidden behind the blue, black and red. I rushed over to him checking on his pulse too. Similar to Zoe...weak.