The Crown in the Storm ✔️

Pandamonium

I was jerked to the side as another loud noise ran through the stadium. Panicked screams echoed around us and I stared at the chaos in shock. A stampede had broken out. People were jumping over one another to get out. Men, women, children everyone was losing their head in the chaos.

I looked around me and saw several of the politicians being taken away by their guards.
My vision blurred and I rested my head on the surface. Slowly, as the noise lessened, I raised my arm to see a huge gash. Dazed, I saw someone move from beside me. Zaroon lifted his head and gave me a quick once over.

"You okay?" He asked. Or at least I thought that's what he said. I could not hear him. There was a loud ringing in my ears. I gave him a small nod and raised my hand towards his forehead. He had a small cut there. Blood seeped through his wound. He gave me a reassuring smile and helped me to my feet, shielding me with his body. I rested my head against his back, praying for the dizziness to end. The stage had been damaged...

"Uncle EJ!" I gasped. "Feroze!" Zaroon nodded and grabbed my shoulders to steady me. He looked around grimly and started talking into the radio. Some stragglers were now leaping off the stage as the stadium emptied out. No one looked at me, they were all focused on themselves. I walked towards the podium...
"Feroze?" I called out to a familiar body. He rose up, his hair covered in dirt.

"Elena! Are you alright?" He started to stand up but then fell back again. I ran towards him.
"Oh my God... Feroze! Wait, Zaroon! Feroze is hurt!" He tried to stand up again and hissed in pain. "Is it your leg?" He nodded. "The whole leg or part of?" I asked as Zaroon jogged over to my side.

"Uncle EJ has been taken to the hospital, your mother is with him now" I breathed a sigh of relief. At least he'll be getting the proper attention. "We're looking at a death toll of around 10-15 people" I covered my mouth in shock. Feroze went white as a sheet.
"Was it...?"
"Destabilizers under the stage. The stampede caused the deaths. Everyone on the stage survived with minor injuries, all of them were taken away. The two of you were the only ones on the podium" that explained our injuries.
"Can you walk?" I asked Feroze. He tested his weight on his leg. He opened his mouth to answer when a loud shot rang through the air.

Zaroon stepped in front of me and whipped out his gun.
"Both of you, crouch and try to get off the stage" we crouched and I grabbed Feroze's hand to offer him support.

My heart thundered from fear. Someone was trying to kill us. This day was steadily getting worse. Slowly we inched our way towards the lopsided stairs as Zaroon covered our backs. Shots rang out as both the shooter and Zaroon exchanged fire. Lucky for us the guy was far away and could only see us because we were on stage.
Feroze's face had gone white and his lips were pressed together in pain. Another shot rang out and we paused in fear. This one seemed to have been a bit too close.

"Keep moving" Zaroon growled out. I tugged at Feroze and urged him to move. We reached the stairs and tried to find a safe place to descend them. Zaroon dragged a spare table and placed it horizontally to offer us cover. He then jumped off the stage, onto the ground. He turned around and grabbed me by the waist, lifting me up and placing me on the ground. I clutched his arm in fear and he looked at me, his face blank. He was in survival mode right now. The Major had come out.

He helped Feroze and I looked around for a stick that could be used as a crutch. One of the chairs had broken on impact and I grabbed the single wooden piece and gave it to Feroze.
"Smart" Zaroon muttered as Feroze tested his weight on it. Luckily it withstood the pressure. Some of the tension eased from his face.
"Thanks..." he muttered.
"How do we get out? And who was shooting at us?" I said looking for an exit.
"Whoever it was, seems to have left" Zaroon muttered, his eyes moving in different directions. "The backup team is on its way but we have to get to the rendezvous point"
"Okay... where is that?" Feroze asked.
"Not far. How much pain can you endure?" Zaroon asked.
"The crutch helps"
"Good. They're closing the area up looking for the shooter. We need to travel two blocks to the south towards a safe house. We can't trust anyone... okay? My men will meet us there"
"We can't go to the police?" I said. He shook his head.
"This happened while they stood guard. The shooter was wearing a police uniform" dread clawed it's way up my throat.
"Where's your guard?" I asked Feroze. He shrugged, his face disgusted.
"Okay? Ready to go? Feroze I want you to lead. Head towards the back doors, there's a narrow passageway that leads to the storage rooms. We'll exit from there" Feroze nodded and started making his way to the back door. I hesitated to look at the carnage around me.

"It could have been worse. Come on, let's go" Zaroon muttered and after one final check, he grabbed my hand and tugged me along as we followed Feroze.

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