{BOOK 1} I Thought We Would Be Safe - Paulkins/TGWDLM fanfic

Chapter 21 - Safe

He pointed the gun at her. Emma shut her eyes. She had once read on the internet that you should look a shooter in the eyes, because it makes you seem more human. But now it was really happening, and she just couldn't do it. She didn't want to see the smirk on his face when he pulled the trigger. She heard Tom laugh. She kept her eyes shut, wishing she would die quickly, without too much more pain.

A gunshot echoed through the room. Emma mentally prepared for the bullet to hit her and the pain she would undoubtedly experience.

Nothing.

A pained yelp made her realize that something was wrong, at least for Tom, not dying couldn't be wrong for her. She slowly opened her eyes. Her capturer was on the ground, a small puddle of blood formed on the ground under his head.

Paul came running towards her, while professor Hidgens fired another bullet towards Tom, who stopped moving. Emma looked away. Of course, she hated that man, but she didn't mean she wanted to see his bleeding corpse lying on the ground. Paul untied the ropes around her wrists & ankles and she stumbled into his chest when he tried to help her stand up. He held her tightly, like he was scared she'd leave him again.

"What? How did you-"

Professor Hidgens grabbed her phone from the table. "When we saw the wheelchair in the front yard, it didn't take long for us to figure out what happened. Luckily Paul could track your phone. We arrived just in time, didn't we?"

Emma closed her eyes, burying her face into Paul's shirt, tears started rolling down her cheeks. She grunted. Paul accidentally touched the blade that was still piercing through the flesh of her shoulder and she let out a muffled cry.

Paul examined it, "I'm going to pull it out, okay?"

Professor Hidgens walked towards them. "Don't do that yet. It'll only make the bleeding worse and she has lost a lot of blood already." he said, nodding his head in the direction of her shoulder, which was covered in blood.

"We have to get out of here." Emma said, she didn't even recognize her own voice, "The other one will come back."

"The other one?" The professor raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean? Never mind we should just go."

She felt Paul lift her up from the floor. "Just hold on. You'll be okay." he whispered in her ear. She closed her eyes as he carried here to the car. Professor Hidgens got into the driver's seat and Paul opened the door of the backseat.

"No..." Emma groaned, "I don't want to get blood all over your car."

Paul let out an anxious chuckle, "That's the least I care about, Em." He got into the car and made sure she was as comfortable as possible. Emma laid her head down on Paul's lap.

"Make sure she stays conscious." the professor said, driving home as quickly as possible, just making sure he didn't break any speed limits to prevent Emma from having a panic attack, he knew she didn't like cars. The pain kicked in now that the adrenalin was gone and tears started rolling down her face.

Paul kept saying that everything was going to be alright and she clung to him while trying to focus on his voice rather than the pain. Hidgens was just quietly driving. They got home a few minutes later and Professor Hidgens carefully lifted Emma from Paul's lap out of the car. Paul got out of the car and they walked inside. Emma cried softly at every movement. The professor put her down on the couch and Emma collapsed immediately, she closed her eyes.

Paul grabbed his phone, "I'll call PEIP." He left the room, leaving Emma and the professor alone.

"Emma, dear?" She opened her tear-filled eyes to look at him. "You'll be alright."

Emma grabbed his hand. "It hurts. It hurts so much." she said, her voice shaking.

The professor rubbed her back with the hand she wasn't holding. "I know, dear... I know..."

Emma could hear Paul shout in the kitchen. He had never shouted since she met him, he hadn't even raised his voice once. About a minute later he came back into the room. "We're not allowed to go to the normal hospital, they don't want anyone to know what happened. They have to send a doctor from another location, because the PEIP hospital is abandoned right now, but it will take at least an hour before they're here."

Hidgens sighed, squeezing Emma's hand, "I'll make sure she doesn't die in the meantime."