𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 | 𝕣𝕖𝕕𝕕𝕚𝕖

chapter thirty-one: bang bang (my baby shot me down)

The first thing that registered in Richie's brain was the roaring of a simple pistol that Hector had fired.

The second thing was the sight of blood seeping through the side of Eddie's shirt.

And the third, was the fact that Hector had been aiming for Richie.

There was a fourth too.

Blaring sirens taking over the dead silence in the air along with Eddie collapsing into Richie's arms.

★

"Bang bang, he shot me down. Bang bang, I hit the ground. Bang bang, that awful sound. Bang bang, my baby shot me down." Eddie sang to himself only one year earlier.

"Eddie dearie, you must stop singing those girl songs." Sonia mentioned from her seat in the kitchen, wear she was knitting a red sweater for her husband. "And your grandmother only died a week ago, show some respect and mourn."

"Right, I forgot." Eddie spoke and his face immediately dropped, turning into a desperately sorrowful look.

Eddie knew why his mother was so rotten. It was simply because she was raised not with love, but with hate.

He could only imagine how hateful he could've become if he hadn't had his father's support.

★

"Holy shit!"

Richie's eyes were streaming with panicked tears as he stared in shock at Eddie. Three bodies exited the car, running toward the scene.

"Richie, what's happening? Oh shit!" Will yelled and called over Mike and the kind jail guard who helped him escape. "Eddie? Eddie? Can you hear me?" Will tried to wake up the faint Eddie, but to no avail. "Richie, get some cold water! Richie, are you listening? Fuck!"

Mike instead ran to find some cold water as Will inspected Eddie's wound.

"Oh thank God, it's just a graze." Will confirmed. "What a drama queen!"

"Don't make fun of the kid." The guard said, staring down Will.

"Right, Yeah." Will responded and took the first aid kit that the guard offered to him. He began to disinfect the wound and stop the bleeding just as Mike returned with a bucket of cold water and a small towel.

Richie still sat with instilled shock on his face as he stared at the sky, wishing their lives were easier.

"Who even shot Eddie?" Mike asked.

Richie suddenly snapped out of his trance, "it was that dickhead, Hector!" He stood, charging his way into the hotel room, unarmed, with a determined scowl on his face. "Open up, Hector!" He banged his fist against the door with so much fury that he almost knocked it down.

There was no answer. "Where the hell is he?" Richie was sweating, functioning just off the mission to find the person who harmed his true love.

The guard started to follow Richie, assisting in finding the culprit.

And just like hearing the distant sound of sirens, another alarming noise was heard.

Hector's yelps of distress.

"Get your hands off me, punk!" Hector yelled struggling in the grasp of...