SONDER (IV): tmr thomas

37: I should accept

Leo 37         

     Michelle's body crumples to the ground.

I scream, hanging over top of her. Everyone moves around me, running in every direction, but my eyes are focused on her. My knees slam against the concrete below me as I bend down. Gally grabs her shoulders and rolls them over.

Michelle stares blankly. The bullet between her eyebrows is dark, even darker in the lighting. Dark against her pale skin. Darker than her bright red hair, darker than the crimson blood pouring from her head.

My vision goes blurry and I can't hear properly. Everything is ringing. Everything is an echo. Gally is shaking her shoulders, but I can't hear him. It feels like I'm underwater.

I hear another shot fire, and then another. The ringing only gets louder, but I can't move my hands up to my ears. All I can do is curl up into a ball. Her body is getting colder, or maybe it was always cold. It can't already be getting colder. It must be the night. It must not be Michelle. I won't believe it. You can't make me.

My ears still hum, but I remember the sounds. I hear the shot blow out his gun. I hear the soft thump of Michelle's body collapsing. I hear it again and again and again.

Eventually, I feel myself get pulled off the ground. Minho's hands are wrapped around my face, helping hold me as I cry. I pull him down into me, forcing him to hug me. His arms wrap tightly around me. My nails dig into his back, but if I don't cling to him, I will fall to the ground again.

Behind him, I watch Dawn pick up the pistol off the ground. Her calmness just makes me cry harder. However, I let my eyes follow her rather than look over at Michelle.

Eventually, Minho lets go of me to help Gally. The boy cradles Michelle on his lap, crying on to her. His tears land on her forehead, just next to the bullet. It should've grazed her. It should've added to her scars, like the one across her blind eye, and the ones across her cheeks.

Gally sobs, his fists tied up in her messy red hair. Minho moves his hands down to help him, but Gally swipes them away. I stumble backwards, only to be barely caught by Thomas.

"We need to get going," he tells me.

I nod and wipe the tears off my face. Michelle gave us these precious seconds and we need to take them. However, when I try to take a step I stumble and hit the ground again. I can feel my stomach ripping itself apart from the inside out. Down the street, I can already see three Cranks moving in. The gunshots are drawing them in.

I hear the bang, and then her body crumpling to the ground. I hear the bang and her body crumpling to the ground and I hear the bang and her body cr-

"Leo!" Thomas shouts. The sound almost makes my ears pop. It's the clearest thing I've heard in what feels like years.

I snap out of my daze, moving with the others. I run up to the tires, confirming Gally's speculation. The wheels have been popped. Behind the car are trails of broken bottles scattering the ground. The car is out of the question.

"Gally," I begin, moving in.

He pushes me away, knocking me into Minho. The taller of the two boys gets up and pulls Gally off of Michelle. He slams the sobbing boy against the hood of the car. "Don't you dare lay your shucking hands on Leo ever again. Do you hear me?"

"I don't give a shuck!" Gally counters. He points down at Michelle, his fingers trembling. They seem gaunt in the dim light. "She's... Michelle's..."

"We need to get moving," Thomas tells him. "We need you to lead us back to the Right Arm."

Gally nods. He smears the snot across his face and begins to walk. His feet step off beat. I'm worried that he is going to faint with every step.