The Bikers

Heartland

Jenny, Nathan, and I don't flinch as we hear sirens quickly nearing the theatre. I glance at Jenny who is slumped down, twirling her thumbs.

My eyes flick over to the once breathing Demi who lies on her side, lifeless and pitiful in her own puddle of blood. I can only hope she's finally at peace for once. I can't help but feel such remorse for her. I'm sure if something as traumatic and evil had happened to me, I wouldn't have known what to do with myself either.

Lastly, I turn my attention to my lap where Nathan is resting his head. Poor Nathan Blackthorne. Who could've predicted his fate this way? With all that he's been through, he deserves at least one day of peace or clarity.

A loud crash tears me away from my thoughts.

"PPD, put your hands in the air!" A man bursts into the theatre with his gun out in front of him, flashing his badge, as two other policemen follow behind him.

With my back facing them, I raise my hands in the air slowly as an uncertain wave of emotions wash over me. Relief, fear, and anxiety course through my veins and the next thing I know, I begin to sob uncontrollably. "He's been shot." I choke out as best as I can.

"Is anyone else here?" The policeman asks.

"Just us." I hear Jenny answer.

"Are you hurt?"

"She is. They are." I hear Jenny reference Nathan and I. Soon after, footsteps gently approach me and the policeman kneels to his feet beside me, kicking away the different weapons surrounding us, and notices my wet eyes and Nathan's bloody chest in my lap. For some reason, all of a sudden, instead of being afraid of what's to come, I feel immediate comfort. It's all over.

As if someone has possessed my body, I lean over and collapse onto his shoulder, crying harder than I've ever cried before, letting my tears consume me as he surprisingly embraces me and strokes my frizzy curls. They've been through a lot this week too. "Shh, it's okay. It's all over now." He pulls away from me slightly to speak into his monitor. "Can we get Detective Hudson down to the Twilight Theatre please?"

"Copy that." The other line mumbles.

"So you guys are the Bikers." He nods as if he's finally found the piece to his missing puzzle.

I wail again. "Are we going to jail?"

Jenny scoffs behind me. "Get a hold of yourself, Carter."

The policeman levels with me, meeting my eyes with confidence. "I can't tell you what's going to happen next, Miss. But what I can say is that you and your friends can relax now for the next few hours." He looks around. "It looks like you've all been through a lot.

"Hey, Poholek, the medics are out front." One of the policemen call out to the man in front of me and he nods over at them before turning his attention back to me.

"Why don't you come with me."

"I—" I look down at Nathan who is barely moving. He's clutching his chest where the bullet pierced his skin and has his eyes closed. His breathing is laboured and heavy in my lap. "I can't leave him."

"He'll be fine. You're all in good hands now. We're going to get him to Heartland Hospital in the city and he'll be taken care of as soon as possible."

"I can't."

The policeman sighs, his shoulders slumping down in defeat. But after a moment, he nods at me. "Fair enough. We'll just have Detective Hudson check in with you all at Heartland, alright?" I nod my head, wiping my face. The theatre doors fly open once more, letting in the medics who are hastily rolling in a gurney. The policeman turns to me once more. "Where are you hurt?"

"I'm fine."

"Miss," He pleads.

I sigh, pointing to my patched up thigh and lastly revealing my bandaged abdomen.

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"Is there a parent or guardian we can call for you?"

"I don't want them involved right now."

"I'm sorry, but you're a minor. We need to call someone." He stands to his feet to make way for the medics who expertly cradle Nathan onto the gurney and off of my lap.

"She's with me." Nathan suddenly chokes out as the medics gently strap him down.

The policeman frowns as he somehow recognises Nathan's voice, helping me up to my feet. "Nathan Blackthorne?" He turns to me again. "Well, okay. This changes everything. We'll touch bases again at Heartland, okay?"

My eyes flick to Jenny who shrugs back at me and I nod at Officer Poholek before turning to leave with the medics.

On the way out, there are a slew of police cars, firetrucks, and ambulances lined up outside. Passerby's have almost stopped dead in their tracks to see what's going on. With all the gang activity here in Pasadena, you'd think everyone would be used to seeing a few sirens.

A new car pulls up onto the curb. It's a sleek, black Mustang with the windows tinted black. Out steps Mr. O'Connell with a crisp tie and his sleeves rolled just above his elbows like in class. The only thing different about him now is the badge dangling on a lanyard from around his neck. My mouth drops to the ground. "Mr. O'Connell?"

"Actually, it's Detective Hudson."He sticks out his hand. "Nice to officially meet you, Carter Wyatt."

I leap at him, pulling him close into a tight embrace before whispering. "You knew."

"Everything." He nods, squeezing me back. He steps back to look at me. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you sooner."

"Glad you could make it, Hudson." The policeman calls from behind me. "There are three bodies down in theatre nine. Besides Jennifer Douglas and these two here, they're the only ones involved that we know of."

Mr. O'Connell nods at him before turning back to me. "You're not mad are you?"

"I don't know. I don't know how I feel about anything right now."

"All I ever wanted to do was protect you both. You know that, right?" He searches my eyes but I remain silent. He sighs, moving on. "Look, we'll touch bases at Heartland, okay? I'm really glad you're safe." He gives me a smug grin and a nod before walking off toward the theatre, leaving me to board the ambulance with Nathan.

I glance over at Jenny. "Aren't you coming?"

"I'll be there later. It's fine, Wyatt."