The Masqueraded

21

Everything happened so fast. Ru's limbs refused to move. She barely felt Mel's hand tug at hers and then a pair of arms were thrown over her shoulders as she felt her feet being forced off the ground. She was being forcibly pulled away from the scene unfolding before her eyes.

Javier's eyes searched hers as he looked over his shoulder and mouthed something. Ru's ears felt full, she couldn't hear a word. She noticed movement around but felt nor heard anything.

'You guys get out of here! Take Ruera and go, Kiki. Leave!' Bella shouted, waving them off. The urgency in her voice seemed to flip a switch in Ru. She was rocked out of her momentary shock and finally processed what was happening and her eyes widened.

Javier was limply holding a knife at his side. Alan Riviera was squirming on his knees, clutching at somewhere below his collarbone. Javier was standing as still as a rock right in front of him facing his back to her. Vaughn's arms tugged at her shoulders more firmly.

Suddenly Ru pulled herself off his grasp. As she turned sideways she noticed his worried expression.

'Ru, we need to go!' Vaughn shouted. Looking right above his shoulder, she noticed that Mel had stopped a few feet away from them and was looking back at them clearly agitated.

Simultaneously, the police hurried into the hall and noises filled the air.

'Where are the paramedics, Leopold?' Bella screeched in a voice which almost didn't sound like her own. Ru stared at the commotion as the police swarmed into the building. There were constant noises of people talking through walkie-talkies and people calling out to each other.

The bland blue uniforms severely contrasted the plain grey backdrop. It was too much for Ru to take in and she began to feel lightheaded. She shrugged Vaughn off her and stepped forwards and broke into a sprint towards the commotion before her. Her eyes were fixed on the lanky, black clad boy lying on the floor encircled by police officers who were trying to give him first aid.

'The paramedics are on their way into the building ma'm', she heard someone shout from among the crowd. She pushed through. A several of the police officers shouted at her and pushed her away gently.

'Hey kid, what do you think you're doing?!' PC Leopold said, putting at arm on her shoulder, steering her away.

Ru couldn't understand why she was acting this way. She knew that her behavior was beyond ridiculous but her feet seemed to have a life of their own and they forced her to reach Javier. Her heart was beating in her chest and her hands felt clammy.

She threw herself on to the ground a few inches away from the bleeding boy. One side of his shoulder was tightly wrapped with Vaughn's jacket. His torso was covered in blood. A medical kit which was labeled "POLICE" was lying on the floor next to him and one of the female police officers took out a roll of bandage and unraveled it to wrap it around him.

Ru's eyes stung. She couldn't understand where all the blood was coming from. For someone who had lost so much blood, he was surprisingly still in his senses, though he looked weak and about to pass out from the pain. His eyes fell on Ru. The emerald drops in his eyes were now bland green, Ru noticed. They were neither viciously glinting nor cheerfully alive.

Her fingers shook as she involuntarily reached out for his hand. When her fingers brushed his skin, he stirred a little and looked down at her hand.

'Does it...' she muttered, 'Does it hurt a lot?' Her voice came out almost soundless and hoarse. A slight smile appeared on Javier's lips.

'You should be wishing me dead Ruera', he said, in a hushed voice. His throat gurgled at the end which broke into a raspy cough. 'Why are you worried?' He asked.