LETTERS OF A VIRGIN

3. Sin city and Bloody streets

Mention of violence 18+

PARIS KILLIAN'S POV

My breathing was coherent with the rapid shaking of my body as I stared down at my bleeding friend....

"Fuck," Lana cursed as blood spilled from the gunshot wound on her right arm. "Oh Lord help me." She cried out pure agony, the sight of her struggling in pain was killing me slowly.

"We need an ambulance." I screamed for help once again but everyone on Freemont street was running to safety as the armed mobsters shot at each other, it wasn't the first time open gun fights between the mob happened on these streets. My throat was so dry from crying and yelling that anybody help us. I was lucky enough that I wasn't shot yet, but sadly for Lana, the pain rippling from her could not go unnoticed as she trembled and sobbed against my lap.

Today of all days.. God please let this be a dream.

I pressed carefully on Lana's wound to somehow reduce the bleeding rate as her jaw clinched tightly. She was laying on the ground, her head on my lap as I sat beside her. Tears falling from her eyes and into her ears as we both screamed for help. But nobody paid any attention. People were heading away from the scene of the shooting that occured just meters away from the cheap liquor store.

Blood flowed from Lana's injury and onto her red dress, and then onto mine. The sight made me dizzy as shivers run through me. Seeing blood has always made me tremble with anxiousness. And Lana was bleeding profoundly despite my efforts to press on the wound.

I looked towards the owner of the shop, Peter , who was locking his doors. "Let us back inside...please." I was getting desperate. Why won't he help us? We've been begging nonstop to no avail. We could get seriously harmed than this.

The shooting happened seconds after we exited the store, and before we could even process what was going on, Lana was already screaming achingly as a bullet hit her. The bottles of wine slipped from her trembling hands and splashing onto the pavement thus breaking into pieces.  And that's when the crowded streets roared of sounds of guns being fired and people screaming and a stampede of fearful citizens began. People almost trampled on us with their feet as they escaped the scene in multitudes.

Lana and I begged the owner of the store to let us back inside and offer shelter from the obvious danger but the man decided to be cruel.

"Save yourselves. I don't want nobody dying in my property."

He didn't even glance at us as we pleading on the ground . He simply shut the door and switched off the lights. Leaving us out there alone. "You fucking bastard. Damn you for abandoning us- you sick fuck." Lana cursed. "Who said I was dying? Heard of anyone die from being shot on the arm. Open up Peter. What kind of person are you."

I was more than scared, especially since the war was only kindling. "Hush Lana. Save your breath and energy. He's clearly not going help."

I felt like hope was lost as we remained stranded on the corner of a mass shooting. I feared for our lives.

"Where the hell is that ambulance? Where are the police? Where is security?" Lana looked up at me in horror with her bloodshot eyes. It wasn't normal that the police weren't here yet. It's been ten or twelve minutes of shooting. The police station is just five minutes away. What is happening?

Neither of us dared to look at the mob war. We ended up both laying flat on the ground with our heads facing the pavement. My heart was pounding so hard I could almost hear it. Civilians also began laying flat on the ground, avoiding getting shot.

Lana wasn't the only one wounded. Several people were also down on the road with blood covering their clothes. But nobody was helping. Everyone was only looking out for themselves. I was reciting a silent prayer as tears ricocheted from my eyes. I wrapped my arms around Lana, soothing her. "It hurts Paris....so damn much."