Marena turned just in time to see the remaining officer, Jaycee's killer, rush at her. His body connected with hers and they both went slamming onto the asphalt, Marena crying out in pain as her lithe body smacked the pavement.
At the same time the cop broke free of Axel's grasp behind her, slamming her friend roughly against the car door before charging at her, gun in hand. Her eyes grew wide and she tried to scramble to her feet to escape, yet he was too quick. He wrapped his arms around her ankles and yanked her back down.
Her elbow hit the street first, instantly followed by a searing pain that shot up through her arm. She cried out and blindly swung, fist connecting with nothing but air. The officer counter-attacked her, punching her in the stomach to wind her. Pain instantly consumed her lower abdomen and she gasped for breath, hands clawing at the cop in an attempt to fight him off. Her attempts failed.
Five feet away, she could hear the sounds of Marena's struggle. She twisted her neck, still unable to take in any more than short, quick breaths. Marena was still up and fighting, but she wasn't using her dodge-and-strike tactic she was infamous for. Instead she was blindly throwing punches, spitting words like murderer, bastard and much more profane things at the officer. Caught in her blind fury he snaked his arms around her and yanked her into a hold, seizing her weapon and throwing it over the bridge.
"No!" She cried as she struggled against the superior weight of the cop. She was strong, but wasn't strong enough to throw a two hundred pound man off her. How would Marena save herself now? As her best friend tried to free herself he kicked her hard in the shin, bringing her down to the ground. Instantly, he had her pinned, the barrel of his gun pressing against her forehead. Shay gasped, resenting how helpless she was.
"Carson!" She called for him desperately, but all she earned was a hand over her mouth.
"You know, the less you struggle the less painful it will be. Don't think we don't know who you are now." Her attacked hissed, his faces inches away from hers. He removed his hand from her mouth so she could reply. Instead of cursing him out she bit her tongue. He smirked. "Cat got your tongue?" Insulted, she wallowed up as much spit as possible in her mouth and spat it on his face.
She instantly regretted her decision- next thing she knew the cop had the barrel of his gun digging into her temple, the pressure almost at the point of becoming painful. It was just a matter of time before he pulled the trigger. He had her arms pinned and she wasn't flexible enough to strike him anywhere vital with her knees. Struggling to avoid looking in the officer's eyes she titled her head in Marena's direction, hoping she fared better.
Unfortunately, she hadn't. She was pinned as well, the barrel of a gun pressed against her forehead. Axel was on the ground, clutching his bleeding head and Laylia was still cradling Jaycee's body. From her position she couldn't see Carson. I didn't think I'd die being so helpless, she thought. The hero always has a brave, honorable death in stories. Then again, I'm not the hero. Villains die exactly like I'm about to.
Three shots rang out into the night. The gunshots were explicably loud. She automatically assumed it was the bullets that were fired to kill her. When no pain came, she opened her eyes to discover the weight of the officer had been released from her body. He was sprawled on the asphalt besides her, a fresh bullet wound in his chest. Blood was blossoming across his shirt as he gasped for breath for a few moments before the light faded from his eyes.
He wasn't supposed to die. She hissed silently. He wasn't the one we were after.
"Did he hurt you?" She looked up to see Carson, gun still pointed at the dead officer.
"Just… Just winded me." She replied, eyeing him cautiously. Yet again she was witnessing the inner turmoil she'd suffered through after her first kill in yet another face- first Marena, then Katrina and now Carson. All those familiar emotions stared back at her as she locked eyes with him.
"He was going to kill you. I…I wasn't going to let that happen." He said softly. She swallowed hard.
"It'll get easier, I… I promise." She replied, although she wasn't positive the words the spoke were the truth. It still bothered her, but she'd begun to grow indifferent to it. Carson might never kill again. She wouldn't complain if he didn't. At least one person she loved would maintain their humanity. If he never again pulled the trigger, he wouldn't go through the same adjustments Shay and Marena had, even Katrina to a degree as well. He'd be weighed down with the fact he killed a man for the rest of his life.
"Shay fucking Claire! Get your ass over here now!"
Startled, she turned around, eyebrows raised and lips pursed. The sight her eyes fell upon was as surprising as it was humorous.
Marena was standing there covered in blood, yet it was rather obvious it wasn't her own. The body of Jaycee's killer lay in the middle of the street, two bullet holes in his back. Next to Marena stood a very wet, very pissed off Katrina, her reddish brown hair soaked and stringy, black tank top like a second skin. Owen and Kyleigh were beside her, each as wet and pissed as the next.
"What the hell was that, telling us all to jump then not going yourself? That was real nice of you! Do you see how stupid I look! There's mascara running down my face and my socks are wet! My fucking socks are wet! Do you know how much I hate walking around in wet socks, Shay? Yeah, yeah you do! You better give us a good goddamn reason as to why you didn't jump over, and if you tell me it's because you were too scared god help me I will pick you up and throw you!" Katrina screamed, wiping away black mascara tears periodically.
Struggling to keep her cool, she contemplated even saying anything at all. Maybe she should just point to Jaycee's body. Katrina was unaware of her death, which was blatantly obvious. Don't blow up on her, don't blow up on her, don't blow up on her…
"Katrina," she began calmly, although her entire body was rigid. "Calm down. Look to your right and you'll see your damned reason." She ended coldly, tone hard as stone. Katrina curled her lip and stuck her nose in the air, tilting her head as if she expected to see something as petty as some attractive celebrity in the road. When she finally saw it, all anger and disdain evaporated instantly.
For a few moments, Katrina was silent. Kyleigh's hands flew to her mouth and she squeezed her eyes shut. Owen didn't move a muscle. Shay closed the distance between her and Carson, standing next to him. All eyes were on Katrina and the other three, waiting to see how she'd react.
"Please tell me you got the bastard… Shay, please tell me! Marena, did you? Was it you? Carson, was it you even?" She pleaded, her eyes darting around to every member of the group as she called them out.
"Actually," Marena interrupted, clearing her throat. "You did. And saved my life."
Katrina examined the gun in her hand for a few moments before looking at the body of the officer. She aimed her 9 mm again and fired one, two more rounds into the dead body of Jaycee's killer. She might have expected this from Laylia, but not Katrina. Last she checked, she didn't even associate them as friends. Maybe they shared the same thought process- friend or not, she was one of their own, and you avenge your own.
"Katrina, stop." Marena warned, taking a step forward. "I understand your shocked, angry, whatever, but he's dead and there's no sense in wasting bullets."
"B…but did you see what happened to her? There's…. There's blood everywhere. There's stuff that shouldn't be outside of her body everywhere. That's not okay. She wasn't really my friend, but she didn't deserve to die that way." She whimpered back.
When she finished Owen ran up to her and wrapped her in a hug. For someone who'd killed before, Katrina crumpled in his arms. She wasn't crying loudly, but the blackness running down her face was no longer due to the fact she'd been submerged in water.
"If she wasn't your friend, why are you so upset about it?" Shay spat suddenly. The sirens that wailed in the distance were getting louder now. They needed to go soon. She was in no mood to get into a full-blown shootout with nothing but a low-on-ammo 9 mm. They could grieve when they were safe.
<
br /> "Because I'm scared, Shay. It was Jaycee this time. Who will it be next time? Don't say there won't be a next time because you know there will be. No matter how hard you try, you can't keep everyone alive. It might even be you who bites it next. That's what scares me. We're going to lose more people. It just took Jaycee for us to realize that."
Nobody uttered a word to dispute her claim. They all knew it. They'd just been lucky so far. It was only then had their luck run out.
Chapter 22
Shay took no time absorbing Katrina's words, for they were already resonating inside her mind. No matter how hard you try, you can't keep everyone alive. The wails of sirens were growing closer, increasing her apprehension. They were low on ammo as well as general firepower and the current lack of will could not be looked over either. At the moment they were broken and in no condition to fight. They'd have to flee before the reinforcements arrived.
She looked to her right and found nothing but open road. They could sprint and curve off into the woods and reach their camp by foot, which seemed doable enough, only carrying a dead body would slow them down. She looked to her left- the empty troopers, doors still ajar and engines running. An idea popped into her mind. It was risky, but they needed something to help them escape quickly- and since when was a decision of hers never risky?
"Quick! Get in the cars!" She shouted, motioning to the black vehicles. Seven heads snapped in her direction, several accompanied with quizzical glances. "Come on for God's sake, there's more of them on the way!"
Those words seemed to register something within them, for they all bolted for the cars. Axel and Carson stopped and helped Laylia pick up Jaycee's body and move it towards the car as well. They couldn't just leave her there in the middle of the bridge- they would bury their own.
Shay sprinted over to one of the vehicles and threw herself into the driver's seat, gripping the steering wheel tightly. In moments Carson was in the passenger seat beside her, fresh blood all over his hands. Katrina and Owen filed into the back, closing the doors with a pop. Without thinking twice she put her foot on the pedal and gunned it, the trooper zooming off at a speed much faster than she'd anticipated. The car veered slightly a few times, earning squeals of surprise from her passengers.
"You sure you know how to drive one of these?" Carson asked as he threw on his seatbelt, eyeing her nervously.
"Yes!" She squealed as she accidentally put more pressure on the pedal, accelerating the car even more. At first the speed was intimidating yet now she found she enjoyed it. It was a rush of adrenaline, an enthralling edge. "Chargers are fast as hell!"
"Well what did you think? They're called Chargers for a reason!" Carson shot back. In the back seat Katrina had the window rolled down, whooping and hollering into the open air. "How fast are you going, even? Fifty, sixty?"
"Are you kidding? I do sixty in the truck!" She said back with a grin, making a sharp turn to swerve onto the gravel road that led to the abandoned campsite.
"Well then what the hell is this thing doing?"
"Eighty one!"
At that response Carson gripped the seat, his large eyes as round as eggs. "Jesus Christ, are you trying to kill us?"
She grinned widely and slowly released pressure on the pedal, creating a gradual decrease in speed. If she was to have to slam on the breaks suddenly she'd go right through the windshield, seeing as she'd failed to put on her seatbelt. It was a rather poor decision to not wear one.
The speedometer decreased, little orange arrow hovering around fifty five. She heard Carson sigh beside her and Katrina groan.
"Why'd you slow down?" She whined, rolling up the window.
"I didn't want to go through the windshield." She replied, almost missing the turn onto the gravel road to the abandoned campsite. She swerved abruptly, sliding in her seat as the Charger turned with the steering wheel. The vehicle bounced roughly over the rocks as she drove over it, jostling its passengers in their seats. The headlights of the second trooper behind them illuminated the space inside the car, signaling the group was still intact. Thank God she thought, filled with a rush of relief.
After another three minutes or so the campsite came into view. She drove for a few more feet before stopping, putting the vehicle in park and shutting the engine off. She threw open the door and stepped out into the night air, thankful for the refreshing breeze against her skin.
Marena stopped directly beside them, shutting the engine off moments later. The others were beginning to file out, still looking as stunned as they had ten minutes ago. Carson and Axel made their way to the back of the second Charger, popping the trunk and gingerly picked up Jaycee's body from inside. Marena barked a few orders at Kyleigh and she went hurrying towards the truck, returning moments later with a blanket.
The measly blonde spread it across the earth as the other Carriers congregated around it, stopping to watch the boys lower her body onto it. They were careful with the body, setting her down gently. Laylia stood watching, her entire body rigid. Her lips were pursed tightly, clearly trying to hold back tears. The others watched with absent expressions, more stunned than grieving.
"We'll bury her tomorrow," Shay said, breaking the awkward silence. Everyone turned to look at her as the guys finished wrapping Jaycee's body in the blanket, masking the gruesome details of her death from prying eyes.
"Why won't we bury her now?" Laylia spat, hazel eyes brimming with tears.
"We're all too tired. We need time to rest and process what just happened."
Laylia's lip trembled as if she was going to spit something back, but she never did. Her eyes fell and she lowered her head, defeated. Did she blame herself for what happened? She hoped she did. Her own stubbornness resulted in the death of her best friend.
"Where should we put her until then, Shay?" Carson asked as he scanned the crowd for her. He didn't find her, for she'd already slipped away into the woods.
Upriver the water was much shallower, flowing swiftly over an easily-visible river bottom. The ripples in the water caught the light of the full moon, creating little patterns on the surface. The only sounds were those of rushing water and rustling leaves- the peace could not have been more welcome.
For the first time since she'd been drafted into the leader position Shay had found solitude. Her mind was a mess, a scramble of plans, actions, speeches and events that had either happened or needed to. Jaycee's death still didn't feel real, despite the fact she'd watched her body crumple, saw what the bullets left behind. She didn't want to believe a Carrier was dead- friend or not, she'd let someone slip, failed to protect them. She felt incredibly foolish, believing they couldn't be harmed, that they were better than their opponents. In truth, it had just been luck. They weren't some fighting gods or the most skilled and dangerous teenagers to have ever lived- they were just plain out lucky. That luck was gone now.
Frustrated, she picked up a rock and threw it into the water. She couldn't control her emotions very well- if she was back with the group she undoubtedly would have snapped on someone by then. Jaycee's dead and Katrina's right- we're going to lose more people. Why did I ever think we stood a chance? We don't. We'll just keep running and fighting until they kill all of us.
"Dammit!" She said aloud, taking hold of another rock and throwing it. "I can't do this anymore!"
Behind her a twig snapped. She instantly dove for the m-16 she'd brought along with her, scooping up the semi-automatic in her hands and sweeping it across the forest behind her. The trees and brush made it too difficult to pinpoint a person in the shadows- the thick canopy of leaves blocked out most moonlight. There! She caught a flash of navy in a patch of moonlight. Wait, navy? It took a few seconds for her to process it. Carson's wearing a navy shirt. She lowered her weapon and pursed his lips as sure enough; Carson came walking out of the woods.
"I didn't say you could come with me," she growled. He smirked and made his way over to her, sitting down in the sand.
"Well, I didn't come with you. I sh
owed up later." He responded, looking out towards the water. "I wanted to come see the river."
"I came here because I wanted to be alone. Boyfriends are not an exception. I need to be alone, Carson."
"You might need to be, but you can't act like you don't enjoy me being around," he shot back with a grin. She rolled her eyes.
"Was your sole intent of coming down here just to piss me off?"
"Possibly." he chuckled. She punched him softly in the shoulder, struggling to keep herself from smiling. Even in her darkest moments Carson always had a way of making her smile no matter what was on her mind. She hated the part of her that had a weakness for him, the part that always found the humor he was trying to force. She didn't enjoy being cheered up when she was upset- she liked to sulk and get over it on her own time. But I can't do that anymore, she thought. There's people relying on me and I have to keep my head out of my ass.
"Then you can leave. It worked." She grumbled back, resting her head on her bare knees. Beside her Carson sighed and shifted on the sand, scooting closer to his girlfriend.
"I'm not here to piss you off. You know why I'm here and you're acting like this because you don't want to talk about it." He said firmly, knees tucked into his chest as he gazed out at the water. "But I know you and when you and your thoughts are left to wander nothing good comes from it. You may not believe me but it's best to talk about these things."
She sighed slowly and ran her fingers through her hair, avoiding even having to look at him.
"I don't want to talk about Jaycee." She said back, tone hard.
"I'm not here to talk about Jaycee. I'm here to talk about how her death is damaging you."
"I'm not damaged, okay?" She hissed sharply, swiftly turning to lock eyes with him. "I'm a failure, not damaged! As the leader I'm charged with keeping everyone safe and alive no matter the cost. They follow me into battle trusting me with their lives! What a huge mistake, because now Jaycee's dead and everyone is behaving as if it's my fault. It is my fault, Carson! You've seen the things I've done- I could have saved her. Now the blood of one of our own is on my hands. There's too much fucking blood on my hands! I never asked for this!"
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