Song: Hold On by Chord Overstreet
***
I get that feeling in my chest where your heart beats so fast that it feels like it explodes. My sister clutches her chest with one hand as she stares at me, her eyes pleading. Her knees buckle beneath her and I dart forward, catching her before she hits the hard floor.
"I told you not to try anything," Lucas shouts, but I tune him out.
I crumple to my knees, holding my sister's torso in my lap. She still clutches her chest, and I place my right hand over hers.
"It's okay, it's okay, you're gonna be fine," I whimper as tears fill my eyes. I brush the hair off her forehead with my sticky hand. "Eleanor, you'll be okay," I say, knowing full well that I'm lying.
Her eyes are still wide as her breaths become short. "I'm scared, it hurts," she chokes, her voice cracking. A tear slips down her cheek and I wipe it away with my thumb.
Lucas continues to babble, but I don't listen.
"I know, I know," I say, sniffling. "It's okay, I promise." I pull her head closer to my chest, planting a small kiss on the top of her dark hair. My vision blurs through my own tears, and I try my best to blink them away. To stay strong. For her. "I love you so much, Eleanor."
"Tell Mom and Dad - tell them I love all of you, please," she says, her voice barely a whisper now. "Please don't forget me." Her skin grown paler by the second, her eyes narrowing with each breath.
"I'll tell them, and we'll never ever forget you. I promise," I hiccup, my voice cracking. My cheeks are wet and my own tears drip into my sister's hair.
"Do good for the world, Mitchell. Put a stop to this," she murmurs, giving my hand one last squeeze. Her fingers fall limp around my hand as her head droops in my arm. Her eyes glaze over, her lips parted ever so slightly.
Resisting the urge to scream, cry, and kill every last person in this room, I whisper, "I will."
I gently close my sister's eyes, laying her head down on the cold floor. Anger burns inside me, like a volcano about to erupt. I curl my fingers into tight fists, digging my fingernails into my palms as I stand. My brow furrows, and my breathing is heavy with fury.
The whole room falls silent. Staring, watching. I stand totally still for a moment, just one, solid moment.
In the blink of an eye, I rip the rifle out of the man's hands next to me, aim it, and pull the trigger.
Right at Lucas Baldwin's head.
More shouting ensues, more gunfire. I drown it all out, keeping my rifle trained on the SWAT team before me and firing blindly at them until every last man is on the floor or running away. The man holding Ally shoves her behind him, speaking into his earpiece.
This isn't just Lucas's fault. It's the fault of every person who works for him too.
"We gotta move, now!" the man who was holding me shouts as the sound of more SWAT boots hitting the floor grows louder. More are coming.
The group pushes Ally and I to the back of the room, taking the gun back from me as more SWAT members flood into the room. Two men usher Ally and I underneath the table once more, only this time on the opposite side, away from the door. A third man places my dead sister on the floor next to me, and I tear my eyes away.
