Tares City

61. Gone Is The Illusion Of Control

Dean knew it would play a part as they continued. Ammunition waiting to be used. 

~

Dean and Calvin manage to go through half the day without incident, the two dutifully catching up on paperwork. Both exhausted and weary. Although Calvin carried on as though things were normal, Dean could see that his friend was slightly distracted and not his usual self. He made a note to get to him before Quinn could get the chance to. Dean saw this as exactly what she wanted, in that would allow her to skew his perspective and get him to see hers.  

"Straken, Wilson!" Dean hears, turning to see Quinn speed walking to them. 

"Almost got through the entire shift in peace," Dean hears Calvin grumble.

"We have to move in on this. Lance and Georgia got sent out of a building fire. Reports of shot fired. They have Mattias Woodroffe with them! He just popped out of thin friggin' air! Wasn't even in the city a week ago. Come on!"

~

Pulling up to the scene, Quinn is out of the car before Dean can shut off the engine. Large billows of thick black smoke rose from the apartment complex before them, fire trucks spraying the raging flames with high-pressure water. Dean and Calvin exit the car, taking in the chaos. Several ambulances were lined up, exiting one by one as medics triaged victims from the building. 

"There's Naomi and Avery," Calvin says to him with a nudge.

"With their new lieutenant not too far away," Dean responds watching Josh Kennedy as his head kept turning back to the girls. 

"Looks like Lance and Georgia have the scene under control. I wonder if that's Mattias in the car," Calvin says as watches. "Brooks is heading their way, let's go." Calvin continues, walking off in their direction. 

The sound of a deafening crack splits through the noise of the commotions, Dean and Calvin stopping in their tracks, bodies crouching low on instinct. Before either could recover, another follows suit.

"SHOTS FIRED!" 

"TAKE COVER!"

"MAN DOWN! MAN DOWN!"

"SHOTS FIRED! REQUESTING BACK UP!"

"WE HAVE A PARAMEDIC DOWN OVER HERE!"

~

NAOMI REID

Naomi's body jerked back as if the bullet had gone through her. It certainly felt like it had. She couldn't process the things happening around her, everything moving slowly and muted. Her lungs burned, her muddled brain screaming at her to take a breath in. She wanted to but the shock made her forget how to carry out the simple task. 

Her mouth was open in a gasp, still in shock. She felt like she wanted to scream, but she couldn't make a sound if she tried. She couldn't function. Her eyes were wide and unblinking, locked in on Avery as she fell to the ground.  

Avery's blood was splattered on Naomi's face, the sensation would be one she would never be able to forget. Avery lay on her side as the puddle of her blood grew beneath her, her eyes unfocused and distant. 

"Avery," Naomi whispers out. Time catches up to Naomi as a body collides with hers, another shot ringing through the noise around them. Pain raced up her arm as she hit the ground, the weight on top of her adding to the injury. A hand cushioning her head keeps her from hitting the ground hard.