School Shooter

Nurses Office (Chapter 10)

Jake saw the man walk back up the stairs to the second floor, then he darted into the room next to them. Now was their chance. "Ready?" he asked, holding out his hand to her. She breathed. "Ready." she replied, taking his hand. The two bolted across the hallway and scaled down the stairs, trying to make the least amount of sound as they possibly could. Soon after hitting the last step however, a spine chilling SNAP and the girl collapsed with a yell. The blonde knew the man would be hot on their trail, so he dragged the agonized girl into the closest room, which just so happened to be the nurses office. He carried her to the back of the room and placed her on the ground behind a curtain at the farthest corner of the room. She squirmed, clenching her teeth.

Then slowly, she gasped out the words. "He... he shot the- the joint in... my knee." Jake nodded vigorously and ran around the room, looking for the materials to make something of a brace for her injured leg. He found a small, thin plank underneath the desk. He raced through the room, frantically opening drawers and cabinets in search for bandages or some kind of cloth strong enough to secure the plank to the girl's leg. At last he found the right drawer. He took the roll of bandages  and ran back to the girl. Jake fell to the ground next to her. He aligned the wood with her leg, then began to wrap the cloth around it. She flinched and writhed in agony. He held her leg down, but he needed her knee to be locked. "Hey. I know it hurts, but you need to stay still. Okay?" he said gently. Hailey nodded and slowly locked her knee, seething.

The blonde continued to wrap the cloth around her knee, strapping the plank to her leg. She bit her lip, clenching her fists. Then he started to tie the ends together. She squirmed every limb except her left leg, the one the boy worked on. She let her head fall back against the wall, moaning and groaning in excruciating pain. Then he finished and she rested, letting out a relieved sigh. Jake continued to tie the wood to the side of her shin, as the girl breathed heavily, for she had been holding her breath all the while. Upon finishing, he moved to the upper part of her thigh, gently tying the cloth around the brace and her upper leg. He felt odd wrapping the bandage around such an awkward place, but he had to make sure her leg was secure if she had to run... without him.

Hailey felt awkward as well, but tried not to think about it. Her heart spiked, though not from pain or panic. He finished tying her leg and sat up to inspect his work. Then, nodding his head in approval, he shifted to sit beside the girl. She let out a long sigh, resting her body against the wall behind her. "I'm so sorry you had to go through this." her companion whispered softly. She turned her head in the direction of where the voice came from. It was almost pitch black in the room, and she had to strain her eyes to be able to get even just a glimpse of his face. "Jake, none of this is your fault. You've already apologized about four times already." Hailey counted as she spoke. Then the sound of footsteps were heard. They sounded louder than ever. He was in the room with them.

The blonde boy pushed the girl underneath the patients bed. "She whimpered slightly in pain. Jake rolled under the bed as well, laying on top of her with his hand covering her mouth. The man paused, then the boots were heard again, getting closer and closer to their spot. Jake spotted the black, leather boots, shining in the small amount of moonlight that entered the room from a window. He saw them moving to their spot, then suddenly stop right in front of the bed. The blonde felt the girl squirming in pain underneath him, sweat trickled down her forehead as she tried with desperate effort not to cry out. Jake heard the bed creak and he closed his eyes, letting the tears that had filled them, run down his petrified face. He lowered his head and gently rested it on the terrified girl's collar. He prayed in a whisper as the sweat, blood and tears streamed down his face. The man walked around the table, pausing here and there, waiting for the two to make a sound, confirming they were there. But no sound came, as the duo held their breath. Finally, after a scoff, the man spat and left the room. Jake cringed, disgusted, but breathed a sigh of relief. He took his hand off of her mouth and she gasped for air, apparently having held her breath almost the whole time.

She panted, grasping the boy's shoulders, gesturing to him to move off, which he did. He crawled out from underneath the bed, and helped Hailey out from it as well. Then he propped her against the wall, giving her time to rest before the two left for the front door. She closed her eyes, letting her head fall and thump gently onto the wall behind her. She breathed heavily, clutching her side, now wet with blood. "We're almost there, Hailey. The door's just outside this room. We can make it!" He whispered encouraging his now very weak friend. "Jake... I've lost a lot of blood... haven't I?" Her whisper was hardly audible, and the boy had to crane his neck to understand her. He heard her, but didn't respond. He heard a small gurgling come from the direction of his friend, then she stirred, moaning in discomfort. She started coughing quietly, but intensely. He shoulders jolted with every choke. Then, spilling out of her mouth came a dark, red liquid. It shot from her throat as she choked and spluttered, trying to relieve herself of the pain. Jake panicked. Though dark in the room, he could just make out that the substance was indeed blood. He backed away, but hesitated, wishing not to get it on him, but at the same time, he wanted to comfort the girl.

The flow finally stopped and she groaned, slumping down in the corner of the room. She breathed heavily once again, whimpering quietly with every breath. Jake scooted closer to her, minding the puddle of red on the ground, and touched her hand. His mouth was open, yet he was unsure of what to say. "I'm... going to die, aren't I?" she asked, her tone melancholic. "No. No you're not. I'm sure our friends called the police. They'll be here anytime soon, we'll make it, I know we-" "Jake." she interrupted. He paused to listen to what she had to say. "I don't think I'll make it that long. I don't have that much time left, I don't think." The boy griped her hand tighter, as he leaned in, closer to her. He held her hand with both of his, raising it and pressing it against his chest in desperation. "You'll make it. You have to. Your friends need you, your family needs you. For their sake, please fight! They can't lose you!" his voice broke, and the tears flowed from his eyes, once again. Hailey, seeing, or rather hearing this, pained her worse than the physical agony she was currently in.

Then the boy whispered again, this time almost inaudible. "I can't lose you." then he broke down, all the weight and realization crashing down on him in that very moment. Hailey felt oddly warmed, though she inhaled sharply, composing herself. "Then we better hurry out of here. Quickly." she responded, sitting up once again. Jake lifted his head to face her and nodded slightly. "Yes, Ms. President." he whispered, letting go of her hand to place his around her shoulder. She wrapped her arm around his shoulder and he began to help her up. Halfway off the ground, she stumbled slightly and clutched his side with her other arm. He moved his arm to her waist to further steady her. Slowly they made their way off the floor, to a standing position. Hailey was still holding fast to the boy, unmoving. She tried to hold her stiff and injured leg off the ground. "Try standing on it." Jake suggested.

She carefully placed her foot to the ground, then applied weight to it. She flinched and hugged the boy tighter, her breathing becoming quicker, and heavier. "Hey, easy now. Breathe." she stared back at him. "Breathe, okay?" he spoke gently and patiently, looking her in her marble-like grey eyes. She inhaled and slowly sighed, then her breath steadied and she tried again. Hailey put her foot to the floor and applied the weight again, slowly. There was pain, but not nearly as bad as last time. "Can you walk?" the blonde asked, to which she nodded. Just then, a siren rang out, loud and booming through the corridors, then another, followed by the sound of tires squealing. Doors were heard slamming and a voice roared through what sounded like a speaker. "This is the police! Come out with your hands in the air!"