The RunAway Model

XXXIX. All that Ends Badly

So this is what it feels like.

That one lingering thought struck Desiree like the bullet lodged inside her as she struggled for one more breath and as she did so, the pain was even worse than the last one. One short intake of oxygen was like doing a marathon with a shard of glass stuck in your sole. Every exhale was excruciating it was not comparable to anything she had known.

He's coming. Keep breathing. He's coming.

With the last ounce of strength she had left, she pushed herself to her back. Her eyes closed and she lost her breath once more. The veins in her throat engorged as she held the scream of pain. The breathing was getting shorter and she opened her eyes.

The faint sound of footsteps was disappearing though her mind knew they were coming nearer. The buzzing in her ears was barely audible now. The light on the ceiling was getting dimmer.

So this is what it feels like.

The episodes of that night and the days that followed up to this very moment flashed before her eyes.

It was all because of that night...

Desiree!

Desiree blinked. She thought she heard her name.

Theo?

He has to be here. He has to be here.

And then her eyes fluttered close.

*****

Khaye jumped the few remaining feet off the ground, turned and started running all the way to the end of the alley. And she stopped short.

Marco was blocking her way. How did he find her? "Marco!" she said under her breath and then louder, "Marco! Oh my God! She tried to kill me! It's Desiree!" She ran up toward him, grabbed the opening of his leather jacket and sank against him. She cried against his chest and she started to tremble. She shot Desiree after all. She did it. It was all over and she was going to be okay.

But Marco was standing so still against her. Her heart started to race. "It's her. She had a gun and she pointed it at me. And then I don't know what happened next but..." her voice faltered when she realized he was not holding her back. His hands were nowhere near her body to give comfort. She pushed away from his chest and looked up.

And then she knew. It was in his eyes.

She looked over his shoulder and saw Gian standing just a few feet away. Her brother was looking at her with regret and sadness, but his jaw was tight. Khaye almost let out a whimper of betrayal but even her throat seemed frozen in horror. This couldn't be happening. Not now. Not after everything.

A man was running past them to the direction of the stairwell.

A siren could be heard from a distance.

It was all happening in slow motion and the realization hit her hard. Her hands fell away from Marco's jacket and she stumbled back, her tears streaming down her face.

"It's over, Khaye," Gian quietly said behind Marco.

*****

Theo felt like his lungs were burning, not because he ran all the way up to where she was, but because it was the fear that wrenched inside him as he kneeled beside her limp body on the ground. He brushed her red coat away.