Welcome to the Jungle

Part 11: Loyalty

Abbie watched Robert fall to the ground before her. His body slamming the glass-covered floor. Remains of their window pierced his palms and bare arms, but nothing could compare to the searing, hot pain of a single bullet opening a gaping hole in his body. Robert laid still, bearing the pain as the initial shock developed into a pulsing sting. Abbie could do nothing but watch. The damage was done. The event of Robert going limp onto the floor happened past Abbie in slow motion, where she could not look away. The intense love that had just barely bloomed between her and Robert morphed into flaming anger and static anxiety. Abbie dropped to the floor, not paying attention to the glass cutting up her knees. Abbie has never been in a life or death situation like this. Her heart continued to quickly pound, not because of her love for Robert, but from the fact that he could be gone. She did not know what to do. Hands shaking, she turned Robert so that she could see his lifeless face. The smell of metallic blood filled the room. Abbie took off his black suit coat to reveal a white button up shirt soaked with splattered, dark red stains. Abbie shook Robert and cradled the side of his face.
"Robert, please."
Tears streamed down her face. Abbie listened for Robert's heart, her ear pressing against Robert's chest. His faint heart beat fluttered, adjusting to the dangerous amount of blood that was being lost by the second.
"No no no..." Abbie said, flustered.
Abbie's next instinct was to find the point of injury, in effort to know what she was dealing with. She knew basic first aid that would hopefully keep Robert alive until the ambulance arrived. The ambulance! She needed to find her phone and call 911. She glanced around the room as warm sweat dropped down her forehead. Her phone was set onto the coffee table located in the far side of the main room. She began to get up, but was stopped by the source of the bullets, the creator of their newfound destruction. Tony.
"Don't get up." Tony commanded.
Abbie obeyed and kneeled back down, wincing at the pain of the shattered glass digging into her already bleeding skin. She forced her trembling arms to point upwards in surrender.
"Tony... what are you doing. How did you get here." Abbie strained, mustering all of her strength to speak those five words without giving in to the floodgate of sobs she was holding back.
"I'm protecting you Abbie. You should thank me." Tony said, expecting Abbie to understand his psychotic reasoning.
"Can I at least see Robert, before he is gone for good." Abbie cried, shivering at the excruciating thought of Robert actually being gone from her life.
"2 minutes." Tony said with disgust at the fact that Abbie genuinely loved someone other than himself.
Abbie turned towards Robert, forgetting about the world around her. All that mattered was Robert, and the last words that he would hear in his lifetime, if he could even hear them through his slow, painful death.
"Robert, I don't even know what is going on right now, but I want you to know that I'm so thankful for the time I had with you. You seriously changed my life for the better, and made me the best version of myself. I wish we could've had more time together, but I cherish every moment that we had, even in the hard times. If I would've known..."
Abbie choked on her tears.
"If I would've known today was your last day, I would've never ignored you like I did at school. The truth is, I love you Robert and I can't mentally bear the thought of losing you."
"Thirty seconds." Tony interrupted, not having an ounce of care of what was happening in front of him. Tony looked away with boredom, like a child waiting for the final school bell to ring before the first day of Christmas break.
There was nothing more to say, Abbie threw her arms around Robert and spent the rest of her given time limit crying on his still chest, until something happened.
Abbie felt gentle fingertips touching her back. She looked behind her, expecting to see the hand of Tony, trying to convince her Robert dying was somehow for her benefit, but saw a different hand. She glanced back at Robert and saw his eyes flutter open, squinting at the harsh light that now streamed towards his eyes. He smiled as much as his weak muscles would allow, and continued to take in the perfect image of his soulmate. Moments passed, and he found new strength to sit up from the ground, glass shards sticking to his back. Abbie noticed that the point of impact was on his left shoulder, and that it was unlikely any organs or nerves were ever punctured. After all this time, Robert was fainted from external shock, blood loss, and intense pain. Maybe an artery was torn by the bullet, but he was not dead.
Abbie motioned her eyes towards the unfocused Tony examining picture frames on the walls. Robert received the warning, and slowly got onto his feet, grimacing at the weight of his left arm that he now had to carry. Abbie did her best to support his weight with an arm over his neck. Their only chance of survival was escaping the house. Tony was now around the corner of a wall leading into the kitchen, unaware that the one he tried to kill was up and moving. One step at a time, Robert and Abbie moved towards the front door, crunching over glass and tip toeing over blood-stained carpet. Right, left, right, left. Robert bit his lip to hold back screams of agonizing pain flashing in his arm. They were now only three steps from the door, when a maniacal laugh was heard from behind them.
"You really thought I didn't see you get up, did you?" Tony said with smugness.
"You thought I wasn't paying attention, right?" Tony smirked.
Abbie could not catch her breath as Tony pulled back out his black pistol and directly pointed it at Robert. Fear made it impossible to think clearly.
"I guess I'll just have to finish the job then."
Abbie closed her eyes, wishing there was something she could do. Her heart and mind ached with different outcomes of what could possibly happen, most of them resulting in Robert's ultimate death.
"Tony stop." Abbie begged one last time.
"Bye Robert." Tony smiled.
Abbie wailed as Tony pulled the trigger without a care in the world. Everything happened so fast that it was hard to clearly see the figure that tackled Tony's arm, throwing his weapon to the ground, five feet away from him. The bullet now steered toward a lamp that stood upon a brown, wooden table, the lightbulb bursting into pieces. Abbie looked to her side to see a tired, panting Ivy on the floor. Ivy risked her life, moving the gun out of the way of her owner. Abbie had no doubt that Ivy really meant what she said when she promised she would be the most loyal of dogs. This was Ivy's purpose. To protect.
Tony was utterly surprised as he felt the emptiness in his hand where the weight of the gun used to be. He followed Abbie's gaze to notice Ivy who ruined his plan. He was almost finished. Abbie was almost his. Tony's first instinct was to go for the gun, to get back what was his. Ivy was only a half dog girl, what damage could she really do? Tony, and the others for that matter, learned that Ivy could do many things, as she took the gun into her own paws, and aimed it directly at Abbie.