Liam I pushed away from each other, our eyes scanning one another to make sure we were in one piece. When we realized we weren't hit, our eyes suddenly widened as we realized who the only other person with us was.
We both rushed over to the door, but Liam pushed in front of me. He shoved the door open, showing Jackal at the end of the hall, laying on his back. We both ran toward him, not thinking about where the gunshot could have come from or who shot it and if they could still be aiming the gun at us. Instead, we both bent down at his side.
Liam was pale as a ghost, slapping Jackal's face, trying to wake him up. While he did that, I looked around to see where the gunshot came from. I didn't see anything in the walls, and I didn't see anyone down the hall, either. But then I looked at the floor and saw a shell, laying in glass. I moved toward it, picking the shell up, careful not to cut myself on the glass. I looked up, seeing that the glass on the ceiling was broken, and that's when I realized the shooter must be on the roof.
Then, I also realized that we only heard one gun shot, and that I was holding the shell.
I looked over at Jackal, and he started coughing, his eyes wide as he came back to life.
"I'll be damned," I heard him huff through his coughs. He reached into his shirt and pulled out a metal cross that was dented. "Looks like there is a God."
"God damn you old man," Liam said, half laughing with tears in his eyes. He pulled jackal up into a sitting position and all three of us laughed together, until we heard another gunshot and the sound of shattering glass.
The shot missed all of us, but that didn't stop us from freaking out. Liam pulled Jackal up to stand, and I jumped up to my feet, running to the arsenal.
"Lease, leave it!" Liam yelled after me. We couldn't afford to, though. We needed those guns more than anything, especially right now with the people shooting at us.
I pushed through the door and ran up to where Liam left the duffle bag. He never got to finish packing in guns since him and I started kissing. I shook my head at myself, but I couldn't say I regretted it. I pulled guns from the wall and shoved them into the bag, grabbing as much ammo as I could. I then walked over to where the riot gear was and put a bullet proof vest on over my jacket, adjusting to the added weight and fastening it as fast as I could. While I was fastening it, Liam pushed through the door without Jackal.
"The one time I need you to listen to me," he said as he walked over to me and helped me finish fastening it so it hugged my body just right. "And you don't. Typical."
"The one time you're making the wrong call," I said back to him, as I fastened another vest onto him. "Oh wait, you always make the wrong call."
He walked over and picked up the bag, sliding it over his shoulder next to his crossbow. Then, he picked up a rifle that was on the wall and grabbed a box of bullets from a drawer and filled the chamber. When he was done, he handed it to me.
"Good thing I like you," he said, giving me a smile. "Or else I would have shot you for that remark."
"Guess it's a good thing I like you, too," I said, moving both of my hands behind me and pulling out two 9mm out of the back of my jeans, one in each hand. "Because I would have shot you right back."
He shook his head and laughed, and then took the rifle back from me since I was going to use the glock (9mm).
"Let's get going, sunshine," he said, walking in front of me and holding up the rifle. He kicked the door open, and we both saw that jackal was waiting for us down the hall. Liam and I both ran down the hall to him as fast as we could, but there wasn't another gun shot. We all gave each other confused looks, but we chose to ignore it and get the hell out.
We were on alert with every step we took. We couldn't go as fast as we would have liked, because I was the one who had to support Jackal since Liam was carrying so much weight with the guns and ammo. I put one of my glocks back in the back of my jeans, but I still held the other one out in my hand, ready in case I had to take a shot.
As we turned a corner, we heard the third shot. It just grazed the side of my jacket, and I noticed that it scraped off part of my leather. I looked up to see if I could see the shooter, but I had no luck. Liam turned too, but he was even later than I was. We all tried to move faster after that, but it just was not happening. Jackal started insisting that we leave him behind and get out, but there was no way either Liam or me would ever agree. Jackal was like Liam's father, and he also helped me realize what I really was.
After the third shot, there was silence again. We knew that there was only one turn left until we got to the hall that led straight into the lobby, where we could get into the car. But when we turned the corner, we all came to a sudden halt.
Snapper's filled the lobby completely, their fingers prying through the caged door. It was closed now, and the only way they would get through is if someone buzzed them in. All three of us exchanged glances, wondering what in the hell we were going to do now.
"Out in back," Jackal huffed, gripping my shoulder as he gasped for air. "There's a back way. We'll take a cop car."
"What about keys?" Liam asked him. The snappers were shoving their faces into the metal of the cage, sticking their tongues and fingers through, reaching out to us. Despite the pressure that was building against the cage, it withstood it, not budging an inch.
"There's a wall of keys in the room ya got the keys for the arsenal," Jackal said, catching his breath. "Pick any of 'em."
Liam headed over to the room with the dead woman and I almost reached out to him, wanting to keep him close and away from the snappers that reached for us. But he needed to go and get the keys, so instead of watching him be so close to danger, I looked up at the ceiling, trying to see if I could spot the shooter. There was no such luck, but I did notice that the sun was setting quickly, and we'd only have twenty minutes at most before we were shrouded in darkness.
I couldn't help but let my thoughts wander to who the shooter might be, and why they were here. I remembered how I thought I saw a man when we were on the plane, and how I had been grabbed and dragged away by another person just a few days ago. I wanted to say that there was some sort of connection, but that just aroused even more questions. I mean, why would these people try to kill us? Who were they? Were they actually connected like I thought? What was blackbird?
"Found them," Liam said, his back to the cage as he faced us, holding up several car keys with labels on them that read the number squad car it fit into. Liam started walking back, but just as he was a few feet away, another noise sounded out.
A buzz.
The caged door opened, and several snappers fell onto the ground, mostly one on top of another. Liam darted toward us, shoving the keys in his pocket. He slung the bag of guns over his shoulder in one swoop, then he wrapped another arm under Jackal's shoulder and we both led him in the directions that he shouted out us.
There were more twists and turns then we had thought, and the snappers were right on our heels, waiting for error. We were careful though, and even though the pain of trying to withstand all the pressure and weight seared my muscles, I pushed through, because there was no way I was giving up, especially when we were this close.
When the exit to the back was in sight, we pushed to move faster. Once we were half way there, though, the shooter returned, shooting at us. The only thing was that they were in perfect range to kill all of us, but they missed. It was almost as if they were missing purposely.
"Push," Liam yelled as our hands connected with the door. The exit flew open, and Liam dropped Jackal onto the floor, moving so that he could shut the door on the snappers, blocking them from coming outside. Jackal howled out in pain, and blood started to soak his pant leg. I could see something jutting out near his knee, and I realized that was his bone.
"Oh my God," I said, moving my hands just above the bump, hesitating to touch it.
"Don't touch it," he pleaded, tears streaked down his cheeks and his fists clenched. I looked up at Liam who was still struggling with trying to keep the door closed.
"Get the keys and go pull a car up," he said through gritted teeth. I left Jackal and stood up, walking toward Liam. He was using all his strength, and I could see the muscles in his arm flexing as he forced the door closed, fingers of snappers crunching as the door cut them off. I moved my hand by his hip and dug into his pocket, taking all the keys that I could find out. Then, I started toward the rows of squad cars, glock in hand.
My hands were shaking as I looked at the tags, reading off what the numbers were that I needed to look for.
"97, 32, 67, 45, and 23," I read off each tag. I looked to the nearest car and I had to squint to see what number was on there, because the sun was nearly set and the darkness was crawling on the pavement, stretching over every last piece of land it could get its hands on.
The number on the car was eleven, and I realized that I was close to 23.
I started jogging ahead, reading off the numbers of the cars as I moved. But as I started to come up to the car, I heard a gunshot go off, and heard the window of the car in front of me shatter. I bent down, using a car as cover, scouring for whoever the shooter was. But when I looked around, I couldn't see anyone. I tried to stand up slowly, but then another bullet hit, causing me to fall back down to the ground.
"Shit," I muttered, clutching the cold gun in my hand along with the keys. I read off the number of the car I was next to and realized it was nineteen. I only had four more to go, and I'd have to crawl if I wanted to make it.
I got down on my hands and knees and started crawling forward, faster when I had to move in between cars. I didn't hear anymore gun shots as I moved, and I took it as a good sign to start moving faster. Once I reached the car, I shoved the key in and turned it, unlocking the car. I opened the door slowly going into it when I felt something rip through my bicep.
I cried out in pain, but bit my lip to keep my voice down. I catapulted myself into the car, staying down as I pulled the door closed. I moved onto my back, the center console pinching into my lower back. My hands shook as I looked at my right arm. There was a steady blood flow from it, and a hole replaced a spot where skin should be. I could feel my body beginning to go in shock, but I slowed my breathing, calming myself. I had a job to do, and even if I was shot, I had to get it done.
I sat up slowly, keeping my eyes peeled for the shooter. I knew how easy it would be for it to shoot me as I drove, and it put me on edge. I shoved the key slowly in the ignition, bringing the car to life. I could feel my head get light, and my arm go weak, but I ignored it the best I could.
I pulled the car into reverse, backing out slowly. Then, as I didn't see anyone, I pushed my foot on the pedal, driving forward as fast as I could. Liam was still struggling with the door, and Jackal was pale as he laid on the ground, rough breaths escaping his body. The sun was about to set, and I knew that we'd have to move now. I pulled up right next to Jackal's body, stumbling out of the car as I ripped the back door open, walking around to drag Jackal into the backseat. He yelled and screamed as I had to move his leg, the bone moving back and forth as I shoved him into the back seat.
Once he was in, I slammed the door shut. I opened the passenger seat and left it open, running around to sit in the driver seat, so I could start the car as soon as Liam let go of the door. When I was settled, I revved the engine, letting Liam know to let go.
He let the door go, and jumped into the car seconds later, pulling the door shut as I sped away past the aisles of cars. I gripped the steering wheel as I saw the chain linked gate that was only held by two hinges. My foot pressed harder on the gas pedal as I was about to come in contact. I felt Liam grab onto my knee and I closed my eyes for a few seconds as we came into contact with the gate.
I waited for the car to crash, but it never did. Instead, the gate flew forward as the car drove over it. I made a sharp turn away from the snappers that crowded the front, and as we drove away, I didn't look back at the crowd that formed.
Liam let go of my knee as soon as he realized that we had made it out. In my peripheral vision, I saw him lean back in his seat, letting his head fall back. He closed his eyes, letting himself relax. I wanted to do the same, but I wouldn't loosen my grip until we managed to get out of the city and back onto the highway.
Once we were on the highway, the sun had set and the only vision we had was the light inside the car and the brights in the front of the car. I speeded down the street, going probably around ninety miles per hour when Liam spoke up.
"Lease, slow down," he said, his voice laced with exhaustion. When I didn't do as he said, he put a hand on my arm, and I cringed on contact. I had ignored the pain for a good while, not noticing the blood that leaked into my jacket. The hole in it was prominent still, but Liam didn't even noticed until I showed a sign of my pain. "Pull over."
"We have to keep going."
"Pull over," he commanded, his voice leaving no room for argument. I sighed, doing as he said. My forehead was beginning to throb again, and I was starting to feel light headed. The arm was almost like an afterthought.
Once I slowed to a stop, Liam got out of the passenger seat, putting the bag of guns in the backseat with jackal, who was practically unconscious. I didn't protest with Liam as he opened my door and wrapped an arm around my waist, helping me to the passenger side door. Once I was sitting, he took his jacket off and tossed it into the car. He took his shirt off, exposing his shaped abdominal muscles, and he started to tear it until it was like a strip of cloth.
"Take your jacket off," he said. I took it off, goosebumps covering my skin as the brisk summer air came into contact with my skin. Liam bent down on one knee, and wrapped the shirt just above the bullet hole, tying it as tightly as he could. Once it was secure, he looked at my forehead, which he now realized had started bleeding again.
"Try tying that up," I said, giving him a humorless smirk. He just put his hand on my face, holding my cheek as he bent down as kissed my forehead where the bump was. When his lips touched my forehead, I felt something flutter in my stomach, and I felt a little better.
He shut my door once I was fully inside the car, and then he got into the driver seat and started the engine up, continuing down the highway right where I left off.
"When did they get you?" He asked, his eyes still on the road. I could tell he was angry, but my eyes were getting heavy and I had to struggle to stay awake.
"I was getting the car," I said, forcing my eyes wide open. Liam was silent for a few moments.
"What the Hell was that?" He asked me, as if I would know. "Who the Hell was that?"
I wanted to tell him about the man I'd seen when I was on the plane, and the person who attacked me in the grocery store, but I didn't even know how. All I knew was that all thoughts that doubted my sanity vanished, the proof lying in the hole in my arm.
"I don't know, Liam," I said truthfully. I honestly didn't know who those men were and why they wanted to kill us, or what they wanted with me. All I knew was that they were real. "I don't know."
The rest of the car ride was in silence. Jackal groaned every now and then, and if we hit a bump he'd let out a small scream. I felt bad for him, but there was nothing we could do for him now. The only thing we could do was get to the hospital and have Darlene tend to him. I looked out into the black night, and I closed my eyes for a few seconds, letting not the questions of today fill my head, but the memory of Liam's lips on mine, and how perfect it was.
When I opened my eyes that I had thought I closed for only a few seconds, I saw the hospital. Liam put a hand on my shoulder, lightly shaking me until he saw that I was fully awake.
"We're back," he said, his voice like a whisper. "Let's go get the wheelchair for Jackal, so that we don't mess up his leg more than it already is."
I nodded, opening my car door and getting out. Once I got out, though, I fell back in. Black dots clouded my vision for a few seconds and my body felt physically weak. The second time I tried to get up, I managed to stand for a few seconds. I took a step forward, but I stumbled and my legs gave out again. Before I fell, though, Liam was there to catch me. He held me into his chest and I just wanted to stay there for a few seconds and close my eyes, letting the safe feeling that I always had with him take me away.
"Come on," he said, gently jostling me awake. "Don't tell me I'll have to get two wheelchairs out here."
"I'm fine," I replied, giving him a weak smile and pushing him away to prove I was okay. I fell over a little again, and he grabbed onto my arm and gave me an unconvinced look, and I saw that he wasn't joking. "I'm serious, I'll be okay. Let's just get inside and get that wheelchair for Jackal, and then we can bring the guns in and get this whole night over with."
He helped me steady myself, and as soon as we were in the lobby, I was able to walk straight again. He had me walk ahead of him, making sure that if I fell, he'd be there to catch me.
It didn't matter though, because once we walked around the corner and stood at the end of the hall that led to the cafeteria. It was then that I became fully alive and alert, because the doors that had almost always been secure and was the only line of protection that we had in the cafeteria, were open.
Liam was faster than me, and he got to the door first. Once he got there, he stopped, and I noticed his body go rigid. After a few seconds, I came up next to him, pushing the door open so that I could see what he saw.
I gripped onto his wrist as I took in the sight before me, barely being able to breathe.
The cafeteria was overrun.