Still no sign of Lily.
“Help me!” A young woman was pinned against a barrier. “I’m stuck.”
“I’m on my way,” I shouted, grabbing people by their jackets and shirts and literally throwing them to the side. As I got close, I saw that the woman had a child with her that she was shielding from getting trampled. They were both pressed tightly up against a barricade and the crowd was pressing them into it. The little girl was crying.
“Here, let me have your hand,” I said to the girl. She appeared to be about eight years old or so and had black braids all around her head. I pulled her close enough to grab her waist and then lifted her up over the crowd. “Put your legs on my shoulders and I’ll give you a piggyback ride out of here, okay?”
Her mom was cradling her left arm with her right and I asked,”Are you hurt?”
She nodded. “Yeah, I think my arm is broken.”
“Okay, let’s get you out of here.”
“My friend. My friend is still missing,” she said, looking around frantically.
“That’s okay. We need to get you out of here and to see a doctor. MOVE ASIDE,” I said in my most commanding voice. “We need to get through.”
One of the main advantages of being six feet tall and covered with tattoos is that people pretty much did what you said. They took one look at me with the little girl on my shoulders and her injured mom and made room for us.
Just outside the entrance to the venue, there were police cars set up in a perimeter. We walked up to one of the officers and I said, “This lady is hurt and needs medical attention.” He took the girl from me, nodded, and then escorted them to a nearby ambulance.
I was relieved that there had been no more reports of gunshots, or what sounded like them. But the scene was still crazy and no one had any idea what had happened.
For a moment, I stood there torn. I wanted to rush off to the Starbucks where Lily and Bailey and I were to meet up. But there was no way I could leave now, so I headed back inside to see who else needed my help. Before I did, though, I sent Lily another text.
Are you guys okay? Please text back.
Unfortunately, my first text hadn’t gone through, and this one came back “undelivered” too.
Where are you, Lily?
Twenty-Six
Paige
I couldn’t catch my breath. I’d managed to drive the short distance home from Southgate, but I was having a full-blown panic attack in the car. I couldn’t even get out and go into my apartment. I was just sitting there, frozen in fear, with my hands covering my face as I tried to regulate my breathing. I was almost raped in a parking lot! I couldn’t stop feeling his hands on me.
Knock knock knock.Someone rapped on the car window and I almost jumped out of my skin. I was surprised I didn’t scream.
“Hey, are you okay?” It was the woman who lived on the first floor, directly under my apartment.
I couldn’t move and so I just shook my head no. I was definitely not okay.
“Hey. Unlock the door. Let me help.” She was standing right outside my window, crouching down. “It’s okay. I can help you.”
My hand felt around on the car door for the lock and I pressed the button. As soon as she heard the click she opened the car door and kneeled down, facing me.
“What happened? Are you hurt?”
I shook my head no, and she touched my arm. “Come on. Let’s get you inside. You can come to my place for a few minutes.”
Her words and her touch woke me out of the shock I was in. I unbuckled my seat belt and grabbed my bag and purse. “Thank you, I’m sorry. I just…”
She put her arm around me protectively and we walked into the building together. My knees were weak and my legs were wobbly, and I was very happy when she locked the door behind us at her place.
She took my bags and set them on a small metal card table in the living room. “Your name is Paige, right?”
I nodded, “Yes. I live right above you.”
