Blayne turned his head in that direction. “Eberly,” he yelled. “That’s Eberly Hall.”
“Relaying information to the FBI,” Ms. Wilson said.
“Run!” Mr. J. called.
Acting on instinct, Ethan seized Blayne’s hand and sprinted alongside him.
* * * *
Agent Murphy
Murphy watched in horror as panic erupted among the crowd, seeing people scattering in every direction, seeking safety.
“Where are the shooters?” she yelled, keeping her eyes fixed on the monitors.
“It looks like someone in private security just took someone down,” an agent said, glancing up at Murphy for a moment.
“Did you know there was private security on the ground?” Barnes asked.
“Can you get me a better angle?” Murphy asked. A second later, one drone zoomed in on that area. “What the fuck are they doing here?”
“Is that…?” Barnes trailed off, pointing at the screen.
“Yes, it’s our beloved boy band,” Murphy confirmed, rolling her eyes.
“What the hell are they wearing?”
“Agent Murphy,” a voice interjected in her earpiece, “there’s a sniper’s nest on the top floor of Eberly Hall. Your agents positioned on the roof of Jordan Hall have the best chance of eliminating the sniper.”
Without even responding, she relayed the information. She turned to the drone pilot. “Get me a visual on Eberly.”
The drone captured the sight of FBI agents rushing across the rooftop. Murphy anxiously scanned the footage, searching for the threat. And there it was—the flash of a muzzle.
“Third window down from the…north,” she said.
One of her men set up the shot. Seconds later, the sniper tried to take another shot and was immediately taken down by one of her team.
She turned back to the drone pilot and asked, “Can you zoom in on that room?”
There was a dizzying motion on the computer monitor, but the drone hovered just outside the room. The dead body of the sniper was clearly visible.
“Ground team, you are cleared to sweep Eberly Hall,” she said.
The video monitor went dark. Then another one went dark.
“Fuck,” the pilot said. “Someone’s taking down the drones. It looks like we have a second sniper on our hands.”
The screen then caught what looked to be an audience member pulling their concealed weapon and shooting.At whom?Murphy had no idea.
“Or someone in the crowd thinks the drones are part of the attack,” Murphy said. “Where the hell is crowd control?” Murphy watched the screen, where no one seemed to direct the people on the ground. “The people in the crowd will be responsible for more deaths than the shooters.”
“Agent Murphy,” the agent said. “We have a confirmed second sniper.”
* * * *
Blayne
Blayne was a runner, but he was also a tall moving target. At some point, he lost Ethan’s hand, but kept running.
