Bang.
The door bangs open, crashing into the glass cabinet behind it and shattering it with the full force of it. Guns are pointed at me and Mallory is splayed out on the floor lying in a pool of blood. She makes a sound and someone rushes over to her and starts yelling for medics.
“PUT YOUR WEAPON DOWN!” one of them shouts, and I realize I’m still holding the gun in shooting position.
I lower my arms and crouch to set it on the ground, kicking it over to them. My attention flies to the couch where Josslyn is still motionless. I take a step toward her, and when I see the blood seeping through her shirt, I stop breathing.No.Oh, God. No. For a second, I’m frozen again, and then the chaos inside me snaps.
“NO!” I yell, lurching forward. “JOSSLYN!”
An officer holds me back, and I push him to the side. Another comes, and I fight him as well.
“JOSSLYN!” I yell, yanking my arms away from them until I’m free.
I take another step, a third man runs over to hold me back, and then a fourth. I watch as the medics rush inside with gurneys, taking my sister away while the others run to Josslyn.
“JOSSLYN! PLEASE!” I scream again, as they lift her up and check her vitals. “SHE’S NOT MOVING. WHY IS SHE NOT MOVING?!”
The voices around me are muted by the pounding in my ears. I keep saying Josslyn’s name and fighting the officers holding me back, as I watch paramedics lift the gurney she’s on. Her head lolls to the side again and my chest grips tighter than ever before. Tears sting my eyes as I shout her name, begging her to be okay, pleading that she’ll stay alive. She can’t die. She can’t fucking die on me. My throat burns, but I keep fighting and screaming as they carry her out of the house.
62
FINN
“MOVE OR I BURY YOU WHEN THIS IS OVER,” I yell at the men surrounding me.
“Let him go,” Chief Rivera demands from somewhere behind them.
They do, and I don’t look twice; I just take off running. Out front, there are camera crews and news helicopters. People are being held on the other side of a barricade. I hear my name called out, but I’m zoned in on the paramedic truck that’s taking Josslyn. I run faster when they’re about to shut the door, pull it open, and jump inside.
“Sir—”
“DRIVE!” I bellow. “FUCKING DRIVE!”
They do, and I launch myself at her and hold her hand while they start checking vitals and doing all kinds of shit.
“Is she okay?” I ask desperately, squeezing her hand as tears fill my eyes. “Is she okay?!”
“She’s alive,” the paramedic says. “You’re going to have to back up and let us work.” When I don’t do it, she pierces me with a glare. “Do you want her to survive or not?!”
I drop her hand and sit back, my knee bouncing as I watch them work. When we get to the hospital, I let them hop out first and follow them as they wheel her in. I’m following, watching for any sign of movement while they speak to a doctor, when we reach a door and they tell me I can’t go any further.
“Fuck that,” I say and charge forward.
Two security guards come out of nowhere and hold me until the doctor and nurses are on the other side of the door, then they let me go. I pull on the handles and find them locked.
“No,” I say, looking through the window. I slam the door. “NO!” I turn swiftly and see a nurse approaching me. “Where are they taking her?!”
“Sir, I’ll lead you to?—”
“WHERE ARE THEY TAKING HER?”
She flinches. “Surgery. If you’ll allow me, I’ll lead you to the waiting area where the doctor will come and give you an update.”
My body is vibrating as I follow the nurse. The two security guards come with us. We walk into the waiting area and I head to the chair closest to the doors and stagger into one of them, barely catching myself from missing the seat.
“Are you hurt?” the nurse asks once I’m sitting down.
I nod, then shake my head. “I’m fine.”
