06-04-2014, 01:11 PM
Jensen sprinted up the east stairs, both oblivious and ignorant of any danger he might meet. His only thought was for Connor's safety. The gunfire had ceased its ominous echoing, thank God, when Jensen threw himself against the third floor doorway.
He stumbled through, "Connor!"
but met someone entirely different than he expected. Jensen's throat went painfully dry.
He'd only glimpsed the man as he passed by him on the ground level. He'd walked straight up and shot four men and strolled past Jensen and Jatinder huddled together at the doorway.
Wide eyes kept him frozen in place, but his were no more decipherable behind the visor shield than this man's was behind his sunglasses.
That's when he saw the carnage in the background. "Oh God save me."
He said, accent fully Texan, fully shamed, and heartbroken.
He threw his hand to the wall to steady himself. "Did you do this?"
Helmet pivoted toward him. The man was armed with every model of gun imaginable, of course he did it, but Jensen couldn't bring himself to believe it. His mouth was dry. His chest ached. And his chin quivered with remorse. They were evil men, but murder was not his intent.
He made to push past the killer. He had to find Connor, and see if anyone was alive.
----
Pao grit her teeth at the group of young ones. She and Jasmeen, one of the girls friends with the traitor, Shri, bundled the wee ones in a group and herded them away. The smallest girl among them, whose name she could not recall, decided she wanted to stay exactly where she was, and plopped herself on the ground.
"Oh no you don't."
Pao snapped. She snatched the child, now screaming and kicking in protest, and carried her on one hip. She grabbed the hand of another protester and the group slowly dragged itself away.
At the corner, she looked over her shoulder. Their hero darted indoors. She hoped he'd find his friend, and that both would make it out okay.
The group was two blocks down the road when the explosion lit the night sky. Even the temper tantrum in her arms was shocked into silence. They all gaped, Pao most of all until murmuring among them broke her of the spell.
"Let him not have been in there,"
she said, and together everyone ran.