Reborn Heart of Steel

Just as I stood shocked, the fire alarm exploded into action to worsen the scene. The high pitch of the sound intensified the confusion, but it served the purpose of the buzzer. Finally, students and teachers who had been scared stiff of the gun and the gunmen now rushed animatedly towards the the door exit. I saw Chase rushing lower grade students to safety across the hall. We locked eyes for a moment and I could see the desire to be brave, fighting to be seen in his eyes. Some part of me wanted to flee and get to him, to protect him from everything that’s out there. But I knew I couldn’t. I was the target. I had to make them turn their gaze away from the escaping students. I took a deep breath and came out from behind the lockers. ‘Hello!’ I yelled, or tried to and yet my voice could be heard remarkably well above the noise. This one has an exclamatory effect: ‘I’m the one you want!’ The armed men looked at me and seemed somewhat surprised, but the glazing of their eyes gave them a grim satisfaction. Losing them would mean recognizing that their group no longer existed, and I didn’t wait for them to recover from the heavy burden this realization imposed on them. I dashed in the opposite direction of the exits in the hope that they would chase me while leaving the rest of the people alone. I could feel that somebody was following me. I could hear loud voices saying ‘Stop!’ and ‘Freeze!’ but I kept on rushing. I ran as fast as I possibly could, perhaps for the first time in my life, relying on plain adrenaline and desperation. A pair of double doors later, I was in the deserted gym. I could hardly think straight as ideas about how best to handle the situation surged in my head. But I could not think of anything before the doors at the back suddenly burst open. I whirled around, my heart in my throat as two of the gunmen stepped in both holding guns on me the third gunman was not present. “Brianne,” one of the men said, and his voice was as cold and lifeless as the color of his eyes. They said a couple of courtesies: “The Raven sends his regards. ” I stepped backwards with my hands raised and sweat trickling down my forehead as I looked for the best way out. ”What does he want?” I questioned as I attempted to disguise my anxiety. The man raised his lips at the corners in a sneer. “He wants you to learn how it feels to rebel, to realize that the people you love will pay the price. ”

I had goose pimples up my spine all over my body. It was never just me they wanted. They were here to make a statement, to attack the people that mattered to me. ‘Please, ‘ I uttered coldly, and, looking at the empty entrance of the house, my voice trembled. ‘Don’t involve my friends in this. I will do whatever you want me to do, but please do not harm them. ‘ The men exchanged a glance, and for a factional instant, I allowed myself the indulgence of expecting them to do the right thing. But then the second man shivered and shook his head. “Sorry kid,” he said, without an ounce of apology in his voice. “Orders are orders. ” He took up his gun, and there was a split second as if the bullet had slowed in midair. I observed his finger clinch round the trigger, saw the spurt of the muzzle. I shut my eyes then prepared to get hit. But it never came. But then all that reached me was a groan, and the thud of someone falling on the floor. I snapped my eyes open and saw what Aiden did he managed to wrestle the gunman to the ground, had to do it at the last moment. The other man lifted his gun, hesitated for a moment between coming to his partner’s aid and keeping the gun trained on me. Seizing the opportunity that he was momentarily disoriented, I jumped at him and gave him a blow on his abdomen with my shoulder. Together we went down in a heap of arms and legs with the gun slipping from between us on the slippery polished floor. For all the fight I could muster I would scratch, claw and attempt to land any punch that I could. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Aiden with the other man trying to restrain him. He wasn’t small and wasn’t to be messed with either. I was punched with my fist on my jaw and my head landed back. Stars went off in my eyes and I found coppery taste in my mouth. The man took good advantage of my confusion and overturned me onto my back and lay on me. They kept it up until he growled, ‘Enough games,’ and began to draw something out of the pocket of his jacket. I fought even more desperately, fear served as good fuel for me. But it wasn’t enough. I couldn’t break free. The man produced a syringe that had a black substance with a frightening look inside it. I suddenly got a pale feeling in my stomach as I thought it could only be one thing. Some kind of sedative or worse.

“The Raven wants to talk,” the man said, as he moved the needle closer to my neck. Of course, just as there are numerous types of laughter, there are also various ways in which one can be wounded, and I had to learn it the hard way: “Don’t worry, this won’t hurt. Much. ” Slowly, I shut my eyes and whispered my apologies to Chase, Alessandro, and all the other people I was leaving behind purposely. In my mind I was screaming that I had failed them all. Overhead pressure that was on me lifted, and vanished immediately. My eyes wrenched open and that was when I noticed Aiden standing over me drenching the fire extinguisher. The man who had been about to drug me lay crumpled on the ground, not moving assuming he hadn’t been killed by Aiden in the struggle. “Are you okay?” Aiden inquired, his tone tense as he pulled me up to my feet. I nodded shakily, I searched for the second attacker in the room but failed to find one. He was lying near the stands on the pitch, also fainted. “How did you…” I started saying and Aiden interrupted me. There was no time, he said, panicked. ‘We have to leave this place, they were three of them. ‘ That statement placed such a reality check on me like a bucket of ice water. Third man. He was missing. As if in answer to my unspoken question, the major’s gymnasium opened, and we stepped into it. The last of the attackers looked defiant, he was furious as he looked around at the carnage he had helped to create. ‘Get out,’ Aiden ordered, shoving me towards the door , ‘Run!’ We ran over to the gym, hearing gunfire in the distance. Standing up, I got to the door first, flung it open and staggered out to the bracing brightness of the afternoon sun. I wanted to make sure Aiden was right behind me, and as I saw him get out of the building I felt a load off my shoulder. But then I noticed the increasing red blotch on his shirt. “Aiden!” I shouted, moving quickly to get him aside because he tripped. He fell up in my bosom and passed out, clutching his abdomen as if in deadly pain. “I’m okay,” he muttered, thereby denying the fact that his voice had a shake to it. I slowly placed him down on the ground, my hands trembling while I tried to diagnose the injury. It was bad. It would be a waste of ink and paper to even attempt to describe the amount of blood that was there. ‘Help!’ I began shouting, turning around in circles. “Somebody help us!” I could make out police sirens in the distance as my breathing started to grow irregular. But would they arrive on time?

I clamped my hands on the side of the chest and applied pressure to attempt to stop the bleeding. Aiden was already zoning out, and his breathing was getting ragged. ‘Please, don’t go’ I said, kneeling at his feet crying my eyes out. “I was trying to kick, but he covered me again and started moving up and down ‘Please, Aiden. Stay with me. ‘” He was able to force a small smile, his hand coming up to rest on my face, touched my cheek. “It’s okay,” he whispered. “It’s enough you are safe. That is what is important. ” I hurried to shake my head violently. “Stop it,” I told him and shook him a little, “You will be okay. You have to be. ” But even as I said the words, I could feel him slipping away from me. ” His eyes rolled, and after that, he went stiff, his head resting on the curve of my neck. ‘No,’ I cried and shook him softly. ‘No, no, no’ I said, looking at Aiden. ‘Aiden, please!’ Because of the footstep sounds I heard, I had to look up. Chase and Alessandro were running towards us, their faces white with fear. Oh God,” Chase said softly once they got to us. “Is he. .. ” As I was about to respond, more ambulances arrived at the scene, and the medical workers immediately eased me out of the way. I stood there like an idiot as they resuscitated Aiden, the shouts and the sounds a combination of a play on words, which did not register in my mind. Lifting him onto a stretcher, they began to hurry, their movements panicky. Yet as they wheeled him hastily towards the waiting ambulance, one of the paramedics looked at us. ‘We’re taking him to Mercy General,’ she told me. This is heart in the mouth. All that can be done will be done. And that was the end of the show, they got off, concluded the program, and we were all left standing there feeling like we had been slammed with a washing pole. The truth of what had just occurred was gradually dawning on me, the implication of which smashed me to the ground. Aiden saved my life. And now he might die because of it. When more police cars and additional ambulances pulled up in response to the tragedy, when students and teachers who had been inside the school started to come out in small groups and stood in disbelief around us, I got inexpressibly cold. That was my fault. All of it. His strong arms pulled me closer, and I hid my face in Chase’s chest. Tears escaped me and I could not control it. Alessandro was beside me, holding my shoulder gently, standing like a rock that never moves.

But even the company can keep the cold, hard facts from seeping in. The Ravens game had gotten to a higher level than what any of us could have thought. And we had no idea if Aiden would survive till the end of the series. As the chaos swirled around us, as questions were asked and statements were taken, only one thought echoed in my mind: As the chaos swirled around us, as questions were asked and statements were taken, only one thought echoed in my mind: What have I done?