“NOAH STOP!” Neve screams.
No.
“Noah!” And Landon’s orders can fuck off, too.
Three strides and I feel his hand try pulling me back. I turn, move and shove him straight out of the firing line before it comes. Fuck knows why, but the sound of the first shot leaving the barrel at the exact same time proves it was the right call for his life chances.
Doesn’t stop me keeping the momentum, though, and I duck and shift past Blake to get to Neve. The sight of looking straight down a moving barrel coming at me means nothing. Not now. I’m not backing down, not giving in. Maybe there’s a way out of this at some point, but she sure as shit is not dying today either way.
Blake’s quick to move with me, his feet mirroring mine across the other side and giving Lewis two bodies to aim at, and then Landon’s back in the fucking game as if he’s caught up with my plan to confuse and scatter. Seems we’re all happy to die for her – and that’s fine by me, especially when the next shot pierces the air.
I don’t even care which one of us it hit, or even if it hit one of them, as I keep moving. But what I do give a fuck about is the fact that the lump of metal is starting to aim back at her again in his confusion. Left, right. Pointing at Landon, at Blake, at me again and then back at her, as he trips over his own feet and keeps hauling her like a piece of meat.
“You should just give the fuck up now,” I grumble, pulling his sight back to me. "Point it at her one more time, and I'll end you."
The second that gun comes off her and towards me again, I launch at the fucker without thought. My hand reaches for the gun, and my body spins into his to knock her out of the way. The second part works well enough, but none of it’s quick enough, and the heat of something hitting my stomach lets me know I just took a bullet for her. Don’t care about that because the sound of her screaming, and then the sight of her tumbling to the floor away from us, is all I need.
One last glance gives me a clear sight of her being hauled away by Scott, and I concentrate back to where I am. My elbow stabs backwards, then upwards into his chest cavity to try winding him before another shot is fired, but my tight grip on his around the gun stops any power I’ve got.
Feet move in my eyeline, scattering as I try getting this fucking thing pointed anywhere but at me or everyone around me. I heave and turn, leg trying to get around his to get him to the ground, if nothing else. Not happening, and with both my hands trying to keep this gun safe, I’ve got nothing to fight with.
“Get the hell off me,” he grunts as he punches me in the side. "I'll kill you all!"
I look up in the fight and see Neve being pulled back by Ivy, both her hands up over her face and her eyes streaming with tears. She’s screaming. I can see that. It’s like a focus I’ve got, something to keep me going, but I can’t hear anything. There’s just the sound of this shit all over me and his huffed breaths as he tries wrangling the gun from me over and over again.
He’ll kill her if I let go now. He’ll do it to prove a point.
Not fucking happening.
I turn us away, using everything I’ve got left in my legs to send us crashing to the grass so this gun goes anywhere but at her. Another shot lets rip. Fuck knows what at, but it’s not me this time, or them, so I roll, trying to use my body to dislodge it from him.
I’m getting weaker for some reason, and as another jab hits me in the stomach, I try working out what’s wrong. Everything around me swims and moves. My head shakes to find clear vision, teeth gritting to get this last bit done. There’s barely anything left in me, though. I can feel all this fucking strength I’ve got draining with every move he makes.
Rolling, I try sending the back of my head at his face a few times. It lands hard, making my hazy vision turn into a riot of colours.
“NOAH MOVE!” Landon shouts.
The sound of him makes me squint through the struggle, my body still scrambling backwards to shift my weight and gain leverage. He’s stood a way off, a shotgun aimed at us both on the floor. It shifts left and right in his grip as if he’s trying to get a clear shot. Can’t though, I guess. Not while we’re rolling and jostling.
“LANDON, NO! NOAH!” And there she is – my princess. “MOVE. PLEASE!”
The loud as fuck crack of a shotgun makes me brace, half expecting the shot to hit me. It doesn’t, but it does buy me time in Lewis’ surprise to snatch hard and fast. The gun gets ripped from this fucker's hand, and I turn to point it at him, but another shot sounds.
The explosion of blood flying back at me is instant.
My head whips away from it, but I lift the gun towards his face. No fucking point, though, now. I look down and see he’s barely got a chest left.
I stare for a while. I stare at the blood and his guts hanging out, then look at the eyes dying down. Gotta make sure he’s really gone. Make sure she’s safe.
The eventual realisation that it's over makes me slump down to the ground, head giving in with the rest of me. There’s nothing but muscle memory moving on him now. Blank eyes. Still body.
Fucking gone.
And I’m done for a while now.
Tired as fuck.
The feel of someone getting under my head, and then the sight of Neve in my face, barely registers. She’s talking again as her hands flit around me. Mouth moving. Tears, too. She doesn’t need them now. Nothing to be scared of anymore. He’s gone. Dead. No worries. Everyone’s safe.
