1159
FROM BAD TOO WORSE
FROM BAD TOO WORSE
LUKE
A deafening crack rang out as Sarah pulled the trigger. The bullet ricocheted off the ceiling, sending shards of plaster raining down. Jess screamed, clutching Laura, both dropping to the floor.
“No!” I roared, my heart hammering as I launched myself at Sarah.
I slammed into her, knocking the gun from her hand as it skidded across the kitchen floor. Sarah shrieked, thrashing wildly beneath me. Her nails scraped against my arms and face, but I didn’t let go, pinning her to the ground with every ounce of strength I had.
“You ruined everything!” she screamed, her voice raw and cracking. “This was supposed to fix it! You don’t understand, Luke! I was trying to help you!”
Her voice spiraled into incoherent sobs, the desperation in her words cutting through the chaos.
“Josh!” I bellowed, not daring to look away from Sarah. “Get the gun!”
But Josh wasn’t listening.
“Oh my God,” he whispered, his voice trembling. “There’s blood- Luke, Laura’s been shot!”
FROM HAD TOO WORSE
11 200
The words hit me like a punch to the gut. I whipped my head toward Jess and Josh. Jess was pressing her hands against Laura’s side, her face pale with terror. Blood seeped between her fingers, staining her dress and pooling on the floor beneath. Laura.
Josh was kneeling beside her, his hands hovering uselessly over Laura’s wound. His face was ashen, panic etched into every line.
“You’re okay, babe,” he murmured, his voice breaking as he tried to reassure her. “Help is coming. You’re going to be okay.”
Laura nodded faintly, her lips trembling, but she didn’t say a word.
“Get off me!” Sarah shrieked, dragging my attention back to her. She bucked against my hold, but I pressed her harder into the ground.
The sound of sirens grew louder, piercing the air and drowning out Sarah’s frantic rambling. A second later, heavy footsteps pounded through the house.
“Police! Hands where we can see them!”
“Here!” I yelled, my voice raw as I held Sarah down.
Two officers stormed into the kitchen, their weapons drawn. One of them grabbed me by the shoulder, yanking me back.
“She’s the shooter!” I shouted, jerking my chin toward Sarah as the officers restrained her. “She shot Laura!”
Sarah’s screams turned hysterical as the officers pinned her hands behind her back. “They’re lying!” she howled, thrashing
20.975
FROM HAD TOO WORSE
against their grip. “You don’t understand! I was trying to save him! I was trying to save him!”
The officers ignored her, snapping cuffs around her wrists as they hauled her to her feet.
“You’ll see,” she murmured, her voice soft and eerie now, her wild eyes locking onto mine. “You’ll all see.”
“Luke!” Josh’s desperate voice snapped me back.
I turned to find him cradling Laura, his hands trembling as he brushed the hair from her face. Jess was still pressing against the wound, her face streaked with tears.
“Paramedics!” Josh shouted toward the door, his voice breaking. “We need paramedics now!”
As if on cue, EMTS rushed in with stretchers and medical kits. The sight of them brought a wave of relief and dread crashing
over me.
“She’s losing a lot of blood,” Jess stammered, her voice cracking as she looked up at the medics. “Please, hurry.”
One paramedic gently nudged Jess aside, taking over with practiced efficiency. Another began checking Laura’s vitals, speaking in calm, clinical tones to keep the situation under control.
Josh refused to move, his hands still on Laura’s shoulders, his face hovering close to hers. “You’re okay, babe,” he murmured again, his voice choked. “Help’s here now. You’re going to be okay. Just hang on.”
FROM BAD TOD WORSE
Laura blinked up at him, her lips parting as if to speak, but no words came out.
“Sir, you need to step back,” one of the paramedics said firmly, trying to move Josh aside.
“No,” Josh said, shaking his head. “I’m not leaving her.”
The paramedic gave him a tight nod, letting him stay as they worked.
I stood frozen, my chest heaving as I watched the scene unfold. The sight of Laura’s blood–streaked dress and Jess’s tear- streaked face burned into my mind. I felt useless, paralyzed by the weight of what had just happened.
Behind me, Sarah’s sobs echoed faintly as the officers led her out of the house. “You’ll see, Luke,” she whispered as they passed. “You’ll see I was right.”
Her voice faded, swallowed by the chaos of the moment.
“Luke,” Jess’s voice broke through the haze, pulling my attention back to her. She was kneeling beside Laura, her hands clenched tightly in her lap, her face pale.
“She’s going to be okay,” Jess said, though her voice trembled. “She has to be okay.”
I nodded, but the knot in my chest tightened. I wanted to believe her, but as the medics wheeled Laura toward the ambulance, her stillness sent a chill through me that I couldn’t shake.
AFTER
AFTER…
