Voiceless Screams | The Music Freaks

Chapter Two

    Luke ran down the hallway, his heart racing. He'd been trying to get two notebooks from his locker when the gunmen opened fire. By the sound of gunshots in two different directions, he had nowhere to go but forward.      
     His mind kept going back to Zander as he crept down the hall, cautious of every turn. He wanted to know Zander was safe, but even he couldn't get himself to believe anyone here was safe.
       Fear filled his heart and his wild eyes. This wasn't ever something he expected or prepared for. He'd heard of recent shootings but thought nothing of it. He never expected to be caught in one, but that day changed everything for everyone in the building
.       A shot sounded dangerously close. Luke stepped back and pressed hard against the wall. By the next two shots, both coming from opposite directions, he could tell the boy closest had gone farther down the hallway.
      Subtle whimpering broke out near him. He turned around the corner, and there with blood spilling down her leg, was Zoey. She took deep breaths, her hand covering the point where she was shot. Luke sat beside her, urgency in his gold eyes.
       "Hey, you'll be just fine," he whispered, slipping the scarf off his neck. Though Zoey had shown no kindness to him or any of the other music club members, he knew he couldn't leave her like this. She'd bleed out quickly. Zoey just smiled, then closed her eyes tight when she removed her hand. Luke could see the blood staining her hand.
      He wrapped the scarf around the wound once, then twice. It wouldn't go around another time, but he could still see that blood was soaking through. She winced when he pulled it tighter, so he loosened his grip. Though the scarf was simple polyester, it'd have to do until professionals had arrived. If professionals would arrive at all.
       One more shot echoed in the building, though it was far enough away. "Come on, we've got to go," Luke told her in a low whisper. He knew she couldn't walk, and if she tried, she'd lose too much blood. He also knew that if they stayed here, they wouldn't make it out alive.
       "Okay." she coughed, her voice not as high and demanding as it usually was. He stood, and told her to stay there. He looked further down the hall, and when everything was clear, he came back.
      "I'm going to make a call to the police. We'll be fine here for a few minutes, but then we have to go," he whispered, pulling the phone from his pocket. When she nodded, he dialed 911.                    "911, what's your emergency?" the dispatcher said on the other line. The way she sounded so calm was probably to comfort whoever was on the other line, but it only made him feel more unsafe. He could hear more calling in the background, hearing the address of the school multiple times.
      "I'm at Alabama high school. There are what seems to be two gunmen in the building. Help, please." he told her, desperately. He knew she, and plenty of other dispatchers had probably heard similar calls for the past five minutes. Five minutes? No, it'd only been three. The time was moving so slowly. In times when he'd been smiling and laughing, the time went from five minutes to thirty in what felt like twenty seconds. Now, it'd seemed he'd been peacefully walking to his locker ages ago. 
     There was a pause on the other end, then she spoke again. "Okay. Where are you in the building?" she asked the sound of typing following her words.
       Two shots came from different ends of the school when he opened his mouth to speak. He glared at Zoey, waving his hand to indicate they needed to move. She nodded, and with Luke's free hand, he grabbed Zoey's and slid down the wall slowly.
      "First floor near the restrooms and locker rooms. We heard gunshots near, so we're moving further down the wall. I don't know where to, though." he said. 
     "We? Is there someone with you?" the dispatcher asked, reminding Luke he hadn't mentioned anything about being with anyone. Zoey stopped, breathing heavily. Luke just stopped to give her time. He knew that she knew they needed to move. So he was allowing her to take a breath. Besides, she'd been the most cooperative she'd ever been in her life.
      "Yes, sorry ma'am," he told the dispatcher. Zoey gave him a glare, then tried to continue. He appreciated her persistence, even though she was losing so much blood. There was a pause on the other line, typing taking the place of words.
      "Okay. Are either of you injured?" she asked at last. Zoey was hardly able to move and the thought of leaving her or carrying her crossed his mind twice, but he knew he couldn't do either until she couldn't move at all.
       "Yes, the girl I'm with was shot in the leg. She's losing a lot of blood," he told her. Zoey's pace was slowing with every second. The scarf was tightly wrapped around her left leg, but it didn't slow the blood flow. 
     "Okay, we have a group of officers on their way. There are ambulances coming, too," she said. She said something to the other dispatchers around her, but Luke couldn't hear her.
      "Luke, I've lost so much blood. I'm dizzy." Zoey said in a whisper. For a moment, he was slightly shocked she even knew his name. He simply nodded.
      "She's dizzy," Luke said into the phone. "I wrapped a scarf around her leg, but it's not helping." he paused, then lowered his voice so Zoey couldn't hear him. "I don't think she'll make it."
      The other line was silent again. More gunshots sounded. They were still a fair distance away, but they were getting closer every shot. 
     "Okay. I want you to stay on the line with me. If there are any updates, tell me." the operator paused. "As for the girl you're with, keep her still. If she passes out, tell me. If you have anything else on you to wrap around her wound, tie it tight. You need to slow the blood flow as much as you can."
      Luke slipped his crimson jacket off, and took each of its sleeves, and tied them tightly over the scarf. Zoey winced, but he only slightly loosened the jacket this time.
      "This should help. You're doing great," he told her, an encouraging smile on his terror-struck face. She nodded, wiping a tear from her green eyes. She must've been in a lot of pain. He brushed his hand over it to make sure blood wasn't soaking through. It was damp, but it was better than the scarf.
      Another shot erupted close. Luke picked up his phone again and texted Zander three simple words.
      "I love you."
       There was another shot, then another. Luke looked up when he saw movement. It was one of the two gunmen. His heart skipped a beat, and he squeezed Zoey's hand tight.
       He smiled a cold smile and lifted his gun toward Zoey. When his finger was hovering over the trigger, Luke threw himself in front of Zoey to block the bullet from reaching her. They'd come this far together, and he didn't want her to die because he didn't try. 
     There was a deafening bang, then a scream. Darkness engulfed him.
      Everything fell silent.