Queen Lydia

Chapter Ten: Rubber Bullet?

William and I stood there, and only one of us looked happy. And I can tell you it wasn't him.

"God dammit, Lyd," is how he started, then again, that was how he always started our conversations. "Don't look so excited and happy. This isn't a good meeting."

The smile that had started to form immediately slipped. "What do you mean? You're on my side, right?"

He didn't answer at first. He rubbed a hand across his face. "That's a broad question. I'm with you against Katlyn, but this relationship is going to require some blind trust."

I didn't like where this was going... William saw it plain as day on my face, too. I took a step backwards, maybe too hastily.

His right hand moved aside his red zip up coat, reaching behind him. I'd seen that move enough on TV to know that I should be cautious. We were 8 paces away. And I saw in his eyes that he didn't want things to get messy, "Lyd."

I took another step back. "William." His hand hadn't moved an inch. "What're you doing, William?"

He was still as stoic as ever, no emotion in his face, eyes, or stance. Then, quietly, he whispered, "You have to trust me on this."

Chills shot down my spine, and goosebumps rose along my arms. "I-I-if it's a gun, don't shoot," I stuttered out.

His jaw tensed in response. His arm moved, and in his hand he held a 9 mil. He extended his arm, taking aim. "Wi-William, d-don't."

"Lyd, you knew this was coming," he said, almost apologetically. Almost. But he was right, I had known this was coming. I just didn't know it would be coming so soon.

I had a flashback to when I'd first said I was going to take over the world. When Katlyn had told me she would take it, and then William told me he was going to shoot me. Only, back then, he said he was going to do it to help a rebellion. I couldn't be sure of anyone's intentions, and I was scared with a gun aimed at me.

William was a hard guy to interpret. Sometimes I had a hard time telling when he was serious, and when he was being sarcastic. More often than not, he was being sarcastic, but it was always those rare moments when he wasn't, that I assumed he was.

He cocked the gun, I shrank away, hiding behind my forearms. "William, d-don't. This isn't going to help anyone."

He didn't move, and neither did I. My heart, however, thudded against my rib cage, like it wanted to get out.

I lowered my arms to look at him. Then the gun fired. He'd shot my right shoulder. I lost my balance, and crumpled to the ground, gasping in pain.

I put hand over the wound, but strangely, there was no blood oozing or gushing. Just pain. I looked at it again, there was an odd hollow spot next to my collar bone. I looked under my shirt, it was very red, and slightly greenishly discolored. and didn't look right. I craned my neck, painfully, to look at the back of my shoulder. There was a swollen lump about the size of a large golf ball. At the sight of it, I gagged.

Looking anywhere but there, I took shaky breaths. I needed to be calm, and get to the infirmary. I looked up, but William was gone. That sonuva-

I was interrupted by commotion down the hall behind me. "Ugh! One job! All you had, was one job! One, teensie, weensie, little job. Keep the girl in the room. In the room! The giant window was bullet proof for gods sake! And the door was locked."

That was Katlyn! What was I supposed to do with a broken shoulder? Get to the infirmary! William's voice yelled in my head. Right. Only, I didn't know where I was. Forward is the only way to go. Danger is behind. I guess that's as good a plan as any.