Hostage (Big Time Rush fanfic thriller)

Part 4

[Have you read parts 1, 2, and 3? If not, look for them here on Wattpad! This is part 4, half of the conclusion of "Hostage"...]

Crystal screamed first.

                Stephanie whipped around and saw two police officers in the doorway, guns brandished and ready for war.

                No – how could they be so stupid? Didn’t the 9-1-1 call tell them that they would be outnumbered? They’re going to die!

                And sure enough, all four terrorists raised their guns.

                There was a blast. A streak of lightning.

                Stephanie flew behind the door to avoid the rain of bullets. Kendall dived, shielding her with his body. They huddled in the corner, watching and frightened for James as he threw himself to the ground and Carlos rolled out of sight. An officer dropped, never to be seen or heard from again. A cloud of plaster and gunpowder blocked the rest of Stephanie’s vision.

“Hailey! Hailey! God, no-o-o!”

What was happening? Where was Logan? Selena was screaming, Crystal was screaming – all Stephanie could hear were gunshots, screams, items breaking. Somebody shot out the window overhead.

                “No! Let him go, he’s just a kid!” Stephanie’s heart sank when she heard Logan scream, “Take me!”

                “Chris!”

                The scream tore through Stephanie’s lungs as the dust settled and she saw her little brother crying in Hailey’s father’s arms. One strong arm was choking Christopher, and the other was waving a gun in wild desperation.

“Hailey?” the man was asking. “Wake up, Hailey! Wake up for Daddy! Don’t die on me!” But Stephanie looked at the stretcher and saw that the tiny bundle under the covers was turning a sickly dark red.

                Then Stephanie saw Logan behind the bed, pleading. “Just take me, alright?”

                The man screamed like an animal, and it felt as though the walls shook. He aimed his gun.

                “Logan!”

                Crystal’s scream sounded in the split second that Logan needed to dive out of death’s way. The bullet whizzed past and exploded the wall where Logan’s head might have been.

                More bullets launched. Stephanie was close enough, just close enough to reach out and grab the man as he pulled Christopher into the hallway, but she knew one wrong move would be all it took to for the man to switch targets. And then she heard gunfire from the hallway.

                “Toronto Police! You’re surrounded! Drop your weapon or we shoot!”

                “You killed my little girl!”

                “Let go of the hostage and drop your weapon now!”

                “I’ll kill everyone in that room! I’ll kill the band and the kids, too! I’ll kill all of you!”

                “This is your last warning! Drop—”

                Someone opened fire – Stephanie knew it wasn’t the leader, because she could see Christopher’s sneakers skipping in terror. She didn’t think. She didn’t breathe. Move.