Running with His Child

Chapter 29

As the first gunshot rang, the crowd turned into an absolute chaos. There were only a few people in the pews who weren't scrambling up with their own guns.

Men and women dispersed around the room, ready for the attacker's to fling into the doors. It was almost perfectly choreographed, like they had practiced this drill religiously... they probably did, thinking about it now.

More bullets flew through the windows, the beautiful stained glass falling to the wooden floor in shambles.

I was too caught up in watching the scene unfold to notice Kyle stepping in front of me, and pulling out his own gun. I was in a state of shock it seemed, my whole body was frozen as it forced me to watch the horrifying scene. Why today? Why me? Why can't I just be back in Florida, safe with Matilda and Jason? Is this what my life has come to? Constant fear of death? Constant fear of the safety of Owen?

OWEN!

My mind would snap me out of its trance, and I'd try to see around Kyle's large figure. The men began filing in, dressed in red masks. They countered the gunshots from us, a few falling as a bullet pierced their bodies.

So much blood. So, so much. My eyes scanned the room, wanting to complete my original mission. After a bit of looking, I spotted Owen under the first pew.

He was crying hysterically, obviously terrified. He curled himself into a ball, trying to hide himself the best he could.

My arms shook Kyle's arms furiously, before pointing in our son's direction. He glanced to him before shooting a few more bullets. "Damn men, no one's even fucking covering him." Kyle grits out.

Owen's little head popped up after a minute or two, his eyes registering that we were up on the stage. I tried to motion for him to the stay where he was, but he just wouldn't listen. He slowly stood from his spot, his little legs sprinting to get to us.

Fate had other plans though, and I noticed a red masked man pointing the barrel of his gun right at Owen. Everything was in slow motion as the gun was fired. I watched the bullet as it flew towards its target, I felt myself let out a cry, and Kyle shot the man down who let the bullet fly.

Little did I know, right as Owen began to stand, my father had already been sprinting to him. By the time the bullet reached skin, my father was in front of Owen, a protective arm around him to shield him from the blow. He looked up me with tears in his eyes, mouthing out: "I love you, Robyn." before the hit.

Blood.

Blood started to cover his undershirt, the gun had pierced right in the center of his back. A distant screaming kept ringing in my ear, the high pitched fear hard too hard to handle. It wasn't long before I realized that the screaming was coming from me. My father's body started to decline, falling forward, though Owen was about to take impact of the fall.

Two of Kyle's men swooped in, catching them both as they descended. One pulled Owen out from my father's grip, pushing him toward us, and the other carefully let my father's motionless body on the floor. Afterward, they resumed their shooting spree.

Owen scrambled up the steps of the platform, his arms wrapping around his father quickly.

"Take him!" Kyle shouts at me, turning to his left so that I can grab Owen.

Owen wouldn't let go as I tried to pry him off, and I ended up having to use all my strength to get him into my arms instead. He flailed in my arms, his cries for his father getting louder every other second.

After a few moments, a group of Kyle's men rushed us, shielding Owen and I as they separated us from Kyle.

They shuffled us out the back of the church, and into a car that was placed very, very close to the door. Peering over the men, it was easy to see that more fighting was going on in the back of the church as well.

It was relieving a bit to see that Kyle's men outnumbered the red  mask, though it didn't make the situation any better. Once in the car, Owen's cries were clearly heard.

In the church with all the noise and shock, Owen's fear was almost muffled, but now, out of the environment, he was clearly hysterical.

I held onto him tightly, letting out my own string of cries, trying to comfort him as I had my own little episode.

The car sped off quickly, jolting is a bit. Through his protests, I placed him in the seat beside me, and buckled him in. The last thing I need was for Owen to get hurt.

The car drive began to lengthen, the ride never seeming to end. We drove for an hour before I started to worry. Owen had fallen asleep in his seat after twenty minutes, while I was wide awake, still mourning over the loss of a father I hated.

Well, it's hard to hate him now... he protected Owen when I couldn't.

After the thoughts of my father faded a bit, I realized a much bigger problem. It had been an hour. An hour of driving... where are we going? I tried to knock on the divider of the car, but the window didn't budge.

My fist hit it a few times, trying to get their attention, but all it was, was silence. The car ride passed a two hour mark soon after and I began to panic.

It wasn't like I had a phone or anything...

THANKS KYLE.

After a last half hour, the car came to a complete stop. I unbuckle my sleeping boy, hugging him to me. These assholes weren't going to separate him from me.

The car doors open,and the men signaled me to get out. I shake my head stubbornly, and earn an annoyed look from the men.

"Two options. Easy or Hard way." The tall one huffs out, tapping his foot as he waits.

A groan escapes my lips as I pull my fatigued body out, carrying Owen in the process.

In front of us, a huge mansion sits. It almost resembled the White House with its design, but this does NOT look like Washington DC.

Two men stood at the porch-thing leading to the door, but we were too far for me to see them clearly.

The shorter man shoved my shoulder a bit, trying to get me to move. I shot him the death glare of course, hugging onto Owen tighter. The two ushered me across the round-about driveway to the door.

As we got closer, the men by the door looked more and more familiar- well one of them did. When his face fully registered in my head, a loud gasp escaped my lips.

Jason.

"Happy to see me, Laine?"