Young Writers Society

Audra

Kai moved in front of me, wrapping his arms around me. Another loud bang. Blood splattered onto me and streamed along his side, onto my hand. Onto me.

He groaned as he staggered against me, and I realized what had happened.

He'd been shot.

He had taken a bullet for me!

"Kai?" I asked, voice trembling as we fell to the floor. "Kai!"

"Be quiet..." he hissed, staying on the floor. When I moved to get up, he used one hand to keep me down. "Stay down..."

"Why?"

"Act like you're unconscious. He'll move on."

I held onto his hand when he grimaced and fought off a moan. God, why did this have to happen? I wondered as I watched him and listened to the shooter walk away. Why did any of this have to happen?

Stay calm, Audra. You have to stay calm. You have to care for Kai.

Remember the training.

As soon as the shooter was gone, I eased out from under Kai and crawled around him. His back looked bad; the bullet had hit him in the ribs, and blood was everywhere. I had to stop the bleeding, but I had to get him to shelter first. Get him out of danger, then go to work, then call for help. Yes. That was a great plan.

There was a locker room just to the left, right in front of us. No windows on the door, and a single window to the outside. We would be safe there...

"Come on," I helped Kai to his feet and into the room. I locked the door behind us, pulled out my cell phone, and dialed 9-1-1.

The school's emergency lock-down alarms began to blare all throughout the school. Audra hoped the other students and teachers would be all right locked in the classrooms.

A voice answered on the other line. "This is 911, what's your situation."

"A man in a black trench coat showed up at our school with a gun. He's already shot a teacher and my boyfriend, we're hiding in the locker room right now."

"Which school?" Audra gave the man the school's address. "We have officers and an ambulance heading over there right now. Do not move from where you are."

"Thank you," Audra said before hanging up and putting the phone back into her pocket. She helped Kai onto one of the benches so he could lay down on his stomach. "Help is coming, just hang on, Kai."

She removed his shirt to examine the wound. The bullet hole was about the width of her thumb and bleeding profusely. She ran over to one of the paper towel dispensers and came back with a handful of paper towels.

She tried to stay calm as she applied the paper towels to slow the bleeding. She had to make two more trips before the blood started to slow down. Kai was awfully quiet as he watched her trying to treat his wound. She didn't know how he could keep from crying out in pain from the wound.

"Audra..."

She kneeled down beside the bench so she could see his eyes. She kept a hand on the paper towels on his back. "I'm here."

His eyes were unfocused as he gazed upon her face. "Audra, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"Don't talk, save your strength."

Kai shook his head. "No, I have to say this." He coughed and blood dripped out of his mouth. "Audra, if we make it out of here alive, I promise that once we both finish college, I'm going to marry you."

Audra

I gasped. Marry me? He was going to marry me? It was a shock, but...I liked the thought. I held onto his hand with my free one as I kissed his forehead.

"Yes," I spoke gently. "We'll make it out alive; you'll be okay. Now, just try and rest. Help is on the way."

I never left his side.


**All I've got...my boyfriend gave me a concussion (on accident), lol...ugh...**

(I was thinking once we finish this storybook we can start a sequel where Kai and Audra are in college. But because Kai got shot he has a near death experience and can see ghosts. What do you think?)

(I'm not quite sure what to do next. Do you have any ideas?)

**That sounds good! I like that. Yeah, why don't we do that?

As for what to do...I was hoping the others would post, but if they don't write something by tonight, I'm having the police show up and take out the shooter.**

(Yeah, that's probably for the best.)

Okay, I'm moving on. They snooze, they lose.

Audra

I sat with Kai, still trying to stop the bleeding as more shots echoed across the campus. More people screamed, and I prayed it was no one else I knew or cared for. I just listened.

It seemed forever, and sirens finally came into listening range. They came closer and closer, the vehicles moving quickly. Within three minutes, I saw policecars, a truck, and ambulances in the front parking lot, on the grass, in front of the lobby. Snipers poured out of the truck and began moving in on the school, rescue teams getting ready for the wounded.

I stroked Kai's hand with my thumb; I wanted to speak, but I didn't know if he would hear me. He had finally passed out from the pain and bloodloss. Hold on, Kai. We're almost out. I pressed my lips to his forehead again. Hold on.

A single shot rang out and everything stopped. Silence. Long, dreadful silence.

Then, after a moment, the rescue teams began moving into the building, medical equipment ready. Policemen walked towards the building as the snipers came out, the gunman handcuffed and in tow. Blood streamed down his arm. He'd been shot only as a distraction so they could move in. And now he was going to prison...

Someone knocked on the door of the locker room, and I almost jumped in fright. A man's voice called out from behind it. "Is there someone in here? Are you all right?"

"Yes! Yes, we're in here! We have one unconscious!" I left Kai long enough to dash to the door, unlock it, and open it. There was one of the teams, led by an officer. "Officer, I'm the one that called in the emergency. We" - I gestured to Kai as the medics piled in and moved to him - "saw the beginning of everything."

"Very well, Miss. Let's get your friend taken care of before we do anything else, though."

"Yes, sir."

I stood back and watched as they investigated Kai's wound, bound it, and moved him onto a stretcher.

Thank God we'd made it. We would be all right.

Epilogue:

Kai made a full recovery and got out of the hospital a few weeks later. The bullet had just missed one of his lungs by a few inches. Audra visited him at the hospital every day during his recovery.

Kai had been serious when he said he wanted to marry Audra. He promised that once they both finished college he would propose to her. Until then, they made sure to spend as much time together as they could.

Kai left for college after he graduated from highschool. Even though he was staying in another city he visited Audra every weekend and holiday. Sometimes she even went to his campus to sleep over. About two and a half years later Kai had moved onto his third year in college and Audra graduated from highschool. As luck would have it she ended up going to the same college as Kai.

Not everything went back to normal after the shooting, though. During his recovery in the hospital Kai began seeing strange things. When he told his parents about it they said it was all in his imagination. He kept it a secret from Audra because he couldn't bear the thought of her thinking he was crazy. As the years went on, though, he became more and more adept at seeing these strange things until it got to the point where he could communicate with them. His near death experience had caused him to see ghosts, did he receive other gifts as well...?

The End...?

The End!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes! Now, to start Be You 2! You want that honor, or should I do it?

I'll do it. I sent you a PM with the details about it.