Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 75047 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75047 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
On the verge of tears, Mia shrieked, “Were those gunshots?”
“I’m not sure.” Trying to remain calm, I told her, “Go get Reagan. The two of you need to get to your car and go.”
“But what about Braylon and—”
“You have to go, Mia. He would want you to be safe.”
She nodded, then turned and ran towards Reagan’s place. I was considering my next move when I heard another round of shots. I ran up to the back door of the school and tried to peek through the window, but it was too dark to see anything. I had no idea what was going on inside that building. I just knew I had to get to the security button and lock the place down before the other intruders made it inside. Without any further hesitation, I eased the door open and slipped inside. I kicked off my wet boots, then tiptoed down the long, dark hall. I kept my back against the wall and started inching towards the office. I was just about to round the corner when the lights came flickering back on.
Several more shots were fired. Seconds after, there was a loud thud that sounded like a body hitting the ground. The second I heard a man groan, I knew someone had been shot and had fallen. I opened the large wooden door and peeked my head out, and immediately spotted Braylon on the floor. My heart dropped when I saw he had a bullet wound in his thigh and another in his shoulder. Without thinking, I came out of hiding and started racing over to him but stopped when he held up his hand and scowled. More gunfire erupted, drawing my attention to the end of the hall. Relief washed over me when I spotted Timms, Duggar, Widow, and possibly Jackal. Their backs were to me, making it difficult to figure out who was there, but it was evident they were doing what they could to hold off whoever was attacking us.
I didn’t move. I just stood there watching them until I heard Braylon whisper, “Kiersten.”
I quickly turned to look at him and asked, “What should I do?”
“Lock her down.”
He used two fingers to motion over to the security button. I nodded, then crouched down, being careful to stay out of the line of fire and scrambled over to the office wall. I knew what would happen when I pushed that button. The panels would come down, and we would be locked inside with our attackers. Hawk had warned us about the possibility of this very thing happening, and we thought we could handle it. At that moment, I wasn’t so sure. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a choice. Pushing that button meant I could keep the other intruders from getting inside with us.
I reached into the hidden compartment and pressed the button, and within seconds, the metal panels came down over the windows, sealing us in along with our attackers. The commotion down the hall continued as I leaned back against the wall, trying my best not to be seen. The sound of an object sliding across the floor drew my attention to my feet. I looked down and gasped when I saw it was Braylon’s handgun. “You gotta get out of here, Kiersten! Go find a place to hide until we come—”
“No!” Knowing our intruders were just around the corner, I cried, “You’re hurt, Bray. There’s no way in hell I’m leaving you.”
“I’m fine. Just a fucking graze.” He motioned his hand towards the small handgun at my feet. “Now, take it and go.”
“But—”
“Go, Kiersten!”
I did as he ordered, then hurried back down the hall and slipped into one of the classrooms with hydroponic feeders. The timer-controlled lights were off, so it was difficult to see as I made my way to the back of the room. I’d always loved being in these rooms. It was always so quiet and serene with all the green plants and warm glow of the lights, and I felt like I’d truly accomplished something when I saw that my plants were growing healthier and hardier than any other on the market. But at that moment, nothing about this room felt comforting or soothing. Instead, all the shadows and strange noises made me feel like I’d stepped into my very own nightmare.
I slipped under one of the tables and drew my knees up to my chest, trembling as the adrenaline rushed through my veins. As I sat there huddled, I could hear gunfire just outside the door, and I was completely terrified. I had no idea who was doing this until I heard a voice come over the school intercom. Bile rose to my throat as I listened to him say, “Kier-sten. Oh, Kiersten. I know you’re here. I know you can hear me. How does it feel to have your perfect little world shaken to its core? I bet you never thought this day would come, but it did, and it came because of you. You did this, Kiersten. You’re the one who was so fucking hard-headed. You’re the one who made it difficult.”