didn’t equate to violence. Part of me had trouble
believing Hannah had it in her to harm another human being. But
when I considered that Dad had thought the same thing about her
father, I felt my heart sink a little.
“Hannah, please put the gun down. We have
much more in common than you might actually believe, and I really
think it would do us some good to talk this out.”
“Talk this out? I don’t want to talk this
out with you,” she said. “I want to kill you.”
“What good would that do?” I asked. “What
problem would that solve? My dad arrested your father, your dad
killed my parents, and now the playing field is level, okay? Both
of our parents are at fault for what we’ve lost, so why carry this
any further? You can’t let your life be ruled by this, Hannah. You
have to live your life in spite of tragedy.”
A tear slid down her face, and as she
lowered the gun, I took a step forward to continue. “Your dad
wouldn’t want you to make the same mistakes he made.”
“Don’t—tell—me—what—my—dad—would—want,” she
screamed, raising the gun again. “He’d want me to kill you.”
The room fell silent, and I felt Luke’s hand
grasp my wrist. He stepped behind me, and his body ran along the
backside of mine: strong, firm, and completely unwavering. If he
had lost his cool, there was no indication.
“Jules,” he whispered, almost so quietly
that I didn’t hear him,“when I say go, go. Get out of this house,
and don’t look back.”
“No,” I cried, and my voice shook, “she’ll
shoot you.”
“What are you saying to her?” Hannah asked
Luke, now pointing the gun at him.
I felt him tap one finger on my back. Then
two. When his third tap came, he yelled GO , and I ran for
the door.
Before my hand had time to grasp the knob,
an explosion of gunfire stopped me dead in my tracks, followed by a
loud thud as something shook the floor beneath my feet. My ears
ached as the sound of a second shot enveloped the room.
I turned to see Derek fighting his sister
for the gun, both of them rolling on the floor. He pinned her on
the ground and struggled to keep her finger from the trigger, but
Hannah wasn’t going down without a fight.
She shot the gun again, this time the bullet
zipping past Derek’s head and embedding itself in the living room
ceiling. I turned to yell for Luke to interfere, but he was no
longer standing where I’d left him. I surveyed the room, but it was
like he’d vanished into thin air.
My eyes fell to the floor, and I suddenly
felt my world start crashing down.
Luke was lying on the carpet near the
struggling siblings, unresponsive as blood spilled from his
chest.
“Luke!” I screamed, running to his side, no
longer concerned about the fight happening between Derek and
Hannah. I fell to my knees and took his face in my hands, tears
falling from my eyes to his as I wept uncontrollably over his
motionless body. “Luke, please. Oh, God, please Luke—”
“Julie,” Derek screamed, still fighting his
sister. “Call 9-1-1.”
I left Luke long enough to run to the phone
and dial the number; most of my screams were slurred,
incomprehensible sentences, but I stressed that Officer Reibeck had
been shot and was unresponsive. I gave the address, threw the
phone, and fell back at his side.
I held his head in my lap, weeping over his
body and pressing down on the wound. Hannah’s first bullet had been
aimed to stop Luke from charging her, and it’d hit him in the chest
just short of missing his heart.
“Luke,” I cried, watching his blood seep
through my fingers as I applied more pressure to his chest. “Luke.
Please, please don’t leave me.” Through jagged breaths and tears, I
tried to find the strength to stay calm. “I love you, Luke. You
can’t leave me. I need you.”
The seconds ticked by, each one slower than
the one before and just when I’d given up hope for any sign of
life, Luke’s eyelids flittered open and he looked at me through
believing Hannah had it in her to harm another human being. But
when I considered that Dad had thought the same thing about her
father, I felt my heart sink a little.
“Hannah, please put the gun down. We have
much more in common than you might actually believe, and I really
think it would do us some good to talk this out.”
“Talk this out? I don’t want to talk this
out with you,” she said. “I want to kill you.”
“What good would that do?” I asked. “What
problem would that solve? My dad arrested your father, your dad
killed my parents, and now the playing field is level, okay? Both
of our parents are at fault for what we’ve lost, so why carry this
any further? You can’t let your life be ruled by this, Hannah. You
have to live your life in spite of tragedy.”
A tear slid down her face, and as she
lowered the gun, I took a step forward to continue. “Your dad
wouldn’t want you to make the same mistakes he made.”
“Don’t—tell—me—what—my—dad—would—want,” she
screamed, raising the gun again. “He’d want me to kill you.”
The room fell silent, and I felt Luke’s hand
grasp my wrist. He stepped behind me, and his body ran along the
backside of mine: strong, firm, and completely unwavering. If he
had lost his cool, there was no indication.
“Jules,” he whispered, almost so quietly
that I didn’t hear him,“when I say go, go. Get out of this house,
and don’t look back.”
“No,” I cried, and my voice shook, “she’ll
shoot you.”
“What are you saying to her?” Hannah asked
Luke, now pointing the gun at him.
I felt him tap one finger on my back. Then
two. When his third tap came, he yelled GO , and I ran for
the door.
Before my hand had time to grasp the knob,
an explosion of gunfire stopped me dead in my tracks, followed by a
loud thud as something shook the floor beneath my feet. My ears
ached as the sound of a second shot enveloped the room.
I turned to see Derek fighting his sister
for the gun, both of them rolling on the floor. He pinned her on
the ground and struggled to keep her finger from the trigger, but
Hannah wasn’t going down without a fight.
She shot the gun again, this time the bullet
zipping past Derek’s head and embedding itself in the living room
ceiling. I turned to yell for Luke to interfere, but he was no
longer standing where I’d left him. I surveyed the room, but it was
like he’d vanished into thin air.
My eyes fell to the floor, and I suddenly
felt my world start crashing down.
Luke was lying on the carpet near the
struggling siblings, unresponsive as blood spilled from his
chest.
“Luke!” I screamed, running to his side, no
longer concerned about the fight happening between Derek and
Hannah. I fell to my knees and took his face in my hands, tears
falling from my eyes to his as I wept uncontrollably over his
motionless body. “Luke, please. Oh, God, please Luke—”
“Julie,” Derek screamed, still fighting his
sister. “Call 9-1-1.”
I left Luke long enough to run to the phone
and dial the number; most of my screams were slurred,
incomprehensible sentences, but I stressed that Officer Reibeck had
been shot and was unresponsive. I gave the address, threw the
phone, and fell back at his side.
I held his head in my lap, weeping over his
body and pressing down on the wound. Hannah’s first bullet had been
aimed to stop Luke from charging her, and it’d hit him in the chest
just short of missing his heart.
“Luke,” I cried, watching his blood seep
through my fingers as I applied more pressure to his chest. “Luke.
Please, please don’t leave me.” Through jagged breaths and tears, I
tried to find the strength to stay calm. “I love you, Luke. You
can’t leave me. I need you.”
The seconds ticked by, each one slower than
the one before and just when I’d given up hope for any sign of
life, Luke’s eyelids flittered open and he looked at me through
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