The Last Bullet

Is it all over?

"Pe-" Damien starts to shout, but I clap a hand over his mouth. Damien removes my hand and scrambles silently over to the hole, only to see Peter dangling from it, a rope tangled around his waist. Half of the broken tile was hanging by a thread, and Damien quickly ripped it off and set it down. I crawled over and nearly gasped, for we saw the worst possible thing we could've seen.

Scientists.

No more than a foot beneath Peter, they walked about, looking at samples, taking notes, and examining data. Peter was trying to be as quiet as possible, but I could tell the rope was cutting into his stomach. Looking at the only thing keeping him from falling, I saw each ends of the rope were trapped underneath something heavy on either side of the tile; a big box for the right end, and a broken metal rafter for the left. The result was a loop that was cutting into Peter's stomach and requiring him to remain absolutely still to maintain the balace.

Pulling up one side of the rope wouldn't work because it would just roll Peter back down to the trough of the rope, and possibly make him fall out. Using both sides would be possible, but very tricky, because the lifter would have to keep his balance while holding the taunt ropes together and lift Peter up. I look at Damien and he looks back at me, his face grim.

I wished I could've simply put all the scientists' brains on Oblivious Mode with my power so they wouldn't notice Peter at all, because then we could lower Peter to the ground then hoist him up. Sadly, that was not possible. Ever since Charlotte had implanted that thing in my brain to prevent me from using my gift, I had been careful not to use my gift. Damien's strength had not completely returned, and neither of us knew if he was strong enough to lift Peter up while keeping his balance.

He had to try, though, and soon. Peter looked awfully precarious.

Reaching out with both hands, Damien grabbed a hold of each side of the rope, and brought them together, struggling with keeping himself from toppling over. I held onto his waist to help him, and felt the others grab my waist to add even more weight. Damien slowly lifted the rope, but a shower of dust suddenly drifted right in front of Damien's face. Feeling a sneeze coming on, Damien's instincts took over, forcing him to drop the rope and hold his nose closed. Peter fell, then almost folded in half as the rope sliced into his abdomen. His face twisted in pain, and silently gasped. Fortunately, he stayed on the rope.

Unfortunately, the air from his gasp tickled the head of the scientist right beneath him. Absentmindedly, the doctor reached up to scratch his head, only to scratch Peter's head instead. Near panic, Peter scratched roughly the same area on the scientist's head, praying fervently that the white-coated man didn't notice the difference.

When the man stopped scratching, Damien hoisted his brother up with superhuman effort. The severity of the situation must've called on some adrenaline, because this time, it seemed to require almost no effort at all. Quietly, the rest of us shuffled around the hole, and I covered it with the broken tile at an angle so it was less conspicuous.

With a certain capture averted, we pressed onwards, to room Z-100. Besides Kate's occasional 'ew' or 'gross', the trip was relatively silent as Alex navigated his way through the dusty ceiling. Every once and a while, muffled voices penetrated the tiles, but I don't think they heard us.

Alex eventually came to a stop and quietly pulled up a tile, making a hole to a hallway below. Two guards patrolled the sides, and Alex nodded at Kate, who descended down the hole. From the ceiling, we heard two soft gasps, two thuds, the Kate whispering for us to join her. Damien went first, holding onto the sides of the hole for as long as he could before dropping to the ground as silently as possible. Jeremy followed in a similar fashion, then they helped the rest of us down, starting with Peter and ending with me. The two guards lay unconscious on the ground, and a nearby door read, 'Z-100'.

I took a gun off one of the guards and held it up in a ready position, flattening myself against the wall next to the door. Everyone followed suit, and I did a small countdown on my fingers until I opened the door.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

I burst through the door, only to be greeted by the sounds of hundreds of clicking noises as hundreds of guards held up their guns and pointed them at my head. Sniper lights decorated my chest and forehead, and even more appeared on the vital parts of my team, except for Alex. Charlotte was seated in a wheelchair with a blanket over her legs, concealing probably the bandages or casts on her upper leg, courtesy of Oliver.

Charlotte gestured towards her son, and a guard, knocking his gun out of his hand, dragged a kicking and punching Alex over to Charlotte. Before he could react, another guard by Charlotte held Alex's hands behind his back while the first forced Alex's mouth open a shoved a tiny pill down his throat. Alex kept struggling, but became more and more complacent with every passing second.

Charlotte clasped her hands in her lap and examined us.

"Here we are again." she tsked, then smiled. "Let's get started."

Gritting my teeth, I dropped my gun and heard Damien and Jeremy following suit. A armored guy gathered the weapons, then backed away.

"When will you learn?" Charlotte shook her head. "No matter what, I always win in the end. You think you're the first one to try and stop me? Think again. Hundreds of people with hundreds of connections have tried, only to he crushed by my unimaginable power. No one can stop me, especially not a ragtag bunch of kids." She laughed, as if she found the whole thing terribly amusing, the sobered. "Now then, let's start with her." Charlotte pointed a finger at Kate, and a guard instantly grabbed her and held a gun to her head. Sadie screamed, and I charged to Kate, but a guard held me back. The worst part was Kate, shrieking my name. She believed I could save her, and I was going to let her down.

"No Mother!" Alex seemed to have snapped out of his daze when faced with Kate's death.

"If this upsets you precious, you should go wait in your room." Charlotte told him condescendingly. I looked pleadingly at Alex, and he stared back with determination in his eyes. He waited for a while, then nodded to me.

"Now!" I shouted, and even though the others were not aware of the plan, they were just as fast to spring into action. Jeremy was quick to grab a gun and shot down any guards that approached him. Peter used his fire breath to scorch Charlotte's teammates, and Damien took on three to four guys at one time, kicking, punching, and beating as hard as he could. Dexter zipped from place to place, then grabbed a bullet-proof vest and worked on blocking any bullets that were aimed at us. Kate flew overhead, using mainly her feet to take guards out, while Sadie changed into a rhino and commenced stompling guards to the ground. Alex, after a quick apology, shoved his mother's wheelchair on the ground, making a crippled Charlotte have to result to frenzied screaming from the ground. Alex then retrieved a gun and took up a position behind a wall, taking the wheelchair with him, then shot at approaching guards.

Somehow, Damien and I ended up back to back, while we both lashed out with physical violence. Guards dropped left and right, while Dexter darted in front of us occasionally to stop stray bullets.

But despite all out efforts, we were slowly but surely losing. Dexter was the first to go, when a guard somehow tripped him, sending the small British boy sprawling and hearing a sick crunch as Dexter landed on his ankle. Kate was next, when a bullet grazed her shoulder, making it too painful to fly. She and Dexter hid in the kitchen, while Sadie was prodded by a rod that released so much electricity, she collapsed, still in rhino form. A guard snuck up behind Peter and punched the small kid in the face, causing Peter to tumble to the ground, while another caught Alex in his strong grip, then held him there as the fight raged around them. Eventually, Jeremy, Damien, and I were the only ones left, pressed back to back, shooting guards in non-fatal places and hitting them when they got too close. Obviously, this was not going to work for long, and I realized I was the only solution.

Making sure my tongue wasn't in between my teeth, I prepared myself for hell. Using my telepathy, I identified every guard and scientist in the entire building, save Charlotte. Taking a deep breath, I then sent out a crippling brain siren that would incapacitate any listener. As I commenced to send it, a high whine sounded in my ears, and I screamed, falling to the ground, shuddering and convulsing as white hot electricity snaked up and down my body. Then there was an impossibly high beep, and the pain stopped. Black dots swam in front of my eyes, but I was still conscious, probably having shorted the device in my brain preventing me from using my gift. Voices broke through my daze; Damien and Jeremy, both shouting for me to get up. I blinked groggily, then lifted my head. All around us, motionless guards lay. I looked about, searching for Charlotte, but she was nowhere to be seen, until I saw her white cast poking up ever so slightly. I forced myself to stand, and went to check on everyone. Alex had been freed, and had quickly bandaged Kate's leg and Dexter's ankle, while Peter and Sadie had slowly regained consciousness. We all stared at Charlotte's motionless body, and Alex let out a strangled sort of squeak. I put my arm around him to comfort best I could, when a small moan emitted from Charlotte. Alex immediately pulled away from me, and fell to his knees next to his mother.

"Alex...." Charlotte murmurs, and Alex touches her forehead softly. It was then when I noticed a bullet hole in Charlotte's chest, and the spreading blood stain.

"I'm here." Alex says quietly, fighting back tears.

"So sorry....couldn't control them..."

"It's alright." Alex soothes, and Charlotte smiles faintly.

"I'm so......they must pay for their....their evil." Charlotte's labored breathing made it difficult to speak.

"No, Mother. These are my friends." Alex tells her gently but firmly, but Charlotte keeps muttering.

"They must pay.....and pay.....they will. See you.....in hell, Adriana." With her last ounce of strength, Charlotte lifts a gun and fires.

Everything goes into slow motion. A small, metal, silver bullet flies past a shocked Alex, a screaming Sadie, a crippled Dexter, a stunned Kate, a wide-eyes Peter, and straight towards Damien. I want to stop it from hitting him, save the guy I love from death, but my legs are so slow, like molasses. Charlotte falls to the ground, dead, and everyone watches, horrified, as the bullet draws closer and closer to Damien.

Suddenly, a reddish orange blur flashes in front of Damien, and we all hear a gasp as a bullet enters a body.

And yet, Damien stands, unharmed.

Then I see it.

Jeremy.

He convulses on the ground, gasping for air, and clutching his chest as blood seeps from a wound. I snap back into terrible reality, and dash to Jeremy's side, propping his head in my lap.

"Oh, my God....This can't be happening. No. No! No, no, no!" I cry, and tears run down my face as my panic intensifies. Jeremy won't stop retching red, and I wish he would just stop and get better. "You can't! Oh God, don't die!"

"A-dri." he gasps in between each syllable as he coughs and shudders.

His skin is so pale.

"I-I can fix it!" I bleat, and frantically rip off my shirt's hem. "Pressure on the wound! Stay with me. Don't fall asleep!"

"D-don't." Jeremy weakly pushes me away, but I persist.

"I can fix this!" I shout, and his hand gently touches my cheek. I stop, and look at him with tears in my eyes.

"Adri." he says softly. "Please."

"I-I can't do this al-"

"A-dri.........you.....you're still the most-" he coughs again, spraying blood on my T-shirt, but I don't care. "You're still the mo-ost beautiful creature.....I've ever seen."

"Don't! Don't say anything related to dying! I won't let you die!" I can't-won't-accept what's happening before my eyes. I've lost so much...I can't lose any more.

"I'm.....sorry." he coughs up more blood.

"Please." I whisper, going still and watching him, unable to look away.

"I.....love.....you." his last words are nothing more than a breath and barely audible. His eyes go glassy and his body goes still, and my tears drip on his broken body.

"No, Jeremy. No, don't-don't close your eyes! No, NO! Someone get me a bandage...no, a defibrillator! Run! He's still alive! I can hear him!" I shrieked, slapping at Jeremy's cheeks.

"He's gone, Adri." Damien says quietly.

"GET THE DAMN MACHINE!" I scream, and hold Jeremy's cold hand. "It's going to be okay. They're going to get the machine, and a bandage, and we'll fix you right up, okay? You'll be okay. Just stay with me."

"Facility self-destruct in sixty seconds." a computer voice comes out of nowhere, and sirens begin to blare. Lights are mostly turned off, except for flashing red ones that illuminate the hallways. "Fifty nine.....fifty eight.....fifty seven....."

"Adri! We have to go!" Damien says urgently, but I ignore him.

"I promise everything will be okay." I whisper to Jeremy, when I feel strong arms suddenly gathering me up and running away from Jeremy.

"No! STOP! HE'S GOING TO DIE!" I screech, and tears run down my face as I punch and kick Damien, who simply ignores me as he continues running. "Please! No! NOOOO!" He keeps running, forever, farther and farther away from Jeremy.

"Twenty two.....twenty.....nineteen....." We make it out the door.

"Eighteen.....seventeen.....sixteen.....fifteen....." We're running as fast as we can for the trees.

"Fourteen.....thirteen.....twelve.....eleven.....ten....." Alex punches in a code and we sprint through the gate.

"Nine.....eight.....seven.....six.....five....." Tears run down my face as I stop struggling and lay limply in Damien's arms.

"Four.....three.....two.....one....."

Jeremy.

My world goes dark, and I know no more.

Author's Note

I am not ashamed to admit that I seriously cried when I realized Jeremy had to die.....

Reviews

[CrimsonBlaze]

DAMMITTT NOOOO JERREEEEMMMY
You made me cryyyyyyy
I seroiusly shed a tear :(((((
Nooooooooooo
nooooo
noooo

noooo
nooo
I'm sorry,,,that wasbt so constructive