Gravity - By Abigail Boyd Page 0,95

is closer than you think, Ariel."

He raised the gun with his free hand, pointing it at my face as I sputtered nonsense.

"You're not going to shoot me," I said, more of a plea than a sure statement anymore.

"Are you so sure about that? Because this looks like a gun in my hand. And I don't think anyone would miss you too badly. You're always just sitting there, coasting through life like it owes you. Well, think of this as your just reward."

I was fully convinced that he had lost his mind. And now I was going to die for it.

"And I will have a seat on the throne when that day comes," Warwick said, cocking the gun and reading his finger on the trigger. "He promised me a seat."

"Drop it!" said a voice to my right as another gun appeared and pressed against Warwick's temple. "You don't want to die today."

I don't want to die today.

Warwick dropped both me and his gun, and I fell to the floor, my arms flailing above me like I was falling off a cliff. My feet scrambled for purchase but found nothing. I fell with a heavy thud onto the hard ground, feeling my body instantly bruise. The roots of my hair stung.

I saw four policemen standing behind my would-be murderer. Warwick looked at them, dropped his gun, and attempted a smile.

"Gentlemen!" he said cheerfully, "You interrupted us. I was just informing her..."

"Shut your mouth," said one of the officers sternly. He spun Warwick around forcefully and grasped his wrists, hooking handcuffs over them.

Another officer came over and knelt beside me. "Are you alright, miss?" he asked.

I couldn't catch my breath. All I could see was the barrel of the gun in front of my face, the imaginary bullet travelling a pathway through my skull to destroy my brain. My finger reached out and pointed to the area where the girls' bodies were wrapped up as they led Warwick away.

"Aw, no," the man muttered under his breath, and went over to the sleeping bags. "Mike, come over and look at this."

I stood without realizing I was doing it, and walked beside them. Someone stood behind me, but I couldn't tell who it was.

"You need to stay back," the second officer said.

"My friend...my friend Jenna," I stuttered, aware that my face was twitching and I would probably have a nervous breakdown any moment. "I need to know if it's her. If she's dead. Please."

I watched as they slowly unzipped both sleeping bags, even though my stomach rolled and I wanted to run, to see anything but the shriveled bodies in front of me. Alyssa was still wearing her blue raincoat, even though her flesh was mostly gone, revealing a smiling skull beneath. The other girl I didn't recognize at all, but I assumed it was Susan, the girl who went missing at the dance. Beside the filthy sleeping bags, a purplish blur of soap remained on the concrete from where Warwick had been scrubbing.

Strong hands grasped my shoulders, and I turned around, not knowing who to expect. Henry stood there, his hair for once a mess, his face blotchy with tears. I fell into his arms with a gasp of relief and he hugged me tightly. I just wanted to disappear inside of him and pretend the world stopped. Tears rolled off of his cheeks and pattered the top of my hair.

"This is too much," he said softly. "This is too much. I didn't know. Are you okay?"

I didn't feel okay. I didn't feel anything at all. "I'm alive," was all I could say.

My parents were speechless as they drove me home from the police station. Claire kept turning around and looking at me. I stared straight ahead, more tired than I had ever felt in my life. Hugh especially seemed drained. It was understandable, considering he had just found out his best friend was not only a kidnapper, but a murderer. Who also almost shot his only daughter.

School shut down for a week to help assist in the police investigation. McPherson had supposedly been visiting his sick mother, and was quite surprised when he came back and saw the drama that unfolded in his absence. I didn't know what I would do with all the time off, and I hated the idea of having to sit around and think about things.

There had been no sign of Jenna in that horrible basement. Just more confirmation that everyone had been right and she had abandoned me.