Dawn by McKayla Box
Chapter 41
Iflinch at the first gun shot and it takes me a minute to realize where it comes from.
Brett.
And Annabelle goes over the side of the dock.
“Get down!” Trevor yells, running toward us.
I grab Sunny and we drop to the pavement as more shots ring out.
I hear a thump to our left and Micah is on the ground, blood spreading fast across his chest.
There’s yelling and screaming, and as Trevor is running toward us another shot rings out. Trevor jerks backward, then continues running at us until he falls on top of us.
“Are you alright?” he says.
More gunshots above us.
He spreads his legs and arms, like he’s trying to cover us, as shots are fired on both sides of us.
And then it’s quiet.
I’m trembling on the pavement.
Sunny is sobbing.
“Trev!” Brett yells. “They’re all down, man! All of them!”
Trevor lifts his head and looks around. “Oh, fuck.” He gets to his knees.
“Oh, shit,” I say. “Oh, shit. Your shoulder. Trevor, you’re bleeding.”
He looks at his left shoulder as blood leaks through his shirt. He gets to his feet and looks around. “You sure?”
“Yeah,” Brett says. “I got Jared last. They’re both on the ground by the Rover.”
Trevor jogs away from us.
I sit up and look around.
Micah is dead, no more than ten feet from me. I see two bodies by the Range Rover as Trevor runs to it.
Jesus fucking Christ.
Brett is standing on the deck of the boat, the gun still in his hand, watching Trevor.
I turn back to the Range Rover and Trevor is already running back to us.
“You have to get up,” he says. “Both of you. Now!”
I grab Sunny and pull her up.
Trevor is by my side in seconds, his good arm pulling me to him. He hugs me fiercely and presses his lips to the top of my head. I sag against him, shaking. I can feel his heart beating, can hear his deep, shallow breaths.
I look toward his left shoulder, at the spreading dark stain. “They shot you. Oh my god. They shot you.”
He glances down at it, almost dismissively, before bringing his gaze back to me. The love, the concern, shining in his eyes is visible for only a moment.
Then he’s all business.
He drops his arm from me and takes a step back.
“How did you get here?” he asks.
I stare at him. “I…I drove. My car. It’s back at her house.”
“Fuck,” he says, running his good hand through his hair. He bites his lip. “Okay. Listen to me. You run to it right now. Get in it and drive home.”
“What?” I say, confused. “No. We need to call the police. We need to—”
“Presley!” he screams. “Listen to me!” He takes a deep breath. “We don’t have time for this. You need to get to your car as fast as you can and go home.”
“I’m not leaving you.”
He ignores me. “Do not tell anyone you were here. Don’t call the police. Don’t speed on the way home. Just get home. Do you hear me?”
“Yes, but—”
“Just do it!” he says, his voice rising “Please! You have to go right now or this is going to get even worse.”
“What are you going to do?” I ask.
“Sunny,” he says, ignoring me. “Sunny? Can you run with Pres to her car?” He grabs his cousin’s arm. “I need you to run with her right now. Can you do it?”
Sunny nods woodenly. “Yeah. Okay.”
“Go,” he says. “Right fucking now.” He’s like a drill sergeant now, barking orders, devoid of emotion. “Sunrise. Meet me at the marina. Don’t tell anyone you’re coming. You hear me? And don’t fucking call or text me. Meet me at sunrise.” He points toward the neighborhood. “Run. Right fucking now.” He grabs my arm and the drill sergeant is gone. Now it’s just Trevor. “I’m begging you.”
I look at him.
There’s something I’ve never seen in his expression before.
And it frightens me as much as anything I saw from Annabelle.
Sunny grabs my wrist. “Come on.”
I let her pull me away and we manage to start running.
I look back over my shoulder.
Trevor is already sprinting back to the boat.
And I have no idea what’s happening.