CHAPTER 20 #3
We walked just a few feet away from the entrance, near a small brick alcove. I turned around to face him, my back against the cold exterior wall of the building. "Alright, Malik. We're outside. What do you want?"
Malik didn't answer with words. The chilling, quiet restraint he had maintained inside the store shattered completely.
His face twisted into something monstrous, fueled by a toxic mix of rejection, jealousy, and sheer malice.
"You ruined my life, Terra. You think you can just find someone else and be happy? Leave me looking like a fool on these streets while you’re all cozied up with some bitch? "
Before I could even open my mouth to reply, his hand flew to the waistband of his pants.
Time slowed down to an agonizing, terrifying crawl. I saw the silver glint of the metal before I even processed the weapon. He pulled the Glock clear of his clothing, his finger already heavy on the trigger. There was no hesitation. No final warning. Just pure, unadulterated hatred.
BANG.
The first shot tore through the morning air, a deafening explosion that shattered the city’s rhythm.
The bullet ripped cleanly into my right leg.
A white-hot, blinding surge of agony flared through my nerve endings, forcing a horrific scream from my throat.
My knee buckled instantly, the strength draining from my body as I collapsed heavily onto the hard, uncompromising sidewalk.
I hit the concrete, gasping for air, clutching my leg as dark crimson blood began to pool rapidly beneath my jeans. I looked up, tears blurring my vision, hoping—praying—that the shock of the first shot would make him run.
But Malik was already standing over me, his shadow completely engulfing my broken frame. His eyes were dead, staring down at me like I was nothing more than garbage on the street. He raised the barrel of the gun, pointing it squarely at my chest.
BANG. BANG.
Two more deafening blasts echoed off the brick walls.
The impact was a massive, crushing weight, like being struck by a speeding vehicle.
The bullets shattered through my ribs, tearing into my chest, instantly stealing the air from my lungs.
The physical pain was overwhelming for a split second, a searing, roaring fire—and then, almost immediately, it began to grow cold.
A strange, heavy numbness washed over my torso, anchoring me to the pavement.
Through the haze of my fading vision, I heard the chaotic aftermath.
I heard the frantic, high-pitched screech of tires as Malik and his boys sprinted to a black sedan parked at the curb, their faces now covered in dark ski-masks.
The doors slammed shut, and the vehicle tore away from the scene with an aggressive roar, leaving a cloud of burning rubber in its wake.
Then came the screams.
The heavy glass door of the Starbucks flew open, and I heard the agonizing, desperate cries of Kelly and Gabriel. They were running toward me, their voices sounding warped, underwater, echoing from a vast distance.
"TERRA! OH MY GOD, TERRA!"
Suddenly, hands were on me. Gabriel dropped to his knees in the pooling blood, his hands trembling violently as he pressed his expensive jacket against my chest, trying desperately to stop the flow.
Kelly was sobbing hysterically, her face hovering over mine, her tears falling onto my cold cheeks.
"Stay with us, Terra! Look at me, look at Kelly!
Help is coming! Someone call an ambulance! "
But I knew. Deep down in the quietest part of my soul, I knew I was fading.
The noise of the city, the frantic shouting of the gathering crowd, the desperate pressure of Gabriel’s hands—it was all drifting away, pulling back like the tide.
The vibrant, golden world I had been enjoying just minutes ago was shrinking, dissolving into a cold, enveloping darkness.
I didn't feel pain anymore. I just felt an immense, heartbreaking sorrow.
My mind didn't linger on Malik, or the blood, or the unfairness of the sidewalk. In those final, precious seconds of consciousness, my soul flew straight back to our apartment. I saw the E-Tech folder sitting on the coffee table. I saw that usual gray pigeon pecking on biscuits. I saw Miley’s beautiful, radiant smile from the night before, her eyes full of a brilliant, unwritten future.
Miley...
I forced my lips to move, struggling against the heavy, metallic taste rising in my throat.
I gathered every single ounce of life left in my dying frame, pushing past the darkness to find my voice one last time.
It was nothing more than a ragged, feather-light whisper against the chaos of the sidewalk.
"I love you, Miley..." I breathed out, my eyes staring past Kelly, up into the infinite, blue sky. "Sorry... I couldn't be here... with you."
Gabriel let out a choked, devastated sob as the final breath left my body. My eyes remained open, but the light behind them vanished. The hands on my shoulders felt distant, the frantic city noise died down to an absolute silence, and I finally let go, fading completely into the deep, quiet dark.