The Rain: The End, Marietta Standlee [year 7 reading list TXT] 📗

Colin gives me another questioning look, points to his gun. I mouth, "Colt .45."

We both know this means if the girl doesn't have an extended magazine, she has at the most eight rounds, three of which she has already spent.

"We're here to help you." I try to keep my voice calm, but it's hard to talk quietly and calmly, when your ears ring, and fist-sized holes appear next to you.

"Go away," she screams and shoots again.

Colin holds his fingers up. Four.

Sean pokes his head around from outside the hallway, he says something, but I can't hear him because of my ringing ears. I point to them. He does some mimicking, which I don't understand. Finally, Colin yells, "A kid. She is scared." Followed by another shot.

Five.

"Please, let us help you," I yell. I know I'm yelling way too loud, but I can't help it.

Six.

Somebody starts to cry loudly. Somebody else hushes that somebody, so there are at least two of them in there. Have they been here the entire time? All alone?

"Honey." Colin tries.

Seven.

One to go.

"Alright, we're coming in, don't shoot," I say after a few minutes when nothing happens.

I poke my head around the corner. She still sits there, grey eyes open wide, both hands shaking as she holds the gun up. Her back is to the footboard of a large bed. Another kid sits by her side, snuggled against her, his face dirty, except where tears cleaned a trail down his cheek. He is smaller, maybe six or seven. He has blonde hair too, maybe her little brother?

"Please, put the gun down," I implore, moving my hands up and down beseechingly, still half-covered by the doorway.

"Go away." She cries. Big fat tears run down her cheek.

Colin appears in the doorframe on the other side, his gun raised, where I let mine slowly sink to my side. Showing her, we mean no harm, but Colin is not helping. I also know that he'll not put his gun down as long as the kid is pointing the .45 at me. Just like I know that he'll shoot her if she tries to shoot me. He won't hesitate, kid or not. Just like I wouldn't if the roles were reversed.

His eyes never leave hers. He once told me that if I ever was in a standoff to watch my opponents' eyes. They will let me know if and when he will pull the trigger before his fingers even move.

"We're here to help you," I beseech her again.

"Lulu, please." The little boy cries.

The girl's hands shake so hard now, I worry about her pulling the trigger inadvertently. I motion with my hands again. "Just put it down; you're out of bullets, anyway." I lie.

She looks at me, questioning, scared. Her eyes beg me not to hurt her. "You're going to take us to the aliens." She accuses and raises the gun higher.

"No!" I scream, knowing Colin will shoot.

With my heart beating in my throat, I step out in front of him. He can't see the girl anymore, and he can't shoot her without hitting me.

"Vivian." Barely contained fury resonates in his voice, but it's also laced with fear. Fear for me.

"Lulu?" I try. Hoping that's her name. "I swear to you that I'll not take you to the aliens. They killed my parents and my sister. I hate them too."

She looks up at me, a little hope sparks in her eyes. "You swear?"

I nod. "I swear."

Slowly she lowers the gun down to the ground and I let out a sigh of relief. It falls to the floor, and I make a jump for it. Colin takes it out of my hand as soon as I hold it up. His eyes meet mine; and I swallow hard, when I see the murderous fury burning inside of them.

I turn to the kids. "I'm Vivian, and this grouch is Colin."

"I'm Lulu, and this is Doug." She points at the little boy.

I squat down next to her. "How old are you?"

"I am twelve, and he's six." Her voice quivers.

"Have you been here by yourself the whole time?" I want to know.

She shakes her head. "We were with my uncle when some bad people came. They were going to sell us to the aliens. My uncle helped us escape, but he…. he didn't make it."

I hold out my arms for her. "When was that, sweetie?"

"I don't remember; it's been so long. We found this apartment, and it had food, and we stayed." She cries on my shoulder, her little body shaking. Her brother clambers in between us, crying too.

"It'll be alright," I try to hush them. "We have some doctors here; they'll check you over and make sure you are okay. Afterward you can go eat something, and we'll find somebody to take care of you, okay?"

I want to drop them off with Sean or somebody to take them to the hospital, but the kids have none of that; they cling to me as if their life depended on it. So, in the end, I don't have a choice but to take them myself. And by the still murderous look on Colin's face, I think that might be a better idea, anyway; I'm not really in the mood to be yelled at. Hopefully, by the time I'm done with the kids, he will be over his anger.

Chapter 8

Yeah, that didn't happen. It's more of the opposite. The longer it took before we saw each other, the madder he got. By the time we meet up in the cafeteria, I can tell that his fury is beyond the boiling point. When his eyes find me, he's by my side in four long strides. He takes my arm in a viselike grip—I don't think he realizes he is hurting me, and pulls me down the hall towards our room.

"What. The. Hell, Vivian?" He yells at me.

He lets go of my arm and runs his fingers through his hair. His face is a mask of rage and