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“I can’t leave you here,” I say.
“Just go, Finn.” The strength in her eyes tells me that she’ll be all right.
“Ok. I’ll kill him. Just get outside. Elena is waiting in the car.” I want to kiss her but there’s no time. With Aiden at my side, we follow Sal into the tunnel.
We reach the second house and scan the basement but he’s not there. We take the stairs slowly in case he’s waiting at the top to kill us. But he’s not there either.
He’s not in the living room and he’s not in the kitchen.
“Split up,” I tell Aiden, nodding towards the stairs. “Be careful.”
“I will be.” Aiden goes to the second floor while I remain on the first.
I scan the entire area, looking to see where Sal could have gone but he’s nowhere.
And that’s when I hear the scream from outside.
I run out of the house and stop when I see Sal by Aiden’s car, holding onto Elena. He’s trying to drag her from the car. Ariastumbles out of the other house, holding her open dress to her bloody body. She stops too when she sees what’s happening.
Sal has his gun with him. He fires it towards Aria and she ducks back into the house, barely avoiding getting hit.
Elena jabs her elbow into Sal’s side hard enough to make him let her go. She falls to the ground, crying out in pain. I’ve heard Elena cry in pain before.
When I killed her dad and threatened to kill her.
But somehow, I’ve changed from that man. I’m still chaotic and I always fucking will be but now, Aria has shown me that I can have more in life. I don’t want Elena to die any longer.
Sal turns his gun onto Elena, aiming it right at her head.
That’s when I act.
I run forward and dive in front of Elena right as Sal pulls the trigger. The bullet hits me right in the chest.
“No!” Aria screams.
Sal stumbles back in shock. I guess he never thought I could be selfless enough to save someone other than myself.
I point my own gun at him and use his moment of shock against him. I pull my trigger and the bullet goes right through his fucking head.
Sal grunts once and collapses onto the ground. Finally fucking dead.
All my energy leaves me and I slump over, knowing I probably don’t have a lot of time left from the gunshot to my fucking chest. At least it didn’t hit me in the heart. Then I’d be dead already.
Elena sits up and stares at me with wide eyes. “You just saved my life.”
“Funny, isn’t it,” I manage to say. Aria runs over to my side and presses her hands onto my bleeding wounds.
“You’re going to be ok. Elena, call for Aiden. We need to get Finn to the hospital. We need to call 9-1-1.”
Elena doesn’t move.
“Elena!” Aria shouts.
With a jerk, she pulls out my phone from my pocket and calls the police. Aiden comes running out of the house and doesn’t hesitate to come to my side. He checks in with Elena, who tells him she’s ok.
“Paramedics are on their way,” Elena explains. She shakes her head. “You saved my life. You, of all people.”
“I figured you… were owed that.” My eyes turn to Aiden. “I’m sorry… for all the shit… I’ve done.”