“Run,” Trevin whispered, afraid of drawing attention to himself.
Fear etched itself on the faces of the officers as they were surrounded and pushed back toward the window where Trevin stood watching the horror unfold. They’d be murdered right before his eyes if they didn’t escape now.
“No!” He shouted, more afraid for the cops than for himself. “Run! Run!”
He beat at the window, shouting, but only managed to startle the officer closest to him who turned and fired. Trevin threw himself on the floor, expecting to be showered in glass seconds before the clowns fell upon him. Though holes appeared, the glass held.
“Of course, idiot,” he muttered, hoisting himself from the floor. “The window is bulletproof.”
Screams echoed through the store, mingling with the gay sounds of “Sleigh Ride”, creating an eerie soundtrack that chilled his soul. Blood was flung from the rising and falling blades, splattering against the window, and running in rivulets to puddle on the sill. Trevin backed away. He had no desire to see what was happening on the other side of the wall. What he imagined was horror enough.
A gloved hand soaked with blood, slammed against the glass. A second then a third appeared, leaving bright red hand prints behind. First one clown face and then a second came into view. Trevin dropped back to the floor, scuttling away to take refuge under the desk, out of sight. From his strategic position, he watched the faces press against the glass, eyes searching, presumably for him. Pressing the phone close to his chest, he prayed he wouldn’t be seen.
In the room beyond the vent, the women fretted. Jadine paced the floor and watched Stacy’s face for any clues about what was happening in the office.
Stacy held the phone firmly to her ear to catch any whisper spoken. It was difficult to hear over the music even with her other hand pressed tight against her left ear to muffle the noise and help her concentrate. The minutes ticked by. Fear galloped in her heart at the sound of yelling and the way the pounding had stopped so abruptly. For a tense moment she heard the sound of Trevin’s heart beating against her ear then the call dropped.
Jadine saw the changing emotions on Stacy’s face and hustled to her side. She knew it could only be bad news when the tears began trickling from Stacy’s eyes.
“What is it?” She hissed. “What’s happening?”
Stacy shook her head, the hand holding the phone to her ear fell away to cradle it at her chest. Lips trembling, she fought back a sob.
“He – he’s gone,” she said. “I think they got him. I think he’s dead.” The sob came then, and she pressed the hand of her injured arm to her mouth to stifle it.
Jadine stepped closer, instinctively patting Stacy’s shoulder in an offer of comfort.
“Are you sure?” Her heart gave a painful flip behind her ribs. “Tell me what you heard.”
“There was yelling and pounding then I heard the sound of his heart, and then the phone went dead in my hand.” Stacy slumped to the ground. “He was trying to save us. He was just trying to save us.”
Sobbing in earnest, Stacy buried her head in her knees to muffle the sound. Jadine dropped down next to her, fighting her own grief and guilt.
“I sent him over there,” she whispered aloud. Silently, she finished the thought, his blood is on my hands.
They stayed that way for several minutes, each lost in her own grief. Next to her, Jadine monitored the muffled sounds of Stacy’s sobs as they tapered off to hitches in her breathing. When they’d all but stopped, she leaned close to whisper in her ear.
“Stacy,” She said slowly. “We need to come up with another plan.”
Stacy nodded but said nothing. Her face remained hidden from sight.
Jadine bit back an impatient sigh. Time was running out. They had to do something.
“Stace,” she began again, urgency riding along in her voice. “I know you’re grieving, but I really need you to pull it together. Or -”
Stacy rolled her head so she could frown at her boss. “Or what?” she hissed. “You’ll fire me?”
Jadine’s hands clenched into fists.
“Or we die,” she said through gritted teeth.
“Whatever,” Stacy’s head dropped back to her knees muffling her words. “You said it yourself, there’s no escape.”