Tabitha's POV
Someone came charging at me. Even though he was wearing a waterproof suit and goggles, I could totally recognize him from just his jawline.
It was Austin!
I wanted to shout out and ask him what the hell he was doing and who he really was.
But before I could say anything, he raised a gun and aimed it directly at me.
No chit-chat, no warning—he was coming straight for me.
At that moment, he seemed like a grim reaper crawling out from hell, totally different from the decent man Joanna had told me about.
He was soaked by the heavy rain from head to toe, and rainwater dripped off his slick outfit, soaking into the wool carpet in the hallway.
As he pulled the trigger, Joanna suddenly jumped in front of me.
I heard a dull thud as the bullet hit flesh.
Blood sprayed from Joanna's body like a horror movie scene. The next second, Joanna, who had been blocking in front of me, crumpled to the ground.
"Joanna!"
But Austin didn't even flinch. He kept striding toward me like nothing mattered.
It felt like he'd just shot a dog or cat instead of Joanna—a girl who had loved him for years with all her heart!
Her nightgown was soaked through with bright red blood. It spread across the white carpet, like a gruesome painting.
She tried to speak, but blood poured from her mouth due to her damaged organs.
Reaching out weakly, she looked up at that approaching monster with defiance in her eyes and asked breathlessly, "W-why?"
However, Austin didn't even want to waste his breath with her, and his attention was all on me.
I squatted down and struggled to hold Joanna with one arm. My fingers got drenched in her blood.
"Joanna, it's okay! We've got doctors here. It's not a fatal injury. You won't die," I reassured her.
"Tabitha! Run! Get outta here!"
I turned and saw Austin raise his gun again, this time aiming right at my forehead.
One shot, and I would be gone.
I knew I gotta run, but with my big belly, I could barely get up, let alone escape.
Just then, Joanna summoned every ounce of strength she had left and leaped up again to shield me from that bullet.
Another hole appeared in her body as blood splattered onto my face.
I screamed at the top of my lungs in despair!
She was shot twice in less than half a minute!
Finally, I heard Austin's voice, clear and almost melodic, as if he felt sorry for what was happening. "What's the point of this?"
With that, he aimed at me again, and this time, Joanna didn't have any strength left to rise anymore.
She lay there like a fish gasping for air as blood poured from her mouth. "Tabitha, run! Just go! Don't worry about me!"
But I couldn't move at all. I stared at the gaping wound on Joanna's chest and realized, this shot was fatal.
She wasn't going to make it!
How could this be happening?!
"Run! Run!" Joanna helplessly let out her final scream.
When Austin lifted his gun again, three gunshots rang out simultaneously.
I, along with Spike behind Austin, both fired our guns at once.
But both bullets hit Austin's bulletproof vest, so he didn't die.
Joanna, using her last bit of strength, protected me with her body.
The final bullet tore through her skull as blood cascaded down her face onto mine.
With arms stretched wide open, she shielded me completely like some kind of barricade.
"No, Joanna!!!"
She managed a faint smile at me, murmuring, "I... promised... to protect... you well. Goodbye, Tabitha."