Page 5 of King
I push past a bunch of teenagers, using my elbows and knees and treading on their toes. “Team two and team three, I want you to take the flanks. I’m going to go up the center. Team one?”
“Team one, ready.”
“Good,” I say. “You got a clean shot?”
“In this crowd?” Codey says. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Alright, we’ll play it by ear. But the second you see this asshole pull a gun, I want you firing. I don’t care if it’s into the air or up your ass. Just make as much fucking noise as you possibly can and hopefully these limpdick security mother fuckers she’s hired will be able to take care of the rest.”
“Suspect is nearing the stage,” Riley says, “I repeat, suspect is nearing the stage. His hand is in his jacket and his eyes are on the target.”
“Fuck.” I charge towards the podium, literally throwing people out of my way as I go. “Marilyn,” I yell. If I can get her attention, maybe I can get her to turn around and go back inside. “Marilyn!”
Nothing.
There are too many people. Too much noise. I’m just another shmuck calling out her name in a crowd full of people cheering and screaming.
“Marilyn!” I scream until my voice hurts. Every second, I’m closer to the stage, but so is the stalker.
I can see him out of the corner of my eye. His eyes are locked on Marilyn like they’re the only two people in the whole world.
He’s moving forward as if he’s in a dream. His lips moving. He’s muttering something. Talking to himself like the creepy fucking psycho he is.
But, he’s too close. I’m not going to make it to him in time. My only option is to try and reach Marilyn. Sprint towards her and tackle her to the ground and protect her with my body.
“Marilyn!”
I reach the metal barrier that divides the crowd from the stage. I leap over it, and immediately a security guard grabs me by the arm.
He’s roughly the size of a small, Egyptian pyramid. His neck’s probably bigger than your average hippo’s thigh.
I don’t give him time to think. I don’t even give him time to talk. I punch him on the chin with all my strength. His eyes roll up into his head and he crashes to the ground with a loud thump.
I look up and see Marilyn standing at the microphone. She’s right in front of the crowd about to start talking, except now her mouth is hanging open and she’s staring at me.
“King?” she says. “What the fuck?”
I look to the left. The stalker is at the barrier too, he’s reaching into his jacket. The sun reflects off the shiny steel of his gun.
“Get down!” I yell, running forward.
A huge boom echos through the sky. The crowd explodes into a heaving mass of people. People scream and shout and try running in every which way.
Police draw their weapons and look around for the threat. Except, they're looking in the wrong place. They’re looking at the rooftops where Codey just fired his rifle from.
I’m the only person who knows where the threat is.
He’s standing roughly twenty feet to my left. His arm is nearly fully extended. There’s a Glock 17 in his hand and the safety is off.
“No!” I dive forward just as he pulls the trigger.
A gut-wrenching thump hits my shoulder. I roll over, drawing my weapon even before I hit the ground.
I look up, ready to put one right between his eyes, but there’s already a swarm of police surrounding him.
He puts his gun to his head and pulls the trigger.
I roll onto my back and look up into the sky. The pain in my shoulder is coursing through my whole body like I’ve just injected iron filings into my veins.
