Written on June 29, 2013
The single shot rings in my ears for seconds after it occurs, bringing to my mind the question of who.
I spin around frantically, searching for the victim, hoping with all my mind there isn’t one. But hoping, as everyone knows, accomplishes nothing. I freeze when I see David knocked onto his back, clutching his stomach in pain. The first to rush to his side is Rhys, assessing the damage to see if it is repairable. When the 8 of us give him questioning looks, we are surprised to discover the tears in his eyes as he shakes his head. David appears to be shot right in the middle of his stomach, with the bullet surely puncturing at least one vital organ, making recovery impossible, even with prompt medical attention.
David is losing blood rapidly, and doesn’t have much time left. I trudge to his side, not thinking it odd that Rhys holds him in his arms as tears stream down his face.
“How bad is it?” is the only thing David manages to get out before losing consciousness.
Rhys does not take well to this. “David? David, you can’t die on me! You can’t do this!”
The rest of us are taken aback by Rhys’s reaction, as he’s the only one yelling at a person who can’t even hear him. And the only one who whispers to that person. It’s so faint I can’t even be sure I’ve heard it, but I can swear I hear a small “I love you” before Rhys leans down and gives a kiss to the boy who has just died.
Awkward glances pass between the eight standing around Rhys and David, until David’s eyes open and his wound stops gushing blood. And then he kisses Rhys back.