Page 157 of Meet Me at the Metro

Feet trample against me, stepping on my hands and crushing my legs so harshly I find myself hollering for help—begging for relief.

“You’re crushing her! Move, dammit!”

Connor breaks through the enclosure of scrambling bodies around me and offers his arm for me to grab. I clutch it tightly, groaning with pain as he yanks my sore body off the floor.

His gaze inspects me briskly. “Are you alright?”

“Where’s Theo?”

It’s all I can bring myself to say. It’s all I can bring myself to care about. That gun. I saw it. It was pointed right at him.

Oh my God, it was pointedright at himbefore its horrifying crack split through the air.

“Where the hell is Theo?” I blurt again.

“Somebody fucking help!”

Connor’s eyes fly toward the sound of Theo’s voice the second mine do. My gaze restlessly searches for him through the moving maze of bodies running for escape around us, but all I see is pandemonium—absolute pandemonium.

Connor and I stay close as we push through the frenzied crowds, only finding respite from the hysteria when we reach a clearing ahead. Theo’s at the center of it, his trembling hands covered in blood as he cradles the limp body in his arms.

It’s Harvey’s.

Oh God, it’s Harvey.

Theo’s wracked with tremors when we reach him, every limb on his body shuddering as we drop to our knees beside him. “He’s shot,” his voice quivers. “H–h–h–he’s s–s–shot.”

Harvey’s grown pale in his arms, eyes fluttering tiredly as a clammy sweat breaks across his skin.

“You’re alright,” I say, though there’s nothing but worry ruling my every thought. I pat at his cool cheeks, fighting to keep him conscious. “Stay awake for us, alright? Stay awake. Stay with us.”

“I’m getting help,” Connor assures. His eyes are glazed with fear as he draws his phone to his ear. “W-were getting help, Harvey.”

A high-pitched scream fills the air behind us, and when I glance back, Evie’s running toward us.

“Oh my, God! What happened?!”Her hands immediately go to cover Theo’s and help apply more pressure to Harvey’s bleeding wound.“What happened? What’s wrong?”

“He got shot. He r-ran in front of me. I-I couldn’t stop him. It all happened so fast.”

Evie chokes on a cry. “Who the hell was it?”

“I don’t know,” Theo mutters. “I don’t fucking know. He ran. He—”

“They’re coming,” Connor interjects, shaking his jacket off his arms. He bundles the thick fabric into a ball. “H-here. Keep applying pressure.”

Harvey’s eyes grow heavier with every passing second, so I continue fighting to keep him awake. “Look at me, Harv. Right at me. Just keep your eyes on me, okay? Stay awake.”

My heart sinks when he asks,“I-is it bad?”

He sounds so weak. I don’t let my eyes linger on the mass of fabric quickly turning crimson against his upper chest. I keep them locked on Harvey’s.

“Y-you’re going to be alright.”

“What a way to,” he sucks in a faint, strained breath, “ring in the New Year.”

“Save your energy, alright? S-stay with us.”

“I—I’m tired.”

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