Nineteen

"If you want to test a man's character, give him power."

- Abraham Lincoln

"Everybody get down!" Cameron screams. "Hands up!" I hear my father shouting. "And whoever calls the cops…" He pauses and waves the gun in the air. "Will get it." I shiver. The whole room feels cold.

"We're here for the girl," Ernie says. "You know who you are." I'm about to stand up when Cameron gets my hand. "No!" he mouths. I ignore him. Before I stand, I mouth back "Trust me."

I stand up and put my hands in the air. "I give up," I say loudly. "You win, dad."

"No!" Oakley screams. Totally unexpected. She stands up and runs to the counter. She grabs the telephone and dials 9-1

Bang!

No. Oakley drops the phone and collapses to the ground. I cringe. Just like Tessa. I bolt over to Oakley and hear my father readying the gun for a second shot. I look for where the bullet hit. But it's no use. Her head. She is so short that my father only had to aim right in front of his chest. Just low enough to hit her beautiful red hair. The dark blood stains her hair and makes it darker too. Jill runs over and dodges the next bullet. I pull Oakley under a table as quickly as possible for Jill and stand again. I can hear Jill crying softly, not bawling like I was for Tessa. Tears fill my eyes, but I must be brave. Not only for Tessa, but for Oakley, too.

"You can't kill anyone else," I say steadily. "I've surrendered." I feel Cameron gripping my legs and then standing too.

"And me." I shake my head but I know there's no way I am gonna force him out of this. When Cameron makes a decision, it's final. I stand with him, hands held. My father's eyes widen. He cringes.

"I see you have a boyfriend, Ellie," he says. Nope. Can't take it. But I have to. It's the only way.

"Yeah, dad," I say. "Now you want me or not?"

"Y-yes, but--"

"Then you've got the whole package. I come with a set." I pull up John and Drew, and Jill gets the silent signal. She stands, holding Oakley's body in her arms. The tears are running down her face but she makes sure it's not acknowledged.

My father hesitates, and then groans. "Fine." We exit the restaurant. I look back at the owner of the place. I hold up my pinkie finger and thumb and hold my hand up to my ear. "Cops. Hurry," I mouth. The woman nods and picks up the phone. I see her duck down with it. I sigh and hope they hurry.

It takes a while to get us to all fit in the old truck, which is perfect. Ernie and my dad sit in the front, and Jay sits right behind Ernie. The next open seat behind my dad is for John. Jill, Cameron and I sit in the back, but we still need time for Drew and Oakley, since Jill refuses to leave her. It makes me kinda mad because that's how I felt about Tessa, but I don't say. She's been through her daughter dying. It's already hard as it is.

Drew ends up sitting on Jill's lap, and Jill lays Oakley's body in the trunk. My father says just to drop her down from the backseat, but Jill insists. She gets out of the car and opens the trunk. She takes a long time to get the blood out of Oakley's hair and smooths it. Then she lays her on the floor of the trunk and kisses her forehead. She closes the door and hops back in, sobbing silently.

And then my miracle appears. A siren sounds through the windshield that Jill broke. I smile. My dad attempts to speed out of the parking lot, but it's too late. The cops are here and there's no future for my dad. Or Ernie. Or Jay. Cameron smiles, too. Jill smiles, but only for less than a millisecond. The police surround the small truck and the sheriff opens his door with a megaphone.

"Step out of the vehicle with your hands up!" he shouts. A woman gets out on the other side of the sheriff's car and has a gun at the ready. All the other police officers do the same, aiming their guns at the open windshield. "Step out of the vehicle with your hands up!" he repeats. "We have you surrounded."

My dad finally gets out with his hands up. So do Ernie and Jay. We all exit the filthy truck. Jill and John frantically get Oakley out of the back. Drew finally starts crying when he sees Oakley's body. He hugs my legs once we get out.

"I should've been better for her!" he bawled. "I should've been a better big brother! I wouldn't let her play with me, and now she's dead!" I smooth his hair as he lets out his feelings to me. A six-year-old who's lost their twin. Tragic.

I watch as the cops start pushing my father into their car. He looks at me and glares. I can see the anger boiling up inside him. And then he blows. He grabs the gun from the cop that's forcing him into the car. He hits the officer with the butt of the gun and aims it at me.