For Life
Quatre's head shot towards the voice. There was a man standing at the front entrance, wearing a baseball cap and a pair of sunglasses. In his hands was a 12-guage shotgun. Behind him was another man with a ski mask on and 9mm pistol in his hands. The blonde was frozen to the spot, afraid that if he moved, the burglars would attempt to shoot him.
"You!" The man in the baseball cap pointed to the store clerk. "Open the cash register!" He quickly walked up to the counter, as Quatre's heart began to race with each step he took. The man directed his attention at the blonde. "What're you looking at, pretty boy? Out of my way!" He harshly shoved Quatre into the candy rack. Quatre landed on his wrists, pain instantly shooting through them. In the background, Quatre listened to the other man in the ski mask laughing. The blonde quickly scrambled away, not daring to make a noise that would provoke the man into shooting.
Suddenly, the sound of a child crying filled the store.
'Lily!' Quatre thought.
The man in the ski mask spun around looking for the source. He found the woman and her child crouching down by some boxes of cereal. "Lady, you shut that kid up right NOW or I swear to God, I'll shoot her brains out."
Lily's mother covered her daughter's mouth with a shaky hand as tears streamed down her face. "Lily, sweetie, shhhh…please be quiet honey…"
"Better do as your mommy tells you, kid." The man with the shotgun sneered. He turned around and saw the clerk on the phone. "Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing!" He ran up to the clerk and struck him in the face with the butt of his gun. "You idiot! Get the fuck up and put the fuckin' money in the fuckin' bag!"
Lily began crying even harder at the man's words.
"Shhh…Lily...please…" Her mother tried to quiet the girl.
"Shut that fuckin' kid up!" The man with the ski mask yelled.
"Lily please…" She tried again to no avail.
"I'll shut that kid up myself." He cocked the pistol's hammer and walked up to the girl.
"No, please!" Lily's mother, gathered the girl into her arms, covering her mouth.
"Then how 'bout I shoot you instead?" He aimed the gun right into the woman's face.
Quatre abruptly stood. "Leave them alone!"
Both burglars turned to face the blonde. "What, are you gonna stop me, pretty boy?" He walked up to Quatre, gun aimed directly at his chest.
Quatre's breathing sped up but he remained where he stood. "She's just a child…" He said quietly.
"You rather I shoot you?" In one swift movement, he lowered his gun to Quatre's thigh and pulled the trigger. The burglar simply laughed.
Quatre screamed in pain, instantly falling to the ground, clutching his wound.
"Stop screwing around!" The man with the shotgun growled.
"Now you stay there and shut the FUCK UP!" He turned back to his partner and watched as the clerk filled the paper bag with the cash.
Suddenly, the sounds of sirens surrounded the store.
"Shit!"
"We've got the building surrounded! Come out with your hands up!" A police officer called through a bullhorn.
"This is your fault." The man with the shotgun glared at the clerk. The clerk raised his hands in surrender and squatted down behind the counter. The burglar struck the back of the clerk's head, effectively knocking him out.
"Shit…now what?" The man in the ski mask turned to his partner.
The other man spun around and glared at the woman with her child. "You! Get up! Now!"
Lily's mother froze in place, still holding her child as tears flooded her face. "Please, sir, please…"
"I said, 'Get the fuck up!" He walked over to the woman and yanked her up by her hair, eliciting a cry from both the woman and child. He looked over at Quatre. "You stay there! Don't you fuckin' move or else you won't have a fuckin' leg to move with."
"Yeah! Off with the leg!" The other man cheered. He pointed his gun at the blonde, looking over his shoulder at his partner.
With a firm grip on the woman's hair, the man in the baseball cap shoved Lily's mother outside just to show the officers that they had a hostage crisis in their hands now. "Don't you dare try anything funny or it's bye bye pretty lady!" The woman screamed in the pain and terror she was feeling. The man had a tight grip in her hair. It was obvious to anyone watching that with the way he was handling her, he was ripping a great amount of it out. As tears streamed down her eyes, the burglar forced the woman back inside, practically throwing her towards her daughter. "Now, if I don't get what I want, I will shoot everyone in this fuckin' store!" He slammed the door shut.
"Now what do we do?" The man in the ski mask asked.
"We wait. If they don't want anyone shot, they'll call. I seen it in the movies all the time." His partner nodded in understanding. "In the meantime, get everyone in the corner, even that fat fuck behind the counter."
"Awww, man. You move him. He's heavy-"
"Who's calling the shots here, huh!" He cocked his shotgun and held it up to his partner's head. "Now, move that fat fucker now, dammit!"
The other burglar stood where he was, letting his shock and anger settle. He glared at his so-called partner before looking over at Quatre. "You!"
The blonde stiffened, his eyes wide in fear.
"Get up and move him." When Quatre didn't move immediately, the burglar took a step forward. "I said, now! C'mon!"
Quatre stood as best he could with his leg wound. He limped around the counter and held the clerk around his torso.
"Faster, pretty boy! Bring him over to where that bitch and her runt are!"
Quatre complied as he stifled his urge to scream at the pain he felt in applying so much pressure on his leg. Once he had finally reached the corner with the man in tow, Quatre collapsed from exhaustion. He glanced over at the woman who was crying full force now, trying to console her daughter who, in turn, was clinging to her mother.
"Now sit there, and stay there!"
"Great job, lazy ass." The man with the shotgun sneered. "Now go check the back if there's anyone else there."
"What! Why don't you go?"
"Cause I'm watching the hostages."
"I can watch the hostages." He replied, getting irritated by his partner's attitude. "I'm fully fuckin' capable of watching the-"
The man in the baseball cap shot his gun to the side as a warning shot. Everyone flinched at the sound, as screams could be heard from outside. "Next time, I won't give you a warning."
The man in the ski mask took a step back before fully spinning around and heading into the back room.
"What just happened in there?" Came the voice of the police officer. "Talk, to me. I can't get you what you need if you're shooting the hostages."
The man in the baseball cap stuck his head out. "Well, I can't get you any hostages if I don't get what I want! Or any live ones at least!"
By this time, there was a massive audience standing outside the shop. Police lines and rails were set up to hold back the masses. A number of police cars were positioned around the front door as officers hid behind their car doors with their guns aimed at the burglar. Beyond them were news crews, trying to catch every bit of action they could get.
However, none of this mattered to Quatre. He was slowly beginning to loose the feeling in his leg. He worried about the store clerk and if he was going to be all right with such a harsh blow to his head. He was worried about the woman and especially about Lily, enduring such a traumatic experience at such a young age. But most of all, beyond everything developing around him, Quatre thought about Trowa.
Quatre bit his lip, refusing to let his tears well up. He fought off the question screaming in his head, pleading to be answered. But once it had slip through, he couldn't find the strength to keep his tears at bay. 'Oh Trowa…will I ever see you again?'
---
'Hmmm…Quatre should be back by now.' Trowa sighed. He collapsed onto the couch, a grin on his face just thinking about Quatre. A sudden pull at his heart ripped him of his thoughts, causing the brunette to sit as straight as an arrow. A tremor shook Trowa as his instincts screamed its awakening and pure fear coursed down his spine. Once his breathing had quickened in its pace, Trowa tried to shake the feeling. Confused and mildly alarmed by everything he was feeling, Trowa forced himself to concentrate on something else. He sat back into the couch, grabbed the remote, and switched on the television. Much to his dismay, on the bottom of the screen were the words "Breaking News".
"This is Stacy Hongvilay, here at a convenience store on the corner of Bascom and Third Street where a gunman has taken control. From what started as a petty burglary, this circumstance has transpired into a hostage situation. Stay tuned for more details."
Trowa bolted upright. 'The corner of Bascom and Third…' His heart jumped to his throat as his blood visibly drained from his face. "Oh my God…Quatre!"
---
Quatre winced at the pain in his leg. He had removed his belt and tied it around his thigh, hoping it would help slow the bleeding. The burglar was yelling demands out the door to the police, threatening to kill every single person in the store. Quatre could still hear Lily's sniffles and her mother's words of consolation and from what he could tell, the store clerk wasn't waking any time soon.
"Dammit! You give me my God damn truck! With a full tank of gas and 10 million dollars or it's nighty-night for these people!"
The man in the ski mask pushed through and stuck his head out the door. "And make sure it's got air conditioning!" This earned him a smack on the back of his head. "The hell was that for?"
"That's the stupidest demand I ever heard."
"No it's not. If we're gonna escape, we're gonna want it to be in a comfortable environment. It's not gonna be comfortable if the car is too hot to handle."
His partner smacked him again. "Shut up! Only I'm makin' the demands from now on. You just sit back and watch them."
"Oh, now you want me to watch them."
"Didn't I just tell you to shut up!"
The other simply scoffed, grabbed a bag of Doritos and started stuffing his face through his mask. "What're you looking at, pretty boy?"
Quatre quickly averted his eyes to his wound.
"He's badly wounded." Came the voice of the woman, albeit very shaky.
"Bitch, no one asked you." He growled.
"But he could die. And the clerk, his head-"
"What did I just say!" He raised his arm above her in a threat to pistol whip the woman.
Quatre placed a hand on her shoulder, urging her not to push him further. He offered her a weak smile to show her that everything will turn out okay once this is over. She gave a slight nod before looking back up at the man in the ski mask who had returned to eating his Doritos.
---
Trowa pushed through the crowd surrounding the convenience store. He was just about to cross the barrier when a police officer held him back.
"Sir, you can't go in there." The officer said calmly.
"But my boyfriend's in there. I need to get to him."
"Sir, we're doing the best that we can to make sure that your boyfriend and all of the hostages get out safely."
"You're supplying the man with his own getaway car! How the hell is that helping the situation!" Trowa screamed. He didn't care about his own safety. He only cared about Quatre.
"Sir, please calm down. We have this situation under control."
"Under control? There're two psychos in that store with guns. You're all stuck out here. How's that in control?"
The officer was losing his patience. "Sir, please calm down."
Trowa ran a hand through his hair and huffed. His hands were shaking with fear for Quatre and with adrenaline for wanting to rush into the store and break the gunman's neck.
He watched in disgust as the truck arrived at the scene. The only consolation that he felt was that the sooner those men were out of the store, the sooner Quatre would be in his arms. And once he was back, Trowa would never let him out again.
---
Quatre was beginning to feel cold. The bleeding had lessened, but whether that was from the effects of his makeshift tourniquet, or over the fact that he had already loss so much blood, he had no idea. He had been stuck in the convenience store for little over an hour. The clerk still hadn't stirred, and Quatre seriously began to question whether or not the man was still alive. He was too afraid to find out that answer himself. Lily had calmed down, but fear still shook her little frame while her mother continued to hold her close.
As for the assailants, they were beginning to get antsy while waiting for their millions to arrive. The man with the shotgun was getting more and more agitated, taking it out on his partner. Whenever the man in the ski mask got agitated, he either threatened one of the hostages or grabbed something off the shelf and ate it.
"All right. We have everything you demanded." The negotiator called through the bullhorn. The man in the baseball cap stood upright and walked over to the door. He saw an unarmed officer approaching the store door with two briefcases in tow and car keys dangling from his mouth. He paused when he was between the door and where the nearest police car was situated. He placed the cases on the ground before taking a few steps back.
"What the fuck is this!" The burglar yelled. "Why you leavin' my shit in the middle of the fuckin' road!"
"We need to know that the hostages are all right. We'll trade. The hostages for the money and car."
"Fuck you! How do I know this ain't a trap? Once the hostages are out, how do I know you won't blow our brains out?" The man didn't like this one bit. He stepped away from the door and looked at his partner. "We gotta take matters in our own hands. C'mon." He raised his gun at the hostages. "Get up. Now!"
Lily's mother stood with her child in her arms. Quatre stood shakily and nearly collapsed in feeling utterly drained. He steadied himself with the aid of the nearest shelf.
"What about the fat ass?" Asked the man with the ski mask.
"Ain't nothing we can do about him. Let's go." He looked at the woman and her child. "You two, go first. You," he looked at his partner, "hang on to pretty boy."
The other smirked. "You heard him." He grabbed the collar of Quatre's jacket and yanked him to his side, his gun held up against the blonde's temple.
Slowly and shakily, the woman walked out the door. A number of officers held their guns steady, their aim on the men behind the woman and child. The man with the shotgun walked behind them, directing them to head towards the briefcases.
With momentarily relief, followed by immediate distress, Trowa laid his eyes on Quatre since this whole ordeal began. Again, his adrenaline was pumping as he prayed to whatever powers that may be that Quatre would be all right. Seeing the gun pressed up against his love's head sent anger, worry, and hatred through Trowa's mind once the second burglar came out of the shop, hiding behind Quatre's form. He grew very concerned at the sight of Quatre's leg wound, and would have done anything to grab the nearest officer's gun and shoot the assailants had it not tampered with his beloved's own safety. Rather than follow the woman and child, Quatre was being directed towards the getaway truck, only serving to frustrate Trowa further.
Quatre scanned the crowd. He worried about their safety and wondered why in the world such a crowd would want to gather around such a dangerous situation. That's when his eyes connected with emerald irises that he had known for the better part of his life. "Trowa…?" he whispered.
The man in the baseball cap slung his shotgun over his shoulder once Lily and her mother made it to the briefcases. He picked up the keys and tossed it to his partner who caught it single-handedly. He watched his partner open the driver side door with the blonde in tow. He then lifted the briefcases. "Don't try anything funny, or it's off with his head." He warned the officers, motioning to the still-in-harm's-way Quatre. In a last attempt at a warning, he kicked the woman, forcing her to fall on the harsh pavement while still holding her child. Quickly, he hurried to his partner's side. The man in the ski mask was already sitting in the car with his gun still pointing at Quatre.
Lily and her mother abruptly got up and half-ran to the nearest police car. There, an officer directed her to the nearest ambulance after wrapping the two in a blanket.
The man in the baseball cap tossed the briefcases into the back of the car before hopping into the driver's seat. He shut the door, started the car, and turned to look at his remaining hostage. "Hey pretty boy. You better go before we change our mind about letting you live." Quatre slowly began to walk away from the truck. The man in the ski mask laughed. His gun was still pointed in Quatre's direction. "Bye bye, pretty boy. C'mon Frank, let's go."
Frank, darted his gaze from Quatre to his partner. "You IDIOT!" He looked back at the blonde whose pace seemed to have quickened. "He heard you say my name!"
Trowa watched in terror as the man reached for his shotgun. Cocking the trigger, he raised the weapon up and aimed it at Quatre's back. Shouts were coming from all around, families trying to get out of harm's way, officers yelling orders. Quatre had glanced behind him. In seeing the gun pointing in his direction, he looked back at Trowa with tears in his aqua irises. Despite the uproar surrounding him, Trowa's ears were trained on one sound: the blast of the shotgun.
Quatre's eyes immediately glazed over, his legs failing him as the force of the shot knocked him forward. Chaos ensued as the people ran in all directions, trying to get as far away from the scene as they could. The officers all rushed forward towards the truck as the burglars quickly began to drive away.
Before Quatre could even hit the ground, Trowa was there cradling his loved one in his arms. "Quatre?" Trowa's voice quaked.
"Tro…wa…" Quatre whispered. His eyes were unfocused, staring at the sky up above.
"Quatre, just hang on. I'll get you to a hospital. You'll be fine and we'll go back to our apartment and pretend like this never happened." The brunette fought the losing battle against his tears.
"…Love…Tro…" Quatre's eyes slowly began to close.
"No! Stay with me, Quatre!" He shook his beloved slightly. "Quatre! Don't you die on me!" he pleaded. Trowa held Quatre close to him. "No! Please, don't leave me Quatre. I love you, I love you so much." He rocked Quatre back and forth. "Don't leave me…"
Trowa held Quatre's body closer to him as the tears streamed down his face. His Quatre was gone. Forever.
It was as if the whole world was running in slow motion. Trowa felt his body grow numb, weak, and so very cold. The blood drained from his tear-stained cheeks in realizing that never again will he see Quatre smile. Never again will he hold him in his arms. Never again will he get a chance to kiss those lips after hearing them utter three simple words that could make his whole being soar. Never again will he hear Quatre say, "I love you…" Trowa felt sick to his stomach. He wanted to die right there and then.
So caught up with the loss of his beloved, Trowa didn't hear the tires screeching as it hurdled around the bend. He didn't hear the screams of the bystanders trying to get out of the way. Either he didn't notice or he didn't care. Trowa kissed Quatre's lifeless lips before looking up to meet his fate.
Coming straight at him was the truck driven by the man with the baseball cap, his partner laying limp in his seat having been shot to death.
Trowa didn't move. Even if he wanted to, the truck was approaching too rapidly to get away safely. He held Quatre's body close to him as he took one last breath. He closed his eyes and whispered his final word: "Quatre…"
The impact alone was enough to take his life. His body, entwined with Quatre's, flew through the air to land with a bone-crunching thud. Their blood swirled together and pooled around their lifeless forms.
They had promised to love each other for life. And that was one promise they swore to keep."
"And so ends this story of love and loss. This is Stacy Hongvilay with the tragic biography of two young friends who grew to be so much more. Trowa Barton, a world-renowned artist and Quatre Raberba Winner, an up and coming musician. This is their story. Through friendship and beyond, For Life: The Tragic Tale of Trowa Barton and Quatre Raberba Winner."
THE ENDAuthor's Notes/Disclaimer: At the end of all of this, you should know by now.
Someone hates me right now, I know. But once you have settled down, please try to appreciate the story as a whole. I love everything about this story, so please try tokeep all flames to yourself. If you want to, you can e-mail me with anything you want to say to me personally. I'll try to respond. And I'll try to respond to any questions or comments to your reviews at my website.
Three years, 50 chapters. I have no idea how it grew so much. It started as a simple idea that wasn't fully developed but it had grown to be so much more. I thank all of you for reading until the end and waiting for long-awaited updates. I had ups and downs with this story and I had even considered trashing it a long time ago. I'm glad I didn't. And I hope you're glad I didn't either. It's over now. So long and farewell.
-theSilence