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Chapter Twenty: Crossroads of Crisis

Sirens echoed off the walls. A fire alarm wailed from inside the school. Helicopter blades hummed from above. The screams from the kid on the stretcher still rung in the ears of Joji and Reis.

Joji stood paralyzed as his eyes ran from the base of the building, where students, police and firemen were running around, to the roof of the building, where smoke billowed out of the western wing, and up toward the clear sunny sky, where the black figure of a helicopter hovered above.

"SHOOTER!" shouted a voice across Joji's radio. Suddenly, the sound of a volley ripping through glass windows resonated from the western wing. What followed was the sound of police officers returning fire. Some nearby students dropped to the ground taking cover.

Then the shooting abruptly stopped.

"Is anybody hurt!" yelled Joji over into his microphone.

"No. We returned fire and they stopped. All we saw was a brownish body behind the windows."

Joji slowly clipped his microphone back onto his shoulder. He looked at Reis, then he panned his head across the school grounds, looking at the firemen hustling hoses over to the western wing, the students standing around the parking lot with their hands over their faces in shock and disbelief, and then to the glass door entrance of the school building. Joji's eyes shimmered as he ran his right hand through his ears and down his neck while clutching the shotgun in his left hand with greater intensity, making it shake.

Over a hundred could still be in the school, the words of the frantic principal echoed in his head, and Alex still hasn't been seen.

Finally, with a snap of his wrist, he pulled the microphone to his mouth and, with precision and without a hint of reservation, he rapidly shouted out:

"Frank, Liam, Jerry, and Karma, listen up! Frank and Liam, I want you to enter the building from the east side, sweep the wing and look for any students pinned down. Karma and Jerry, I want you to enter the building from the northern rear, sweep that area of the building and meet me in the cafeteria. I'm going in through the front. Keep your guns loaded and your eyes open! Do your copy?"

"Roger that!"

"Be careful for God's sake!"

Joji again clipped his microphone on his shoulder and raised his shotgun his chest, snapping the forearm and locking his eyes with dead determination on the glass door entrance. But before he took one step forward, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He proceeded to click it open and press the buttons with intense but rapid force. Then he closed the phone and put it back in his pocket. He looked back up at the doors and began to walk towards them. But he was stopped in his path by a large, gray hand on his shoulder.

"You stay here, kid," said Joji to Reis, pushing Reis's hand off his shoulder. Once free, he sprinted toward the doors. He did not go right through them, though, but dashed to the corner of an adjacent wall and ducked down as another volley sounded off. Joji looked down to his belt pouch, searching through it with his hand. He counted six slugs.

The volley stopped and he looked up from his crouched position, startled to see Reis standing right in front of him. "What are you doing?" demanded Joji as he sprung back to his feet. Reis looked down at him with anxious eyes.

"I'm going with you..."

"No you're not," snapped Joji bluntly before he turned to the door. Reis blocked him with his body.

"Get out of my way Reis!"

"No!" shouted Reis as placed his hand against Joji's shoulder. His strength frustrated Joji.

"Get the hell off me," yelled Joji as he struck Reis's hand away from him. Reis respectfully placed his hand back to his side, but he still did not moved, cornering Joji to the wall adjacent to the entrance doors.

"Whose gonna cover you, Joji?"

"That's none of your concern, Northcote" flared Joji, "I order you to move!"

But Reis only shook his head, his wide blue eyes barred on Joji.

Joji, showing his razor sharp teeth, his eyes burning, pointed his gun at Reis.

"Get back now Northcote..."

Reis looked through Joji's cold eyes, keeping his own shotgun in his left hand pointed to the ground "Are you really gonna shot me?"

"Dammit Reis, I don't give a fuck what happens to me or what you think is right! YOU'RE STAYING RIGHT HERE!"

Reis only moved forward, placing his hand on the barrel of Joji's shotgun, "I won't loss you too..."

All of a sudden, Reis could feel the end of a stick of cold metal pressing up against his back.

"Whitman" shouted Joji, "Secure Officer Northcote!"

Reis turned around to see the scowling face of a young buck: it was Toni.

"Sorry 'bout this Reis," scorned Toni. Reis looked back at Joji, who was lowering his shotgun. Toni snatched the shotgun out of Reis's left hand.

"I have a promise to keep," said the gray Shepkita, "A promise to Marcus..."

Reis's ears perked up stunned, but before he could respond Joji continued, "...I keep you out of harm's way and he looks after Alex."

Then Joji looked to Toni, "Beat him silly if you have to! But don't let him into this school!"

With that, Joji disappeared behind the entrance doorway.