The door swung open.
And everything exploded.
A flash of movement - black hoodie, white mask, something metallic catching the hallway light - then the world cracked apart with the sound of a gunshot so loud it felt like the sky split.
"Carl-!"
I didn't think. My body moved before my mind caught up.
I jumped.
A hot, burning pain tore through my arm, violent and sharp, ripping the breath out of my lungs. I stumbled back, crashing against Carl's chest. His scream broke the air at the same time my blood hit the floor.
"ARIA!"
Another shot fired - missed - and then the masked figure bolted, sprinting down the hallway like a shadow slipping through the cracks.
Everything blurred.
Carl grabbed me just before I hit the ground. "No, no, no-Aria, stay with me-Damon!!"
I swear I saw my own
