Not What You Think

Cade took point as both he and Elena approached the house. The door was open and part of the door frame was splintered form where the door had been forced open. One of the windows beside the door had been smashed and the curtain was torn and rippling as the wind blew it. Elena had to fight the urge to run head on in there to see if everyone was okay. She was walking very close behind Cade and when they reached the door, he pulled her to the side.

"Please just wait for me to go in and see if it's clear, when I know, I'll give you the say so." He said to her.

"Cade I know you want to protect me, but I need to come in." She said to him.

"No you don't, Elena." He replied.

"Cade I have people I love in there." She said pleadingly. He closed his eyes for a brief moment then nodded and took her hand and guided it to his shoulder.

"Stay behind me." He told her. This time she nodded and squeezed his shoulder as he turned to go into the house.

The inside looked as bad as what she thought it would. the pictures that were hanging on the hallway walls were either smashed or fallen to the floor, the lounge had been stripped of the cushions, the coffee table overturned and it's contents strewn across the floor, behind the coffee table someone was laying, unconscious or worse. Mina.

"Check her." Cade whispered. Elena rushed around the legs of the coffee table and bent down to feel Mina's neck for a pulse. She breathed a sigh of relief as felt one. She shook Mina's shoulder softly and whispered her name. Her eyes fluttered open.

"Elena? What -" Mina slurred.

"Shh. It's okay just stay here, and try not to make any noise." Elena whispered to her. Mina nodded.

Elena stood up and started to move towards the hallway leading to the lounge. She heard someone coming round the corner and raised the tazer. It was Seth and Carly.

"Whoa, Elena it's just us." Seth whispered. She lowered the tazer and gestured behind her.

"Mina is in the front room, go keep her company and stay quiet." She told them. They nodded and walked past her into the front room.

Elena kept going down the hallway until she got to the next room. It was the one that Jayce and Bobby stayed in. It was tossed but there was no one in there. She kept going.

"Mum!" Elena rushed over to her mother who was lying face down on the floor a little blood trickled out of her nose and out of the cut on her forehead. Elena felt her mother's neck and found her pulse instantly. She wiped her mother's head with the cuff of jacket but the blood had dried already. She squeezed her mums shoulders gently to wake her up.

"Mum? Mum. Wake up, please." She whispered frantically. Her mum's eyes didn't open. Elena looked up and picked her tazer back up. She would come back to her mother after she looked for everyone else.

She made her way down the short hallway to the bedrooms that her and her friends were sleeping in at night and looked around. The rooms were turned inside out. She felt someone behind her and whipped around quickly. It was Cade, he was also staring at the chaotic mess in the room. He looked at her, a confused frown on his face.

"It's almost like they were looking for something." He whispered to her.

"Or someone." She whispered back. She pointed to the opposite wall where 'Come out, come out, wherever you are' was scribbled in black marker. There was a noise from the closet and the two of them raised their weapons.

Elena reached the door of the closet first and looked back at Cade, he raised his gun and nodded to her. She gently twisted the door knob and then quickly pulled the door back and raised the tazer to point it at the inside of the closet.

"Whoa! Guys, it's Michael and Mel!" Elena lowered her tazer at the sound of Michaels voice and reached in to turn on the light.

"Are you guys ok?" She asked. There was no immediate reply. She found the light switch and flipped it on. Michael was sitting on the floor and Mel was laying splayed across his lap, her eyes closed. Michael was cradling her.

"What happened?" Cade demanded, holstering his weapon and stepping into the closet to feel Mel's wrist.

"I'm not sure. Mel and I were in here talking, I was so mad that she left, then we heard glass breaking so we stopped talking and then we heard shouts and screams, and -" He cut off and swallowed hard.

"And what?" Cade asked him.

"There was gun shots and then silence for a few seconds. Mel and I panicked and so I told her to go and hide in the closet while I try to see what was going on. The door opened and this person in a black mask and black clothing came into the room, he was holding a gun and pointed it right at me. He didn't see Mel so when she screamed he shot her." Michael said, his voice breaking at the last bit. He rolled Mel onto her side where Elena could see a big dark red stain.

"Oh my god! Mel. Cade is she alive!?" Elena asked scared.

"She's alive El, it's a through and through. She was very lucky, it only just missed her kidney. None the less, she needs to go to hospital, she's lost a lot of blood." Cade replied. Cade picked her up and laid her on the bed. He put his hand on either side of the entry and exit wounds to stop her bleeding more.

"Elena, call an ambulance!" He called over his shoulder. Elena yanked her phone out of her pocket and dialed 911.

"My name is Elena Alvaro, I need an ambulance and police out at 18 Washburn Road, my friend has been shot and we have more injured in the house." Elena said clearly into the phone.

"Miss, are you safe?" The operator asked her.

"Yes. But please hurry." Elena replied hurriedly. She hung up the phone then went to grab her friends hand, which was covered in blood.

"Elena go help Michael clean up, and check the rest of the house." Cade told her. She looked at him, then at Mel.

"She'll be fine, I'll take care of her, right now we need to know if the house is safe." He told her.
Elena nodded then pulled Michael from the room. She checked to see if the bathroom was clear then pushed him inside and closed the door behind them.

"Listen, I have to leave you here, get in the shower and wash the blood off, but lock the door behind me and do not let anyone in and do not come out until I come back." She told him. She expected an argument from him, but he looked down at his hands, which were stained in Mel's blood and he nodded. Elena opened the door and raised her tazer then closed the door, she heard it click, which meant that Michael had locked it.

She walked into another room and checked everywhere, there was no sign that anyone had even been in here so she turned around to walk out of the room and came face to face with her mother.

"Mum!"

"Elena!"

There was relief in both their voices and Elena's mother pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Don't you ever do that to me again!" Her mother told her shaking her slightly.

"I'm sorry. I needed to do something, are you okay, you shouldn't be standing." Elena told her mother.

"I'm fine, what about everyone else?" Officer Alvaro asked.

"Mina was unconscious, but she's awake now and Seth and Carly are sitting with her. They're in the front room. Michael is locked in the bathroom, where I left him. Cade is with Mel. Mum she's been shot, Cade said she would be okay, but I've called an ambulance and the police are on their way as well." Elena said.

"What about Tyler, Bobby and Jayce? Where are they?" Her mother asked her.

"I don't know. I can't find them." Elena said.

"Bobby is right here." A voice came from behind them. They both turned around and saw Bobby sagging on the door frame. Elena's mother rushed over to him.

"Bobby, are you okay?" Elena asked him. He nodded and Elena's mother sat him on the bed.

"Tyler's missing. So is Jayce.' He told them. 'I think Officer Ryan is dead." The three of them were silent.

"Okay.' Elena's mother said quietly and solemnly. 'You two go and sit with the others in the front room and wait for the ambulance and the police to show up." She said to them. Elena shook her head, but Bobby made his way out of the room and towards the others.

"No please, I need to stay with Mel." Elena begged her mother. This time it was Mrs Alvaro that shook her head.

"No Elena. I need you to go and look after the others. In case something happens. This was from the inside." Elena's mother said grimly.