G Hopf - The End

“Let me see, Simone,” Gordon said softly to her. He handed her the flashlight so he could see.

Gordon reached out to Jimmy and took him out of her arms and laid him on the floor. The motion caused Jimmy to moan and cough. Gordon ripped open Jimmy’s blood-soaked shirt and saw something he had not seen since his time in Iraq. Jimmy had a small-diameter hole in the center of his chest that sputtered blood with every breath that he took.

“Simone, go get me some clean towels, something to wipe up the blood.”

“Simone, don’t go.” As he spoke he coughed up blood.

“What, baby? I’m not going anywhere,” Simone said crying.

“Simone, please go,” Gordon pleaded.

“No, Gordon, please have her stay,” Jimmy said with difficulty.

Gordon looked at Jimmy. His friend’s face was pale from the loss of blood. Knowing the wound was bad, he couldn’t give up on his friend.

“Please, Simone, I can help but I need to get something to clean this up,” Gordon said looking at Simone.

Simone kept her attention on Jimmy, who coughed up blood again.

“Gordon, just sit here with me please,” Jimmy said with almost a whisper.

Simone pulled Jimmy into her lap as she cried aloud, “No! No, God, please!”

Jimmy reached out and took Gordon’s hand and held it with as much strength as he could muster.

“G., you’ve been a good friend to me and my family. You’ve always been there for us and I hope you feel the same way,” Jimmy said with ever-increasing difficulty. Gordon could hear the blood bubbling in his chest as he breathed.

Knowing that this was it for his friend, Gordon said, “I feel the same way. You’re a good man and good friend.”

“Take care of Simone for me,” Jimmy said, looking over at Simone.

“Baby, please don’t leave me, please,” Simone cried.

Jimmy’s grip on Gordon’s hand grew weaker; Gordon knew the time was getting close.

“G. come close, I need to tell you something,” Jimmy’s voice had become very faint. Leaning over he placed his face next to Jimmy’s, “There’s a hiding place behind the water heater. Look for the wooden box,” Jimmy coughed and finished his time with Gordon by saying, “Now go, let me have a moment.”

Gordon honored his friend’s wish and left. Simone was crying uncontrollably, she held onto Jimmy and just cried. Gordon took each step down the stairs with heavy sorrow at the loss of his friend.

When he reached the last step, Simone screamed out, “No, oh my God no!” Gordon knew Jimmy was dead. A cascade of emotions ran through him. Sitting on the last step he put his head in his hands and grieved. Gordon’s grief would be short-lived, as the night’s action still was not over. The faint sound of gunfire in the distance penetrated the walls of the house.

“Gordon, something’s going on; it sounds like it’s near your house!” Holloway yelled from outside the house.

Gordon was running on pure adrenaline now. His left side was aching as the pain meds were wearing off. The gunfire was short lived, no screaming or other noise could be heard except his and Holloway’s heavy breathing. Reaching the front of his house, Gordon and Holloway ran up on a body lying outside of his front door. Pulling out his flashlight, Holloway flashed the light on the body. To Gordon’s surprise, it was Dan and he was still alive.

Gordon grabbed the light out of Holloway’s hands and pointed it directly in Dan’s face, “What are you doing here?”

Dan’s eyes expressed the fear that gripped him. Knowing that Gordon was hovering above him he knew that he was close to death’s door.

Gordon examined his body and flashed the light across it. It appeared that Dan had suffered a single shot from a shotgun to the chest.

“What do we do with him?” Holloway asked.

“Nothing, let him bleed out,” Gordon said handing the flashlight back to Holloway, then proceeding to the front door. Banging on it he called out, “Open up, it’s Gordon. We’re all clear out here!”

Moments later the door opened and Gordon was greeted by Nelson.

“Get your ass in here,” Nelson said.

Gordon and Holloway stepped inside and closed the door.

“Is everyone okay?” Gordon asked concerned.

“We’re fine. Dan and about a dozen of his cronies attempted to get in. My old man and me greeted them with Mr. Remington and Mr. Glock,” Nelson said holding up his Remington 870 shotgun.

“Where’s Samantha and the kids?”

“Here, Gordon,” Samantha said from the top of the stairs.

Gordon ran up the stairs and into Samantha’s arms. Haley was standing next to Samantha crying. He reached down grabbed her and pulled her close.

“You alright?” Gordon asked.

“As good as we can be considering.”

Then Gordon noticed Hunter wasn’t there. “Where’s Hunter?”

“He’s in his room,.” Samantha answered.

“Is he okay? I want to see him.”

“Gordon, he’s having a tough time dealing with what just happened,” Samantha said, holding Gordon back from going to Hunter.

“What do you mean?”

“Nelson and his father were at the back of the house in the patio stopping some of them from coming in when the front door was kicked open and—”

“And what?”

“I tried to stop him but Hunter ran downstairs to help Nelson. I told him not to go but he took off. When the front door was kicked open he stopped them.”

“Who stopped them? You’re confusing me.”

“He had run downstairs with your old double barrel shotgun and when the door was kicked open he turned and shot.”

“Hunter shot Dan?”

“I don’t know who it was he shot but I was coming after him when I saw it happen. I heard the door get kicked in and I saw Hunter turn around and then the gun went off, I’m sorry,” Samantha said still shaking from the incident.

Reaching over and touching Samantha’s face gently he said, “Honey, you don’t need to apologize; it’s no one’s fault but Dan and his horde. Let me go to him.”

As Gordon attempted to pull away, Samantha stopped him again and said, “Your arm, you’re bleeding.”

Gordon looked quickly at his bloody left arm, “It’s just a flesh wound, no concern.”

“What happened? How’s Jimmy and Eric?”

Gordon paused for a moment then answered, “Jimmy is dead. I was there with him just before. I don’t know about Eric. I ran here as soon as I heard the shooting.”

“How’s Simone?”

“She’s not good; we really should go back and check on her. Listen, let me go and check on Hunter, please,” Gordon pleaded.

“Okay, go,” Samantha said, letting go of Gordon’s arm.

He went to Hunter’s bedroom door, gently knocked then opened the door. The room was lit by an electric lantern which gave off a yellowish glow. Scanning the room, he didn’t see him, he looked to the far side and still nothing. Whimpering from the closet told Gordon where he was. He slowly walked over and knocked on the closet door.

“Leave me alone!” Hunter cried out.

“Hunter, it’s Daddy.”

“Go away. Leave me alone!”

“Hunter, can I open the door?”

“No, leave me alone!”

Gordon didn’t want to press his son so he sat down next to the closet door. “Mommy told me what happened. I want you to know how proud I am of you. I know you are scared and don’t understand what happened. Know this: You did exactly what I would have wanted you to do.” Gordon softly said. Hunter continued to whimper. “Hunter, you did nothing wrong, do you understand?”

“I didn’t mean for the gun to go off, I’m sorry, Daddy!” Hunter cried out.

“Hunter, please don’t apologize; you did nothing wrong. You were scared and that man should not have been in here. If the gun had not gone off he might have hurt you, your mommy or your little sister. I am proud of you, I really am. Now can I open the door?”