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More shots were fired fro One walked sideways, stu to keep his balance

An explosion went off by his leg sending hi near Gail

Lightning struck the ground less than afire to soht on its heels

More cracks of gunfire caht

"They’re co

We all screamed when a bullet smacked into Ronald’s shield

"Steady!" I yelled "Keep the shields up and your heads down" I put un in between my shield and Jamal’s

"Winky! Get back inside!"

She turned and ran, her shield on the wrong side of her body

A shot rang out

Too late

I was too late to warn her

She fell when the bullet caught her leg

"Aahhhhh! Shit! I’m hit! Bryn, I’ out He grabbed Winky’s shield and held it up in front of theet up on her knees Together the two of them crawled into the lobby and shut the door behind thelass but didn’t shatter it; I couldn’t tell if they went through or not I prayed my friends were okay inside

More explosions cas barking came from the far side where I knew Paci had been

"What do we do?" asked Jamal "Run or stay put?"

"We stay"

I just needed the canners to get a little closer so I could take a few of theroup were huddled together and crying, and it was so distracting I couldn’t concentrate

"We have to get those kids in here," I said "Dae

"It’s a tank," whispered Ronald Then he yelled, as if he’d just heard his oords and theirhad finally sunk in "We’re doomed! It’s a tank!"

"It’s not a tank," I said "But it’s not good news either I think it’s a big truck"

I couldn’t see it, but I could hear the high pitched whine of its engine as it blew s for us, no doubt about it

"No wonder they just stood there," said Ja to raroup and flew over the fence, landing in theinto a lake of fire

"Molotov cocktail," said Jaasoline boot near us One landed near the lobby and my fearless buddy Peter opened the door with a shield and sprayed it with an extinguisher before going back inside

"Peter is a brave soul," said Ronald

"You have no idea," I said, so proud of hioing to shoot theroup started to run They split apart at little, but all of the on the spot where we stood

"What should we do?!" yelled Ronald

"Cover thehted down the barrel Anytier

Before the treehouse kids got to the fence, two canner kids went down, either by my bullets or soirls to reach us threw herself against the gate "Please!" she screamed "Letout of her mouth She choked on it, and it splattered across our face masks

"Oh Jesus, Lord," pleaded Jamal "Please stop this madness!"

The second kid to reach the fence tried to climb it They shot him down in seconds, and he landed with a terrible thuround near our feet

When the third kid reached it, I yelled, "Lie down! Don’t climb, don’t stand! Lie down as low as you can!"

She dropped into the dirt without hesitating and pressed her face into the fence "Please saveout of the front door, shield out front and keys in hand

"Peter get back inside!" I screaetting louder

Rain began to co under a darkened sky to drowning in a deluge seconds later

The keys slipped out of Peter’s grasp

Ronald put his shield on the ground and bent down, getting as close to the fence as he could He reached under the heavy protection and through the chain links, taking the desperate girl’s hand in his "Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy naether they recited the Lord’s prayer while Jaate

"The tank is co "Get her in here before it set inside!"

More shots were fired in the back, and then some from what sounded like inside the lobby

I turned sharply to see if I was just hearing things and saw a flash of light frolass