The barrel of the gun was dark silver; the scrape a bright contrast on the side. Behind it, everything was a blur. Her eyes would not look away, could not meet the shooter’s, and refused to focus on anything but the smooth, round opening that would be the last thing she ever saw. Zara could remember the sharp pebble digging into her knee, the sting in the back of her nasal cavity as her eyes refused to cry, and the sound.
Pop.
To the right of her, something soft but solid hit the ground.
Pop.
Warmth and wetness splattered across her face and arm. A muscle across her shoulder burned at the force of her twitch, spikes of pain lancing up her neck. Then the blued metal turned to her. The click of the mechanism engaging echoed in the hot air, the sky so perfectly blue, and a gentle breeze teased a wisp of hair across her nose. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't breathe.
Bang.
The scream burst from her throat, not even slowing for her lips to open, and Zara sat up straight, her eyes open but seeing nothing. She forced her lungs to inhale, and a tendril of air snuck in, used up by her hammering heart before she could find another. Trapped, suffocating, dying, she bolted, pushing out of her desk and running. The steel bar on the door clanked, but it would never be as loud as that tiny click. That little noise a gun made just before it fired.
She ran. Her feet echoed in the halls, slapping on the rubber tile, squeaking as she sped down the stairs, and she hit another door at full speed, ejecting herself into frigid February rain. The shocking cold cut through what logic never could. She was fine. It was over; she was fine.
Knowing that didn't stop the panic. Her body thought it was helping, but it fought her with every molecule as she stumbled forward into the grassy space outside the Edwards building. Her knees gave out, and with a soft, solid, all too familiar sound, she hit the frozen ground and decided to just stop trying. Zara gasped. She sucked at air, willing her heart to slow, and just tried to remember how to breathe, but her tears choked her as much as the fear clinging to her chest. Over and over, she tried to suck in gulps as the icy water slowly seeped into her clothes until she could feel it on her skin and her hair began to cling to her neck.
"Hey."
She heard him. His voice pierced through the haze, but she couldn't respond. Just one thing at a time, and right now, it was trying not to suffocate. She shifted her hands, the heels pressed against her eyebrows, and watched a pair of black boots move before her, well out of reach. They paused, then the owner squatted. Empty hands held just before him, palms up, the man ducked his head to make her look at him. At him, and his strange greyish-green eyes.
"Stop fighting it," he said gently. "Breathe. Breathe as fast and as shallow as you can. C'mon. Open your mouth, but keep looking at me."
The nearly-frozen rain was soaking him, running down his dark hair, but he didn't flinch away from the icy drops or shiver like she was. He just watched, holding her eyes, giving her a lifeline. Zara nodded, her lips parted, and she panted to get any air in that she could. He flipped his head, tossing the damp strands out of his eyes, and nodded.
"Now let's slow that down. Little bits at a time. In. C'mon, you got this. In again, and out. Good. In." He smiled. It was slight, but he knew the same moment she did that her lungs were filling.
Closing her eyes, Zara leaned her head back against the thick tree and wallowed in the feel of cold water dripping across her. Like ice, it was real, it was immediate, and it was nothing like that day.
"Yeah, you ready for an easy question?" he asked.
She laughed, but it was humorless. "Maybe."
"Got a name?"
"Zara."
He made an understanding noise. "I'm Jason. Hands still shaking?"
"Yeah." She took a long, deep breath and let it out, shoving her wet hair back before holding her fingers up to prove it.
"Gotcha." He still hadn't moved. "Can I try something a bit harder? I have no idea what caused this, so I'm not coming any closer, but that cute white shirt of yours is