Caught in the crossfire

Well, what's there to tell? Elena was the sixteen-year-old daughter of Captain Price himself. The heart of TF 141 and the light in their darkness, she looked like real sunshine to them most of the time. And then on one of the most ordinary school days, she was sitting in a physics class, I think... Anyway, it was just an ordinary day. Until their school was locked down, and the alarm was raised. As it turned out, the cause of the alarm was a man with a gun who had somehow sneaked into the school building.

***

Price glanced abruptly at his phone when he heard the sudden notification of an emergency while he was in a briefing with Soap, Ghost, Gaz and Roach. Suddenly, Price jumped up in terror. - "It's Elena!" He shouted out. All the men merely looked at him in confusion. Soap's heart seemed to even drop at his heels for a moment. - "What?! What do you mean?!" He asked nonetheless, stepping closer to Price. Price picked up his phone with a horrified glance at the message on the screen: - "There's a shooting at Elena's school... The whole school is on lockdown... I need to find her!" He said, as he started to leave, but Soap quickly grabbed his arm and stopped him. - "I'll come with you." He said simply. Ghost and the others quickly got up as well and followed him. - "Consider us with you as well." The lieutenant muttered and nodded firmly, looking at them with a cold and grim gaze. Not even a couple of minutes later, they were already seated in an armoured SUV. Price at the wheel. Soap in the passenger seat, next to him. And the rest of them in the back seats. On their way to Elena's school. Price was driving like a madman. The adrenaline in his veins was pulsing frantically, but he tried to stay focused and calm. Soap sat in the passenger seat next to him. He was staring off into the distance. All he could think about right now was that Elena was in danger.

***

The girl was just sitting in class, everything was normal and ordinary, just like any other day. And then, in the middle of the lesson, the school bell suddenly rang, and not just for break, but several times. Usually it was a fire alarm, but not this time... Because a moment later, the sound of a gunshot echoed off the empty school corridors and spread throughout the building. The sound of the gunshot sent a wave of fear through the classroom. Elena's classmates immediately jumped to their feet, some started screaming and panicking. Teacher Mrs. Cooper quickly tried to regain control of the situation. - "Everyone, stay calm!" She shouted, but it was obvious that she was just as scared as the students. Elena froze in place, still shocked by the sudden gunshot. Her breathing had become heavy, and her heart was racing. Mrs. Cooper tried to calm the class down, but without success. Suddenly, there was the sound of footsteps coming closer and closer down the corridor... The teacher's words only continued to dissolve in the panic of the class, some students already huddled under desks and sobbed, and some in despair ran around the classroom. The girl only had time to duck under her desk as the footsteps outside the door, which no one seemed to hear but her, grew louder and more distinct. Suddenly, the classroom door swung open, and a tall figure appeared in the doorway. A man in a black hooded sweatshirt and mask was holding a gun, while his dark, menacing, green eyes were looking around the classroom. The teacher and the students immediately froze in horror: fear gripped them. The air in the room became tense and heavy. The girl covered her mouth with her hand to keep her voice down and continued to sit under the desk. Mrs. Cooper spoke quickly: - "What do you want?! We'll do anything, just please don't hurt the children!" It seemed like just a little longer, and she was going to become nearly hysterical... The gunman quietly and quickly walked around the students. Looking around them, checking out what he would have to deal with. Until he stopped at the desk Elena was hiding under. The girl froze, she didn't even notice she was holding her breath when the figure stopped next to her desk. The guy only smirked. - "Gotcha!" He said, smirking. And then he leaned over and swung the desk aside, pulling the girl out of her hiding place. The girl only had time to duck her head and cover it with her hands when the desk literally flew over her head. A sharp accent hit her ears. Fear gripped her, she was afraid to lift her head to look in the direction of the voice. It was as if she was frozen with fear. The gunman only put his arm around her stomach and picked her up, throwing her onto his shoulder. From the side, it seemed as if she weighed nothing at all to him. After that, he began carrying her out of the classroom. The girl started kicking and screaming, and to be honest, her punches weren't that weak. The teacher rushed towards the man, trying to help the girl. But the gun pointed sharply at her made Mrs. Cooper stop in her tracks. In this position, the girl could not see the face of the kidnapper, but she could clearly see the frightened faces of her classmates. And Mrs. Cooper's face, which was frozen with horror and helplessness. It sent a shiver down the girl's spine. The gunman, who was clearly not bothered by her movements or the struggle, only smirked and chuckled. She was no match for him. He just kept walking down the corridor, carrying her. - "Who the hell are you?! What do you want from me?!" She only began to scream in a frightened and rather hysterical manner. The guy only chuckled. - "Oh, baby girl, you don't have to worry about that. All that matters now is that you're mine." He muttered in a dark but playful tone. The girl's eyes rounded. What?! She'd heard that right, hadn't she? Her head began to fill with a jumble of thoughts, and for a moment her resistance even weakened. Yet a more important thought broke through this tangle of thoughts: his voice had a harsh accent, but sounded young enough, which stunned her even more. The man chuckled again, amused by her reaction. - "So quiet, huh? Not as feisty as before, eh?" He said with a smirk. He was still carrying her. And he could definitely feel her resistance getting weaker. Suddenly he got a couple more kicks, as if bringing her out of her reverie with his words. Another chuckle escaped his lips. - "Not done yet, are you? You're a little annoying, I like that." He muttered and only gripped her tighter to stop her movements and attempts to break free. She only made a couple of indignant noises and then fell silent again, as if realizing it was useless anyway. He smirked again, noticing that she had gone silent: - "Looks like it's finally dawned on you that it's useless to fight. You're not going anywhere, sweetheart. Not with me." He muttered. - "What?! Where are you taking me?! And why me?!" She shouted in the same indignant tone, but sadder. The kidnapper only smirked and looked down at her. - "Well, I'm not going to just tell you why. Where's the fun in that, eh? Let this be a surprise to you." And with those words, he continued walking down the corridors with her on his shoulder, heading towards the exit of the school. The girl only hesitated. Her head was practically bursting with questions, but there was only one main question. Would anyone be able to save her? Her father, maybe? Or the police? Anyone... Suddenly, the girl's gaze stopped on a human body that lay behind the locker room wall. Judging by the clothes, it was the security guard of their school. She immediately clamped her eyes shut, realizing that the shot wasn't just a simple one in the air. Even the thought of such a thing made her uncomfortable. As the man continued to walk out of the school, the few students who had managed to get out alive stood nearby, nothing but tears and shock on their faces. When they saw Elena being carried by the armed man. The kidnapper only smirked and chuckled as he looked at the students, then looked at the girl on his shoulder. - "You should see their faces, little girl. They're scared to death and have no idea how to help you." - "You know, it's not every day someone from school gets kidnapped by a man with a gun..." She only snorted, looking down at the floor. A bit longer and she would have started crying. The kidnapper chuckled again, looking down at her. - "Well, aren't you a feisty little thing? I like you even more now." He murmured. He had almost reached the school car park while a smirk flashed across his face. In a moment the girl was already being thrown into the car, and then the guy even tied her up, just to be sure, so to speak... She tried to resist and scream, but she just didn't have enough strength, and her screams were probably heard only by those who were in the school buil ding, nearby. Before she realized it, her eyes were glazed over and hot tears were running down her cheeks...