She said, "We can talk about this, Matt."

"Don’t call me that. There’s nothing to talk about. You’re not going to ruin my plans. I will keep you from stopping me."

Nancy kept her eyes on the gun. "I’ll stay and talk with you. But you need to let the others go. They don’t need to be hurt."

"Be quiet! You never should’ve come. Your detective days are over."

"How do you know I’m a detective?"

"I read about you in the newspaper. I knew who you were the moment you stepped into the building. I knew you would be trouble."

"Are you the one who attacked me by the gymnasium?"

Nancy knew she was right when he didn’t answer. She could see him smiling behind the mask. She just hoped Frank and Joe had come up with a plan. She knew their time was almost up.

She glanced at the other gunman. She figured it was Ashley. Nancy asked, "What are you looking for?"

"Be quiet!" Ashley yelled.

"This is no way to solve your problems. You need to find another way, Ashley."

"This is the way," Matt said. "It won’t take long."

"Matt, there are a lot of innocent people in here. Why don’t you let them go? They don’t need to get hurt. I’ll stay."

"Everyone! Clear out!"

Nancy kept her eyes on Matt and Ashley, but she could see the students hurrying out of the cafeteria out of the corner of her eye. She knew with the students gone, she could try to figure a way to get Matt and Ashley to put their guns down.

Once the cafeteria doors closed, Nancy realized she hadn’t seen Frank or Joe leave the room. She knew they were still there.

"You two can take the masks off now. I know who you are. You can put the rifles down too."

"Forget it," Matt said. "I’m going to take care of you, and then I’ll take care of the other problem."

"You won’t be able to get away with it. The police will be here soon and you will be caught."

"I won’t get caught. I will get away. Now, it’s time to take care of business."

Nancy looked at Ashley. Ashley had pulled off her ski mask and was looking at Nancy.

"Ashley, you need to stop him. If you don’t, you’ll be as responsible as he is. You know this isn’t right."

Ashley lowered the rifle. Nancy knew Ashley was thinking about what she said. Nancy continued, "Murder is a serious charge. You could spend the rest of your life in prison if you’re convicted."

"She has a point," Ashley said. "Killing people was not part of the plan, Matt."

"Plans change." Matt pulled his ski mask off and threw it at Ashley while keeping his eyes on Nancy. "Go ahead and chicken out, Ashley. I’ll take care of her myself."

Matt aimed the rifle at Nancy. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. She watched him pull the trigger. Before she could move, she felt the bulled tear into her right shoulder. She fell backward into the table behind her. As she slid to the floor, she saw Frank and Joe run at Matt. Just before she hit the floor, she saw Joe tackle Matt.

She closed her eyes as another gunshot rang out through the cafeteria. Then there was a groan.

"Nancy!"

She forced her eyes open and saw Frank kneeling beside her. As he kneeled down, he pulled off his shirt and pressed it against her shoulder. She gritted her teeth to keep from crying out.

"Relax, Nancy. Everything will be all right."

Nancy felt her shoulder throbbing. She could see the concern in Frank’s eyes. She began to feel light-headed even though she was on her back. She knew she was going into shock.

"Frank, listen," Nancy whispered.

"Just be quiet," Frank said. "You need to save your strength."

"Frank, please," Nancy said softly.

"Nancy, come on. You need to save your strength."

"Frank," Nancy said even softer than before. She had to make sure about something. "Please, you need to tell Ned I’m sorry. You have to tell him."

"There’s plenty of time for you to tell him. You’re going to be fine."

Nancy let out a breath and closed her eyes.