All William could do was dive forward, get closer to the shooter.  He rolled in tight, almost to the man’s feet, as the first bullets left the gun.  Before the man could follow him with the gun, William reached up and slashed at the upper thigh.  It was a deep cut, and before blood could spray out of the artery, the man reached down, clamped his free hand over the wound.  But it was a useless gesture.

As William stood, the man started to buckle, and on the way down swung the gun toward William.  It was slow, awkward and William could have caught it even without help from the voices.  He dropped the knife and clamped his good hand around the butt of the weapon, kept it pointed away as the man fell.

Blood spread out between the man's fingers onto the floor.  William looked up to the voices.  "The other two?"

Still at the stairs, The Advisor said.

William reached for the knife, but saw it was in the middle of the pool of blood.  He left it there.  "Can they see me if I go to the kitchen?"

Stay low, The Advisor said.

William crept out, glanced in the second bedroom as he passed it.  He could see Jessica's outline in the fog behind the locker.  She was still unconscious, but still safe.  He ducked low, saw that the first man he had killed had a bulge in his back pocket.  He pulled the wallet free and hurried into the kitchen.

It took only a moment before he heard the two men at the door call out.  "Is it clear?  Did you get him?"

For a moment William was quiet.  He had to get the two men to pass by, but as soon as they saw the bodies, they'd be on their guard.  He opened the wallet, pulled out the man's driver's license and looked at the name.  He worried for a moment that his voice would give him away.  But the haze in the air itched at his lungs and he realized that everyone sounded much the same in a room filled with smoke.  Coughing was great vocal camouflage, especially to men wearing earplugs.  "He's dead.  Come here, hurry!  Bob's dying!" 

He heard their footsteps falter at the entry to the hall, but then they passed by the kitchen without a look.  He didn't even bother to be quiet as he stepped out behind them.  They started to turn back to him and he grabbed the nearest one, jerked him into the hallway wall. 

The other man brought his gun up, but paused.  William slammed the man in his hands up into the wall again and presented himself as a clear target.  He saw the shooter's finger tighten on the trigger and as the rifle barked out a spray of bullets, he spun and pushed his captive forward.

As his new shield collapsed into the shooter, William stepped to the side and grabbed the gun.  He felt the heat of the barrel in his hand, pointed it up and pulled the stock down low so the barrel rested beneath the man's chin.  He wormed his thumb onto the trigger and pulled.

Both men fell together and William stood there, shaking and out of breath.

"Bryan?" he asked the voices.  The smell of gunpowder was quickly being covered up by smoke from fires here and downstairs.  If he didn't get Jess out quickly, none of them would make it.

Still alive, The Advisor said.

He ran into the smaller bedroom, picked up Jessica and hurried down the hall.  The fire in the main room had spread, but the stairs were clear.  Two men stood near the outside door, but their attention and guns were aimed at the middle of the room.  If he was quiet and moved fast, he could get down with Jess and kill them before they could fire on him.  He stayed low, tried to keep more smoke from getting into his and Jessica's lungs and ran for it.

On the second step down, the bullet came.

The Hunter pulled William's attention away from the men at the door to the red line in the fog streaking for his chest.  William dropped down flat to the stairs just as the bullet smashed into the wall.  He held Jess in tight and wormed his way back up the steps, body low as the two guards turned toward him.  He ducked inside the doorway just as they started to fire.

He set her down just inside the door and looked at the flames.  She'd be safe for a minute or two if the guards didn't come up.  That was all the time he had to save Bryan and stop all of this.  As he looked down at her, the vision came back to his mind.  He hadn't been in it.  She had been teaching others like him, but he didn't know why he wasn't there.  He wished he had more time to go back into the voice's consciousness to find out more about why he and the young woman from the diner hadn't been there, but he knew he didn't.

A realization came into his mind.  He had been wrong earlier, when he'd discovered how to keep Harold from burning him.  He had been wrong in thinking that he might not have to die.  The voices had said that the young people would need a protector.  It had felt like they were referring to him and the young woman from the diner, but did they mean only one?  Was it was his time to die?

He smiled down at Jess, pushed the hair from her forehead and kissed her lightly.  If there were others like him coming, if she could help them, that was what mattered.  "I'll send Bryan up for you.  I promise."

He stood, looked down the stairs.  He pointed straight over the side and The Hunter nodded.  The Caretaker wrapped herself around him as William stood and jumped to the floor below.

*

(Author’s note:  William leaving Jess and jumping down into the fire, that doesn’t sound good, does it?  What do you think?  Has he given up on his own chances?  Read on and find out.  And…please tell your friends about Schism!)