“Why would you be making me nervous?” she asked.

He stepped a bit closer to the door. “It’s okay. I make a lot of people nervous.” He looked from Tara to her gun. “Can I hold it?”

“Hold what?” she asked, confused, as she grasped her gun tighter.

“It’s okay. I won’t take it from you,” he said before backing into his apartment, into the darkness.

Tara stared in through the crack in the door, but the room was too dark, and all she could see was his outline, and hear him shuffling things around.

“Sir, please stand where we can see you,” she said, her gun now out of the holster, and held straight out in front of her.

Warren did the same.

“Sir!” Tara yelled again. “Please show us your hands!”

“I just want to show you something,” he replied, without an ounce of fear in his voice.

“She said show your hands!” Warren screamed.

“But I—” He inched forward again, his body becoming more visible as he stepped into the light. “I have one just like it,” he added with an odd lightness to his voice.

He stepped fully into the doorframe, and Tara felt her heart begin to pound as she saw exactly what he was referring to. Placed against his temple, his hand holding it steady, sat a 9-millimeter pistol.

“I shouldn’t have done it,” he began, his finger now placed on the trigger.

She didn’t quite know what he was referring to but she didn’t have time to question him either. She slowly lowered her gun.

“James, please put the gun down,” she said, watching his hand carefully.

“Why?” he asked sharply, his face tense with rage, “Why should I put it down? Huh? So you can shoot me?”

Tara chose her words carefully. “We are not going to hurt you, James. I promise.” She placed her gun in her belt as she raised her arms toward him to prove her words.

He whimpered as his face distorted into frustration. He bit his lip before opening his mouth to speak.

“I have nothing to lose!” he screamed, now waving his gun in the air. “Nothing!” he screamed again. “No one can help me.” He was full-on sobbing now.

Tara suddenly realized how stupid it was to put her gun down. She had wanted to keep him calm by doing so, but now she was left without a defense. She moved her hand cautiously to it again, but just when her hand was on top of the holster, James caught the movement, and his gun turned toward her.

“I knew I couldn’t trust you!” he screamed.

And suddenly, a piercing bang filled the air.

***

Tara stood in silence—a constant ringing still pulsating through her ears. About twenty minutes had gone by, but she could still feel it. It hadn’t taken long for the ambulance to arrive, and for James Hayden to get put on a stretcher, for his leg to get bandaged up, and now the EMTs were carefully placing him into the ambulance.