Chapter 14: Though On The Darkest Days There's Always Light

Taylor was extremely bored and exhausted. It had been raining for hours and the occasional drops dripping on his nose wasn't helping. His clothes were soaked through and he was beginning to feel chilly. He shivered and wrapped his arms around himself tighter. A payphone was just out of his reach. He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out about two dollars in change. He shook the coins in his hand and looked up at the phone. The thought lingered there for a moment but after a minute he put the money back in his pocket. He wasn't calling home, not until he found Alanis and took her back to his little brother. Feeling fatigued, Taylor closed his eyes and dozed off.

The rain pattered lightly against the sidewalk. A sudden wave of thunder woke Taylor. He snapped up as if he was being shot at again. The truth was…he was.

Two groups of people stood at opposite ends of the street. Each carried their own weapon, as each group saw each other evil grins plastered themselves upon faces and knives and guns were pulled out along with lead pipes and other things. Taylor swallowed hard as each gang began to shout out insults to each other.
"You fucking bastard! I told you never to set hands on my Maria again!"
"Ah, go fuck your mother"
The one who shouted first moved his hand forward and a signal was given to attack. The other leader did the same and the two groups merged. The only way to tell them apart was the bandanas each member of the gang member wore.

Taylor tried to get away but a Hispanic boy shoved him against the wall, knocking the wind out of him. Soon he was being punched in the stomach and hit in the head.

Taylor saw an opportunity to get away and he took it. Then he saw the girl. She had black stringy hair. She was skinny and had tan skin. Her dress was ragged and filthy. He saw the girl. He also saw the gun pointed at her head from across the alley.

Taylor ran as fast as he could to the girl and pushed her out of the way. The girl lay on the ground staring at him like he was the ugliest mutant to walk to face of the earth.

"Look! He's trying to rape Star! Get him!" some person, shouted and a huge man ran up to Taylor. He pulled Taylor to his feet then said something gruffly in Spanish. Taylor felt the knife slide roughly into his stomach then pull out then it pierced his side. He felt everything grow numb as he fell to the ground. He felt the blood flowing from what seemed all directions. The girl named Star began shouting in Spanish and rugged English. He could hear the words "he tried to help" and "stop being my big brother" in between the strong voiced Spanish from the girl. He closed his eyes and let the warm blood flow from his stomach and side, the warm blood that kept life inside him. Soon everything began fading, the shouts of Spanish, and the protests of Star's brother, the scuffling of feet from the opposing gang that was retreating from the scene, the sirens of police cars and Taylor's own breathing. Among it all, Taylor heard faint voices, faint cries. He heard Zac and Isaac. Then he heard the sobbing of Alanis and the crying of his own father, which he couldn't believe. He tried all he could to hold on, but at last he let go.

Alanis didn't know why, but she was gasping for breath, struggling to fill her lungs with air. Her mother and sister rushed in to her when they saw her gulping in the little air that she could.
"Mom! What's wrong with her?" Hollie shrieked. Alanis began to turn red, then purple.
"CALL 911!!" Laurie screamed as her youngest daughter's life began to fail. Hollie rushed out of the room to the phone and speedily gave directions to the house and what was wrong.

A shiny boot kicked Taylor's side smearing blood on the tip. The officer saw a skinny adolesent white boy lying among the rain water and bits of trash that were on the street.
The blood had filled the boy's mouth and was dripping out the corners. The boy appeared dead. The officer reached down to find a pulse. He found a faint and slow heartbeat. "Hey! Roy!" the officer called to a colored officer. The man came running over ready to hear what the other officer had to say.
"Yeah?"
"We have a boy here, almost dead, now this was right where we rounded up about five members of a gang. I'm supposing that he was in the other gang that was here and was attacked. Now get on the horn and get an ambulance out here… right now!" the officer said and turned back to the body that was lying in the filthy street. His hair was long and blonde. He appeared poor like the people that lived in the area. The officer noticed a wallet sticking out of the boy's pocket. The officer reached down and pulled it out. He opened it and looked at the ID. "Jordan Taylor Hanson, age 16, eyes blue, hair blonde, sex male, address 78^th street West Tulsa, OK" he read. The man's eyes widened and he ran over to Roy.
"Hey Roy,  remember when I said I wanted that ambulance?"
"Yeah, right away"
"Well get it here faster! We need medical aid here!"
"Why faster sir?"
"That boy is Taylor Hanson! He's a famous musician from that kid group named Hanson! He makes millions of dollars a year! His parents will sue us big time if we don't TRY to save him!"
Roy ran to the radio and called up an ambulance again making sure it got there faster.

Taylor's eyes opened slightly. The bright light hurt his eyes so he squinted up at the face that was above him.
"It's going to be okay Mr. Hanson." A lady said and she put a mask over his nose and mouth. Taylor felt drowsy then he fell back to unconsciousness.

"Alanis is going to be okay Ms. Morris. She just had an attack. It may have been caused by the stress of moving to a new place leaving her friends behind"
"Friends? What friends? She's never spoken about leaving anyone"
"That's right Ms. Morris, but she has been talking in her sleep. She's mentioned a few people whose names I remember. Sam, Zac, Isaac and it looks like something dreadful has happened to a boy named Taylor. Has she been having nightmares lately?"
Laurie looked bewildered for a moment then she shook her head. In the other room Alanis slept soundly.
"He needs your help Alanis" Sam said wearly "He's dying"
"Dying? How Sam?"
"Knifed in the stomach by gang members. He needs your help Alanis, go to him now"

Alanis opened her eyes. She heard her mother and the doctor outside the room talking. Slowly she pulled out the IV that was in her arm. A prick of pain was all she felt. She quietly sat up and tiptoed across the room. The window was open.
'Perfect' she thought and tiptoed toward it. She felt the night cold on her face as she stepped onto the window ledge. She moved her socked feet slowly across the tiny sidewalk. She had gotten to the corner of the building when she heard shouts from where she had been. Quickly she whipped around the corner and pressed herself against the red brick wall.

Taylor couldn't stop, not now, not anyday. He had to find Alanis. He lazily looked over as he heard shouts coming from across the hall. A woman and a man were shouting.
'A death maybe?' Taylor thought slowly.

Alanis could see another open window.
"Five more feet girl, four, three, two, THERE!" Alanis said jumping in the window.
Taylor slowly raised his head as he heard the thud of a human body landing on linolium.  As he saw the face he gasped deeply. He had made it to Ohio. And now he had found his brother's lost friend.
"Alanis…" he whispered.
Alanis looked up. "Oh my God…TAYLOR! I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE OKAY! OH MY GOD!" she screamed running to Taylor's side.
Taylor smiled weakly.