Re: Never Alone. (Shiori)

[Spritz]

Eric breathed a heavy sigh of exasperation as soon as Leah put down the gun. She picked it up again though, before hissing in his ear. He narrowed his eyes, feet firmly in place. He didn't move a muscle, unblinking. Staring at Matthew, he saw the man's hands falter for a second. Eric could tell that Matthew was fighting, trying to figure out what to do. The teenager could also tell that he wouldn't have a problem with shooting either one of them, as they meant nothing to him and he had probably done it time and time again to other people. Perhaps he was trying to find a better route out of the situation, and his greedy eyes landed on Leah's slender figure once again.
Eric snapped. He swore, something inside of him just broke in two. After seeing Matthew look at Leah that way, he couldn't ever bear to see the man again.

[Guest]

Leah was flustered when Eric refused to move. A shiver of horror snaked its way down her spine when Matthew looked at her hungrily again. Without really having a clue what she was doing, Leah pulled the trigger. She hadn’t aimed it anywhere useful—it would probably hit the arm he was holding the gun with—but it was still a shot. And Leah was probably as surprised as Matthew would be, that she’d actually shot. Leah dropped the gun and jumped back, as if she’d shot at herself. “Oh God,” Leah muttered, moving behind Eric slightly.

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The sudden sound of a gunshot made Eric jump, before leaping in front of Leah as if to protect her. But Matthew wasn't the one that had shot. The bullet that shot out of Leah's small handgun grazed Eric's shoulder, searing through his shirt and cutting into his flesh. Ignoring the burning pain in his shoulder, he felt blood start to pour down his arm. Matthew cried out in pain, dropping the gun the exact time he pulled the trigger. Another harsh shot rang out in the hallway, and plaster from overhead rained down on them, coating the three figures with a thin white dust. Eric started to cough, before taking his sleeve and covering Leah's nose and mouth so she couldn't breath it in. "Out!" Eric thrust Leah towards the door, but it had somehow been locked from the outside. Swearing a line of curses, blood from Eric's shoulder soaked through his jacket's sleeve, starting to drip onto the ground. Matthew was lying on the floor, clutching at his arm. Blood oozed out between his fingers, and his eyes were wild and wide. Almost crying out with the pain, Eric took his arm away from Leah's face and bent down to retrieve the guns.

[Guest]

Leah coughed, shaking her head slightly, following Eric to the door. Blake must’ve locked it—or blocked it—somehow from the outside, and there was no point in trying to get out. Leah noticed Eric was bleeding, though the bullet had only grazed him, rather badly, and immediately her instinctive ‘motherly’ intuitions kicked in. Leah let him pick up the guns, then grabbed his good arm and steered him into a nearby bedroom, slamming the door shut and propping a large chair underneath the doorknob before turning to Eric and frowning. Looking around the room, Leah recollected herself, though the smell of plaster and blood was making her a bit woozy, and tore of some shreds of the bed-cloth, beckoning Eric over to her, “Come here and let me bandage that. It may not be the best, but it needs to be bandaged tightly before you lose too much blood. Then we can decide what to do next.”

[Spritz]

Eric was coated with the white powder, as Matthew's bullet had his the ceiling above them. It was a weak building to begin with, and now his hair and clothing were coated with the stuff. It stuck in the corners of his eyes and made them water, making it look like he was crying. Clear warm tears ran down his cheeks, making tracks in the white plaster. He had inhaled it, and now he doubled over as he was steered into another room by Leah. Choking and coughing, he clutched his good hand to his throat until he was able to breath. Raising his head, he saw that Leah had propped a chair under the handle of the door, and Eric moved towards it. He pressed his ear against the wood, but didn't hear anything in the hallway despite a few groans of pain. Matthew would be alright, but they had deeper things to worry about besides that. Turning from the door, he saw Leah beckoning him over and he shook his head imedietly. Raising his hand, he clutched it over the wound. Warm red blood seeped out from between his fingers, making him wince and turn away from her.
"I'm fine."

[Guest]

Leah frowned angrily and rolled her eyes, “I know perfectly well that you are not ‘fine,’” Leah said, her tone softening. She could see faint splatters of blood on the floor, and the more she smelled the white powder and coppery blood, the more she felt like she was going to hurl. On top of that, she’d actually shot someone. It’s not like she should care; after all, it was Matthew, of all people—but it still felt wrong to her. Shaking her head, she tore of a larger strip of the silky bed-sheets and walked over to him, taking his hand gently off of the wound and wincing at what she saw, she shook her head and bit her lip, “God, I’m so sorry. This was all my fault,” Leah’s voice cracked slightly and she shook her head again, moving his arm as little as possible, wrapping the linens tightly around the wound, “Stand still, this may hurt a bit,” Leah commented before slightly yanking on the clothes to cut off the blood supply to that part of his arm to stop the bleeding.

[Spritz]

Eric snorted at her comment, sneezing as he inhaled the white plaster. Wiping his nose on his equally powdery sleeve, he only managed to smear the tears on his cheeks and make his eyes water even more. He was officially a mess. Shaking his head, he backed away from Leah as she strode forward, long strips of the white sheets hanging from her fingers. She reached him and yanked his hand off of the wound, wrapping it tightly in place. Eric winced, before she warned him that something was going to hurt. The boy hissed through his teeth as Leah yanked tightly on the strips, before narrowing his eyes and gritting his teeth together. Setting his jaw in pain, he stared straight ahead and gingerly touched the bandages, wincing as his fingers grazed over the flesh. When Leah said it was her fault, he let out a scoffing laugh. "Yeah, right. Sure it is." He said sarcasticly. Shaking his head, he moved to the side and pressed his ear against the door once again. Shaking his head, he turned to Leah, his eyes still watering. "We gotta get out of here."

[Guest]

Leah finished wrapping one last makeshift bandage around Eric’s arm, before he sarcastically made a comment. She felt bad—she really did. And the only thing that kept her from completely breaking down right then and there were the memories she had of what they used to be: happy and safe. With Mrs. Quinn. She couldn’t help but wonder what Mrs. Quinn was doing right now. Eric’s next set of words snapped her back into reality, however, and she stared at him for a moment, her own eyes watery from the powdery plaster. “Yeah, well, do you have a plan? Matthew’s still out there, and I’d wager even with a mangled hand he’s capable of doing significant damage—” Leah almost added: ‘and I don’t want you getting hurt again,’ but she held her tongue, afraid of the reaction she’d receive, “—and Blake—well, at least it was probably Blake—locked the hallway door. We’re screwed.” Leah sighed and plopped down on the floor, staring intently on the crimson droplets of blood that were drying on the floor.

[Spritz]

Eric was in the mindset to open the door, just to see what Matthew was doing. Still, he knew that would be dangerous and risky, and that it wouldn't be a good idea. Matthew was probably even more mad then ever, and wouldn't hesitate to shoot the two of them if he had another gun. Eric turned to Leah, trying not to let the pain from his shoulder and hand show on his face. Striding over, he held out his hand. "I need one of the guns-" He started, "You keep the other one." Turning back to the door, he heard footsteps outside and grimaced. "Now." He didn't know how they were supposed to get out of here, but he knew how to work the guns. If he was correct, they should have a few more shots left in them. That was their only protection right now.

[Guest]

Leah handed him a gun, but refused to pick up the other one. She wasn’t touching one of those wretched contraptions if her life depended on it. “I’m not touching the guns anymore,” Leah snapped. “In fact, I’m never touching any gun ever again.” Leah warily got to her feet and kicked the other gun under the bed, where its blackness was hidden completely in the shadows under the bed. Leah sighed and walked slowly over to Eric, staring at him momentarily before hearing the footsteps outside the door, growing steadily louder, “What are we going to do!?” Leah whispered.

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Eric took the gun from Leah, the cold metal pressing into his hand. He squeezed the handle slightly, before sliding the gun open. There were a few shots left, he had been right. After checking over the gun and making sure it was functional, he held it steadily in his hands, backing towards Leah. He kept his sharp, dark eyes trained on the door, hearing the footsteps grow louder as the person came closer. "Window's Leah, are there any window's in here?" The room itself was dark, but there may have been curtains hiding a window. If there was one, it would be there only escape route. They would be safe in the room, Eric was pretty sure. Still, if someone tried to get the door open, it wouldn't be that hard. "Check over the walls, it might be boarded up. Check closely too-" Eric instructed Leah, his face set and hard. Eyes trained on the door, he paused as the footsteps stopped, before moving on down the hallway. It may have been Blake helping Matthew, but he knew they only had a short time before all hell would break loose. The gunshots had been loud, and Eric knew that they wouldn't go un-noticed, even in this small, run down part of town.

[Guest]

Leah nodded and stayed put for a few moments until the footsteps momentarily faded, before moving quietly around the room, her eyes still adjusting to the darkness of the small room. She ran her hands lightly over the walls, avoiding any possible obstacles that she might knock over or run into, and managing to safely evade stepping on a set of cuffs that were lying, rusted, on the floors. She tried to push the thoughts of Matthew on top of her, her wrists cuffed to the headboard, when she saw them, but with little success. Just as she thought the walls had been completely bare of any windows, or anything at all, her fingers ran across a loosely-plated board. Her slender fingers managed to wedge underneath it with an ease that was appraisable, but when she opened it, she only found the entrance to a safe, and she was disheartened. “Eric, there’s a safe. But that’s it…”

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Eric heard Leah start to move, hearing her shuffle along the wall behind him. He knew that if there was a window, she would be able to find it. A few moments passed, Eric's gun still raised and pointed at the door. Nothing moved outside, and slowly, he lowered his hand. Keeping the gun cocked and loaded, he turned slightly as he heard the prying of wood. "You found one!?" His voice was excited, before the metal face of a safe greeted the pair.
His eyes fell, his posture slumping. Taking in a deep breath, he gave a halfhearted shrug, the light seeming to fade out of his eyes.
"Nothing I wouldn't have expected."

[Guest]

“Do you think there’s something in it? Or is it just an empty safe, do you think?” Curious, Leah frowned, then turned away from him, setting the pried wood down on the floor quietly, slinking over to the door, quiet as a mouse, and pressing her ear against the door. She heard nothing; not even the groaning of the man who’s hand had gotten shot. The bar was unusually silent, and she began to wonder if the gunshots had scared everyone off. Frowning, Leah murmured to Eric, “I think they’re gone. I think everybody’s gone.”

[Spritz]

Holding the gun in his good hand, Eric was forced to put it down as he neared the safe. His other hand was useless, hanging limply by his side. If he tried to move it, pain would shoot up his arm like searing wildfire. He was in enough pain at the moment, to where he couldn't handle any more. Placing his hand on the smooth door of the safe, cold metal greeted his fingers. His face was expressionless, running his fingers over the outside of the safe. Gazing at the combination lock, he turned around as he heard Leah's timid voice from behind him. After she spoke, deafening silence filled his ears, making a slight headache throb at the base of his temple. Great, more pain. He shook his head, setting his jaw and slowly making his way towards the door, towards Leah. The wood on the floor creaked below him, and he winced at the noise. It seemed extremley loud in the silence, and he grimaced with pain. "I... I dont know..."

[Guest]

Leah frowned at his answer. What were they going to do? Leah suddenly hatched an idea—a plan crazier than anything she’d ever done in her whole life, but she was pretty sure it would work. “I have an idea,” Leah whispered suddenly, turning around to him and looking back to the door tentatively. “I’m going out there, and I’m going to find Matthew. I can handle Blake, I promise. Matthew is wounded, and if I go to him willingly he won’t punish me as bad.” Leah frowned slightly. “You stay in this room, I’m pretty sure Matthew and Blake are in the next room over. I’ll give a…well, a knock. Three knocks on the wall. Be listening. I’m going to need you as soon as you can come. I don’t want Matthew doing anything. I hope… you can shoot or disarm both of them.” Leah moved the chair, “We have to do this, or we’ll never get out of here.”

[Spritz]

Leah suddenly spun around, almost elbowing Eric in the stomach. He jerked out of the way, before his brow drew into a frown. He didn't like the expression that was playing across Leah's face, and was ready to object to whatever she was about to say in the first place. When she started to speak, Eric stiffened right away. From the first few words, Eric shook his head and set his jaw tightly. "No." She continued to go on with her plan, and by the time she was finished, his eyes were hard and glittering. Shaking his head with determination, he swallowed. "No Leah." The choice was her's to make, but Eric wasn't giving her a choice in the first place. There was no way he was going to let Matthew get his dirty hands on her again.

[Guest]

Leah shook her head, “I’m not going to listen this time, Eric.” Leah said, determination written all over her face. “You need medical attention, right now. I can’t risk having your wounds infected! Stay here, please. If you’ve ever cared about me, ever, please do this for me.” Leah unlocked the door and opened it slowly, stepping outside before giving Eric an apologetic look before saying, “Three knocks.” She smiled warily before closing the door, walking silently down the hallway, opening the door in the next room and peering in cautiously.

[Spritz]

"I'm not going to listen this time, Eric."
Eric narrowed his eyes at the expression that was playing on her features. She looked dead serious, and Eric knew her mind wouldn't be changed without a fight. When she spoke again, Eric's worried expression turned into one of anger. This was his fault, all of it! He raised his good hand and ran it through his black hair, shaking his head and setting his jaw in place. "No Leah, No." Leah didn't listen however, pushing past him and unlocking the door. She slowly pulled it open, before Eric grabbed for her hand. She was too far out of reach however, and she shut the door behind her. Air hissed out between the teen boy's lips, and he debated going after her. Either way, it would only mean them getting stuck in the room once again. Striding back over to the safe, he quickly grabbed the gun. Throwing himself onto his stomach, he crawled under the bed and retreived the other gun, quickly pulling it out and pushing himself up off of the ground.

[Guest]

Leah frowned, seeing a man on the bed, clutching one of his hands, another bulky man in the opposite corner, shuffling through a drawer. Leah slipped into the room, staring warily at the man who was grumbling to himself, muttering oaths and curses to himself. “Matthew?” Leah whispered tentatively, only managing to get a look from Blake, who, she could tell in the darkness, had a smug look on his face.
“So the princess decided to return, huh?” Blake snapped, turning to Matthew, “If you’ve ever wanted revenge, now’s the time. Your princess has come back home.”

[Spritz]

(There's nothing Eric can do right now, so I'll just be playing Matthew the sicko until Eric needs to intervine...)

Matthew's head snapped up at the sound of the door being opened, his dark eyes glittering with hatred. His hand was bandaged tightly, though bright crimzen blood was seeping through the bindings. He stiffened when he saw a slender figure step into the room, his hand flying to his breast collar. His gun was missing, and he swore loudly. As the figure started to advance forward, his eyes flicked to where Blake was sitting, seeing a smug look cross his hard features. Leah's light, tentative voice cut through the silence, followed by Blake's sneering tone. Matthew's face broke into a nasty grin, and he instructed Blake to close the door behind Leah. "So, you came back for more!?"

[Guest]

Leah shook her head, being forced to step farther in as Blake pushed the door shut, giving her a gentle push towards Matthew. Gulping, Leah was beginning to have second thoughts. “No,” Leah said firmly, her eyes adjusting to the dark slowly. “I came back because I want a deal.” Leah frowned and snapped angrily at Blake as he pushed her closer to Matthew, and farther away from the door. But quickly, Leah was forming a plan in her mind. “I’ll stay if you leave Eric alone.” Quickly, she added, “For good.” Leah had a feeling Matthew would accept, but she was scared of what to do if she couldn’t reach the wall. She could always scream for Eric—the walls couldn’t be that thick, could they? Suddenly, Leah’s eye caught on a bent crowbar in the corner, and she smirked inwardly. Oh, yeah. She got this.

[Spritz]

Matthew pushed himself off of the bed, using his good hand to clutch at his arm as pain shot up it. He winced slightly, before narrowing his eyes at Leah's next words. Giving a scoffing laugh, he dropped his injured arm back to his side, gruesomly gazing at Leah. "Eric." He said the word plainly, flatly, as if it held no meaning whatsoever. "You would stay for Eric? That boy, the one that cant even protect you? That Eric? The Eric that didn't even care when you left him!? The same boy that was happy to see you go!"
Sure, maybe he was going a bit overboard. Eric had been the complete oposite, he knew so himself. After watching Eric through the window of the ice-cream shop, he knew that the truth couldn't be further from what he had stated. The man didn't have a problem lying, and a terrible sneer crossed over his features. His good hand shot out, gripping Leah's forearm and jerking her forward, towards him. Pressing her smaller body into his, he bent down and stole a harsh kiss from her lips. "You would give you'reself up for me, for Eric?" He started to tease Leah, trying to get her to rethink her mind. Either way, he was going to get what he wanted. If she fell for his trickery, it would make keeping her all the better.

[Guest]

Leah had opened her mouth to rebuttal, when he jerked her quickly, and she squeaked slightly, her eyes darting to the crowbar that was only a few steps from her. Her eyes widened when he kissed her, pressing his lips gruffly against her. She hardened for a minute. If he was going to believe her, she had to go along with it. He’d probably be in more pleasure if she did not want it—doing it only for Eric. She had to find a way, however, to get out of Matthew’s grasp. Leah whimpered slightly. It was in her favor that his one hand was injured. “Yes.” Leah said harshly. “I’ll do anything. Just leave Eric alone.” Leah whimpered quietly, desperately looking back towards the crowbar.

[Spritz]

Matthew's sharp eyes watched Leah intently, hearing her speak. His sneer didn't lessen, seeming to grow deeper with each second that ticked by. Suddenly, Leah's eyes darted away from him, and he glanced over to where she was looking. His eyes fell on a bent old crowbar, the metal twisted and rusty. A grin crossed his features, and he shoved Leah backwards, against the wall. Striding forward, he bent down and grasped the weapon in his fingers, raising it off of the ground and flipping it in his palm. He turned deadly eyes back onto Leah, giving her a smirk that said what he was feeling. "Forming a plan?" He shook his head, looking bemused. Striding forward, he grasped Leah's wrist in his fingers and twisted her arm up behind her back. Pressing her back into his chest, his hand slid up to her throat and he kept them there, his eyes hard. "I could kill you in so many different way's, that its almost boring."

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