Going back

24|| Windows

A/N: here's chapter 24. Enjoy, people.

"What are we doing here?" Elijah whispered, pressing his balled up atrocity to his chest.

"We are doing nothing. You are going to stay here while I go inside."

"You're going in there?" Julian scoffed and crossed his arms. "Not a chance."

"And who are you to tell me what to do?" Iris raised a brow and tossed her bag, chuckling when he caught it with a scowl.

She yanked her hair into a bun, intentionally pulling out some strands to make it more messy, and took off her jumper on with the school logo. Then, she removed her tie, untucked her shirt, undid a few buttons, and rolled up her skirt until she looked the perfect picture of a student on a bad night out.

"If you hear a scream, don't come running." Iris grinned, adrenaline humming through her veins at the thought of another chase. I've missed this so much. "Elijah, give me your gun." 

"What? No! You don't know how to use one- you could get hurt." 

Iris stared at him like he was the biggest idiot on the planet. "Why would I ask for a weapon if I didn't know how to use it? Now hand it over or I'll knock you unconscious and take it myself." 

"You woudn't hurt me– ow! You punched me!" Elijah clutched his nose, which had started to swell, in disbelief. 

Iris drew her fist back. "And I'll do it again if you don't hand me the gun. Or I could stroll in there and die within the first second- do you really want that on your conscience?" 

Julian stepped back with his hands raised in mock surrender. "I'd do as she says, Eli." 

Grumbling profanities that could make any religious leader's ears bleed, Elijah gave it to her. "Has anyone told you you're mean when you want something?" 

Iris turned the safety on and smirked, shoving it in the side of her skirt and pulling her shirt over to hide it. "No one's been stupid enough to try." 

Without looking back, she dove into the myriad of twists and turns, half-wishing she hadn't been so hasty in destroying the piece of paper earlier when she nearly crashed into a dead end. Soon, the opening of the alleyway was nothing more than a speck of light, and Iris could no longer see Elijah and Julian- the thought frightened her more than her pride would ever allow her to admit. 

Although Iris had played a brave face earlier, she was hyper-aware of her vulnerability here. People dressed in ragged clothes gave her a once-over, perhaps wondering how much coin she had or whether she would resist their advances, but the weaker (or perhaps smarter) ones backed off after she showed a brief glimpse of her weapon. The bolder ones followed her for a bit with one or two catcalls, but lost interest upon assuming that she had no money due to her dishevelled appearance. 

"Ah, she's not worth it!" A lady with a strong accent Iris couldn't quite place slapped her companion on the back. "Look at her- she's headed fer the lion's den. No on ever comes back in one piece from there and she ain't gonna be much of a beauty then!" Raucous laughter followed, which Iris took as her opportunity to slip into the shadows.

Finally, she reached her destination. A scraggly building with broken windows on the ground floor and glass littering underneath gaping holes barred with iron. The fire escape door and sign had graffiti scrawled across it, most were rude words and symbols that clearly belonged to a rebellious teenager. Iris put a foot on the rusting metal steps and tested her weight against it, wincing as it made a noticeable creak. 

She climbed up quickly, squatting and righting herself to minimise the noise as much as possible until she reached a semi-solid platform. Naturally, the door was locked and bolted. Iris glanced at the ledge- barely a foot wide- and squeezed her eyes tightly shut, summoning every drop of courage she had spare. Think of how you broke into houses as a kid. This is just like that. Except there's no one to catch you if you fall and Harry will kill you if you break another rib. No pressure. 

Pressing herself flat against the side of the building, Iris shimmied across, keeping her breaths short, harsh and even. A gentle breeze lifted her shirt and she resisted the urge to tug it down, even as the chill crept into her bones and almost froze her in place. When she reached a turn, she dug her fingers into the brick and prayed to every divine being possible as she pushed herself around it with too much force. Her foot slipped on a loose tile and–

She caught herself just in time. 

Heart thundering like she'd just sprinted a marathon, Iris decided to take it slow. She ducked her head and peered through grimy glass after glass, trying to ascertain whether she'd reached the right place and pulling back sharply at the slightest shadow of movement. Unfortunately, every room on the first floor was empty. 

Iris bit her bottom lip and thought hard about how to get to the next floor. She considered breaking in, but then how would she explain her appearance if she bumped into anyone? What if the room was full of shoot-first-ask-questions-later type of murderers? 

With a deep exhale, Iris positioned herself under a window made of bars with a slightly smaller ledge, but that didn't matter; above this was the roof made of corrugated metal, which she was confident she could climb if she was in the right place. 

Thanking Harry and Elise for every godforsaken lesson on fitness and building her core, Iris gripped the metal bars and pulled herself up, slamming her right foot on the sill to propel herself. 

But she'd overestimated the tenacity of her sweaty grip and fell back. Her eyes widened and she let out a frantic yelp, arms swiping through the air to grab something–

A warm hand clasped firmly around her wrist and pulled her upwards, slamming her back into the brick wall. Dazed, Iris pushed back and gripped the edge of the roof, this time successfully pulling herself up. 

"Well, well, well." A familiar voice drawled and the very slappable face of her ex-friend appeared. Alex grinned and leaned back as if it was a lovely holiday and not the dead of night in the most depraved part of the city. "Looks like we meet again, Rainbow." 

Iris wished he'd let her fall instead. 

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How are you guys finding the pacing of this version so far? 

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Stay safe and thanks for reading :)