Vigilante | ✔

Part XI: Visible Silence

The feeling of Matthew kneeling next to him was oddly reassuring.

This was especially true because the man was currently pressing down on the gunshot wound Eli had sustained just moments earlier. Eli supposed he should be glad there was someone around to help keep him from bleeding to death (which was most definitely not how he thought he would go). It still hurt like hell, though.

Not to mention his ears were ringing and his head felt like someone was trying to crush his skull.

"Told you I'd shoot you in the knee," Al called — and of course it was Al. Eli really wasn't that shocked that he'd been the one to shoot him. He still felt a bit like laughing because he missed.

Apparently, he did laugh a bit because Matthew looked at him like he was crazy. Eli didn't bother disagreeing with him. Mostly because he was in too much pain. Plus Matthew was probably right, Eli was crazy. He had to be to have gotten dragged into the whole mess he was currently in.

He really should have known better than to befriend — however reluctantly — someone like Matthew. The sad thing was, he didn't really regret it.

Light passed over them as Al searched the office from the entrance with a flashlight in hand and a gun in the other. Eli watched as Matthew hastily wrapped a bandage around his leg. His hands were shaking a bit, he noted. It was probably the first time Eli had ever seen Matthew look so upset.

Thanks to the flashes of light, he could see Matthew more clearly. His face was pale and his eyes held something like panic. Eli sincerely hoped that wasn't the case because the last thing they needed was for Matthew to start panicking.

There were footsteps, tentative and getting closer to where they hid behind the metal desk Matthew had overturned to get some cover. Clearly, Al was done waiting. Matthew tensed and Eli didn't pay much attention to him as he tried not to pass out. He never was good at dealing with pain. Or maybe he had a concussion after all.

The next thing he knew, there was smoke everywhere and Al was cursing and shooting. Matthew was gone, Eli realized, and he panicked for a moment before Al's startled — and probably pained — cry told the redhead where Matthew had gone. The masked man was back soon enough to drag Eli out of his hiding place and towards the door. His arm circled the redhead's waist, helping him stand as Eli squinted through the smoke, his own arm slung over Matthew's shoulders.

Eli didn't bother looking back to see if he could spot Al, partly because it was still too dark to make out much of anything. Mostly, he didn't want to risk getting shot because of his curiosity. Not to mention, he was concentrating on fighting back the wave of nausea moving brought on.

Once outside the office, they made their way down a series of metal steps. It was difficult for Eli, but he managed thanks to Matthew. Being chased by armed men also served as excellent motivation.

He could hear their footsteps around them, and he supposed the commotion they'd caused had made their position clear enough. After being in the dark for a while, Eli could just make out the piles of crates of whatever the hell it was they were filled with (Eli was sure it was something illegal that he didn't really want to think of). There was a shout up ahead followed by a flash of light and hurried footsteps.

Matthew led Eli down the narrow hall formed by the walls of crates on either side, and practically shoved him into an empty space between some large crates. If the situation had been different, Eli definitely would have punched Matthew for that. As it was, he just did his best not to hurt his leg any further and watched as the faint form that was Matthew moved away from him and was lost in the dark warehouse.