IN A MATTER OF seconds, Ronan was pulling her to him, guiding her to the door on the other end of the room. He stopped, one hand over the knob, another squeezing her shoulder to steady her. His gaze melted into hers, wide and unflinching.
"Your hair," he mumbled, and then grabbed a fistful of it. She was too shocked to realize his intentions until he tucked the section into her turtle neck. "Wish you were wearing a hoodie right about now. Or a hat."
She took the job out of his hands, tucking the remaining of her blonde locks into her shirt. Not like it could block out her light-colored head, but it wouldn't bother her as much as they managed to get out of there. If they could even escape.
The center's sirens continued blaring. Her ears rang, and her body vibrated like it was shocked by a thousand volts of electricity. A similar feeling to being in a wild concert, except she wasn't having a good time enjoying music. Blood rushed through all her extremities. Her chest warmed and chilled within seconds. She wiggled her fingers, realizing she couldn't feel them. She couldn't feel much of her body, except the thrum in her ears that traveled down her chest until she ached.
"We're going to have to make a run for it," Ronan said, bringing her back to reality. "Stay right by my side and don't look up, okay?"
She managed a nod, and he turned the knob. Their footsteps were drowned out by the booming sirens. Red swallowed her vision. The only thing keeping her moving forward was Ronan's tall, dark figure sprinting in front of her.
They weaved through the center, running down halls they weren't familiar with. A breath got caught at the back of her throat as they seemed to be getting nowhere. They didn't even bother hiding away from the cameras, though who knew if they were working at that point. There was too much red.
Familiar sirens wailed in the distance, distinct to the ones destroying her eardrums. The police had arrived at the scene.
A whimper escaped her lips as she slammed into Ronan's back. He grabbed her and pressed her to his chest, and then he reached out. She snuck a glance at a door sliding open, revealing the back of the property. The inky night sky brightened with red and blue flashes.
They stepped outside, the soles of their shoes grinding and crushing the uneven dirt and pebbles. Ronan wrapped an arm around her shoulders, guiding her across the land. Police were stationed near the entrance of the center, facing away from where they came out of. She didn't have enough time to look back to see if they noticed them because Ronan was swearing under his breath, telling her to keep moving while shielding her with his own body. Her heart thundered in her ears as they ran to his truck and ducked behind it.
She bit down on her lip, forcing herself to control her breathing without looking like a fish out of water. Ronan peeked from under the truck. Lights shone over them, bathing the Lockfell night in bright colors. A commotion followed all the way to the entrance of the center. How her heart remained inside her chest was beyond her, but it threatened to jump out of her ribcage and head dive into certain death.
"Get inside," Ronan said, opening the door for her. She clambered on, her limbs shaking in every way. He followed behind her, making sure to close the door softly.
She turned to him, finding his face glowing red and blue. His eyes were closed, his chest heaving. She was fighting to level her breathing as well, but finding it almost impossible. Police officers were crawling all over the area. It would take a few minutes before they realized there was a lonesome truck on the other lot and start making their trek to investigate.
"What if they see us?" Gwenn asked, finally voicing her fears.
"They will," he told her. His tone dropped an octave, and he twisted his body towards hers. Though she trembled unable to sit still, he remained as stiff as a board. He pressed his lips together before letting his eyes roam back to the center's property. She didn't have to look back to know that the place was now filled with officers searching for them. "Do you trust me?"
YOU ARE READING
Forever Luminescent
General Fiction"Just shine like you always do." Gwenn Davidson has always known she was adopted, but after clearing up her stuff for her first move out of her parent's house, she finds an old blanket gifted to her by her birth mother that triggers an avalanche of...
