Separating from the others wasn't Charlotte's brightest idea, but with several entrances and a gigantic crowd, they would've gotten lost within the first minute anyway. Charlotte loved Jimin to death, but that man was short as hell. Granted, Charlotte was the shortest other than the literal child.
Theo, Asa, and her were limping down the halls that were lighter than Charlotte was expecting them to be. It gave her flashbacks to her mansion, and not the kind she wanted. It gave her a moment to think about Jericho and their relationship. For what felt like forever, they had been sharing a room. In reality, it couldn't have been any longer than a month. In that time, they shared a bed, a closet, and habits. Jericho couldn't make the bed to save his life, and Charlotte was too lazy to do it herself. It made for messy sheets and covers each time they went to sleep. Considering Charlotte's sleeping habits, they went to sleep a plentiful amount of times.
Duo groups of guards passed them often, Charlotte changing her disguise whenever a pair did. Theo and Asa were too slow for them to rely on having to escape. If it came down to sprinting, they were screwed.
"What are we looking for, exactly?" Theo asked.
"Get out of sight, take out guards silently and take their weapons. Conceal them and meet up with the others at the rendezvous in 15 minutes. More like 10 now," she replied. He glanced at her attire, her pulling up her romper to show the holster she had on her thigh. "True fashion is functional."
"You're... something, Char," Asa said, sighing as he limped.
"I'll take that as a compliment. How are you holding up?"
"It hurts. Feels like my leg is about to fall off. I'm definitely not ready to walk yet, but I know the mission is more important. You think we'll be done with this soon?"
"Here's hoping," Charlotte mumbled. "We caused this. All I want to do is make it right and save as many as I can. Maybe that's contradictory considering I've lived my whole life killing people, but I want to atone."
"To redeem yourself?" Asa asked, and she hummed. "I can't blame you. It may sound silly, but I want the same thing."
Charlotte gave them a grin, them feeling peace for a couple beats. There were few people around. It took several more twists and turns, but they got to a segment that was empty. Emptiness was a common theme for them. Whether it be mental or physical.
A dead end came upon them. The next hall led to a door that was taunting them. Charlotte noticed nothing else of note in the vicinity. Just them and a door. Charlotte went closer, inspecting the golden handle that matched the rest of the color palette the area had.
Just as Charlotte was about to open it, it opened for her, banging against her chest and sending her flying back. Theo steadied her, Charlotte giving him her appreciation as she straightened herself. A man was there, bowing his head in apology. Then, he peeked up and saw them. It was like her disguise meant nothing as they locked eyes. Whether it was based on her posture or her surprised expression, the man figured out who they were.
"They're here!" he shouted, pulling out a pistol. Asa punched him with all his might, Theo grabbing Asa's elbow to prevent him from falling. Charlotte snatched the pistol while the stranger was distracted, firing off into the room as more came running. Shit, they just triggered the trap, didn't they?
Charlotte backed up and gave them some room. "Asa, Theo, get a head start! I'll join you!" she said, and they obeyed without complaint. Asa was hopping his way out of there, Theo allowing him to rest on his figure as they went.
The room was a lounge of sorts from what she could see. Couches, a fireplace, carpets. Also, a lot of enemies both male and female rushing at her. Whatever view she had became a clump of nothingness. She shot at them to provide cover fire, but she herself didn't have much to duck behind for when they shot back.
She took a risk and snatched a pistol off the closest dead body, rushing back and diving behind the wall just as the storm broke out. She was grazed twice. Once on the cheek, the other on the leg. It brought ache to her body, but adrenaline masked it enough so she could rush out of there with Theo and Asa.
"How many?" Theo asked as they went, borderline carrying Asa.
"Too many, we don't have the ammo to hold them off. Our best bet is outrunning them and hope they give up when we blend in with the concert crowd."
"That's far, remember how long it took us to get this deep? Now we need to travel that distance back-"
He was cut off by a gunshot hitting Asa's shoulder, them dipping behind the next wall just in time. "Shit!" Asa shouted. He had two wounds. Two areas filled with nerve damage. Another recovery they'd have to make.
"In my condition, we'll never outrun them," Asa said as they increased to top speed. Charlotte didn't give up. The next corner was so close, but Asa was right. It was either they left Asa, or they kept going and all died.
Another shot rang out and grazed Charlotte's shoulder, but the next time, they weren't as lucky. Theo got hit in the ankle and went tumbling to the ground. They were close enough that she was able to pull him behind cover, and she shot back at them to preserve their position. She knew it was coming. She knew what they were going to say before they said it.
"Go, Char. Let us make this right. We dragged the others into this, let us get them out. Meet up with them and leave. We don't have time to discuss this, go! Now!" Theo said, tossing his backpack to her.
"Don't worry about us, Theo and I will be fine," Asa said as he took Charlotte's pistol and returned fire. Theo did the same. Asa paused, giving Charlotte a grin. "Him and I will meet again, maybe on a farm somewhere."
"Goodbye, Theo and Asa," she replied with her voice breaking. They may have made mistakes, but they were willing to die to protect her. They deserved a proper goodbye.
Charlotte backed away with tears clogging her eyes. June. Theo. Asa. Ivan. Who was next to die or get permanently injured? Who was it that would bear the weight of reality until their chest caved in?
Without arguing, Charlotte spun on her heel and ran. The run was painful not because of the soreness her body built up. Gunfire. The smell and taste of blood. Grime building up on her skin. It overwhelmed her senses to the point where she stumbled, regaining her footing and ignoring the battle cries her friends let out. Perhaps those were the last noises they would ever make.
Charlotte zipped through the halls, and after several minutes of running, the concert music alerted her to her position. It was a maze inside the castle. Each hallway was identical, the only difference being some halls had more doors than others. Her head spun in a frenzy as she burst through the doors and made it back to the courtyard.
She was sure she appeared like a monster. She felt like one. Asa and Theo were gone, June was too. All she wanted to do was scream and break down. However, she could do that later. Charlotte allowed herself to cry, but no screams or wails. Later. That was when she'd let herself go. At that time, she went to the rendezvous point and sat, tucking her knees against her chest to process the loss of her two friends. The two she schemed with since day 1.
How the fuck were they going to beat the High Council now?
~~~
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Heartless || •OG• ✔️
Mystery / Thriller|| 18+ Enemies to lovers gxb and bxb || Infamous NYC mafia leaders Charlotte and Jericho have been rivals for years. However, all of that changes when one of the leaders of their Underworld is assassinated. The rivals are forced together and must re...
