30 Days of Assorted One-Shots

Day 8: [Pt. 2] In The Arms Of A Stranger

Prompt: Winded / Breathless

Title: In The Arms Of A Stranger [Pt. 2]

Fandom: Jack Reacher (2012)

Warnings: Gun violence, mentions of cuts and blood, dead/injured bodies.

Word Count: 2,664

Synopsis: After having been rescued by a drifter by the name of Jack Reacher, Y/N L/N finds herself not straying from his side as the pair quickly realize that her ex-boyfriend and his thugs they'd encountered at the bar were just the beginning of the forces out to bring her back into an organization she has no idea the massive scale of. Can the pair leave Pittsburgh and the chaos behind for good? Or will Y/N have to spend the rest of her days peering over her shoulder, fearing for her life?

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In The Arms Of A Stranger [Pt. 2]

You awake with a gasp, bolting upright from where you'd been previously lying, your heart hammering against your chest.

Though a firm hand gently urges you back against the mattress, a certain sternness in his movements.

"Gunshots," The man at your side explains softly, though his tone carries a trace of urgency.

Your heart skips a beat as the shadowy figure of Jack Reacher slowly slips out of bed from beside you, cautiously nearing the window, drawing back the curtain to expose a warmly illuminated snowy parking lot.

The snow is still falling as it had been when you'd first trudged through it and into the bar, mere hours ago.

Though now, it spirals down in gentle, fat flakes, coating every surface it lands on in a fluffy white layer.

Including the two darkly tinted SUVs sitting in front of the window, their blinding LED headlights making you squint.

Jack also seems genuinely surprised at the development in the parking lot, hastily stumbling backwards before regaining his footing, whipping around to face you.

"You seriously were never made aware of how large of an organization you were actually in?" He questions aloud, wordlessly urging you to your feet, tossing his shirt back over his head in one swift motion. "Because now would be the time to let me know what we're about to be getting into!"

You simply stand there, blinking the grain away from your eyes and willing your heart rate to settle down to a manageable level as you allow your gaze to wander over the man in front of you.

"You think those SUVs and the people in them - those gunshots - they're here for me?"

Sighing, he nods stiffly, glancing towards where the door is still deadbolted and locked before once more turning to hold your gaze, a stern yet compassionate glimmer in his eyes.

But before Reacher can even utter a word, you find yourself being pulled to the floor, the sound of glass shattering coupled with a sudden barrage of gunshots flooding your senses.

"I think that clears it up!" He shouts over the ruckus, risking a glance upwards before ducking back down with you again, the ping of yet another bullet burying into the wall behind you reaching your ears.

The noise is deafening.

Dust from the already ancient plaster and paint on the walls is beginning to spread, a series of coughs wracking through your already trembling frame.

The winter wind is also howling through the now shattered window, pieces of the glass no doubt littered throughout your hair.

"Here's what we're gonna do," Jack muses loud enough over the noise, once more pulling you down with him, an arm shielding your head. "We go out the back window."