She's Too Naive

Chapter 38

Surprise! Here it is...

I woke up and it was dark. I must have slept for a while. It took a few moments to see the face above me, green eyes wide and staring.

"Ellie?" Rosen's hand was on my arm, shaking me.

"I'm up," I grumbled, wanting to roll over and burrow further into the pillows.

"Get up, we have to go," Rosen's tone of voice made me sit up hurriedly. He sounded frantic, he sounded afraid. I was awake instantly, throwing back the covers as I stood up on shaky feet, Rosen steadied me with his hand on my upper arm.

"What's wrong?" I asked, my heart racing as I looked around for Cole, noticing him loading up a gun.

"The Def are here," Rosen replied, pulling me along. He swiftly shoved a sweatshirt over my head, before making me sit on the bed as he began slipping on my shoes. Everything was moving so fast I could barely keep up.

"How?" I managed to spit out, my throat dry and my heart thumping the blood through my veins. My ears were ringing and it felt like every breath I took was a struggle.

"I don't know. I don't know," Rosen muttered, shaking his head.

That's when I heard the first gunshot. The sound echoed down the hallway of the hotel. I jumped in surprise, gripping onto Rosen as I stood up. The whole hotel was suspended in silence.

Then, the screams began. They grappled my heart, squeezing and tightening my chest with every decibel emitted. I had never heard such a horrid sound in my life.

I wanted to cover my ears, but there was no time as Rosen grasped my arm, pulling me along with him as he started to shove a mixture of weapons into his clothes.

Holding up a small gun, I noticed the silver of the trigger shimmer in the thin light, he showed it to me. I couldn't help but flinch when the cool medal pressed into my palm. Absently, my thumb ran across it, feeling the smoothness added to each individual bump and crevice that made this invention deadly.

"This is loaded with a clip already, but it might not be enough. There isn't a safety, so just pull the trigger. Don't hesitate," Rosen guided me, pointing out each individual feature as he went.

"I can't shoot this," I answered, my eyes wide as my heart whooshed in my ears. The screaming became background noise.

"Yes you can Ellie," Rosen said, his eyes meeting mine through the blackness in the room. "You have to,"

"Don't leave me," I begged, horrified at the idea of having to flee on my own.

"I won't," he promised, drawing me into his arms. The loud booms of guns going off intensified, and it almost seemed as if the screaming had slowed. I pushed my face into his chest, breathing him in and attempting to calm myself down. I was afraid that fear would paralyze me and I wouldn't be able to move.

"Rosen," Cole warned, looking fearful himself as he stood near us. Rosen pulled away, and I instantly craved for his warmth to return.

"Let's go." I watched before my eyes as Rosen transformed into a soldier. No, not just a soldier, a leader. "Ellie, stay behind me at all costs. Cole will have our backs," he instructed. Cole patted my shoulder with his free hand, letting me know he was there.

Rosen reached back and squeezed my free hand with his, before reaching for the doorway. I clutched the gun in my hand, sure that my knuckles were white as bone.

The door creaked open as Rosen slowly entered into the hall first, me right behind. I followed the red carpeting all the way down the end of the hallway, aware of the eerie silence that now overtook the hotel. The flooring creaked with every step we took, groaning as if sending out a signal to the Def telling them of our whereabouts.