Killing You (Ziall)

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Zayn nearly slammed on the brakes but then remembered that doing something like that would probably get both him and his boyfriend killed, so he kept his foot on the pedal. His hands shook against the wheel, making it quite difficult to steer correctly.

“N-Ni? Are—are you alright?” he asked, terrified of the answer and even more terrified to look over at the Irish boy.

When he received no answer after a few seconds, Zayn’s heart began to race faster than even the fastest Thoroughbred horses at the Triple Crown. “Ni?” he asked tentatively, his voice barely above a whisper.

Silence filled the car and a small sob escaped Zayn’s lips, ripping through the silence. He turned his head slightly, only to be met with a trembling finger and an extremely pale face.

“Niall! You had me scared to death! I thought you’d been hit, or—or worse!” Zayn wailed, the shaking of his hands not letting up in the slightest.

“Zayn,” Niall whimpered, his index finger wavering as he pointed to the older boy.

“For god’s sake, what!” Zayn asked. He wasn’t mad at Niall of course, only the tiniest bit exasperated.

“I’m fine, but… I’m not sure you are.”

“Niall? What are you talking about?” Zayn asked confusedly.

Niall said nothing, he only continued pointing a shaky finger. Zayn’s eyes followed the path Niall’s own pointed and it was only then that he noticed the small blot of red on his white t-shirt that was being enlarged with each blink of his eyes.

“Zayn?” Niall whispered, the tears evident in his voice. His breath came out ragged and shallow, as if he was the one who’d been shot. And in a way, he had been. Seeing the life being drained from his boyfriend with every drop of blood escaping made him feel as if he’d taken a bullet straight to the heart.

“It’s—it’s nothing, Ni. Just a scratch,” Zayn soothed, reaching his injured left arm across the centre console to squeeze the blonde boy’s hand affectionately. Luckily, he managed the manoeuvre with only the smallest wince that he hoped would go unnoticed by Niall.

When the younger simply grasped his hand like it was the only thing keeping his head afloat in the sea of trouble the two were swept up in, Zayn knew they’d be okay, no matter what happened. As long as they had each other, it didn’t matter whether they lived or died because they’d be together always.

“Just a scratch,” Niall repeated after a few moments of silence. Zayn was sure he was attempting to reassure himself that there was nothing to worry about, so he didn’t comment. After all, he’d be fine, right? He’d sustained injuries much worse and had lived to see another day.

Yes, but back then you were free to seek medical attention when your Task was completed, a nagging voice at the back of his mind rasped. Now you’ve the best assassins in England after your sorry arse and there’s nothing you can do but run and run until you can run no more. You’ll never escape them and you know it.