Never Alone

Ch.21

We sat at the food court with pizza and tacos. And a salad which belonged to Kankri. As everyone talked I couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to occur. Something that could tear us all into pieces. In my head I'm just thinking of all the possibilities of it being my imagination or paranoia, but I felt it everywhere in my body. I need to be on high alert, and i needed to keep my eyes open. I kept glancing back and forth to both sides of me, and would turn in my seat every so often to look behind me. It was so bad. I could feel the danger just rising and coming closer to us.

"Dave?" I turned to Karkat and noticed his hand gently gripping my shoulder.

"What's up?"

"You have been turning around in your damn seat for the entire fucking time we have been here and fucking tensed as shit. What the fuck is wrong with you?"

I sighed and looked up noticing that the others were also watching. Dirk stares at me. I looked st him.

"You feel it too?" He asked.

"Yeah..."

"Same here mate.." Jake says.

"Someone is watching us and if we aren't careful something could happen," I said. Cronus, Kankri and Karkat tensed up and stared at us. Jake had gotten used to sensing things more so ever since he moved in with Dirk and Bro. Which I'm guessing it was because of what happened. But it was a big help. After lunch we prepared to leave the mall, when I felt the hairs on my neck stand on end and the feeling of cold metal pressing against my head.

"Don't move...."

I glared and dropped my bag and lifted my hands. The others turned and paused.

"Turn around," I turned around and recognized the face standing before me. It was a face I haven't seen since the last meeting at Ronalds house. But I knew that we never ever got along when we talked. It was his brother. Terrance.

"Terrance..."

"So you remember me do ya?" He says with a sneer.

"Your brother put you up to this? Probably paid you to finish off what he started,"

"Not just that but you got the wrong guy in jail, realize we are all watching your every move," he hisses.

"So are we," I shot back taking a step closer so the gun's barrel would dig deeper into my skin. "So go ahead and shoot," even though he had his gun at me, something else didn't feel right either. From behind my shades, my eyes scanned the crowds around us, but I couldn't see anything but then I noticed a figure to the right hiding in the store. My eyes widened when I realized where the figure was aiming for. I turned fast, just to be shot in my leg. Another 'bang' echoes and when I look up to check if Dirk was okay, I see Karkat covering him and taking a hit to his side. He falls over to the ground hard as blood starts spilling from his wound.

"Karkat!!!" I ignored my leg and got up and moved to his side and kneeled to him and pressed my hand to his wound. "Karkles karkles stay with me please...."

"Fuck......"he coughs and looks up at me with a sly grin. "What's with that pitiful look asshole?.......trust me....?"

"Of course I do....I always have Karks..." I felt anger and sorrow rise as i held him.

"Then...k...keep...t..trusting me....." his smile fades a bit as his eyes close. Kankri was kneeling to him next panicking and crying. I turned to him and moved his hand to the wound to press on it. He pressed on it for dear life. Cronus stayed by him. I took off my shirt and teared it and wrapped a piece around my leg. Terrance stood there watching and laughing. I stood in a tangtop and scanned the area again. Terrance upfront. One to the right that shot karkat. Two to the left on guard and hands at their waist waiting to pull their weapons out. And I felt another pair of eyes behind us. Dirk stepped beside me and pulled a blade from one of his pockets and handed it to me. He pulled another one and held it tightly in his hands. I took my shades and tossed them aside.

"You messed with the wrong Strider. Prepare to die..."