The Second To Die

Movie Montage :Chapter 27

"What now?" I asked, holding the hatchet at my side while Audrey looked out the door. Emma, her and I were on duty here, Noah with Brooke and Kieran at another door. 

"We wait. He's bound to show up sometime." Emma said, pacing. Audrey shut the door, looking back to both of us. 

"Nothing." For a moment, our breathes stopped. Audrey stepped away from the door, going to stand beside Emma. "What if he doesn't show?" She asked. "He likes to pull the strings, not dangle from them." Audrey explained. 

"He'll show." I said, looking to both of them. "He won't be able to resist. So many lives to take in one place, so many lives that would hurt us the most, he'll show." I concluded, looking to either of them. Neither disagreed. 

"Okay." Audrey said, turning back to the door, just as it opened. Immediately, our weapons were up and, each of us were prepared to lunge. Only when I saw the rainbow hair step in did I shout. 

"Weapons down!" I rushed forward, pulling Hayden and Wes out of the way, however, Emma didn't discharge. My heart thumping wildly in my chest, I looked at Hayden who, gave me a small smile. 

"Hey, Vex." She said sheepishly. Behind me, Emma's phone began to ring, but I ignored it, looking to Wes. 

"What the hell is she doing here?" I demanded, Audrey watching from beside me. 

"She refused to even think about being left behind, I couldn't fight-" I reached out, slapping him across the chest. 

"Like hell, she could get killed, Wes! What the hell?" I shouted. 

"Vex, I'm standing right here." My eyes shot to Hayden. 

"Don't worry, I'll get to you." I growled. She didn't even flinch as she pulled a gun from her waistband. 

"We could all get killed. It's whether we do something to prevent it or, sit with our tails between our legs that matter." I glared at her. 

"Does Noelle know you're here?" I inquired. Hayden closed her eyes, shaking her head slightly. 

"I didn't want her to know." She mumbled. 

"Why? So you could play hero?" Rage was a pretty nice word for whatever I was feeling right now. 

"No!" She exclaimed, shock crossing her face. "I didn't tell her because I knew she'd come right along with me!" Confusion swept through me as I found myself at a loss for words. 

"What?" I choked out. 

"She would have come. Do you know how long it took to find you? How long she searched for the sister she didn't know she had?" Hayden paused. "Do you think that, if she knew you were in any sort of trouble, she'd run?" With a sigh, she stepped forward. "My mom has searched for you because she wanted you to be apart of the family. She wanted to fix whatever mistakes were made between your mom and dad. If she knew that we were here, ready to face down whatever threat is coming for you-" Tears spilled over Hayden's cheeks. "She'd jump in front of whatever bullet was coming your way. I can't lose my mom, so I'm here instead." Hayden's eyes didn't falter from mine. Nothing she said was a lie. 

"She can't lose you either, you need to go home." I whispered. She shook her head however, holding the gun out. 

"No. I'm going to stay. I'm going to help and, when it's all over, I want to restart. I want you to restart and give my mom a chance." There was no hint of demand behind her words, merely a plea. I hesitated a moment before stepping forward, encircling Hayden in my arms and pulling her close. 

"I will, I-" A scream shattered through the theater, causing all of us to jump. 

"Where'd that come from?" Audrey asked, rushing forward.