Alliance

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Fear cuddled around my stomach like a cat. The masked rebel held a shotgun in one hand as he walked toward us.

"Run," I snapped to Alec and Audrey. To their credit, neither of them glanced behind them, they just ran.

The rebel held up his shotgun and ran toward me, but I stayed put. My gun out in front of me like how Ben taught me.

The rebel shot the shotgun. The shot missed me by a good foot. I expected that. Shotguns weren't good for distance, nor could he aim correctly as he ran.

Standing still, I aimed and pulled the trigger. The small backlash of the handgun still spooked me as the bullet hissed to the rebel. The bullet buried itself into the rebel's knee. The man fell. I shot him again in the hand, forcing his shotgun out of his grasp.

I could have, should have shot him in the three spots that would kill him instantly. The neck, heart, or head. But I couldn't. I couldn't take that kill. Not yet. Even though he tried to kill me.

The three gunshots echoed in the hallway. No doubt someone had heard it.

I turned and ran after Alec and Audrey who were at the end of the hallway turning right. Behind me, the man screamed in agony over the wound. There were sounds of others yelling and running down the halls.

We had to get to the safe room. We needed to get there now.

But we were still far from it if I remembered the map correctly.

Shouting grew louder behind us. Alec stopped abruptly, opened the door beside him and pushed Audrey in before going in himself. I ran to it and closed the door behind me.

The three of us breathed heavily in the small...

Supply closet.

We were in a supply closet. A bare, dull light bulb on the ceiling gave us a very bad dim light but it was enough to see.

"What now?" I shot Alec in a low tone. We were stuck. We were not in a safe room. I checked the doorknob. No lock.

"Let me think," Alec shot back quiet.

On the floor, Audrey was trying to gather her breath. Her arms were wrapped around herself. She had decided to wear a white dress to the celebration in honor of the marriage and in this moment she looked like a runaway bride. Her eyes darted between me and Alec.

I pressed my ear to the door. Footsteps strolled down the hallway. Doors were being opened. There was muffled talking.

"Alec!" I hissed.

Alec quickly took the gun from my hand, he knelt down to Audrey and gave instructions. "This is the safety. It's on right now, to take it off it goes like this and this is the trigger-"

"I can shoot a gun," Audrey snapped.

"I'm going to throw this towel over you. You shouldn't be noticed. Don't say a word, don't move. No matter what happens. It is very important not to move. Do not use this gun unless you have to."

Audrey nodded and Alec threw towels over her. It hid Audrey so well that it looked like she was just a pile of towels that still need to be folded.

The footsteps grew closer.

"Alec!"

Alec straightened, he leaned into me to flip the switch to the light off that was behind me.

Next, it took me a moment for my brain to process what he was doing. Alec pushed me against the shelves, his lips on mine. His hands roamed my body. In shock, I tried to push him away but he pulled the top of my dress down slightly, a sting falling over my shoulder.