Protecting One Direction

Chapter 38 - Regret and Closure

*Grace's POV*

A few minutes before

"Now pretend you still have the ropes on," Kathlyn told us just before Dakota could see what was going on.

"Go!" She whispered, creeping out.

I turn to see Harry staring at me. We exchanged little nods to hop onto Kathlyn's idea of still being tied up.

"What is it are you doing this time?" Dakota entered.

"Was just tightening their ropes, it got a tad bit loose." This time it sounded as if she practiced it a couple of times. She curtly smiles back at Dakota.

A group of people suddenly came rushing in by some bulky men. They involved the boys, Chelsea, Pete, some other celebrities. Among them that stood out was Ed and Taylor. Since when did they get caught?

"Harold?!" Ed yelled, trying to advance closer but was stopped by Dakota's henchmen.

"Now let's commence this slaughter streak, shall we? Two heads are always better than one, right?" Dakota said in a sly tone. She started to face the huge group of audience.

Kathlyn quickly pulls out the shotgun in her back pocket and points it to Dakota's head. She slowly turns around, peeking to see who was doing such act.

"What are you doing, Kathlyn? Put the gun down, we can talk this through," she persuaded through gritted teeth.

"I had enough, Dakota. Being your sidekick sucks, especially when you wanted to put my father's life on danger! And turns out, you killed him. Now it's your time to die!" She sobbed between words.

'No, no, no. Dakota can't die,' my conscious tells me.

But why am I feeling this way? She deserves it right? She is literally killing innocent lives because of me. Maybe I'm the one that should die..

"Who told you that? That person is lying!" Dakota screamed with much detailed gestures.

That's it. I'm doing it.

"Doesn't matter!" Kathlyn shouted, loading the gun. "You are killing innocent lives for goodness sake! Stop being such a cruel bitch!"

I leap forward for the gun that was left carelessly on the floor and pointed it to Kathlyn.

"What are you doing, Grace?!" Harry exclaimed, loosening the ropes that was around his wrists. He rushes to my side.
"I thought we'd agree on trusting Kathlyn!"

"I am. I just thought you wouldn't agree on this," I honestly replied to him by pointing the gun to my forehead.

"Grace, no.. don't do this, in front of everyone," Harry shivered with his words.

"So you think I should do it? Just not infront of everyone?" A tear started dripping down my chin.

"I'm the one who started this. I'm the one that was the reason why Dakota did this. So if Kathlyn wants to kill Dakota, kill me instead. I made her like this, so I should be the one paying the damn price!" I yelled but at times choked on my words.

"What are you talking about? You would never even hurt a fly," Niall spoke out from the crowd.

"When I was about 14, I got a job way before this protecting stuff. I was babysitting Dakota's baby and I let my uncle's men kill that baby.. I shouldn't have.. let them do that.. Look where it got me," I explained, avoiding eye contact with everyone except Niall. I couldn't stop the lump in throat and the constant tears flowing down.

"Everyone, I'm sorry."

I closed my eyes to the darkness for the fast but painful death. But I didn't feel the bullet rushing through my head, like I always thought it would be. Turns out, the pain's source was on my right foot.

I felt the excruciating burst of pain as the blood flowed out my converse shoes. As soon as I got shot in the foot, I see Harry's body right in front of me, he was standing still but had inconsistent breathing. Did he just save my life, from my inevitable death?

I stood there astonished at what he had just done for me. Niall also rushes forward from the crowd, trying to stop me from killing myself. But as you can see, Harry stopped me before he did.

"So who's it going to be, love?" Dakota's voice rang in ny head as I came back from thoughts-ville.

At first, I was stunned, but when I see the two people I love was standing in front of my eyes, taken capture by Dakota, I realised I had to save only one.

So that's where the warning my dreams were telling me. My parents just wanted me to be safe, that's all.

Looking the unconscious Kathlyn on the ground, I realised that I could only fend for myself this time.

"What do want, Dakota?" I spat, trying regain my bravery. I was still a bit shaky from my last encounter with cowardice, but I trying my best to put up a unaffected face.

"I want you to suffer! Have we already established that?" She snickered, squeezing their necks harder. I wince.

"Then take me instead, stop taking captive of my loved ones," I try talking to her calmly.

"Well, well, Grace trying to be a hero? Didn't that not work out when you tried to save my baby?"

"But that's different. You made that baby a harm to everyone."

"What are talking about?" She asked, looking oblivious to my answer.

"I'm talking about Radioactive Baby Beatrice you made 5 years ago! Your little experiment of growing a villian?" Immediately, her cheeks turned red like cherry tomatoes.

"Choose now! If not I'll harm both of them this instant." She quickly diverts the topic.

"So it is true." One of the henchmen questioned her. "Was that my baby?"

"There are many 'Beatrice's in the world, Nolan." She snaps back.

"Don't trust her," I told the tall hispanic man. "She manipulates all. She can't love at all. You've seen her kill even her sidekick's father. She is capable of doing anything."

"Let's get her!" Another Irish man yelled, charging towards Dakota.

As she panicked, she lets go of the both of them and accidentally loads the gun, aiming directly towards the two guys having their mini hugging session.

No, not this time. I jumped towards them, and it felt surreal. It was just in a second that I was already shot.

I closed my eyes as the pitch darkness enters my vision.

Goodbye world.

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uhm that's harsh

sorry for late update blegh im a horrible person

btw check out my new 5sos fanfic, hijacked! posting first chapter very soon

byee world ;)

-Hannah ♥