OH MY DARLING! || LOUIS

10 | TWO MUSKETEERS.

JAMIE WAKES UP TO MITCH SHAKING HER SHOULDERS. Willy is standing behind him, the two wearing similarly worried expressions. She blinks the sleep from her eyes, as everything was still blurry. She groans and almost has half a mind to shove Mitch away but there was something in his expression that made her sit up immediately.

It was still the middle of the night, darkness blanketing over her lonely room. It isn't until a shiver runs through her that she realizes that it's raining. The heavy pitter patter of rain pounding against their already creaky building. Jamie is quick to reach around to pull on her sweater.

"What—" Her voice was croaky, a bit harsh on her dry throat. She lifts her hands, running it through her eyes in a weak attempt to wake up. "What's going on—?"

"Somethings happening outside. Marlon—" Mitch stops himself, sucking in a harsh breath. "Marlon's screaming about something. Its...Its serious."

That was enough to get her standing, any fatigue she was slowly shaking off had disappeared. She was quick to slip her shoes on and running out to the courtyard with Mitch and Willy trailing behind. The others were already outside, standing around Marlon and AJ.

Her eyes widened at the sight—AJ. Little AJ who she was just chatting with, pointing a gun at Marlon's direction.

"AJ, put the gun down!" Louis ordered, his hands raised in an attempt to calm down the younger kid. He's slowly approaching him from behind but AJ pays him no mind. The gun is steady in his hands, one squeeze and Marlon would be done for.

Her legs felt like jelly at the sight. There's a sour pit forming at her stomach, filling her with a wave of nausea. She doesn't know what she expected when Mitch said it was something serious but AJ pulling a gun on Marlon was far from it.

"Get this fucking psycho away from me!" Marlon yelled, taking a few ginger steps back but AJ follows his movements. Rosie is barking at the younger boy but keeping her distance. And Christ—the rain seemed to be getting worse by the second.

"Where is she?!" AJ demanded, getting closer. He couldn't miss now, not from where he stood.

She's trembling. Whether it was from fear or cold, she couldn't tell. Maybe a mix of both.

"Both of you, just stay behind me." Mitch grumbled as the three of them finally approached the scene. Jamie wasn't about to argue, letting her best friend take the lead with Willy beside her. She wraps her hand around Willy's, giving the boy a comforting squeeze. It was hard to tell if the comfort was for him or for herself.

"She's... she's in the basement." Marlon answered, pointing towards the general direction of the basement. He kept his hands up, just as afraid as everybody else. "Sh-she murdered Brody!"

The confession shocks everybody. Brody couldn't be dead. She just couldn't—and murdered? A wash of cold runs through her blood as Jamie sucks in a breath and doesn't—couldn't breathe it out. Brody couldn't be dead. Not with the way they ended things that night.

As if on cue, thunder and lightning flashes over their school. Wind picking up and Jamie has to use her free hand to push the hair from her face. It seemed to be enough to disarm AJ, at least for a little bit. A look of shock washes over the younger boy and he begins to slowly lower his gun. Not entirely, but just enough for Marlon to relax.

"What?" Willy takes a step back and she feels him squeeze her hand.

"Is that blood on your face?" Mitch questions. He sounds more worried than accusing but Marlon is quick to look guilty. His hand rising up to wipe at the side of his face. Eyes widening at the realization of blood. Blood that didn't seem to be his'.