Bête noire → Peaky Blinders [Tommy Shelby] [ BOOK 1 ]

Twenty five.

Chapter twenty five: Killing me softly

Eyes widened, breaths ragged and harsh. Her hands trembled at her sides and she jammed her fist into her mouth to stifle the scream. She'd heard it coming; the soft sound of its footsteps, like a threatening whisper. It didn't seem to come from any direction, just a sound that encapsulated her inside her cocoon of despair and hopelessness. She probably wasn't going to make it out alive. Her legs were frozen into place, so she crouched into a crawl and dragged herself towards the edge of the room, gasping and choking. She clawed at the walls with bitten nails and the already peeling wallpaper came away at once. Her jaw dropped in a silent scream of horror.

The enemy lunged at her, his hands latching onto her back. She struck the ground, hard, and lay there with a shrill. The brown in her eyes merged with black, coated in the thickness of dark utter fear. Without the strength required to use her hands as weapons, she booted him in the face and he stumbled with a yelp.

She took his surprise as the perfect opportunity to retrieve the rifle that fell from his hands. She hadn't used a gun, but today would be counted as target practise on the German soldier whose aim was to kill any Englishman. And though she wasn't who he expected her to be, she was still a threat to his country. She had to die, as did he.

When her outpost had fallen, she ran as fast as her legs could carry her. Without her army to rescue her and her patients, she had to save herself. Only sixteen, being in the midst of a world war was unfathomable, but the thought of taking care of patients whilst under attack was out of the question. 

Like she'd been told many times before, she can't save lives if she doesn't have her own. So, without further hesitation, she ran through the undercover base which had been exposed to the Germans and when night fell, she found a little cottage disguised in the trees. She knew she'd never be safe. For hours, she cried and kept hidden, but little did she know that she was being watched from afar. 

"Du Kleine Schlampe!"

Caroline had no idea what came out of his mouth through the blood spillage between his lips, but she reckoned it was provocative. She panted and backed away, sweating profusely and her tears poured heavily through her bloodshot eyes. She couldn't give up, not now, not ever. She wanted to. Tired and exhausted, petrified and anxious, still resilient. He crept closer and closer, the swastika imprinted on his suit that he wore so proudly was soon to be disappeared through his chest, for when Caroline absentmindedly picked up the rifle, she shot him.

***

Thomas rehearsed his lines over and over again. In his mind, he was coming up with an adequate apology to reconcile with Caroline. He knew he was out of order for trying to bribe Oscar into joining the industry. It was foolish, especially given their current affairs with the vengeful Irish.

Although Finn was a year younger, he'd been a Shelby his whole life and knew what it meant to be strong with or without another alternative. Oscar wasn't cut out for the business, but that didn't mean that he couldn't train to be fit for purpose. With his family values and the strength that surged through his veins, he was bound to become a dominant figure in the industry, much like his sister.

With the intent to buy flowers and shower Caroline with kisses, Thomas wouldn't. The appearance of a romantic would bruise his ego, but he also knew that she didn't take a liking to the finer things in life. The simplicity was bliss and he knew that she couldn't be bought, rather, the truth was an entry way into her heart, but the minute he neared the opposite front door, he heard excruciating yells. All thoughts brushed aside, he attempted to open the door without hesitation, but it was locked.