by order of the fucking peaky blinders

18

"Finn, Chris, are you ready?" Charlie calls up the stairs, footsteps coming down as she called. "Good Morning Char" Finn greets with a smile, "Morning, thanks again" Chris says. "Don't mention it, let me get my g... stuff, and we will be off." She replies and they nod heading out the door to wait until she joined them.

"Let's go." She says bounding out the door, closing it, making sure her gun and knife were hidden from Chris' view. "You forgot this." Charlie adds handing Finns cap to him. He'd only just gotten it for his 15th birthday. "Why does everyone wear a cap but you and your aunt?" Chris asks, "Polly thinks it's unladylike, and I don't like them, feel weird on my head." Charlie replies. "I've never been to Eversley." Finn says, "not a place a lot of people would want to live." Chris mumbles, "have you ever been?" Chris questions Charlie who nods. "Why?" He asks and she clears her throat awkwardly, "business."

"Did you sleep alright?" Charlie asks diverting the conversation, "yeah, ive never had my own room before." Chris replies with a large boyish grin. "What if he doesn't let us leave?" Chris asks sadly, and Charlie wraps an arm round his shoulders. "He will, okay. That's why I'm here. He isn't going to hurt you. You and Finn go and get your stuff, I'll deal with him should he say anything." Charlie assures. "What if he attacks you?" Chris asks, "then you 2 get out, go find Tommy, Arthur, John, or Scudboat. But don't try to come in. I'm a big girl, I'll be alright." She tells him. "Chris, it's fine. She knows what she's doing." Finn adds. "She got shot a few months ago, just sat up and told them to get it out of her." Finn chuckles and Chris looks at her in shock. "Youve been shot?"

"3 times. Left arm, right shoulder and my left thigh." Charlotte nods, "wow." Chris says in awe. "Your sister is awesome" he tells Finn, and Charlotte laughs. "She's also an idiot, who has no form of self preservation" Finn retorts. "The ones who truly die are the ones afraid of death." Charlotte quotes what Tommy had told her when he returned from war. "So you aren't scared of death? The nothingness?" Chris questions, "No, I'm not scared of it, but just because I ain't afraid of it doesn't mean I want it to happen sooner than it needs to." Charlie explains. "You do like living life in the fast line, don't ya? Always putting yourself at risk." Finn grumbles. "Stop being mopey. I ain't dead. Takes a lot to kill a blinder." She smiles shoving him slightly.

"It's down here on the right." Chris gulps as they turn onto his road. People loitering in the streets, all looking fragile and ill.

"Number 12?" Charlotte asks and he nods, stopping infront of his home. "Do you have a key?" She questions and he nods handing it to her, following her up the stairs with Finn. Putting the key in the lock, she turns it, pushing it open and stepping in. "What's the layout?" Charlie questions Chris quietly. "Bedroom, straight ahead, kitchen on the right, living area on the left." Chris tells her stepping over empty beer bottles, poking her head into the living room, she sees a sofabed, then bottles and rubbish on the floor, in the corner there was some drawers. Walking across the hallway into the kitchen, it was hard to see anything but an array of empty bottles, a few splotches of blood and dents in the walls, and a crack in the back door.

"Alright they're clear, start getting your stuff." Charlotte says and the boys go into the living room, carrying a bag from the Shelbys house to pack his stuff into. Creeping over to the bedroom, she opens the door with a slight creak, looking in she doesn't see anyone there. Sighing in relief she turns to go find the boys. "He isn't here" Charlotte announces, and she can see them both relax slightly, taking a bit more care in collecting the small amount of Chris' things. When they were done, they decided they were going to head out the back door to avoid the people out front. Those plans got changed when they heard heavy footsteps coming up the metal stairs. "Go..go home." Charlotte says ushering them out, "Charlie, it's stuck, can't open it." Finn says shaking the handle on the door. Hand on her gun she walks back towards the kitchen, see a large, beefy man stumbling through the door, seeing her he picks up a knife from the counter. "You, what are you doing in my house!" He yells pointing the knife in her direction, moving towards her clumsily. "You two, stay behind me" she instructs dodging the knife, as he slashed downwards. "Mr Murray. Calm down." Charlotte says ducking as he swipes the knife, kicking his legs making him tumble onto his back. "Get out my house!" he slurs loudly standing up using the wall for support. "Happily, just put the knife down." Charlotte says moving towards him slowly, but he doesn't instead he comes at her faster, trying to bring the knife down onto her but she catches his hand. "Boys, get out. Leave." She commands Finn and Chris, who hesitate but rush out the back door.