Jammed (Louis Tomlinson au)

Chapter Seven

I struggled to get Louis moving. But in light of recent events, I wasn't even sure if I wanted to anymore. All I knew was that Louis had turned green at almost the exact time the virus appeared in central park, according to Drew. It seemed so coincidental, but Rule #11 proved that to be wrong. There was never a such thing as a coincidence, so that worried me.

But in the end, which was only a couple seconds, I decided that I had to at least get out of the park. There were too many people around, and if Louis wasn't the carrier, then someone else was and the both of us were vulnerable. It was never a good situation to be caught in, especially with Louis, who in my mind was still considered a civilian. That is, if he wasn't a criminal already. In my mind, it was better to be isolated with a known enemy than to be out in the open for the unknown to act.

The problem with it all was that there were too many unknowns. My mind was still trying to process Louis' sudden sickness, and dragging him along while keeping a hand on my pistol didn't make things easier. He kept asking, through deep breaths and heavy coughs, what was happening and where we were going. I didn't want to tell him because I didn't want to worry him; it's the last thing you want to do when someone is already an easy target. I just told him that we needed to get him home; I was lucky that his sickness had given me a sudden alibi. At least, if there was someone watching us.

I didn't want to take Louis back to my apartment in fear of being followed. Going back to MASK was no good either: the criminal, whether Louis or not, could take immediate action there and possibly hack into the agency's main system. Of course I still had no idea what their plan of action was, but if they were looking for government secrets, like most hackers are, MASK would be a good place to start.

So, I had to ask Louis where he was staying. He told me the hotel's name, or at least something close to it. I noticed that he didn't seem to be getting any better as beads of sweat continued to drip down his face. They were no longer from the humidity and intense exercise. He looked extremely pale as he leaned practically all of his weight onto my right side. For a moment I was more worried about getting him to feel better than to make sure we didn't get shot. It was funny as I wondered which source of pain and death Louis would prefer at this point. If only we'd have a choice in that.

I knew the hotel he was speaking of: it was one of the most well-known ones in the city. Tons of celebrities and dignitaries would stay there; no doubt the company paid for it because it was so damn expensive. I'd been in it plenty of times; I'd killed three people in Room 326. But rather than focus on those gruesome memories, I grabbed Louis and quickened my pace only slightly. I didn't want to freak him out in any way, but I couldn't have him slowing me down any more. More time I stood waiting for him to catch up and recover was more time someone could ready their shots for us. Like I said, being vulnerable was not an option.

Somehow I got Louis to move at a reasonable pace. Sure, he still looked like hell, but some motivation convinced him that he needed to get home. I could at least assure him that he'd be safe in the hotel. Getting Louis somewhere to rest would be enough; a distraction for him while I dealt with whomever was behind us. It's be easy.

But if it was Louis that had activated the virus, then going back to the hotel was still a good option. It'd put us in somewhat of an isolated place, once we got up to his room. And there I could at least knock him out or something and call for backup after. Once again, it'd be easy. I felt my phone vibrating against me again- probably Drew. I hoped his call was just to make sure we were getting somewhere safe. I didn't have any more time to spare, so I didn't answer.

I saw the hotel as we turned a corner of the park, big and bright in all it's glory. I told Louis we were close and that seemed to help a little bit. I asked if he needed a break and he replied no, which was good because I wasn't planning on giving him one. All while we walked, I tried to focus in on the people around us. Most were unimportant, but I would hope that I could at least get a glimpse at who might be after us. It could've been anyone who made eye-contact, or was checking their phone, but whether they took any action it would at least give us a lead in the investigation later. That is, if I didn't already have the criminal on my radar- or clinging to my arm.