All of You (Sebastian Vettel)

62. Hanging On

A/N:  ⚠️  this gets a bit dark. 

"Alyssa! Alyssa!  Wake up. Please wake up!"

Alyssa could hear Zoey's pleas but she didn't have the strength to open her eyes.  Literally everything hurt and her head felt so heavy.  "Alyssa, please.  I need you.  I don't know what they're going to do.  Please Alyssa, I'm so scared!"

Alyssa fought against the darkness that was trying to suck her in.  She knew she had to move.  She owed it to Zoey.  Thanks to her little sister she'd had the chance to speak to Seb.  Even if the police didn't make it here on time at least she'd got the chance to tell him she loved him one last time. 

Zoey breathed a sigh of relief as she saw Alyssa's eyes flickered open.

"Thank God.  Oh Alyssa, I thought he'd killed you."

Alyssa struggled up from the floor, pulling herself into a sitting  position.   She groaned as the pain tore through her head and her back.

"I hurt so much I almost wish he had," she said, giving a small wry laugh.  What the hell had he done to her?

"Don't say that! You hardly know me, why did you put yourself between me and him like that?"

"Because you're my sister and you're just a kid.  When I was younger our brother used to protect me.  Now it's my turn to protect you."

She hadn't even thought about the danger to herself. She'd acted on instinct to protect Zoey.

Zoey threw her arms around Alyssa and hugged her.   Alyssa winced. 

"Oh shit, I'm sorry.  Where does it hurt?"

"It's ok, I'm just a bit sore. My head hurts from where I hit it on the floor.   My back hurts the most but I'm sure it's just bruising. I'll be ok," she said, playing it down. "He didn't hurt you did he?"  Zoey shook her head.

"No, after he'd finished kicking you he just picked the phone up off of the floor and stormed out.   I could hear him shouting at Mum.  He's angry.  He's so angry.  I'm scared of what he'll do next."

"Help will be on the way. Seb would have called the police immediately after the call ended.  You are so brave Zoey. I can never thank enough for helping us."

"I just couldn't live with myself if I'd not done something."

"We just have to hang on until help arrives."

At that moment they heard a lot of banging and shouting coming from downstairs. Then the shouting got closer. They heard two sets of feet thundering up the stairs. Alyssa stood up.

"Get behind me," she told Zoey, bracing herself for Karl and Monica to come in, but they didn't. The footsteps passed right by. Another door slammed.

"Hurry up and get packed you stupid cow or I will leave you behind."

"I don't see why we have to go!"

"Because they'll be coming for me. That stupid little bitch took your phone and they called someone. Now I'm betting that someone is either Joel, Sienna or Sebastian, and that means the police will be coming. We need to get out of here. I'm going whether you are or not. You can keep Zoey. Alyssa and her brat are coming with me."

"If the police are coming it's over Karl."

"Not if you fucking hurry up."

A few minutes later they heard them both cross the landing and head downstairs again. They came up again, went down again. This happened several times. They heard more of the conversation.