RISK & REWARD ✔️

27 | 𝘪'𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶

EVERYTHING happens so fast. I'm staring at the tiny blade in the window for what feels like hours stretched thin; my heart is pounding in my ears for two reasons, though both of them have to do with Slade being here.

Grayson explodes into movement before I've so much as blinked. He's suddenly lunging at the window and ripping the shades up; the world is darkly lit by silver moonlight, and for what seems like a hundred miles I can only see cropped blue fields and a hollow night sky, reflected and cracked in three different directions thanks to the knife lodged cleanly in the glass.

Grayson shouts something that mildly resembles a curse — and then there's the single crack of a gunshot as he shoots a hole clean through the window, splintering it a thousand times worse.

"Watch her!" he orders, addressing Hawk as he spins on his heel and rushes out into the hall, footsteps thundering as he roars towards what I assume is a door. Hawk just stumbles back, staring after his retreating back with wide eyes. Neither of us move; the slam of a door downstairs has us both flinching, and it takes me a moment to realize I'm standing.

Hawk's head snaps around, eyes meeting mine. He doesn't speak — I don't think he knows what to say.

Neither do I.

The hail of gunshots outside makes a hard shiver run down my spine. Grayson's yelling, though his voice is so hoarse that I can't make out the words; they float over the empty fields and off into the horizon rather than up to me.

"We're going to the other room," Hawk says suddenly, stumbling backward. "Come on. Come on!"

I can't. I'm rooted to the floor; my phone is burning cold against my thigh, still and static. Slade's outside, somewhere, and I don't know where and I don't know if she's alive and I have to get out, I have to get out.

I have to stall for time. In the middle of everything; a barrage of gunfire outside, Grayson's manic wailing, Hawk's repeated demands to go, go, just go, I have to stall.

"It's not safe," I gasp out, breath stuttering when my phone threatens to slip down the leg of my shorts into Hawk's view. "I don't want to go out there if — he's shooting and she's got a knife and —"

Hawk looks frantically between me and the shattered window. "It's not safe in here either! I know Gray's..losing it, but I," and he pauses, shaking his head, "I'm not trying ta get ye hurt, I'm trying to help ye, I won't let him shoot you, just...we need to go, now, now!"

I shake my head furiously in response. There's too much going on and I'm so close to salvation but I need him gone and I need a minute to talk to Slade because I don't know what's going on, I just know she's here, and, and...

"I don't want to go out there if she's inside," I manage, looking to the open door. "I don't want to get hurt, I...I..."

Hawk sets his jaw. Breathes once, twice, hard.

He looks to the door.

"I'll check it," he says, turning on his heel and making hesitant progress towards the door; and oh, I hope she isn't, because the poor guy looks one distant gunshot from passing out from fear alone. He's gone white as a sheet; still, though, he barely pauses before he presses on, glancing out into the empty hall.

Left. Right. He takes another step.

My phone falls out of my pants as I slink up behind him, quietly nudging the drawer of shelves open.

I grab the armful of clean clothes he'd brought me.

Hawk steps fully into the hall. He pauses, listens, and turns around to tell me it's safe.