Runaway ~ TUA

Chapter 8

Taya quietly snuck around the house, looking for anything that could be helpful. She looked around, as she entered a random bedroom. It was a fairly plain bedroom, double bed with a bedside table and a dresser, a few paintings on the walls, a single window and a vase of flowers on the dresser.

The teenager noticed some papers on the dresser and she slowly walked over to them with a furrowed eyebrow of confusion and slight curiosity. She picked one up, an unopened envelope. She opened it and began to read through it, it was just an electricity bill.

"Guys, you better see this!", Allison called, not too far from where Taya was and she quickly ran over there, not realizing that she was still holding the electricity bill. Allison was in the attic, Taya looked around, there was a whole shrine of her mother and her uncles. Photo's, figurines, everything.

"All our faces are burnt off", Allison said as Five and Diego looked at what she was showing them.

"This is so creepy", Taya breathed as she looked around the small attic again, "This guy's got some serious issues."

Allison held one of the figurines in her hand.

"This was never about Viktor", Allison realized, "This was about us." Allison looked at Diego and Five. Taya swallowed nervously and Five seemed to collapse, groaning and seemingly wheezing.

Taya, Allison and Diego knelt down and Allison lifted his shirt, revealing a bullet room and a chill went down Taya's spine as she froze in place, staring at the wound. She didn't know what to do, she quickly began to look around for something she could use to help apply pressure to help stop the bleeding.

"Why didn't you say anything?", Diego asked.

"You have to keep going", Five replied weakly, "So... close." And with that, Five went unconscious. Taya finally managed to find what looked like an old rag. She quickly used that to apply pressure to the wound.

This was a moment where she was thankful to have taken a course on medical aid.

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Allison and Diego rushed into the Academy as the carried Five, Taya right by them as she made sure that the rag stayed on the wound as she continued to apply pressure to the bullet wound.

"We should have taken him to the hospital", Allison hissed as they walked.

"A kid with a shrapnel wound might raise some questions", Five replied in a tired, hoarse voice as they entered the family room, Taya's hands were covered in Five's blood.

"Yeah, well, so does the murder shrine in Harold Jenkin's attic", Allison told him as they placed him on the couch, Allison took off her jacket to replace the bloody rag that Taya had been using for the time being.

"He's still losing blood, what do we do?", Taya asked, concern in her voice as her mom gently removed Taya's hands from the rag before she took the rag off and started to use her jacket instead.

"We gotta get the shrapnel out", Diego replied, he seemed to have noticed something because he began to walk out of the room.

"Diego, where are you going?", Allison questioned as she looked at her brother.

"Mom?", Diego asked, ignoring Allison's question as he stopped at the stairs.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Grace managed to save Five, Diego, Taya and Allison stood at the door of his room as Grace continued to tend to him. Blood still stained Taya's hands, Allison hugged her from the side, rubbing her arm to comfort her daughter.

"Anything?", Diego asked, checking to see if Viktor had answered Allison's phone call. Taya stayed quiet as she watched what was happening in front of her, zoning out.

"You okay?", Allison asked Diego, pulling Taya out of her trance as she also turned around, Diego looked at the two people behind him before he nodded.

"Yeah, he sighed before his eyes averted back to his robot mom, "I don't know, it's just surreal seeing her. I just want to tell her that I'm sor..." Diego went quiet, not finishing his sentence and Taya looked up at him with a confused look.

"We don't have enough time. We gotta go", he said, changing the subject as he turned to walk away but Allison grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"I don't know, Diego", Allison told him, "Five is laying there unconscious, we need him."

"We can do this ourselves", Diego answered.

"We did that already, remember? We all ended up dead", Allison reminded, "I don't know I'm just... I'm thinking maybe Taya and I should go and see Claire before –"

"You and Taya can't run away from this, Allison", Diego interrupted, "That's what started this whole mess in the first place. Luther was right." Allison gave him a look with a small smile on her face.

"I didn't think I'd ever hear you say those three words", she told him with an amused look on her face.

"Yeah, well... we gotta stick together", Diego admitted and Allison crossed her arms over her chest.

"Where do we start?", she asked.

"There's no other addresses in the file, but there is another relation listed", Diego began, "Jenkins' grandmother. She lived near Jackpine Road." Diego began to walk down the stairs, Taya and Allison followed him.

"You think he might have taken him there?", Taya inquired as she also walked down the stairs.

"It's a good enough place to start", Diego replied.

The three of them exited the house, Allison going through the file as Taya sprayed water over her hands with a water bottle, washing off the blood as her, her uncle and her mom continued down the street. It was late at night and not many people were outside. Taya and Allison began to walk in the direction of where the car had been parked.

"Nope, this way", Diego told them as he started walking in the opposite direction.

"But the car is this way", Allison said as she pointed behind them.

"Just trust me", Diego told her and Taya as he continued to walk, he sounded serious as he seemed to speed up his walk a little bit.

"What is going on?", Taya asked him as she walked next to him, Allison on his left side, Taya looked behind her and saw a few cars, they seemed to be following them.

"They're here for me. Uh...", Diego began, "They think I did something."

"What do they think you did?", Allison pressed, she sounded a bit nervous and confused as to what he was getting at. The cars seemed to get closer and Taya gripped the switchblade in her hoodie pocket, hoping, praying that she wouldn't have to use it.

"Murder", Diego answered as the sound of a cop siren whooped which caused Taya to jump before she looked at her uncle.

"Did you?", Allison asked.

"No, no, no, of course not, kid, okay?", Diego replied, "Why would you ask that, anyway?"

"You do carry knives around everywhere", she replied as the trio continued to walk, pretending that they didn't know that the cops were behind them, which there was no point because of the fact Taya had gotten caught off guard with the siren.

"Yeah, okay, we're gonna have to split, okay? I'm in charge", Diego said as they continued, "Remember? Viktor needs you. Both of you." The police sirens soon began to wail as the cars continued to follow the group, Allison, Taya and Diego stopped and looked at each other.

"Don't do anything stupid, okay?", Allison told him before Taya gave him a short hug, quickly following her mom after she pulled out of the hug.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Allison and Taya sat in the car and it started to pour with rain as Allison drove the car to where Harold had supposedly taken Viktor. Taya was fast asleep in the back, she shifted a bit as the rain continued to fall, making a pitter-patter sound on the window.