Oorah - Salim x M!Reader [House of Ashes]

Chapter Sixteen

Salim can't find him. Why can't he find him!? There are too many paths, too many areas where (Y/N) could have gone. He can't hear him. Salim was worried. Silence was rarely a good sign.

He had seen some tracks in the dirt. Like something was dragged. Salim knew it was (Y/N). But the tracks had suddenly ended, leaving Salim with no clue of where to go. He kept calling out to (Y/N), but he hadn't received a reply.

Salim comes upon a bit of an open area. There are lights here, thankfully, and he puts his lighter away. He thinks of the previous group. They had set up all these lights, tents, and wires. What had happened to them? Had they found a way out? Or had they died here as well? Salim hears a noise. He freezes, raising his gun, ready. "Who's there?" He asks.

(Y/N) walks out from behind a pillar, hands up. "It's just me," (Y/N) tells him. Hell, (Y/N) didn't expect anyone to make it out of there. He wouldn't be surprised if Salim was the only other person left alive. He was surprised Salim was even able to find him. (Y/N) had been walking for a while. In, honestly, what felt like circles. Every path he'd been in led back to this one room.

Salim lowers his gun, prompting (Y/N) to lower his hands. "It's a relief to see you're alright," Salim says to him. He was worried. It had been so quiet... Salim had wondered if (Y/N) had died. But he was alive.

"Yeah..." (Y/N) whispers. Salim can read his expression. (Y/N) still doesn't trust him completely. There is still bitterness in his eyes.

"I didn't mean you any harm," Salim says after a moment. He's gone through this speech a hundred times in his head. But he's forgotten the right words now.

"I don't know, ambushing my team kind of says differently," (Y/N) replies, frowning slightly. There is still quite a lot of distance between the two. Salim doesn't want to get too close yet. He doesn't want (Y/N) to panic.

Salim pauses for a moment, trying to think of the right words. "That was Dar's doing. He wouldn't listen to me about the demons," Salim recalls, sighing.

"You are who you choose to follow," (Y/N) mumbles out. He couldn't remember where he first heard that. Years and years ago. It's the reason why he's bounced around from team to team. He refused to take orders from assholes.

Salim nods solemnly. "I never had a choice to follow him or not," He says honestly. "But in that moment, I did. And I tried to stop him from hurting you."

(Y/N) thinks back to the scene. Salim didn't shoot at all... He didn't even have a weapon out. (Y/N) wanted to smack himself on the head. Salim didn't betray him. (Y/N) was wrong. Salim can see (Y/N) thinking. He hopes (Y/N) is realizing the truth. (Y/N) is silent for a while. Until he finally speaks up again. "It's... good to see you too, Salim." Salim smiles at the other man. (Y/N) has his hand out. Salim walks up to him, shaking his hand. "I'm glad you're okay."

"We make it out together," Salim promises him, letting go of (Y/N)'s hand.

"Yes, sir," (Y/N) grins, chuckling softly. Salim loved his laugh. He loved his smile. Salim was glad they were on the same side again. He couldn't bear the thought of (Y/N) hating him. "Do you, uh, know if anyone else made it out?"

"It all happened too fast," Salim tells him. He thinks of the battle. Eric was being choked by that creature, Jason was nowhere to be seen, Dar was bleeding out, and (Y/N) had been dragged off. It didn't leave a lot of room for hope about the fate of anyone else. "I think it's just you and me."

(Y/N) nods. "At least we have each other," He shrugs. He hoped for better news, but... At least Salim was still alive. (Y/N) had seen him killed two of those creatures. (Y/N) felt safer with Salim by his side. "Then I guess we better find a way out before those things get us." The two begin to walk, searching for a way out.