Broken Bonds and Stolen Hearts (discontinued)

Chapter 23

Louis felt his anxiety rise as they got closer to the hideout. The smell of fresh blood and gunpowder was lingering in the air, and it wasn't coming from him. It was coming from the hideout.

"Something is wrong. I smell blood," Louis stopped in his tracks, and Ian turned to look at him horrified.

"What do you mean?" Even though it was a question, it was in denial as Ian snapped his head back to the hideout and dashed to where his friends were. Louis tried to grab his arm and stop him, but he couldn't reach him fast enough.

"Shit!" he cussed as he ran after him, the smell of blood getting stronger and stronger. Did the traffickers find them?? Are they okay?? He hoped that it wasn't their blood he was smelling.

The closer he got the more terrified he felt. Louis didn't know what to expect, he was too scared to let his mind wander off to worst-case scenarios. He could hear some people screaming ahead. Traffickers.

They were yelling for each other to get help. 5... No, 6 people. There were 6 traffickers alive. Ian pulled the gun from his jacket and aimed at the one who was yelling, shooting him right in the head and killing him on the spot.

This made the other 5 look in his direction and rain bullets at him, but none of them managed to hit him as Louis jumped to where he was and pushed him to the side behind a wall.

"I got this, you need to find Tom and Ryan!" Louis breathed as he flinched when one of the bullets scratched the wall beside his head.

"Tom is right there," Ian responded, his voice was shaking and his eyes were wide open. Louis felt his stomach drop before he peeked his head and looked for Tom's familiar figure.

Louis felt his lips tremble once he finally found Tom, holding his bleeding stomach as he inhaled sharply, The side of his face was bleeding and his eyes were barely open. The traffickers were focusing their shots at Louis and Ian for now, which was good, but they needed to reach Tom and tend to him.

"I'll grab their attention. As soon as I am far enough, run for Tom and tend to him," Louis sneered as glared at the traffickers. His jaw was clenched and his veins were visible, his wrath was so heavy Ian felt his heart pounding against this ribcage.

Louis stepped from behind the wall and stood in the clearance for the traffickers to see. They all went quiet once they saw him, their hands shaking as he took a step toward them.

"SHOOT IT!" One of them yelled at the others, but it was too late when they snapped back to reality. Louis had already killed the one standing closest to him before taking his gun and shooting the others. It all happened too fast, barely a few minutes at most, but it was enough for one of them to throw a grenade near Tom and Ian before Louis got him.

Louis watched in horror as the grenade flew over his head and over to where Tom and Ian were supposedly at, he reached out his arm in a futile attempt to keep it away from them. Everything was moving agonizingly slow, even when it only took 10 seconds in reality. The grenade exploded right next to them, and the fragments flew all over the place, piercing through every available surface.

The explosion burned his exposed skin and the fragments scarred it, but he was able to recover quickly thanks to the virus. Louis's worries were not for himself, they were for Tom and Ian. He couldn't find them due to the smoke, but he still walked to where they were sitting a minute ago.

"No... No," he kept telling himself as he looked through the smoke, he couldn't smell their blood because the smell of smoke and gunpowder overwhelmed everything else. No matter how hard he looked, he didn't couldn't find their bodies.

"Maybe they managed to get away? Maybe they went to where Tom is. Let's search there,"   L said in his mind, giving him slight hope that he in fact didn't lose anyone.

Louis rushed inside the building as soon as he finished off the traffickers outside. He could hear Tom's grunt coming from inside one of the rooms, and he almost busted the door down in panic.

"Are you guys alright!?" His shaky hands were placed on the floor as he knelt in front of Tom, with worry written all over his face.

"H... Ha... Hey kiddo" Tom managed to chuckle the words out as he ruffled Louis's hair.
"what's with that... worried face? I though... Ugh... I thought you told Ian you weren't a good... Person," he tried to laugh, but the wound in his stomach wasn't doing him any favor.

Louis look at Ian for a moment, checking if he was good before sending him an annoyed look.

"Oh come on now, Don't give me that look," Ian mumbled as he kept his hand pressed against Tom's wound.
"There are sterilized bandages in the other room, alongside a first aid kit, can you bring them please? And make sure to check on Ryan and his daughter while you are on it,"

"Right... I can do that, okay," Louis frantically nodded before he stood up and half walked half printed out of the room. Worried that if he was a second late, Tom could lose his life.

His mind was going a million miles per second, and yet not a single thought stayed more than a fraction of second. It felt like he was both overthinking and not thinking at all at the same time.

What about Ryan? He wasn't outside... Maybe he stayed inside to make sure that his daughter was safe. It's a good thought to entertain, surely he's fine.

Yes, surely he's fine. Once Louis opens this door, he will see a completely healthy Ryan holding his daughter.