December 26th,
London, UK
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My boots stomped heavily on the wet pavement as I ran. I could hear them behind me but I didn't dare check how close they were. It would only slow me down. I turned a sharp corner into an alleyway and took cover behind a dumpster, grimacing at the smell. Trying to calm my breathing as much as possible, I heard them stop and speak in a hushed whisper. The alleyway was dark which I was thankful for. I tried shifting myself into a slightly more comfortable position and I must have done it loudly. They turned into the alley, guns drawn and I cursed under my breath, resuming the chase. It had started raining again and my hair was wet almost immediately. It hung in limp streaks and stuck to my face, but I had no hairband to tie it back. Sighing in resignation, I gathered all my energy and jumped up, clinging onto a retractable ladder. I climbed up and quickly pulled it back, hoping to slow them down. Now on the roof of a building, I glanced around, scanning my surroundings. Seeing another building nearby, I sprinted to the edge of the roof and leapt to the other one, rolling when I landed. Immediately hopping to my feet, I saw an open skylight. Not seeing them anywhere, I looked inside and found the building was empty. I braced myself for the fall and jumped down. It was then that I heard an alarm beeping.
"Oh, fuck." I hissed, running as fast as my legs would take me, down the stairs and out the front door before I triggered the security system. Out on the street again, I quickly checked my watch. It was three am, meaning I had nowhere to hide. Choosing a random direction, I kept running until I reached an apartment block where the front door had been left open by a stone wedged in the frame. Giving it a shove, I was sheltered from the rain and cold, at least for a while. I seemed to have lost them for the moment. Sitting on the steps, I took off my leather jacket, wistfully looking at the torn sleeve. Blood had stained the inside and upon closer inspection, I saw that my dark purple tank top had a stain too. My arm was hurting like a bitch but the bleeding had slowed. I sighed, wrapping my jacket around it tightly as I leaned against a wall and closed my eyes, not noticing when I had fallen asleep.
December 26th,
London, UK
Skylark Apartments
Angus
I woke up in Bon's arms, our legs tangled. It didn't seem like he was gonna let go any time soon but I was okay with that. My boyfriend was sound asleep, snoring softly. I twisted around slightly to be able to look at him. I still couldn't believe he loved me. I glanced at the clock on my nightstand and sighed, seeing it was still very early. I tried gently prying his hands away from me as I needed to pee and was feeling the nagging hunger for nicotine but that just ended with him holding me even tighter.
"'m not letting go." He mumbled and I felt a small smile creeping onto my face.
"You're not asleep, are you?"
"Yes I am, shut up."
"Let go, please, I need to pee."
"No."
"Why not?"
"'Cause, it's warm and comfy like this and I know you were gonna smoke in the bathroom. Probably blow it into the vents so I wouldn't be able to tell."
"You dick."
"Irritability. Symptom of withdrawal. Makes sense you'd want to satisfy your hunger."
"Congrats, Sherlock." I mumbled, smiling. "I'm fine. How about you?"
"Splendid. I'm not addicted, really. Hey, tell you what -- if you manage to do this, I'll make it worth your while." I could hear the smirk in his voice.
"Oh, yeah?"
"I can give you a taste of it now..."
"I need to brush my teeth though."
"Screw it." Shrugging, I allowed myself to enjoy it. It was just lazy kisses but I enjoyed being so close to him. However, before anything else could happen, Hope knocked on the door. Bon and I sighed as I told her she could come in.
"There's a girl out in the stairwell. Sitting in a pool of her own blood." I frowned, standing up.
"Is she conscious?"
"Barely." Bon sat up too, running a hand through his hair.
"Call 911."
"I tried," my roommate said, "but she protested. Said she was being chased."
"And you listened to her? She's delirious!" Bon exclaimed. Hope rolled her eyes at him and they had a glaring match for a while before she announced,
"She's got a gun."
---
The girl was the same one that saved Bon and I a few days ago. Hope was trying to convince her to go to the hospital but she was having none of it.
"What's your name?" I asked, sitting across from her.
"Harley." Her voice was weak but she was still smirking, as though she didn't care that she had a large gash on her arm. "Don't need a hospital. What I do need is some disinfectant, a needle and thread and some bandages. A rag and some whiskey will do, really." Bon sighed and walked to the bathroom to get the supplies. Hope walked over to the cabinet in the far corner and handed Harley a glass and a bottle of scotch.
"What happened to you?" I asked. Harley shrugged, unscrewing the bottle as she said, matter-of-factly,
"I got stabbed." I decided not to pry. At that moment, Bon came back and handed her the supplies. Harley poured some whiskey on the gauze and dabbed at the wound, barely flinching. When she decided it was clean enough, she threaded the needle and took a deep breath, groaning loudly when the needle pierced the skin. This continued until the wound was closed. Then, she tied the loose thread and took a large gulp of whiskey. None of us would say it but I knew we all thought she was awesome. "Thanks. I guess I owe you an explanation, huh?" I nodded. "Well, those bastards you met before plus a different guy, they got pissed I didn't have their fix. Not my fault my dealer was selling some cheap shit. Coke mostly cut with powdered milk, that's just fucking ridiculous. However, they had already paid in advance. They stabbed me, and when I realised someone fucked with my Baby, I decided to run."
"Your... Baby?" Bon asked, crossing his arms. Harley nodded, pointing at the gun clipped to her belt.
"Who was the other guy chasing you?" Hope murmured, intrigued.
"Evil bastard called Curtis Mitchell." As soon as she said those words, I felt myself going weak. He was back.
