through your eyes

chapter 26:

I gazed deeply into her eyes, feeling as if time had stopped. Her soft breaths mingled with mine as I whispered, "I was too afraid... afraid I'd never drown in your eyes again. Too afraid of losing you."

We slowly stood up, but I instinctively pushed her behind me, shielding her from the danger ahead. Mr. Peter still stood there, gun pointed directly at us, his eyes sharp, I felt something dark rise inside me.

"You're done, Peter," I spat, taking a step forward, ignoring the deadly weapon in his hand. His grip tightened on the gun, his voice shaking as he yelled, "Don't you dare come closer!"

But I ignored his words. My feet moved on their own, each step bringing me closer to the danger. I didn't care anymore. I stopped right in front of him, pressing my forehead against the barrel of his gun. His finger trembled on the trigger."If you want to reach her," I growled, "you'll have to kill me first."

For a brief second, time seemed to freeze. Then, in a flash, I grabbed his hand, twisting the gun from his grip and knocking it to the ground. In an instant, we were locked in a brutal fight. I pushed him back with all my strength, slamming a fist into his stomach. He retaliated by hitting me hard across the face, the impact dizzying, but I fought through the pain.

We rolled across the floor I landed a solid heat to his face, his nose cracking under the pressure, but he kicked me hard in the side, throwing me off balance. We scrambled back to our feet, breathing heavily, glaring at each other like wild animals. I charged at him again, this time grabbing him by the collar and slamming him into the wall. His head snapped back with the impact, but he wasn't finished. He brought his knee up hard into my stomach.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sasha. She stood frozen, her face pale as a ghost. Then, she did something that made my heart stop. She bent down and picked up the gun. Her hands were trembling, and I could see her fear, but she raised the weapon, pointing it at both of us. My breath hitched.

"Sasha, no!" I shouted, my voice hoarse, but before I could say anything else, the gun went off.

 Mr. Peter screamed  as the bullet hit his leg. He collapsed, clutching his wound, writhing in pain on the floor. I rushed to Sasha's side, my hands immediately on her, pulling her into my arms as she dropped the gun, her entire body shaking.

"I... I shot him," she stammered, her eyes wide in disbelief, staring at her trembling hands. "What did I do?"

I gently cupped her face, forcing her to look at me, not the chaos around us. "You did the right thing, Sasha. You saved us," I whispered, trying to calm her.I grabbed her hand,and start running But just as we neared the exit, she stumbled, her face twisting in pain. She clutched her stomach

"Sasha?" I asked, catching her just as she swayed. "Are you okay?"

She tried to wave it off. "I'm fine... just a little tired," she whispered

My heart raced. I scooped her up in my arms, her body limp but still conscious. I ran, pushing myself beyond exhaustion. My muscles screamed, but I refused to stop. We reached the sixth floor, but just as we did, I heard heavy footsteps from the stairwell. My blood turned cold.

I pressed myself against the wall, holding Sasha close as

I peered down the hall. The sound of boots echoed louder and louder. Peter's men were coming, and they were getting closer.

My mind raced. The stairs weren't an option. The elevator was dead."Sasha, hold on," I muttered, shifting her weight in my arms. I spotted a utility closet halfway down the hall. Without thinking twice, I kicked the door open and darted inside, setting her down gently on the floor.

"Sasha, listen to me," I said urgently, kneeling beside her. "We don't have much time."

Her eyes fluttered open, her breath ragged. "What's happening?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

I glanced around, my mind frantically searching for an escape. Then, an idea struck me. I pulled out my knife and moved to the window. With one swift motion, I smashed it open, the cool night air rushing in.

"So, do you trust me?" I asked, turning to her with a soft smile, trying to calm her despite the chaos .She blinked up at me, fear flickering in her eyes, but she nodded, clutching my hand tightly.