the rolling blues [l.s.]

chapter nine

It wasn't until they heard a gunshot that everything went haywire. 

Previously, they had all crammed into the van, with Liam behind the wheel and Art in the passenger seat. The back seats had been removed, leaving the space empty except for a pile of blankets on the floor and old Chinese takeout boxes rolling around. They'd been mostly silent, the only sound being Nora quietly explaining things to Louis and Niall in the back. Harry couldn't catch much, just a few phrases: "screwed us over" "exchange went wrong" "guns"

The speedometer ticked past 95 as they drove away from the pursuer, but Harry's jumbled thoughts raced through his mind faster still. He couldn't help but wonder what the hell was going on or who The Rolling Blues actually were. They were supposed to be some rock band, but the mystery of who they truly were was unraveling fast, and none of it made sense.

Suddenly, the van jerked violently as a sharp, deafening crack echoed through the air.

A gunshot.

"Shit!" Liam swerved hard to the right, the van tipping on its wheels before slamming back down. Everyone inside was thrown sideways, grabbing onto whatever they could.

"Everyone get down!" Arthur shouted. 

Harry ducked instinctively, flattening himself against the cold, rough floor of the van. Just as his elbows hit the metal, Louis was beside him, shoving him further down with a strong grip on his shoulder. "Stay down, Harry!" Louis growled, eyes wide with panic but filled with something else—something raw. His hand was shaking, his knuckles pale against Harry's skin.

Harry's heart pounded in his chest, the heat of Louis' body so close, his breath warm against Harry's ear. "What the hell is going on?" Harry hissed. But the look Louis shot him made his stomach twist.

"They're gaining on us!" Liam yelled, frantically glancing into the rearview mirror. Niall was rummaging through a duffel bag he produced from some depths of the van, his face set. He tossed something heavy towards Art and Nora—something that gleamed under the dim light of the van.

Guns. 

"What do we do?" Zayn's voice came in a panicked rush from the front, clinging to Liam's seat as the van jerked again. "They're shooting at us, man! What the hell are you involved in?"

Nora crawled towards the door, cracking the door just enough to peek outside and squeeze her gun-holding arm through. Harry closed his eyes as two loud bangs ricocheted from the gun, while Art shot at the pursuer from the front. 

"They're not slowing down!" Niall yelled as he peered through the back windows.  

Louis clenched his jaw as he rolled off Harry. With each move as precise and sharp as a knife, he grabbed something small and metallic from the duffel bag and made a move toward the door. 

"Louis," Art said warningly, "You don't have to---"

"They won't stop unless we give them a reason to," he said coldly, glancing back for the briefest moment at Harry. 

Harry's breath caught in his throat. "What the hell is that?" he asked, eyes widening as he saw the grenade in his hand.

"Insurance," he replied, his tone almost too casual for the situation. The wind howled through the open door, tousling his hair, but his hand was steady as he pulled the pin. 

Niall moved towards Harry and gripped his shoulder hard. "Oh for fuck's sake, Louis---"

"Hold on tight," he muttered, slamming the door shut just as the explosion went off behind them. The blast shook the van, a deafening roar that sent Harry's heart into his throat as Liam fought to keep control of the vehicle.