𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝘀𝗵𝗲𝘀 ~ 𝗞𝗹𝗮𝘂𝘀 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘃𝗲𝘀

~ Chapter One Hundred Ten ~

As the bullets zoomed past his and Dusk's heads, Klaus crouched down further, trying to stay as low to the ground as possible. Shit, it's them! They're back! How did they find us?! Klaus internally panicked. For a brief second, he looked up at his wife, and amid gunfire and the assailants getting closer, their options and methods of escape were quickly beginning to dwindle. "What do we do now?" Viktor yelled over the noise. "Well, the way I see it, we either fight back or die," Five answered. "You forgot option three!" Klaus pointed out. Without warning, he darted out from behind cover and ran down the hallway, vowing never to look back. "Klaus, what are you doing?!" Victoria called after him. "Get back here, boy!" Reginald ordered.

But their voices faded the more bullets pierced through the mansion's walls. Klaus's heart pumped with adrenaline, but as he continued running and turned the corner, he quickly realized there was no door at the end of that hallway. And with no door, there was only one way to get to safety. Without a second thought, Klaus flung himself out of the window, covering his head as the shattered glass rained down on him. When he opened his eyes, he was greeted with the chiseled and dark stones of the path leading into the back garden.

Did I really do that? The continued gunfire pulled him back to reality, and it sounded as if they were getting closer. "Gotta run, gotta run!" Klaus muttered as he jumped over the bushes and climbed over the stone wall into the woods. But no matter how far he got to safety, the looming feeling of dread sat at the bottom of his stomach. The tiny voice in his head screaming and chastising him for his decision. What if you left Dusk and your baby to die? How could you live with yourself?

"No! They will make it out of this!" Klaus denied. "She'd never let a few bullets take her away from me!" The voices only continued to torment him the more he ran through the woods. For hours, he kept running, letting his feet take him as far as they would let him. But as he found himself on one of the busy street corners. His bones ached, and he feared just one more step would send him toppling to the ground in pain. As the cars continued to pass him, Klaus stuck out his thumb, shivering as the winter air grew colder around him.

"Come on, I'm freezing!" he whined, nobody cared enough to pull over. He switched arms, waving his right like it was a flag. Eventually, a black two-passenger car slowed to a halt, the window rolling down just an inch. "You need a ride?" A deep male voice asked. "Yes, please! It's freezing!" Klaus nodded. The passenger door unlocked, and the driver reached over to open it. Without hesitation, Klaus climbed in, immediately cranking up the heat. The black-haired middle-aged man looked at him with brief surprise before turning back to the road.

"So, what's got you out here alone so close to Christmas?" The driver asked. "Oh, it's a long story. My family and I got split up. These weird guys were shooting at us!" Klaus sighed. "Why would they shoot at you?" The driver inquired. "Who knows? One minute we were meeting up with Dad and his new family, and then BANG! Bullets and gunfire every which way!" The driver squinted behind his thick sunglasses, with a hint of worry and suspicion. "You weren't followed, were you? Cause I don't want to deal with some assholes,"

"I don't think so. I ran through the woods for hours. I just hope everyone else is alright," Klaus pressed his forehead against the window, slightly banging it with regret. "So, where are you heading now?" The driver questioned. He couldn't go back to the mansion, who knew if the gunmen were still there, breaking every window and stealing as many valuables as they could. But where was everyone else heading if they managed to make it out? Klaus's stomach began to churn, he hadn't thought that part out.