Treacherous

Chapter Fifteen

A shrill, high pitched scream causes me to awake in a hurry, slinging off my warm blanket. The cold air hits me at full blast, but I barely acknowledge it as I stand quickly. Honestly, I don't know what to do if someone comes at me right now. My fighting skills aren't up to par, and my disadvantage doesn't help at all.

Another scream pierces the air from behind me and I jump, only to then be met by Niall's Irish giggle.

"You're so cute when you're scared." I turn in his direction and scowl, suddenly remembering that he had been watching some scary movie before I fell asleep. Yet another scream resonates around the room and I cover my ears, desperate for the horrifying sound to stop.

"Okay, okay," I faintly hear Niall mumble before the television clicks off, the sound along with it. My hands get peeled from my ears by Niall, who now stands in front of me.

"I'm sorry for laughing at you when you were scared, but if someone had really broken in, what would you have done?" His tone is now serious, all traces of laughter from before completely nonexistent.

"Gone to you of course. You'd protect me, right?"

"Yes, but what if I wasn't here? What if I was knocked out or something?" The panic in his voice saddens me, and his hands grip my arms unbearably tight as he waits anxiously for an answer. No doubt there are certain events replaying in his mind right now.

"I would find a way to protect myself. If he was holding me I would nail him in the gut like I did to you at the hospital, but about a million times harder. Why are you so scared? Does this place not have a security system?"

"Of course it does, one of the best in the world." The thought of the security system causes his grip to loosen a bit, but it rears back up again as he says, "But nothing is 100% criminal proof. And what if it's in public, and I'm not there. What if-" I stop him by pressing his lips together with my fingers. He still refuses to stop talking, even if I can't understand a word he's saying. I'm guessing he's talking to himself more than anything right now.

Eventually he shakes his head, making my hand fall from his lips. "Stop that. And I'm just trying to warn you about stuff like this. I need to know you're prepared or I won't be able to let you out of my sight again. I couldn't live through seeing you like that again..." His voice quiets down to a near whisper as he speaks with a heartbroken tone.

"You won't have to. I'll be fine. If it happens again I probably won't live through it anyways. Not for a second time." I laugh lightly before realizing that that was a really, really bad joke. If it was even considered a joke at all.

His shaking hands cause me to panic as I quickly say, "Sorry! Sorry! That was the worst joke in the history of the world. I am so incredibly sorry. I didn't mean that, Niall. At all."

"D-d-don't say anything like that ever again. Please." He speaks in short gasps and my hands rush to his face, only to be met by an overwhelming amount of tears.

I groan, unbelievably upset with myself for being so stupid. "I'm so sorry, Niall. I didn't mean that, I promise. If it happens again I'm going to fight for my life with all I have, okay? I'm not going to leave you anytime soon." I lead us back to the couch and sit down, pulling his shaking figure down with me.

He moves so his head rests on my lap and he's looking up at me. My hands run through his hair as he continues to cry, no doubt revisiting the unbearably painful past.

His chest soon starts to pick up its pace as he begins hyperventilating, the memories becoming too much. He turns his head to the side, burying his tear stained face into my stomach as he grasps the flimsy material of my T-shirt.