Taking Chances (Niall Horan Punk Fan-Fiction)

Chapter Thirteen: "Convincing"

~Niall~

Her words echoed painfully in my ears, and for a moment I didn't know what she'd said.

Out of all the events that have happened to her, and with the whole gun experience - me personally scared out of my wits - I knew she was beyond stressed. She wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out. She wanted to scream and shout. She wanted to kill.

I cared too much to let her do that to herself, so I looked at her through the silence, still trying to let her words sink in.

"I'm going to turn myself into him."

Zayn, who I personally didn't agree with, kept quiet the entire time. He only ever said one thing, but he was still standing there. Ever since the night he had danced with Brielle, I wasn't such a big fan. Although after I talked to him about this - Harry's suggestion after realizing he was back - he told me that he only did it to make sure Brielle knew he was going to be around to help. It was like he was introducing himself to her; to the situation.

I shook my head of the thoughts as realization hit me. I almost glared at her for her decision.

"Absolutely not," I nearly growled. She glanced at me, her pervious glare of fury still evident in her eyes. Mind me being a guy, I couldn't stop the thoughts of the sexiness from overtaking half of my brain.

"Niall, it's no ones choice but my own," she fired back.

"Not if you can't go," Claire defied instantly. If anyone would be as defensive about the situation - besides me - it was Claire. Her best friend was putting her life on the line without a second thought, not even thinking about the aftermath when she was gone.

"Claire-," Brielle began, but Claire shook her head firmly. It was now her turn to be furious.

"I get that he destroyed your family, Bri. I really do. But you're my only family, damn it. Without you, I have nothing. You were there in High School. You were there before Harry. It was always you. My family. Do you honestly want to make someone else feel the way you've felt for half of your life?"

Brielle sighed, a bit in defeat. Though she was still set on her decision.

"Don't you dare walk out on me."

"Claire, I have no choice," Brielle shot back, almost angrily. "Carly Welsh, nine years old, was almost beaten to death. Left tied to a tree to die. Had they not gotten to her, she would've died. And Lord knows that poor girl wanted to die to escape the pain. Nine years old. I've torn myself up all damn day because I don't know what to do to stop it. Imagine how I would feel with you, or Harry, or Zayn or Niall died. Imagine it! I would torture myself just so I could feel the pain. I would grow numb to the point of never feeling life again, so death seems like a fun, exciting idea. If I don't do this, that won't be a theory; an idea stuck in my head. It'll be reality."

"We can find another way," Harry told her, honesty more motivated to change her mind than I was. I was still trying to get the idea of her giving her life in order to keep everyone else safe stuck in my head. But it just wouldn't, because I didn't want that.

"There is no other way," Brielle snapped just as fast. "This is it."

"Brielle, let's just think about this-," Zayn said, contributing to the conversation again.

"-Don't you guys get it?" she snapped, nearly shouting frustratingly. "This is the only way to stop him! He's a killer, a cold-blooded-brute who doesn't understand the meaning of family! Who never has! He almost killed a child for God's sake! there is no other way!"

"You can't just offer up your life!" Claire screamed.

The air around us was tense, filled with anger, frustration, worry, regret, determination, depression. Any displeasing emotion that a human could ever endure was swirling through the air we breathed, and I couldn't say it would end with a decision today.