"Solacie" - Overwatch OC x McCree AU

Chapter Thirteen

It wasn't morning when Zoie awoke, but it almost felt as comforting, just for a moment. She awoke to Jesse gently running his fingers through her hair, despite the panic that erupted from outside.
Zoie opened her eyes, the feeling of his fingers followed by the sound of sirens and a few muted shrieks causing her to wake up quickly. Not only that, but it felt as if she had only gotten three hours of sleep. She wasn't wrong.
She sat up with short force, Jesse then caressing the back of her head.

"What's going on?" Frantic, Zoie looked at Jesse then out the window at the spectacle of bright lights erupting from the streets. These weren't the same lights that the fireworks produced...they were the sparks from bullets. The reporter on the tv in front of Zoie frantically rambled on and jumped in their skin with every explosion heard behind them. The banner on the bottom of the screen read, 'Omnics Strike Again - 20 killed, 15 injured'. Shocked, Zoie's heart pace quickened as she looked wide-eyed at Jesse. It was Null Sector.

His gaze translated to attempted comfort and undeniable unease. Jesse spoke gently.
"I didn't want to frighten you darlin', but we gotta go."
Once he knew that she was fully awake, Jesse swiftly moved to the chair, grabbing his jacket and placing it around her shoulders, zipping it up to hug her body.

Zoie looked up at Jesse with panic written all over her face. He remained determined to get her to safety, and swiftly picked her up off the bed and into his arms.

Zoie held onto Jesse as he bolted out of the room. As he walked up to the door and swung it open, he immediately spotted a pack of Rogue Omnics raid the building's front door and pile into the hall from down below. It didn't take long for them to recallibrate and make their way up the stairs.
Thinking fast, Jesse knew they wouldn't have enough time or a safe enough plan to escape from the roof. He quickly closed the door and locked it before turning around to face the living room.
As he scanned the room, he tried processing a quick alternative. He could feel the timer ticking down in his head and it became harder and harder for him to think. His heart pounded in his throat and mutted his ability to hear.

"Jesse. Jesse!" Zoie called, glancing over her shoulder at the rattling door. The omnics were now on the second floor, and it would only be a matter of seconds before they reached the third.

Then a lightbulb went off. Jesse looked at the living room windows and rushed up to them. And as he covered Zoie's face, he braced for impact and kicked the window with full power, millions of shattered glass pieces cascading to the streets below. Zoie winced as the glass flew and the ear-piercing sound of the shattering discombobulated her.

Jesse quickly looked down at Zoie, his voice calm.
"Zoie, we're gunna have to jump. Climb onto my back."

Zoie obeyed immediately, jumping down from his arms and hopping onto his back with his help. Zoie had many fears and was often good at hiding her feelings about such. But her fear of heights was undeniable.

"Now," Jesse climbed onto the windowsill, balancing his body weight and Zoie's with his hands. He examined the street below as he spoke calmly. "Keep yer eyes open. When we near the ground, you need to leap off and do a tuck and roll. Okay?"

Jesse looked over his shoulder at Zoie and she looked back at him nervously. She nodded shortly. "Okay."
Jesse smiled faintly at her, kissing her head and then turning to prepare for the leap to the ground. He himself was a little unsettled. They may have been on the third floor, but there were plenty of glass shards waiting for him once he hit the ground.

Jesse started the countdown.
"On three. One, two-"

Suddenly, a hoard of the angry robots exploded through the door, half of them tumbling into a clanking mess, the others continuing their charge towards Jesse and Zo.
Zoie immediately whipped her head back, her grip on Jesse tightening. She froze as the wave of red-eyed robots came barelling into the room.