The Mansion (One Direction)

E I G H T E E N

littlethingss11 writing 2014 / updated 2017

Niall's POV

I missed.

For having been in this gang for years and having my shooting skills almost perfect, I am kicking myself that I missed. I feel the heavy air gasp in and out of my lungs, the stentch of blood becoming overwhelming. He moved as I fired. He moved and it all changed. Realisation is crashing and I feel worse that I have hit the person next to him. It was meant to be Ryder. I was aiming for his chest. The whole room is shocked silent. Louis' eyes widen. I know why. Everyone's eyes travel from person to person until we all lock eyes on the one who has fallen to the floor with blood pouring from his chest. Zayn.

"You should really work on your fucking aim, idiot," Ryder sneers at me. From the corner of my eye I can see Alex starting to wake up again and I nod at Liam help to her. Harry and I have ducked down to Zayn's level on the floor and calls for Michael in a panic. Zayn is gasping as the blood rushes from his chest and the corners of Louis' lips turn up. I'm the only one who knows about how much Louis wants him dead. It's revenge over his brother. I still remember that heist back in 2011. It was when James, Louis' older brother, was a part of Ryder's gang. James was almost like Ryder's second in charge and during that time Louis wasn't with us. The only reason we had the heist was because Ryder had kidnapped one of our slaves, so we went to get her back. That only led to an argument and a shootout, one of which was kill or be killed. That's how I ended up wounded and James killed from a bullet, which happened to have come from Zayn's gun. From there Louis somehow entered our gang one step at a time and eventually I knew something was different about him, he wasn't like the rest of us. It was after my relentless searching I finally found out his connection with Ryder and how his brother died. I kept it under wraps seeming as I didn't want to be the one getting shot as well, but the only reason Louis was here is to be close enough to have his revenge.

As I come out of my trance from the past, I crash into the chaos around me. Louis is standing in the corner practically waiting for the second when Zayn's heart will stop. Harry and I are trying to apply pressure to Zayn's chest. Liam is watching over Alex, who seems to be yearning for consciousness but the drugs still flow in her veins making her weak.

Alex's POV

I felt weak, so desperately weak, clinging to any piece of consciousness that I can. Liam is saying something to me to try and make me focus on him, but I just can't. The only thing I can focus on is what's going on behind him. Louis is there, so is Niall and Harry, bent down on the floor over something I can't see. Soon enough, Dr Michael comes running in and attends the unknown scene on the floor, while I lay on the couch.

Time slips by slowly as the scene unknown to me becomes known. Zayn has been shot, and to be honest... I don't know how I feel about it. He kidnapped me, slapped me, hurt me and locked me in a cell for two days, so I guess I have a reason to not scream for someone to keep his heart beating. Louis seems to be looking around the room curiously as if his eyes were searching for someone and as quick as that feeling rushed through me, Louis eyes lock on mine and our mouths worded his name in sync.

Ryder.

Where is he? I try to lift me head in desperation to know where he went, but I simply can't. It's not soon after our connected thought; Louis runs from the room in search of him. During his absence I watch as Zayn, now bleeding till his casualty, being attended to. There is so much shouting that I just want to block it out. Liam is still trying to talk to me, but my mind is drifting. My eyes start letting in more light. My fingers begin to twitch. What is Louis doing? Is Zayn dead?

I close my eyes in attempt to control my senseless thoughts and the rambled noise until I hear the click of a gun, which stops my thought process completely, including every sound around the room. My eyes flutter as light enters my eyes once again and I wince at the contact. As my vision is slightly restored I am witness to Louis pointing a gun my head. Fear strikes through my body as Louis hauls my limp body from the couch and into his arms; one arm looped around my neck, one holding the gun to my head. My body starts fighting to wake up.

"You make one move, she dies," Louis' voice is laced with venom and the other boys cower in fear, though I think the most scared one in the room would be me. I tremble as more fear spikes my veins as Louis presses the gun harder into my temple.

"Drop the gun, Louis." I hear Niall say pleadingly.

"No, I've been waiting for this. Too long I have waited to see a bullet through Zayn's chest. Too long I have waited to take Alex away from you all. She is mine and only mine." Louis proceeds as I continue to wince under the circumstances, but limbs feeling heavy. I can still see Michael on the floor trying to save Zayn as the other three boys watch Louis' every move.

"She's just a slave." Liam makes an offensive point.

"Oh, we both know that's not true." Louis says darkly.

"Where's Ryder?" Harry pipes in.

"Dead." Louis says simply and I can feel tears rolling down my numb cheeks, my whole body on fire from panic. Within a minute, Louis has me on his shoulder and although the hold isn't foreign, it still isn't comfortable. I hear a few "don't touch her" types of speech, but it doesn't stop Louis from sprinting from the room.

As my body slumps over Louis' shoulder my eyes search the ground. Soon enough I scream, as Louis was right... Ryder was dead, the blood falling from the bullet wound in his head as he pales, life being sucked from his core as he dies right before my eyes on the floor of the mansion corridor. I hear more shouting, but it starts to fade as we move away from the room where Zayn is dying and the last thing I heard is quiet.

"Zayn is going to be okay." Dr Michael's voice resonates in my head, but I don't think Louis heard as he continues to drag me out of the mansion.