Midnight Memories

t w e n t y // t h r e e

"The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist." - Jim Moriarty.

When I finally opened my eyes, I immediately wished that I hadn't.

Next to me, Louis was unconscious, a trickle of blood coming down from a gash in his forehead. I myself didn't feel any pain, but that didn't mean I wasn't injured.

Suddenly, the door on my side was opened, and a large hand reached out and grabbed me, slamming me down on the pavement.

I could taste blood, but I tried to remain calm. That was at least until whoever had done this pulled a gun on me.

"Who are you?" They yelled. "Don't move, just answer."

"Stella, Stella Parker." I stuttered.

"What do you want?" They yelled again.

"We, we just wanted to talk to John Avery! We know him, we need his help!"

"Who's the guy in the car?" The man pointed to Louis with his gun.

I crawled onto my hands and knees. "Louis Tomlinson, he's a very famous singer. He knows Avery, if you would just go get him-"

"Did you say Louis Tomlinson?" The guy cut me off.

I nodded feverishly. "Yes, yes, that's what I said." 

He lowered his gun. "Come help me get him out." 

I almost screamed in relief, pushing myself up from the ground. I followed the guy to the driver's side of the now totalled Range Rover, where Louis' eyes were just starting to flicker open. 

The man opened the door, unbuckling Louis' seatbelt and pulling him out. Louis was looking around incoherently, like he couldn't remember where he was. "What the fuck is going on?" He mumbled.

"I'm going to fucking kill you, that's what." The guy said, forcing Louis onto his knees and pressing the gun to his head. 

I screamed. "No! What are you doing!" 

"This little punk is the reason we've been hiding away in this shithole for months. He deserves to die." The guy said, cocking the trigger. 

For a guy who was about to be shot, Louis was strangely calm. "You're not going to kill me." 

"What do you mean i'm not going to kill you?" The guy looked confused.

"How pissed do you think Avery is going to be if he knew you had Louis Tomlinson and Stella Parker alive and you didn't even give him the chance to watch us die?"

The guy lowered his gun. "You're right. I'll take you to the boss."

I sighed in relief, although I knew it was only temporary. Louis got up off the ground, and I could tell he was absolutely infuriated. I shot him a warning glance, letting him know to keep his temper in check, at least for now. This guy had a gun, and he mostly had buddies that did too. I was not about to die today.

We silently followed the guy down the gravel driveway and up the stairs of the front porch. The two German Shepards perked up, but the guy growled "Down," and they flopped back onto the wood.

He threw open the door. "You two go in first, so I can make sure you don't run away."

Louis rolled his eyes. "We're the ones who came here. Why the hell would we run away?"

"Watch your attitude smartass." The guy glared as Louis and I walked into the house. It was falling apart at the seams and all the lights were off, making it a lot spookier than it should have been. "Follow me."