Crimes Of Eregor I ✓

20 : The Real McCoy

(A/N: THANKS FOR 2.4K READS GUYS! Couldn't have made it this far without all the support and love❤)

Who would've thought that the enemy would show up right at our doorstep? Justin thought.

And of all people, the actual man himself.

Daniel Blackburn.

"You've been a bad, bad girl Gwen," he chortled, "escaping my grasp while I was away, eh? Did you actually think I'd never find you?"

Shots were fired across the hallway as they hid behind the walls.

"You can't hide from me forever, child," his laughter echoed across the hall.

It was pitch black everywhere and Justin's terrible night vision made things worse.

They couldn't afford to give away their position. Upstairs, he heard the shuffling of footsteps and the clicking of guns. Were those two awake?

To Justin's horror, they turned out to be Laurelai's men. Peeking his head slightly at the door, visceral fear surged through his veins, building up within him an uneasiness that he couldn't contain.

The curtain of security was undrawn: this was reality, not Eregor.

The danger they placed themselves in was real.

Gwen pulled out her Rubix cube and reshaped it into her M249. All Justin had was a measly pistol that would definitely not stand a chance against those men coming down the stairs.

More shots were fired, and the men tumbled down the stairs, reaching the foot.

"Filthy scums..." Sheila and Kei sprinted down the steps. "How dare you disrupt our sleep!"

❃❃❃

Gwen had never been so afraid of her father. She knew he was a lunatic, but having him hot on her heels this time and not anyone else was way more nerve-wracking than it should be.

Turn, and shoot. You can do it.

As soon as Gwen turned, she knocked into Sheila and screamed. "Good Lord, Sheila! You scared me!"

"He escaped while we were distracted by his men," Sheila let out a sigh. "Are you okay?" Sheila checked Gwen's arms to make sure she wasn't hurt.

"I'm fine, just a few scratches here and there." Gwen lied. Physically, she was okay. But mentally, she had just suffered a traumatic experience with her Dad.

To think what they said was actually true.

To think that he would actually lay fingers on his own daughter was unthinkable.

Gwen's hands were clammy and beads of perspiration trickled down her neck. She was breaking out in cold sweat, and her heart was racing faster than a bullet train.

Breathe, Gwen. Breathe.

Gwen felt heavy headed and came crashing to the floor on her knees. Her chain of thoughts didn't seem to end.

To fight her own father seemed so easy when it was just all talk and planning.

But execution-wise? She wasn't sure if she could handle it.

How long would I deceive myself that I wasn't the weakling I seemed to be? Gwen clenched her fists and grit her teeth as the thought sailed in her mind.

"Gwen, are you alright?" Justin squatted down beside Gwen and parted her fringe, revealing her tear-stained face. He knew, for Gwen's eyes reflected nothing but insecurity and fear—fear of failure, and fear of dying.

Both Eregor and reality could kill them for good. It wasn't safe no matter where they were.

Justin helped Gwen back onto her feet and wrapped his arms around her, embracing her tightly. "Gwen, don't be afraid, alright? We're all in this together. And I promise I'll protect you this time."

Gwen looked up at him and nodded slightly.

"We'll need to execute a plan tonight," Kei began, "we need to sneak into the basement of Gwen's house..."

"That's literally a suicide mission..." Justin turned away from Gwen and fixated his gaze on Kei. "God knows if her house is already guarded by Laurelai's goons..."

"Well, we still have Winged Assassins and Sanctuary apart from their smaller alliances in Eregor, whom we can always call for backup!" Sheila winked.

Gwen was hesitant. She had never gone close to setting foot inside that hallway again. Ever since the day that she got close enough to his other workroom and saw all the heaps of data and papers clustered across the walls, desks, and floor of the members of Siege and their alliances, with darts on those who had already been killed, she vowed never to go anywhere close again.

"You know what?" a playful smile crept across Kei's face as he smirked at Sheila.

"Don't you even—" Sheila glared at him.

"Since you guys are twins, we've got the best way to invade her house."

"What?"

"Sheila will sneak into the basement while Gwen acts as a decoy to distract her father and his men away from the house. As soon as Gwen makes the turn to the empty field approximately 2 km away from her house, Sanctuary and Winged Assassins will be waiting there to give them a pleasant surprise." Kei clapped his hands together as he spoke in an overweening tone, as though he was confident that this would actually work.

"And what about you?" Justin asked.

"I'll be accompanying Sheila once she gets in. You can stay around the trees in the estate and spy on the situation, and understand how it felt to be me for 3 years, ya know?" Kei guffawed and Justin rolled his eyes.

"And by the way, get Natasha to transfer our Siege-exclusive kinetic suits to reality."