An Act of Chivalry (Sander Sides)

Chapter Seventeen

I followed Thomas and Roman to the top, panting by the time I got there. In the end, it was Roman who pushed open the roof door. The hero ran far more than I did. Running upstairs must've been like walking on air for the man.

I slipped past both him and Thomas, running out into the face of danger. No one was on the roof, but on a building rising only one floor above ours stood Deceit. Paying us no mind as he studied the elevator beside our door. After a moment it opened, and a Patton tumbled out. Logan followed, stepping over him and leaping off the building. Logan then latched onto a ladder and began climbing up to Deceit like a lost dog.

"Logan! Stop!" I yelled. This cued him to stop momentarily before going up once more and meeting Deceit on the roof. "Virgil! Roman! Patton! Wait!" Thomas shouted at us. I glanced behind me. Roman was at my heels and Patton was following him. I ignored Thomas, jumping off the building and climbing up the next. Patton and Roman were quicker than me and by the time I reached the top, I had replaced Patton in the back. Patton was closest to them while I lagged behind. My legs were gonna kill me in the morning.

"Boom!" The clap of lightning echoed behind me. "Holy shit Lo!" I yelled, "Watch where you shoot that stuff!"

I jumped onto another building and fell off one more. I then fell off that building and dropped onto another high building. Patton and Roman were still ahead of me. My feet landed on the edge of the building and I flipped off that as well, landing on the concrete rooftop. I had to stop momentarily and catch my breath. "I...Didn't...Sign up...for exercise..." I panted, starting at a sprint back to the bubble of commotion.

I caught up, but couldn't see Deceit. What I did see though baffled me. I guess I took Logan's constant babble on training for granted.

Deceit must've disappeared into thin air because Logan was the only one they fought, and both Patton and Roman were getting their ass kicked. I almost wish I had popcorn to watch this with.

In one swift motion, both of my friends were on the ground, leaving me to be his main target. "Guys, can you get up and he-"

"Bang!" I stumbled back in horror. Patton was the first one to get onto his feet and he was the only one to fall again. Logan didn't have his gun with him, Deceit had his gun. The result was Patton laying on the ground, trying to hold himself together. It probably wasn't working, the blood was evident.

"Patton!" I screamed. I kicked Logan to the ground and rushed to his side. He was coughing up blood.

-----

"Bang!" Patton, who was about to help me back onto my feet fell to my side again. A thud could be heard as Logan crashed with tremendous force to the ground. Like me, Virgil was having a frenzy, crouching by Patton's side and pulling off his hood. This surprised me but also woke me from my trance. 

I kneeled down beside Patton and lifted him slightly for Virgil. Using his hoodie, Virgil wrapped the cloth around Patton's torso and pressed down on the wound in order to stop the bleeding. Patton only grew paler in response. I grabbed his hand.

"W-Why are you doing this!" I screamed at Logan, "Wake up! Plea-"

"Oh Roman, that's no good." Deceit interrupted, I could feel Patton's hand loosen ever so slightly around mine. He handed the gun back to Logan and he tucked it away. "Looks like your friend isn't doing to good...I can change that."

My eyes glanced up then down again to Patton. Virgil was panicking, "Patton, don't listen to him, you're going to be fine!" I could see makeup running down his face as he cried.

Finally, I gave in, "What! What do you want!" I pleaded, forcing a laugh out of him as he stepped closer. "Simple, give your friend to me."Virgil, who had been shooting daggers into Deceit from the side hissed, but didn't do much more.

"Ro...No." Patton begged, but his hand fell from mine quickly after. Virgil started to shake but I didn't know why.

"Oh guess your running out of time, here, let me decide for you." Lightning clapped right beside Virgil causing him to jump to his feet, and probably damage his hearing. Thanks to the flash I couldn't see much, but I did catch one thing.

Virgil was thrown off the building and Logan was the cause. I wish something lively gleamed in his eyes but the pure yellow in his iris made that impossible. I rubbed my eyes as the flash cleared, but an explosion followed after. I look back down to Patton, who laid limp in my arms and made up my mind. I picked him up and dropped him in Logan's arms, to conscious of Deceit to go within seven feet of him.

"Fine," was my only response before I squeezed Patton's hand once more and sprinted to the end of the building. I jumped off the edge and went after Virgil, who seemed too shocked and panicked to do anything.

-----

I was falling, falling falling, just like in my dream I knew I'd splat against the ground. My jacket was gone, I had tied it around Patton because I wanted to save him. That failed. Now I was too panicked to do anything. My hoodie surrounded me in a sense of security and without it, my emotions swirled like a hurricane until nothing was left.

Falling, Falling, Falling then something wrapped around me and I seemed to float to the ground. I never opened my eyes, the loud bang of the broken roof falling around me. The object tightened around me, keeping me out of the harmful ways of the world.

Was I dead?

I was crying, I knew that for sure. Can people cry in the afterlife? 

The thing around me started to pull away and I panicked. My breath picked up and my heart raced. I tightened around it, sobbing harder. When that something started running a hand through my hair I realized it wasn't a something but a someone.

"Virgil, calm down, it's okay...Can you breath with me?"

I opened my eyes just long enough to see my surroundings. I was in Roman's lap crying my eyes out as I suffered a panic attack. Around us were pieces of the roof that had blown out like a volcano and landed around us. Some were the size of elephants. Despite my awkward situation, I felt safe. So I closed my eyes and followed his breathing, flinching every time Patton came to mind. When that happened the hero just held onto me tighter.

"It's gonna be okay."