Peter Pan The Killer

Chapter 42: Peter Pan Gets Cornered

The stone wall before Gwen grew darker in her eyes. Her hands were clammy, her nerves frosted.

Pauline.

She was too shocked to cry. She was frozen in place, unable to comprehend Peter's words.

"No..." she mumbled to herself. Weak in the knees, she realised she was only standing upright because Peter held her tight.

"Wendy, it's not safe here, we have to leave," Peter said, already calculating their next moves. It irked her that Pauline's kidnap did nothing to faze him.

Gwen did not move despite his urging. "Wendy, we have to go," he said, tugging her chin upwards to face him.

"Is she..." dead. The words did not leave her mouth, yet her eyes said the rest. Finally, she saw Peter's eyes soften. He noticed how affected she was by Pauline's disappearance. Empathising was not in his nature, but alas he tried. He wiped the corner of her eyes, where tears had formed. He rested his forehead against his.

"I... Can't promise you anything." Gwen clenched her fists in frustration as he spoke. "But it's better to believe Skul would at least keep her alive as a hostage. We don't know his motives either," he continued.

"Skul is supposed to be dead," Gwen said through gritted teeth.

"Dead? He is very much alive," Peter retorted.

"But I saw the-"

"Whatever you saw was probably as unreal as it could get. Skul is the master of manipulation. He'd get you to believe what he wants you to believe," Peter said, his eyes downcast, but almost immediately his head snapped up.

"We have to leave. We shouldn't have lingered here too long," Peter said urgently. It was then she heard the footsteps. A dozen pairs.

"Freeze! You're under arrest!"

Before Gwen could even get a glimpse of their pursuers, Peter lifted her into the air. Her stomach lurched as Peter leaped up onto the top of alley walls. He leapt down quickly, and they sped through the twisted turns of the alley. It all happened so fast, the cement walls rushed past her in a blur as Peter bolted in full speed.

As they twisted and turned, leapt from the top of one block to another, she heard the distant sound of their pursuers. However, Peter jerked to a stop as he caught on the men forming a pincer by coming for them in the opposite directions. With little choice, Gwen and Peter dived into the crowd, blending in. Peter dropped her to the ground and gripped her hand, tugging her forward.

"Your friends have caught our tails," Peter said, eyes on the path as he weaved between the people.

"James," Gwen stated in frustration. He did not even spare a moment to hesitate; he gathered the evidence he needed, collected his men and went for the kill.

"How do we escape them?" Gwen said in a shaky voice as they rushed along. Peter's lips were set in a grim line, his eyes completely focused, his brain calculating their options.

"I can escape..." he muttered under his breath.

But we can't?

She knew she was extra baggage. Her presence was slowing him down. Without her, he would have already lost them.

"Skul... Pauline was dealing with Skul," Gwen said.

"And so is James Hardwing," Peter continued.

"Whatever evidence he obtained, would most probably be the end of me," Peter said through gritted teeth.

Skul's information. No one knew Peter like he did. Peter was right; if they got caught it would be the end.

"What do we do?" Gwen trembled as she spoke. It was the worst of her nightmares just coming true by the second. Pauline guilty, James hunting them down, Skul behind it all.

Gwen had thoughtlessly followed Peter and noticed they had made it out of the plaza heading to an unknown location. Peter was skilled enough to avoid being seen, skulking through alleys and hiding in plain sight. The paths soon became unfamiliar to her. However, she put her trust in him and followed.

"Where are we going?" Gwen spoke in pants. The exhaustion from running was getting to her.

"My place. If we make it," he muttered.

His place.

Gwen had lived in this town for a while, and she was still unfamiliar with the paths she treaded on.

"How far is it?" Gwen asked.

"Much farther. We're only halfway there."

However, just as he spoke he skidded to a stop, Gwen slammed into his back. She peeked from behind him and cursed under her breath. Standing before them, along with three other men, was James. How had he known they would use this path? She could only speculate Skul had something to do with that tasty bit of information.

James's face was smug, but then he caught her penetrating gaze. His expression shifted. "Gwen," he called out.

She heard footsteps behind her, men had surrounded them. They were undercover cops. Peter's eyes were shifting quickly, she could tell he was judging their next moves. However, from the looks of it, making it out unscathed would pose to be a challenge.

"Gwen, please stay out of this. "James drew her attention back to him. He did not want to hurt her; she knew that.

Peter shifted, and Gwen's blood curdled as she heard the distinct clicking sound of guns. All around her, the seven men had trained their guns on them, all except for James.

"Make one move and we won't hesitate," James warned.

Peter's face was impassive. His unreadable expression made the men feel uncomfortable. Yet Gwen knew from other small body languages, even Peter was unsure of his next actions.

"Hand Gwen over," James ordered.

"James, don't do this-" James cut Gwen off.

"Hand her over now," he persisted.

Peter gripped her forearm and pushed her in front of him. Gwen turned to him, her eyes in question. Peter still wore that unreadable expression.

"That's right. Come here now, Gwen," James said.

Peter's grip tightened for a second before loosening. "No-" Gwen refused to go to James. James held out an outstretched hand ushering her forward

But instead of going forward, Gwen felt herself flying up. Before she knew it, Peter had used the walls to launch himself upwards, swinging her up with him. Blood rushed to her head.

Then she heard the gunshots. Quick to swing an arm around her waist, Peter swiftly dodged the bullets. They went shooting. Gwen's ears rang at the loud sounds of the guns going off. They almost made it over the walls when a bullet resounded.

"No!" she heard James yell.

Then, all she could feel was hot, blinding pain.

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A/N: Sorry I for the late update! I was editing this story before submitting it for the Wattys. Thank you for your patience.