Beyond the Stars *Dark Louis Tomlinson*

Chapter 20

The night and morning ahead of us is a long one. All I do is worry about Louis' safety, as well as Liam's. I hope to myself that he's okay. I know I just met him, but he's a fine fellow and I hope he's alright. When we arrived at the scene, it didn't look good. The Russians already fled, most likely searching for Louis.

There are so many body bags being wheeled out of the building. Too many. I shield my eyes from the horrific sight. Panicked breaths escape me as I stare up at a gobsmacked Louis. He meets my gaze, pulling me in a tight hug. He strokes my hair, hushing my panicked cries. I don't mean to cry. But the fact that the people I was just around hours ago have been horrifically murdered racks my entire body with panic and grief. Seeing their bodies in bags is even worse.

"Liam," Louis breathes out, walking out of the hug to a stretcher. "Liam, it's me, Louis. How are you holding up, mate?"

"Lou," Liam whimpers, his brown eyes rolling back into his head. There are shot wounds in his arms, thighs, and stomach.

He could die, too.

I cover my mouth with my hand in a desperate attempt to stop crying. Oh god. This is too much for me to handle right now. I follow Louis into the back of the ambulance that Liam is wheeled in. It's a scene all too familiar. I snuggle into Louis' side, looking down at a battered Liam. The paramedics put an oxygen mask over his mouth and pump clear liquid into his veins.

"Is he going to be okay?" Louis asks.

"No telling," a paramedic replies solemnly. "He was shot a good five times. It doesn't look too good. You say he called you before?"

"Yeah. He sounded a bit out of it, but I never suspected that he was shot."

"It was the initial shock of it. So much adrenaline was pumping through him. He was using his survival skills to call someone close to him for help. Now the adrenaline's gone and he's suffering the real consequences of his wounds. We'll try our best to make sure he gets better, though."

"How many are dead?" I whisper.

The paramedic stares at me for a second. "Not sure. The estimate is about twelve right now."

I dig my face into Louis' side, squeezing my eyes shut. Maybe if I squeeze them hard enough, this moment will go away sooner. If I hadn't convinced Louis to not go back to work, he would have also been dead. How do I keep saving him? Goddamn, we really do save each other a lot. It's become our thing by now. I just hope that I can ultimately save him from the Russians. He can't die now. Not after all we've done for each other.

We're sat in the waiting room of the hospital for what seems like hours. So much adrenaline is pumping through me that I'm not even an ounce tired, despite it being five in the morning. I stay cuddled into Louis until we're called in. The paramedic informs us that Liam survived the surgery and all the bullets are out of him. His recovery now is just a matter of time. It might be days before he wakes up from his little coma.

Louis sits beside his friend miserably, burying his head in Liam's limp arm.

"It's all my fault," he groans, muffled by Liam's arm. "If I had just been killed when I was stabbed back in November, none of this would have happened."

I knit my eyebrows together in confusion. "Are you talking about the night we met?"

He slowly nods. "Yeah. One of the boys we were boxing against stabbed me once he found out I was Louis Tomlinson. Everyone's scared of the Russians. So much that they're willing to do their dirty work for them. Everyone wants me dead. So why don't I just die?"

"Because you're not meant to."

"Everyone is dying because of me. I can't take this anymore, Adeline. I can't. All of my men are dead and Liam's suffering because of me."