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There's a shot.
A blood-curdling beep buzzing in my ears.
Another shot.
The beep is becoming even louder.
There are several shots from all around me, the beep in my ears becoming almost deafening. I press my hands onto my ears, as if that will fix something. There are distant voices, but one of them is nearby.
I can't focus and am terrified of opening my eyes. I shut them close as if my life, my sanity, or whatever is left of it, depends on it. I'm confused and my mind is clouded with a darkness from everything around me weighing down on me.
"Get down!" I hear someone yelling at me, "Get down now."
What? I think I muttered that out loud. I slowly lower one of my hands from my ear.
"Brooklyn!" Everything dawns on me, realization hits me as I allow my eyes to open. There's Ethan, right in front of me, on the floor but very much alive. There's yelling and gunshots from the other room, I can hear Ryan cry out in pain. Several shots are being fired. I fall to the ground, my chair still tied to me from behind. I shut my eyes in terror, expecting to get shot any minute now. At least Ethan's with me.
I open them to peek when I hear footsteps near me. It takes me a few seconds to realize Ethan has broken his chair and is getting his wrists out of the now loose ropes. He rushes over to me, and I am paralyzed, I feel as if I have shifted into an exalted state. My body does not belong to me anymore, it seems. I'm looking at myself from the corner of the room, all I can do is slowly breathe and stare at Ethan.
He's alive.
But who's shooting who? Or rather, who shot who first?
"Brooklyn!" Ethan is on his knees behind my chair, shaking me by my shoulders. He reaches for the pocketknife that he gave me earlier, cutting the rope to free me. Right after, he grabs my hand and lifts me from the ground. "Stay with me, we have to get out, right now."
My lips part as I bring my hand to his face, caressing his jaw. "You're alive." I mutter, tears welling up behind my eyes. His hand goes up to join mine on his cheek. He nods and closes the gap between us, wrapping an arm around my shoulders to bring me to his chest. His chin is resting on top of my head as he talks softly. "If we want to get out of here alive, you need to focus my love."
Just like that, I'm right here, in this room, with Ethan. I nod as he lets go off my shoulders.
We need to get out of here.
Me and my lover.
I look around the room and point at the window, it's the only connection to the outside, apart from this one door. We can leave through there, if only we manage to open it. Ethan follows my gaze and slips his hand through mine, swiftly pulling me with him through the room, leading us there. My feet move without my mind registering, I do whatever Ethan tells me to do.
