(ON HOLD) The Cult | EW CULT AU

help.

It had been weeks, and the nightmares continued. She couldn't believe that she had gotten so attached so quickly. The visions drove her even more insane than she already was. She couldn't take it anymore. Nikki threw off her covers and got out of bed, putting on her clergy robe and grabbing the nearest knife, and headed outside.

Tord drove to where the other officers called him to, listening to the situation through the walkie talkie installed in his car. He heard cops yell "Drop the weapon!" and "Release the hostage!", so he caught a glimpse of what was happening. He pulled over near a curb, parking the car and stepping out, gun strapped to his belt. Tord's eyes widened at what he saw.

Nikki was standing, holding a scared man by the chokehold, using her other hand to keep him at knifepoint, holding it near his neck. Officers yelled at her, the only response laughter and taunts.

"What are you going to do? SHOOT ME? You need me alive, idiots!"

Tord immediately headed over, intervening. "NIKS! What are you doing?!"

Nikki craned her neck towards his direction, locking eyes with Tord. "Well well well, if it isn't Mr. Detective himself!" She forced her victim to look over as well. "Why don't you say hi?"

"PLEASE, HELP ME!"

"Eh, close enough."

All the cops had guns pointed towards NIKS, making Tord panic inside. He had been chasing her all this time, but he didn't want her to die. Not now, not ever. He yelled to her.

"NIKS, stop! I know these guys, they won't hesitate to shoot!"

"What are you doing, Larson?! Don't help her!"

Nikki laughed, her pupils barely visible through the insanity her eyes enclosed. She held the man in a tighter chokehold, making the cops cock their guns.

"We'll give you until the count of three to release the hostage!"

Fuck. Tord scrambled to find a solution out of this mess, his heart rate rising. This wasn't happening. This isn't real. There has to be a way out of this.

Before he knew it, Tord heard a gunshot ring out. His eyes darted to the scene, his pupils constricting. All he saw was Nikki hitting the ground, alongside the victim. The policemen went to man, but Tord made a beeline for NIKS, dropping to his knees and skidding to her side. He lifted her onto his lap, moving her hair out of her face, and the sight almost made him gag. NIKS was shot right in the eye, and the socket was nearly empty, the only thing left was mangled scraps of flesh and nerves.

Tord felt tears prick his eyes seeing his childhood friend like this before him, and his body trembled. A cop approached him.

"Larson, what are y-"

"Get an ambulance."

"What?"

"CALL AN AMBULANCE! NOW!"

The policeman did as instructed, dispatching an ambulance to arrive. Tord stayed on the ground, waiting with NIKS in his arms. This time, tears slid down his cheeks. It felt horrible seeing your friend go limp on your lap. 

"Hold on, please. They're almost here. Please, don't die."

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"Where the hell am I?" NIKS tried to move her arms, but they were suspended by a straight jacket. "Great, not again!"

"NIKS!" She turned her head to see Tord running towards her room, pressing his hands against the glass.

"What are you doing here, Detective?"

"I'm getting you out of here." Tord tried to open the locked door, slamming his body against it.

"Why? I'm already caught. You got what you wanted."

"No, this isn't what I wanted. I was scheduled to interrogate you, but because of your wound, they sent you here instead. I'm not leaving until I get you and and you give me your confession."

"This isn't like you. Ooh, am I rubbing off on you?" She smirked.

"Possibly. I mean, going after the same person for several years changes you." Tord stepped back from the door, and pulled out his gun, pointing it at the door's lock. "You might want to take cover."

NIKS crouched down on the floor as gunshots rang out. Metal clangs were heard and before she knew it, Nikki was being carried.

"Wait, where are we gonna go?"

"Home."

An alarm rang out as Tord burst through a door, running as fast as he could through the backyard of the asylum. "Shit! I forgot about the cameras!"

"Of course you did, dummy."

"Hey! Get him!" Several guards started chasing after as Tord undid the straps holding NIKS' arms back. He boosted her over the fence, and then proceeded to climb over after her. A guard tried to grab him, barely grazing his leg, missing by a few inches.

"Come on, let's go!" The two ran into the woods, moving aside branches and bushes as the guards yelled out. One called the police, and a while later a dog started barking ferociously. They ran a bit more before hiding behind some trees, keeping quiet in case there were persecutors.

"That was exciting."

"Shh!"

There were sounds of crunching leaves, and a dog sniffing the area. Beams from flashlights could be seen, as it was getting dark out. The guards eventually turned back. Tord let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"I'm so getting fired for this..."

"You think?"

"Shut up!"

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NIKS opened the door to her cabin, stretching as she entered. "It feels good to be home!"

"NIKS! Where were you?" Tom entered from another room, his expression changing after spotting Tord. "What is he doing here?"

"I helped her escape, okay? She got hurt and I called her an ambulance, then she got sent to an asylum."

"Which he did an okay job of breaking me out of."

Tom's expression turned into a confused one. "But, you're a police officer, aren't you? Why would you help her?"

"Correction, I was. And the reason why is not your business-"

"We made a deal." NIKS interrupted him. "He can know, it's time to tell him."

"What?"

"A while ago, Tord and I made a deal. He doesn't turn me in, and I don't kill anyone he cares about. That includes you."

"I find it hard to believe that Tord of all people cares about me."

Tord crossed his arms. "To an extent. I hate you, but not so much to want you dead. Remember when I dragged you out of that bar? It's because I was afraid she was going to kill you."

"I thought it was because Edd forced you to pick me up."

There was a slight silence that filled the room, the trio standing right in the middle of it. NIKS cleared her throat.

"Alright, Tom. We'll continue your training a little later, but for now, we have to settle Tord in."

"He's going to live with us? How? I already took the only spare room in here."

"And as I recall, we don't have any spare beds here, either. But there is a third option."

Tord immediately knew what it was, and he didn't like it. "Oh no, no no no. There's no way I'm doing that."

"There's no other choice. You can't go back to living with Edd and Matt, you're wanted now. We all have to remain in hiding 'till this whole incident blows over. You don't have any spare clothes, do you?"

"No."

"Alright, tomorrow morning I'll go out and get you some. Murdering people isn't the only crime I've committed."

"It isn't?"

"Nope. In fact, I've shoplifted several times."

"I guess that explains how you got our disguises."

"Oh my god."

NIKS pulled on Tord's arm. "Come on, let's get you settled in. It's already time for bed."

"What are you, my mother?"

"Of course not. At least, not with the relationship we have."

"Rela- What relationship? Since when did we have a relationship?!"

"Just get in the bed."