NOT A COINCIDENCE

CHAPTER - 20 : ALL A FACADE

ANDRIANNA'S P.O.V.

"What happened?" He asks gently encouraging me to go on.

"Okay I didn't mean at all to make this so weird. Okay, um, let's try again." I mutter more to myself while looking around and then look back in his eyes.

"Xavier, what I am trying to say is, that I lik------" I was cut off by a loud bang. And before I could register what happened, I was dragged behind the bar counter and pushed roughly to the ground. That's when I heard it clearly.

Gunshots.

I hear Xavier shout something over the counter but amidst all the noise but I couldn't understand.

"Stay here. And don't move." He says crouching down to talk to me and stands back up.

"Xavier! XAVIER!" I shout but the noise in the background is too loud for him to hear me.

I grab the hem of his pants and tug it roughly.

Thank god that worked and Xavier crouched back down while glancing above and below the counter.

"Xavier, what are you doing up there standing like that. Why aren't you hiding w---" I stop speaking as I notice the gun in his hand.

My breath gets hitched in my throat as I try to form words

"How? When? Why?" I manage to croak out eyeing the gun.

I feel him cup my cheek and turn my face towards him.

"Listen to me carefully, Andrianna. I don't have the time to explain. Right now I want you to trust me and follow my lead. Can you do that?" He asks looking deep in my eyes.

I can't speak. I am too stunned to talk so I just give him a nod.

"Good. Everything will be okay. I promise." He says crawling a bit to the left so that he is out of my sight. While I just sit in the small space behind the counter listening to the gunshots and the painful groans of people.

This is too much for me.

I feel my eyes getting blurry and I press my hands to my ears to stop the terrifying noises. But it is useless. I can't block it out!

I pulled my knees closer to me and rested my head on them closing my eyes. I can still hear the gunshots but the frequency has reduced. I don't know how long it's been of me sitting inside that small and dark place and all of a sudden, I hear a painful grunt.

That's Xavier!

I crawl out from the counter and see Xavier to my left taking cover behind the same counter. His right arm has small glass pieces all over it. But he seems unfazed by it.

He is more focused on re-loading his gun. I slowly move towards him but stop when he notices me. He gestures repeatedly for me to go inside. I don't even bother thinking through because it's no use. He is clearly in charge here so I just do as I was told.

After a few while or so, I hear a painful scream pierce the whole place. I quickly crawl out to look at Xavier, even though I know it was not his voice. I see him looking over the counter while rolling up his sleeves. I can see the glass pieces still sticking out of his skin but he pays no heed to it and walks out from behind the counter.

I slowly lift my head over the counter to look at the place and then stand up once I am sure it's safe now.

'The place is destroyed' would be a huge understatement to describe the sight in front of me.

As I look around, I see Brian standing in the middle. He has blood smeared on his clothes but it looks like it wasn't his. But my eyes widen further as my eyes drift to his hand. He too is holding a gun?!