THROUGH TIME & SPACE ★ FIVE HARGREEVES X READER

CH. XVIII

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RUN BOY RUN

"you're killing my vibe,
in ways words cannot describe"

2019

THROUGH THE RAIN, TWO FIGURES sauntered across the empty parking lot laying before the Gimbel Brother's department store, one following the other. Their shadows were cast over the ground, thin and almost twice their height in length, from the only light source being the overhead streetlamps that barely did anything in the night.The sky was dark and muddled, much like the night before.

"What are we doing here?" (Y/N) asked as they approached the entrance to the building.

"Coming to see... an old friend."

(Y/N)'s head was still wrapped around trying to figure out how to ask Five about his... significant other he had found in the apocalypse. How had this not come up in any of their previous conversations? Something like that was bound to have come up. She was too busy thinking about it that she didn't even question why they were searching for someone in a place where not a soul was to be seen in. Which they had seen, at least.

When the pair reached the door, Five spatial jumped in in a flash of blue and unlocked it from the inside, letting (Y/N) in. The two split up, looking for what exactly? (Y/N) had no idea. The place looked deserted.

In the dark, she walked over to one of the closest aisles and was lucky to find a rack of flashlights. She picked one up for herself and tossed another towards Five, "think fast."

He caught it with ease and nodded at her in thanks, making his way over to the middle walkway of the store while (Y/N) lingered around the front. She mindlessly wandered around, hoping that whatever Five was doing, he would get over with soon so that they could get back to the academy.

She played around with the flashlight, flicking it on and off and spinning it around in random circles along the walls. She found it fun to see how the shadows were made from the shelves and objects sitting on them, creating weird shapes of different sizes behind them.

"Delores... It's good to see you."

(Y/N) barely even noticed when Five started whispering to himself while looking up at a group of mannequins showing off the store's newest line of Spring outfits.

"I've missed you... obviously. Well, I've... it's been a rough couple of days."

It was all fun and games, messing around with the flashlight, until it landed on a large man carrying a long and slim steel shotgun, facing her direction. He wore a round blue mask that reflected the girl's light back at her, not to mention how it looked like it was made of metal. (Y/N) froze in her tracks and her body went stock-still, the words drying out in her throat.

"F— Five, look out!"

"No!"

The man had started shooting. The flashlight fell the ground with a clang.

If (Y/N) hadn't scrambled away in the nick of time, she would've probably already been dead from how much damage that weapon caused. The previously dark room was lit up with joyful flashes of white and blindingly bright light coming from the gun's barrel.

However, there was another shooter. From across the store (Y/N) could hear a second sequence of bullets, all missing flesh.

(Y/N) ran towards the target of the second shooter and looked for that familiar flash of blue. Though, it wasn't too easy of a task whilst escaping from a predator of her own.