michael ;
clem and luke shushed us, urgency in their eyes. we stopped as they cupped their ears, pointing down the tunnel. listening, we heard a scratch that had always hurt my ears: metal on metal.
ashton moved quickly, lining us up. "protect marcel," he muttered to me before moving to luke to tell him to protect clem. ashton walked in between us all. "i'll make myself the target."
he stood taller, looking prouder than before. he held his gun out as if it was on show and made sure to walk just a little ahead. he looked like the threat and, if i were these other people, i'd want to aim for him while we were far away.
i knew as we started walking i would protect ashton too, he had done so much for us in just a few hours. even if he did ultimately get us into trouble in the first place, he could have just left us to die.
our feet weren't quiet but we didn't breathe a word, we didn't dare. i followed ashton's lead and looked down every nook and cranny, searching for where this noise came from. it might not have even been a person.
a crash made me look towards luke and clem, a crash caused by clem having dived onto someone. it looked to be a girl and her arm, holding a large blade, was being held down by clem.
a man dressed in all black stepped out in front of us. i recognised the armour and pulled marcel behind me. my boy will always be my biggest concern no matter what else was happening.
"blair! stop!" the armoured man shouted, his gun raised. i backed away.
a gun shot rang causing me to turn and shelter marcel. my boy was not going to be hurt. i held his ears as he hid in my chest.
it was deathly silent as i waited, scared to see who had been shot.
"clem!" luke cried, a drop of a weapon echoing. i turned, marcel looking around me at luke kneeling next to a body. clem's body.
the blade girl had scrambled away into the arms of yet another girl, clinging onto her, her body shaking. the armoured man still had his gun raised but ashton's head hung low.
he had shot clem.
"how fucking dare you! you were meant to keep us safe!" luke was shouting, holding clem's body to him. her head lulled backwards, blood pouring from the wound shot: her heart.
these people weren't a threat, they were like us. they were silent, remorseful. they weren't normal purge-goers.
"we were meant to be safe!" luke's pain drowned his voice.
