killer instinct - || h.s. ||

02

"I look scary, right?" I ask with a proud smile on my face as Jules glances up at me from the front door as she opens it.

"You look like a fucking idiot. Let's go, Lou's waiting," she says and I chuckle as I walk out with my backpack on my back and my duffle in my hands. My black canvas vans tap in the hallway as I walk out with Jules, she's still uncomfortable with this stuff. But at the end of the day, she cares for me and knows that I can make my own stupid decisions and that's all I could ever ask – trust.

We jog down the stairs as our shoes tapping on the stairs echoed through the stairwell. Getting down to the bottom, I push open the door and Jules follows behind me as the cold Chicago air hits us.

The street is illuminated by the steady glow of a street lamp as we walk across the sidewalk in desperate need to be in the warmth of Lou's car. Jules slides into the back and I open up the front door as I hear Lou playing some upbeat songs, getting me in the right mood for this.

"Hey," Lou mutters and I slide into the seat, shutting the door behind me as I pull my bags off and set them in the foot space. Jules leans in between the front seats to wrap an arm around Lou and hug him and I smile at them. "You ready?" He asks me before kissing Jules' cheek lightly. I chuckle slightly as he pulls away from the curb, starting to drive through the dark city.

"Yeah," I say with confidence as I lean back in the seat as the streets of Chicago are lit by the glow of shop signs and tall concrete buildings, the nightlife bustling on the sidewalks on this Friday night.

"Alright–" Lou stops himself when the passenger seat belt warning flashes and he hits my arm "Put your fucking seat belt on." He snaps at me and I huff as I pull on the useless thing. I hear it click and the music thumps in this car, getting my heart rate up before I have to fight.

"This guy ..." he says and I hum. "Steps before he punches," he says and I knit my eyebrows together. "You hit his throat first and watch his feet." He warns me and I hear Jules chuckle at our talk and I smile at her as she leans in between the two front seats.

"You can take him," Lou reassures me and I laugh a little.

"Yeah, I know," I say and he hums, seeing him get closer to the club and I scrunch up my nose, sitting up a little more to get my mind off the road as I reach down into my bag to pull out my mask.

"Did you find anything new?" Lou asks me and I breathe out as I pull my hood down. Running my fingers through my hair, I tie it up tight into a messy bun to ensure it will stay.

"Not really, I saw Bella's crescent tattoo," I tell them and their eyes go up as I tie my mask over my eyes, feeling Jules fix it in the back. "I can try talking to her about it, I just don't know how much she's going to tell me," I mutter before thanking her for helping.

"Just be careful, Rory." Jules reminds me and I nod as I laugh a little.

"I know, I know," I mutter.

"Focus on the fight, you can't have your mind on that other shit," Lou says and I nod, pulling my tape out to start wrapping up my knuckles. Protecting my knuckles, I bite down to tear the tape off both hands from the roll, smoothing the end out. I see Lou pull into the parking lot of this club filled with other cars awaiting the event of the night.

I breathe out an exhale, needing one more fix. I reach into my bag, rummaging through it as Lou finds a spot to find my white and blue pack. I open it up and slip out a white stick with my lighter, zipping my duffle back up. The car comes to a halt as I sit up and I take my seatbelt off quick, grabbing my duffle and getting out of the car to shut the door behind me.