ALL THAT GLITTERS...

32.

It felt like hours just sitting there. Seth continued to stir on my lap, drifting in and out of consciousness. I needed him to wake up so that we could figure a way out of this, a way out alive.

I looked around what used to be my grandparents' living room, there was simply no way we could escape without getting caught and risk being shot dead. One of our captors was perched on one of the chairs near the kitchen, the other one was still no back yet. If only we could pass that one bulky man and maybe we could make a run for it, I just needed Seth conscious first.

I felt as if my prayers got answered when I felt Seth squeeze my hand tightly and his eyes flutter open. Mumbling incoherent words I couldn’t quite understand.

“Shhh, relax.” I whispered not wanting to get the attention of our captors.

“Lisa.” He spoke more clearly this time.

“Yes. I’m here. Thank God you’re okay.”

“Are you okay? Did they hurt you?” Worry was written all over his face but I shook my head to assure him that I was fine.

“We need to get out of here.” He spoke trying to get up but I shoved him back down as softly as I could.

“We will but if you’re hasty, you will get yourself killed.”

“We don’t really have a guarantee that they won’t kill us.” He had a point. A good one but I had a bad feeling about this. There was only one man here, if we could get past him and make a run for it then maybe, just maybe we would get out of here alive.

“The other one is upstairs. We only have one shot.”

Seth nodded stiffly and got himself up very quietly. He looked around and grabbed an old vase that was sitting in a corner. One minute he was beside me and the next he was flinging the vase over the suited men's head, I expected the man to fall but he only stumbled and took a swing at Seth with his fist.

I scurried up from the floor but didn’t know what to do, but I knew that doing anything could distract Seth and get him hurt so I stood my ground. I eyed the closed front door, if I could get it open and make a run for it once Seth restrained that hitman, he and I could get away. I forced my legs to move towards the door, the adrenaline proved stronger than my fear. I was about to reach for the handle when I felt a cold metal pressing into my skull.

“Don’t move.” I heard the man say.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Seth pointing the gun at the short man. It felt like something from a badly written action movie.

“Drop it or I shoot the girl.”

The bald man warned. I felt like a fool for not being more alert, if I had stayed in one place, there was a chance I could have avoided this from happening.

I saw Seth lower the gun slowly, his form slightly bending over to set it on the floor.

“Now kick it over.”

Seth hesitated for a moment. I felt the gun press harder against my head, my mouth released an involuntary wince.

“Don’t make me repeat myself!” The man barked at Seth.

This was it, we were surely done for. We had injured his partner, he would kill us. I could feel myself hyperventilating, my vision turned a bit blurry, I was so close to succumbing to a panic attack.

Our captor instructed me to walk and stand beside Seth. I tripped over myself but managed to make it across the room. We had two guns pointed our way, this was the definition of screwed. If I was going to die then, maybe it would be a good time to confess to Seth that I-
A shot rang through the air.

I screamed and covered my head, Seth threw his body in front of me. I heard a second shot before everything went silent. My heart drummed so loudly, it was the only thing I could hear. Seth’s body lay still on top of mine, I would have been thrilled if we were any other circumstance. I didn’t feel any pain in my body so I couldn’t have been the one-shot, maybe it was the shock but I was somewhat confident that I was fine.

“Seth.” I called with a shaky voice.
No response. He didn’t even move an inch.

I felt my stomach sink as dread filled me. He had jumped to protect me from that bullet, had it hit him instead? My trembling hands began feeling for any signs of blood on Seth’s limp body, praying that he somehow dodged that bullet.

“Seth.” I cried out a little louder, my voice was more frantic than before.

Please let him be alive.
Please let him be alive.

I prayed to whatever god was listening.

I heard a shaky breath and Seth’s body move above me.

“Lisa. Are you okay? Are you hurt? Why are you crying?” I hadn’t realized that I had been crying till I heard Seth talk.

He was okay.

He slowly moved from me, bringing me up with him to sit on the floor.

“You’re okay.” My voice came out as more of an accusation than glee. I thought he had been shot. But if he wasn’t the one-shot then who was?
I let my eyes wander around and found the horrific scene before me. One of our captors was shot in the back twice and the other one still lay unconscious on the ground. I opened my mouth to ask how but was interrupted when the door burst open.

“I thought I told you, kids, to stay off my property!”

----------------------------------
Tenseeeee