~~Young~~

Chapter Nineteen

   Still Sera couldn’t let her do it, not after what she had already been through.

   “No, no we’ll figured out another way.”

   “There is no other way!” Lizzy shouted and stepped up to Sera, “this is my fault so I’ll stay behind.”

   “No, you just said it wasn’t-”

   “I knew from the beginning what he wanted Sera,” she said sternly, “for the Angels to fall, and still I helped him. I helped him because he promised to help me, help my family. He promised if I helped him he would keep my family out of bankruptcy, keep us from having to face the embarrassment from falling from the elite. It was stupid, I know this now, but then…then it was all I knew and I would have done anything to stop it from happening. So yes, this is my fault and I’m staying behind.”

   There were a few thumps and crashes from the apartment next door, some angry shouts following closely behind indicating her Uncle’s men didn’t find what they were looking for.

   There was only one other place for them to look.

   “We’re running out of time here sweetie,” Death said tightly through her teeth, “who’s it going to be?”

   Heavy footsteps began beating down the hall.

   Sera looked around to all the faces, unable to decide. She couldn’t make that decision, didn’t have the right to decide who was very well going to die if left behind.

  The door burst open behind her and before it could come to a skidding halt men began spilling into the foyer. Some were in suits, some in body armor, others in full Special Forces gear, but all men. It didn’t surprise her any more to know her Uncle had the military in his pocket then to see not a single female body come running in. Her Uncle didn’t hire woman because no matter how far down you beat them, no matter how bleak you made their existence, there was no way to complete crush the compassion in them. And that, to him, made the race as a whole weak. It was why he employed only men. Men who could see the big picture her Uncle worked for, and who would help him succeed in such no matter the cost.

   Her instinct was still to defend her friends so Sera wrapped her arms around Lizzy waist and spun her around, giving a shove and sending her stumbling for the protection of the walls in the main room. She turned back for Chelsea as objects began flying past her head. Not just bullets, but chairs and pictures, vases and other décor. Anything that wasn’t fastened down- and some things that were- Death was using whatever immortal gifted power she had to toss at the men and hold them back.

   Chelsea was already being taken care of though. Through the melee Sera could see Jerry carrying a fighting Chelsea over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. A scowl on his face and her gun palmed backwards in his other hand. It was then Sera noticed the trickle of red coming from a small line in his neck. She must have hit him. And considering Sera could distinctly remember Chelsea referring to guns as icky, yeah, she didn’t doubt her lack of skill meant an errand shot or two.

   With everyone else heading for safety Sera nodded to Death and took off at a run for the back bedroom. She had to duck beneath the couch and love seat that preceded the concrete countertop in flying overhead, but managed not to stumble until she made it to the bedroom door. Not even when the whole place shook as the furniture collided with the walls, trapping the men behind the blockade.

   But not all of the men and not all of their weapons, one managed to get off one more shot before Death incapacitated them. Pain flared white hot in Sera’s leg and she staggered into the rug of the bedroom face first as the door slammed shut behind her.