She's Too Naive

Chapter 44

I clutched my stomach and dry heaved.

"Oh god," I moaned, my legs growing weak. Greg hooked his arm into the crook of my elbow and pulled me to a stand. There were about five members of the Def who were standing around, but none looked as paralyzed as I did.

"Where are the others?" Greg demanded, stepping up to take charge which was something I had never seen him do before. He was always the one to follow orders, not give them.

"Meeting us at the bottom of the stairwell at the exit," A man replied, looking calm and collected.

"Alright, and the stairwell has been cleared I presume?" Someone gave an affirmative. "Then let's go." Greg waved his gun towards the door. The men all assembled with three in front, two in back. Greg remained beside me, his one hand still holding onto me to prevent me from collapsing.

We headed outside the wing and into the main hall, taking a different route than we would to get to the elevators. The only sound that could be heard was the siren that still echoed around us. We saw nobody else on our journey to the stairwell, and I could tell all the men breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Bursting into the stairwell, our group descended the steps as fast as possible. I was thankful that Greg had a firm grip on me, or I probably would have tripped and fell on my face.

The silence that greeted me inside the enclosed space sent a shockwave of realization at what was really happening. The numbness that had settled in the moment I saw the bodies was beginning to lift, and I choked on my next breath of air. Dragging in the oxygen, it felt as if I was trying to breathe in a plastic bag.

"We're almost there," Greg said, noticing that I had begun to slow down. Clinging onto the word almost, I forced air into my lungs, and picked up my feet.

Seeing the door that led to the bottom floor of the building almost forced me to my knees. But I had to keep going. We were so close, and I had to make it out alive.

I needed to see Rosen again.

Greg pulled me to a halt as the men went ahead of us. The heavy metal door opened and they stepped out, guns drawn. The first shot made me jump, and the next had me gripping onto Greg's uniform with white knuckles. In a knee jerk response, he pushed us both backwards against the wall of the stairwell. The gunshots turned to silence, and all I could hear was the sound of my own ragged breathing.

We watched the door with caution, unsure of who was going to walk through it.

Greg had his gun raised, one eye closed as he peered through the scope. The door opened slowly, first revealing a barrel of a gun, and then the familiar black of the Def's uniform. Greg let out a breath, lowering his gun. But then we saw the face of the soldier.

It was Rosen.

I held in my gasp and Greg drew his gun again, aiming right at Rosen's head.

"Back down," Rosen ordered sternly, still holding his gun. His eyes didn't drift to mine, but I knew he was aware I was there. I had to do something, they couldn't shoot each other.

"Don't shoot," I suddenly blurted, stepping out from Greg and planting myself between the aim of both guns.

"Ellie," Rosen said, his gaze on mine now with wide eyes. "Come here," he added, motioning me towards him. I hesitated, but gave in. As soon as I was close enough, Rosen shifted his gun so he could curl his hand around my arm and pull me behind him. As soon as I was out of the way, he aimed his gun back at Greg, who hadn't lowered his weapon.

"Don't," I pleaded, pulling at Rosen's uniform in desperation. Yes, Greg worked for the Def, but he had helped me. He treated me with respect and actually talked to me. He was almost like a friend to me.