asset [h.s.]

eleven // bang, bang

Alicia

I'm jolted awake by a loud beeping sound that sounds like an alarm blaring out. I immediately pull myself up into a sitting position, clasping the duvet in both of my hands. My eyes frantically search around the dark bedroom as if looking for any clue as to why this alarm seems to be going off, but I remain utterly clueless and confused. When the noise still doesn't cease after a few minutes, I soon find it unbearable and have to cover my ears with my hands.

"What the hell is going on?" A voice I recognise as Carl's shouts at the same time as I hear two doors being pulled open and footsteps moving across the hall. I guess the noise woke us all at the same time.

"Is she trying to escape again?" I hear Harry yell and I can just picture the irritated frown on his face from here.

I hear one of the lights from the hallway being switched on, both of them frantically moving around. I jump a little when my door is suddenly unlocked and shoved so hard it flies open and bangs against the wall, revealing Harry standing behind it. His eyes immediately scan the room and when he notices me huddled up in the bed, clutching the covers to my chest, his eyebrows furrow in confusion.

"If you're in here, then who-?"

Harry's question is cut off by the sound of a bullet ringing through the air and I let out a gasp, meeting his alarmed gaze. He suddenly spins around and races off down the hall to find out what's going on and before he can stop me, I slide out of bed and follow him.

I slowly creep out of my room and down to the end of the hall, hiding behind the wall. That's when I hear a second gunshot coming from downstairs, making me physically jump. What the hell is happening?

I can hear shouting and more than just the 2 people who have been living with me as they run around downstairs, the sound of things smashing and breaking filling my ears at once. Before I know what I'm doing, I pull away from my cover behind the wall and pad across to the staircase to hear things a little better. But just as my my hand clamps down onto the railing, an arm hooks around my waist and I'm thrown back against the wall behind me, although not as hard as last time, a hand covering my mouth to muffle my screams.

"Shhh! Shut up! Stop screaming!" A voice hisses and I glance up to see a familiar pair of bright green eyes staring down at me. Although I find I'm slightly calmer once I know it's him and not one of these intruders, my heart rate quickens when I notice him clutching a gun in his free hand, while the other is still holding me against the wall.

"W-what's-" I try to ask but Harry stops me, placing a finger over my lips to shush me.

"I said be quiet." He whispers, moving his finger from my lips and I gulp nervously. "Now. You have to stay here, ok? Don't you fucking dare go downstairs and interfere. Hey, stop struggling. Look at me!" He pulls his hand away from holding my arm against the wall and uses it to easily hook his fingers under my chin with a look of frustration, angling my face up so I'm staring right into his eyes. "Listen to me, for gods sake. Stay here."

I stop trying to get away from his grip and I slowly nod instead, much to his relief. "Ok, I will. But what's happening?"

He pauses, his eyes flitting over my face again, both of us breathing heavily as we just seem to stare back at each other. I'm not really sure why, but there seems to be some kind of tension sizzling in the air between us, and this also isn't the first time I've noticed it, the first time actually being when he was questioning me and we seemed to stare at each other a little too long. After a few seconds, although it feels like hours, Harry finally tears his gaze away, glancing behind his shoulder before back at me.