Stay Away | Eric Coulter [1]

twenty-seven

I continue to crawl towards the stairs in hopes I could shake him off when a searing pain spreads across my back and my brain, though foggy with panic, eventually comprehends that I'd just probably been shot by a dart.

When Drew flips me over and wraps his hands around my neck in a bruising grip, I realise that Drew doesn't even have the flag in mind. If the vengeful look in his eyes is anything to go by, he's probably so set on getting revenge he's blinded to everything else.

"I've been waiting for this, you little bitch." He spat, his fingers tightening around my neck until I'm starting to see black spots in my vision.

I lash out, punching and clawing at his face, and though I manage to get a few good hits in, drawing blood across his cheek with my nails, he still doesn't budge.

My lungs burn from the lack of oxygen and desperately gasp for air, though all my efforts seem futile at this point.

In my peripheral vision, I'm vaguely aware of someone standing by the railing, and as I turn to look, I realise that it was Christina.

She startles when she sees that I've noticed her, then hurried down the stairs, leaving me feeling defeated and helpless.

Just as I start to feel a little lightheaded, Drew goes flying back into the wall behind him and I gasp as sweet air starts to fill my lungs again.

"Stay down, asshole." Lynn stands above Drew with her gun aimed at his head.

I coughed and then winced at how raw my throat was feeling.

"You alright, Nessie?" Uriah rushed to my side and helps me to my feet.

"I'm fine," I choked out, still breathless from my encounter. "Thank you. Both of you." I said, hoping it relayed how utterly grateful I am.

"What are friends for, right?" Uriah tries to joke, though I can see from the tightness in the corner of his eyes that he was concerned. "Let's go."

"Dick," Lynn curses at Drew, glaring at him so hard I'm surprised the guy hasn't dropped dead from how deadly it was.

Before we go, Lynn leaves a parting gift for Drew in the form of a Stim dart right to the crotch, leaving him yelling in agony.

Uriah supports me as we leave as if he's afraid I might topple over anytime. But aside from the throbbing in my chin, my bruised neck and the stinging cuts in my hand, I feel better than I had expected myself to.

"Holy shit! What happened?" Marlene exclaims when we make it to the bottom of the stairs so loudly that the battle around us stops and everyone turns to stare.

I shift under everybody's intense gazes. A vicious curse comes from somewhere, followed by the sound of gravel crunching under someone's heavy boot coming towards us.

"How the fuck did this happen?" Eric's enraged voice demands as he stops beside Marlene.

I look up at Eric to see him taking in my injuries with his hands clenched at his side so tightly that his knuckles have turned white like he's trying his best not to touch me when we have such a big audience.

"Drew attacked her," Lynn says before I could answer for myself.

"He's upstairs?" Eric asks, eerily calm even though he was practically vibrating with rage. When Uriah and Lynn nod in reply, he spins on his heel without another word and makes his way up the stairs.

When my gaze lands on Tobias, he seems just as angry as Eric did. He, however, stays where he is as if he's afraid he might end up killing someone if he acts on his anger.