heartbeat // zayn malik AU

chapter twenty-two

Zayn appeared out of the smoke so suddenly I thought he was a mirage created by my nonfunctional brain. "I'll take her," he yelled, his voice grating and gravelly as he swung Amary-Rose into his arms effortlessly. Giving me a shove, he called, "Run, Valarie!"

Having no choice but to blindly obey, I clawed my way through the crowd, hardly noticing as I staggered out the door of Charoum Hall and out into the frigid air. Steps uneven, I fell against Cyphus, who was standing with Louis just outside the entrance. "Shh, you're okay," the ginger angel whispered, lowering me so I was sitting on the cold grass. "Everything's okay."

Except it wasn't. Charoum Hall was still burning, and there were people inside, with the demon.

Dying. Being eaten and burned alive.

I let out a mangled sob as I felt Zayn lay Amary-Rose on the ground beside me, her form still and limp, but breathing.

All around us, wide-eyed angels huddled in ragged clumps, their gazes glued to the flaming remnants of their once great city hall. Louis stood off to the side, a grim expression on his face. "Guess we didn't need the smoke bombs after all..." he said, obviously still in shock. "I- That was a demon."

"Yeah," Zayn said grimly. Turning to me, he voiced my thoughts, saying, "I thought Kordin was the last one."

Letting out a low moan, I buried my face in both hands. "How many are there?"

"Do you think Klaus sent this one?"

"Probably," I said.

Louis frowned at the two of us, clearly wondering what the heck we were talking about. Before either of us could explain, we were interrupted by a yell of rage. Turning, I saw Head Crowley himself, making his way towards us. Defensively, I stood up, brushing bits of grass off my skirt. The others stood too, all except Amary-Rose, who had just opened her eyes and pulled herself into a sitting position.

The podgy man who'd approached us looked furious, his dark eyes smoldering underneath a pair of impossibly thick eyebrows. "You!" he roared, pointing his finger directly at Louis. "You brought that demon here, you repulsive rebel! This is all your fault!"

I felt my heart pound in my chest, blood pumping through my veins as I watched the scenario. I didn't notice at first as Zayn's fingers locked around my wrist, but the next thing I knew, he was dragging me away. "What are you doing? We can't let Louis be arrested!" I yelled. "It's not only his fault, it's ours-"

"Are you insane?" Zayn hissed, standing so close to me that I could smell the singed cloth of his suit. "Crowley held our Questioning trial, remember? If he sees us, we're dead."

"But what about our friends?" I asked him, and his lips pressed into a thin line, lost for a reply.

 Together, the two of us fixed our gazes on where Crowley continued to scream at Louis. Two Enforcers had come up behind the podgy Head, menacingly jeering expressions on their faces, Sectrums clutched in their hands. I felt my stomach dropping as I saw the glint of malice in their eyes; they were ready to kill, if need be. 

It was in the middle of hurling accusations at Louis that Crowley noticed Amary-Rose, his fellow Council member, staring up at him with wide eyes. A disbelieving gasp escaped his lips, interrupting his tirade, and he exclaimed, "So it was true! You've sided with the rebels!"

"No-" the older lady began to explain herself, but before she could, a white-clothed figure elbowed Crowley out of the way.

"Then you must've been the one to let Zayn Malik and Valarite Chase go," Shay Woodley snapped, leaning down so she was breathing directly into Amary-Rose's terrified face. Beside me, Zayn tensed, his fingers closing around mine. I tried to savor the reassuring warmth of his grasp, even though cold fear was trickling down my veins.