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Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Niall shoved his hands deeper in his pockets and shuddered against the bitter air. Still in denial that it was technically still autumn, he concluded that he should've worn more than his light jacket.

He paused for a moment, trying to remember which direction he'd seen the convenient store he saw on his drive over when he heard a noise. It sounded like muffled talking.

'And I thought I was the only stupid enough to be walking at this time of night,' he thought.

The conversation getting louder as he got closer.

"Alright, I get it. Please!"

Niall froze. Shit.

He slowly continued forward until it became evident that the people were in an alleyway just ahead. He leaned against the brick wall, just near the edge of the mouth of the alley so he could listen, but still avoid being seen.

"You think it's that easy?" Scoffed a gruff British voice. "We've warned you scum before; these aren't your streets anymore, you can't sell here."

Click.

The sound of a hammer being drawn back turned Niall's blood to ice.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You've made yourselves very clear and we're done." The young man sounded terrified.

A few people chuckled.

"And you continue to sell to our customers, why?"

Niall slowly reached his hand in his pocket for his phone. He needed to call the police.

"Harry," he heard an unfamiliar voice say. Another Brit. "I don't want you seeing this. Not yet."

There were more muffled voices, too quiet for Niall to hear. It appeared Harry, whoever he was, was arguing. Obviously he had been beaten because there was the sound of approaching footsteps. He was coming straight towards Niall.

Looking around frantically, Niall saw no immediate escape. Should he make a run for it or just continue walking as if he hadn't noticed anything. But could he do that? Just walk away and let a man get murdered when the opportunity to save a life was right there? And was it worth his own?

He froze when he heard another click, but relaxed when he smelled cigarette smoke. Harry was smoking at the mouth of the alley, still unable to see Niall, who had decided he needed to act, and slowly started pulling his phone out of his front pocket.

BANG!

Niall jumped, startled by the noise and the thud that followed. But the sound of a lifeless body falling to the ground was not the worst part. No, the worst part was the horribly loud clattering that followed that; he had dropped his phone.

Niall winced at the sound and stayed where he was, praying his hardest the noise had gone unnoticed. Maybe they had been too distracted by the murder they had just committed?

"Don't move," came an accented voice from his immediate right. The cold barrel of a gun dug into the side of Niall's head.

Apparently going unnoticed was too much to ask for.

"Move your arse. Now."

Niall turned. He saw a young man, no older than himself, with curly brown hair and strikingly green eyes that glared at him coldly. The cigarette glowed softly in the dim November light, looking oddly more red than orange.

Harry motioned towards the alley and Niall's thoughts were out of control.

'Please,' he thought. 'Don't let this be the end.'