"Are you serious?" Selena asked, stepping out from behind Harry.
"A hundred percent," Liam answered.
She walked closer to him before Harry could stop her - her eyes were fixated on his chest. One arm reached over to touch the key tattoo but Harry caught her wrist before she actually did.
"Then what the fuck is this all about?!" Harry glared.
Liam shrugged. "I was bored."
Harry grabbed Liam's collar. "Is this a fucking game to you?"
"Life is one big game, dude. And I'm just here to make sure I have a fun time."
Harry pushed him away and grabbed Selena's wrist again. "We're leaving."
Selena pulled her wrist back. "Wait, no. We're not leaving him."
Liam placed an arm around her. "Right-O, you're not. I didn't spend all these time waiting just to be left out of the fun."
Harry pulled Selena from Liam's arm. Liam raised an eyebrow but brushed it off.
Selena looked up at Harry. "Five keypers, remember? He may be a jerk but he's a jerk we need right now."
"Hey!"
"You are a jerk and you know it. Who introduces themselves like this?"
"I needed a grand entrance."
Selena rolled her eyes at Liam in exasperation. "Do you want me to chip off a tooth, too?"
The glass all around them suddenly shattered, spraying bits of glass on them. In their fights and bickering, they had not notice that the sun had set. They were in the middle of a deserted diner in the middle of nowhere and were vulnerable to an attack.
The three of them simultaneously ducked, with Harry shielding Selena with his body.
Black shadows climbed through the windows. Selena's eyes widened when she them. They didn't look solid. They were like haze but had the shape of a human - exceptionally long-limbed humans.
"All right!" Liam grinned as he stood up. He pulled out a gun tucked on his behind.
Harry also stood on his feet, pulling Selena with him. He pulled out a gun as well and handed it to Selena.
"You remember how to use it?" Harry asked urgently.
Selena balled up her fist to stop them from shaking. She nodded as she took it from him.
Harry had taught her how to use one before, back when they were still together. She didn't like hunting with them but Harry at least thought she should learn how to use one.
And how handy that skill was now.
"Don't worry, that has salt pellets," Harry said as he turned to face the Damned.
A lot of the dark figures had come in and surrounded them.
Liam cocked his gun, "Man, this crowded room needs a little trimming, don't you think?"
The Damned inched closer until they all began attacking at once. Before Liam or Selena could even shoot, Harry grabbed the nearest salt shaker on a table. He threw it on the ground and salt bursted out in the air.
The Damned wailed like they were being burned. It was a chilling scream that sounded like it came from the depths of the earth.
The Damned scattered but some began attacking. However, Harry pulled Selena to run when he saw an opening.
Selena looked back and shouted, "Liam!"
Liam had pulled out another gun and was just gunning one Damned after the other. "On your six!"
Harry opened his car and they both hurried inside. Harry was pulling out of the parking space when Liam emerged from the diner.
A few Damned were on his tail.
"Wait!" Selena screamed.
Harry hit the brakes and Selena popped the door open. She aimed and shot at the Damned that nearly got to Liam.
"Shut the door!" Harry commanded. But he didn't wait for her to do so as he stepped on the gas.
Selena slammed it shut and then looked back at the open window, relieved to see that Liam was also backing out of diner and was driving after them.
Selena's heart was racing. "What the fuck?"
Harry only concentrated on driving at the dark road. She knew him enough to know he wasn't gonna talk aboit what just happened.
Liam signaled a few seconds later and Harry let him overtake them. Selena kept looking back to make sure no Damned was following them.
They pulled in a small apartment complex an hour later. The place looked dark and rundown. Harry and Selena watched Liam get out of his car.
"Are you sure Keypers don't want me dead, too, Harry?" Selena eyed the sketchy place.
"You're the one who said you needed him." Harry turned off the engine.
Selena frowned at him but jumped a second later when Liam knocked on her window. He signaled for her to come down and follow him.
"Hurry up, we can't stay in the dark for too long."
Harry and Selena followed Liam inside, each carrying only a small bag of their things.
The apartment was as dilapidated inside as it looked outside. Liam led them inside a tiny room, a flashlight in hand to guide them on their way.
He uncovered a small, electronic keypad hidden underneath some rubble. He typed in the passcode and a hatched popped up on the floor in one corner of the room.
"Go in," Liam prodded.
Selena didn't move. Harry remained unmoving next to her.
Liam's chuckle echoed around them. "I don't bite."
Harry took Selena's hand to his and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
It eased Selena's worry a bit but the whiplash from Harry's mood swings squeezed on her heart.
Selena stepped down the spiral staircase first. The lights opened as soon as her foot stepped on the stairs, and it nearly blinded her.
The white light flooded the lavish bunker. The room was a great contrast with the houses Harry owned. It had expensive furniture, several gaming consoles, and a wall that was decorated from floor to ceiling with different guns. There was also a corner that had some high-tech gizmos laid down.
"Welcome to the Royal Room of Payne," Liam said as he plopped down on the king-sized bed. "We can stay here until we need to find the other Keypers."
"How... grand," Selena commented.
"We're leaving at sunrise." Harry sat down on the plush sofa. He took out the gun he had lent Selena and reloaded it before placing it next to him as he laid down on the couch.
"Well, that was a fun intro to each other, huh?" Liam commented.
"Are you sure we're safe here, Liam?" Selena asked. She was standing in the middle of the room, looking around at the little cave Liam owned.
"A hundred percent! We can even hold a party now and no one will hear anything upstairs." He reached over the bedside table and grabbed a remote. It switched on the many screens on that one corner.
The screens showed the ins and outs of the apartment complex.
"We can see if someone's coming," Liam commented. "There's an alarm system in place too and it'll blare like a bitch when someone tresspasses."
"But we're not trapped in here, right? Is the door we came into the only door?"
"I'm not stupid, Golden. Of course I set up an escape door."
"Oh! I still haven't introduced myself. My name's Selena. And that's Harry."
"Yeah, I know all about him. How'd you think I found him?"
"Oh." Selena glanced over at Harry. His eyes were closed but she was pretty sure he was still awake.
Liam sat up and stared at her. "Besides, I'm more interested in you. I haven't had the time to look into you yet. So tell me all about you."
"I..." Selena wasn't really the type to divulge things about herself - especially to a stranger. But she knew that she needed to form a bond with the Keypers. It was necessary albeit unwelcomed.
She sighed. What better way to form a bond than with talking, right?"
"What do you want to know?"
Liam's face lit up, "How long have you been a Golden? How old are you? Where are you from? How'd you meet Harry? Do you have siblings? What's-"
"Whoa. Hold on. Maybe one question at a time?"
"Oh, if that's the case, what's your body measurements?" Liam mischievously grinned.
Harry suddenly sat up. "Go to sleep, Selena."
"We can totally do that, too. Come sleep next to me." Liam patted the spot next to him on the bed.
Harry nearly popped a vein. He stood up and pointed at the couch.
"Where are you gonna sleep?" Selena raised an eyebrow.
"No offense, dude. But you're not my type," Liam quipped.
"Just get over here. I'll sleep on the floor," Harry said through gritted teeth.
"But-"
Selena was a bit unnerved that they weren't even talking about what just happened. It seemed like a normal thing for Harry and Liam to get attacked by shadowy figures in a diner in the middle of nowhere. But she still wasn't used to it at all.
She wasn't even sure she'd get used to the fact that crazy people and these dark, creepy creatures were after her.
"Just fucking sleep. We'll talk about shit tomorrow."
Selena nodded and just begrudgingly obliged to Harry's rude request. It's not like she could sleep at all. But she knew Harry needed to rest. He had been behind the wheel all day, after all.
"Man, I get what they mean when they say 'two's a company but three's a crowd' now." Liam said before he clapped his hands and the white lights all around them turned off.