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Fandom [CLOSED] Tokyo Ghoul: Dead Enmity

If it had just been Dane talking at him from afar, Jackson would have carried on. He would have left everybody behind to go journeying through the city by himself, just a weak man with the clothes on his back and whatever hope he was still carrying in his pockets. He could have done it: left, found Adrian, rescued him and taken him back. But he did not, because his wheels suddenly froze and started turning the wrong way. Back he went, like he was rewinding his action, and then Diana's shadow loomed over his body. 


The words were harsh. 'Suicide,' she had called his decision, and Jackson was not about to tell her that she was wrong. He was stuck now, but he had prepared himself to walk straight into the enemy's crosshairs if it meant it would help Adrian. Though now that seemed stupid. Weak, he thought as his head dropped, and he wished that his hair could still be long enough to obscure his eyes, because tears had blurred his vision.


He could not meet her eyes, but the man knew that Diana spoke the truth. It hurt, and a part of him still wanted to wrestle her away and carry on despite the warning, but he stayed still. Adrian did not need to be hurt any more.


"Okay," he croaked finally. "Okay, I know. I know, I get it." His throat barely produced enough force to make any sound at all, but it was enough. A hand went up to push his glasses back into their correct place, and then he was tugging his sleeves down. It wasn't the same as Adrian's nervous tic; it was a quick, sharp movement that said 'no, I don't need to bare my fists. I'm not going anywhere quickly.'


Then, in the distance and too quiet for Jackson's human ears to hear, there was the sound of a shout. Wheels crunching over gravel, just like before, and the clang of metal against metal. Several of the ghouls rose quickly to their feet to listen. Callum held his brother's hand and became still.


"Someone's nearby, you know," he announced, which started a little chain of agreement in the form of nods and repeated words.


Jackson swallowed and tried to listen. He heard nothing until a few ghouls gasped and jumped simultaneously at another inaudible noise. It could just be the sounds of the city, not even the CCG or anyone to do with the law, but it certainly seemed to shake everyone up.


"Let's go, come on," people began to prompt. "Someone's gonna see us if we don't move." "Who's going in the car?" Nobody would shut up about getting away from this place. They all wanted to leave and save their own skin, and by the sounds of it none of them had even been listening to the exchange between Jackson and Diana for long enough to even remember Adrian's name.


Nobody cared about finding Adrian. One of their own was in danger and nobody could so much as spare a moment for his memory, but even if someone would bother then it wasn't like they would be able to anyway. There was no time left, and Jackson... He couldn't. He couldn't go looking, it would just make things worse. Everything he ever did only made things worse.


As people began to swarm again, the man just folded forwards in his chair and buried his face in the palms of his hands, trying to forget that Diana was leaning over, her face just inches above his. "God, please," he wept out loud when his body began to shake with every breath. "I- ...I j-just want him to be okay, just for once in his fucking life I don't want Adrian to have to be alone."


***


For the longest time Adrian was forced to be alone in his panic, because the false silence carried on into the minutes. Outside the window, the swirls of white water lapping at the foot of the concrete island were becoming larger as the vehicle began the first leg of its descent. The sea foamed. Hundreds of white birds with evil hooked bills and cold, unmoving eyes roosted on the crest of the building, which appeared to jut out of the ground by several hundred feet. There were no boats in sight, nor any signs of human or ghoul life.


Eventually, the door to the pilot's cabin cracked open and a round face peered nervously outwards. A second later it slammed shut again, and there was suddenly more shouting from the same people as whoever had been speaking before. Wren's voice cut through a lot of the garbled speech, but he was quickly silenced again.


There was no sound for another minute. A line of gulls on the roof of the island building seemed to stare up at Adrian through the window. Then the door handle turned again, and associate special class Wren slipped noiselessly back out. He was no more hurt than he had been before he had gone in - just the same strangely bulky young man with a hole in his thigh as always.


Wren staggered back to his seat and clipped himself back in. "I came back," he said in an attempt to maintain the same calm tone as he had tried when he questioned the boy, though the way he kept staring longingly at the door betrayed his uncertainty. "I'm sorry, you told me to leave you alone. You look sad."


For a while Wren stared out of the window. He smiled at the gulls, and all of a sudden they decided that they would rather be exploring the oceans, so they all scrambled to get into the air and leave the building's top.


"Look." A finger tapped on the glass to point at the island. It was getting close now. "We're almost there, just a minute or two. Are you okay?"
 
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Although Diana could hear the panic of the other individuals in the group, she was ignoring it. Bella and the others had already started dividing everyone up into groups, she'd just go wherever they put her. It was more important for her to focus on Jackson at that moment, he was hurting and no one around him seemed to care about the one thing he did... She knew that feeling. If she could have gotten Adrian back for Jackson right then and there, she would have, but she couldn't, they had other people's lives to think about, not just their own. 


"I know." The woman mumbled, standing leaned down over Jackson. He just wanted that boy to be okay, she'd wanted that for many people before, but she couldn't promise he would be...and so she wouldn't. "We'll find him Jackson." Her words were firm, decisive, "If he's still alive we'll find him. I've followed people across countries before, no matter where he goes, we'll find him, but it'll take time. You've got to understand, it will take time, and I don't want you to live under the false precept that everything will go smoothly... It might not, but eventually we'll find him." For a moment there was silence, and then Diana stood up straight again, crossing her arms. There was so much to think about. 


"Getting involved with you people was one of the worst decisions I've ever made." She told him, her voice monotone, "And I've made a lot of bad decisions, but I'm here now, and I'll help you in whatever way you need. Just say the word." By the sound of her voice, she knew she could leave whenever she wanted, she knew she didn't need them, she'd be perfectly fine on her own, but she planned on sticking around for the long run, because she understood how Jackson was feeling...and leaving another person to deal with that alone, that wouldn't be right. If they could find Adrian then she'd make sure they did. They'd get him back, no matter how long it took them. 


"Jackson!" Another voice called from a few meters away, making Diana turn her head, Bella was standing there looking at the two and motioning to her car with her head. 


"Seems we're ready to go." Diana tapped her foot on the ground, before pivoting to turn towards a group of individuals that seemed to be utterly lost. Was no one leading them? "Guess they're mine then." The sentence was to herself, but knowing that it would be stupid to wait any longer, she turned her head to Jackson and nodded once, "Go. Take a breather, calm yourself down, and when you're ready and able, we'll deal with this." With that she tapped Jackson chair and made her exit off towards Dane to ask him exactly what was needed of her. 


----


It really hadn't been in Adrian's best interest to move much, so he'd just stayed curled up in his little defensive ball as he was left to himself, hoping and praying for the longest time that he hadn't gone and hurt someone else by telling them to leave. Honestly, he wished that he could leave, he felt sick and he wanted to sleep, but he only wanted to sleep where he felt safe...and the back of a chopper taking him to some unknown destination definitely wasn't safe. Not to him. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath in and swallowing, as long as he just stayed quiet he'd have no problems. 


After awhile of only the sounds of whirring blades to keep him company, the door opened again. Realising this, Adrian looked up, hoping that that same man was coming out again. However, by the time he'd lifted his hopeful head the person had disappeared back into the room again. Disappointment filled his eyes and he looked his gaze once more, leaning his head on his legs. Of course they weren't coming back out... He'd asked to be alone... It was his own fault. Plus...that man might be hurt, and that would be his fault too. 


When Adrian had finally lost all hope of anyone coming back out of the room during the flight someone opened the door yet again and a familiar voice filled the room. The boy's breath caught in his throat as he raised his eyes to see the blond hair of a male he recognised, he was back? Why did he... 


For some odd reason the other had decided to apologise, before telling him that he looked sad. Adrian chewed on the inside of his lip, staying in his curled up position and letting his eyes fall to the man's feet instead. He didn't have the energy to look up anymore. However, the conversation didn't end there, soon enough it had been pointed out that they weren't too far away, which made Adrian sit up a little. Too far from where though? 


By the looks of things it was an island, though what was on the island he didn't know. Were they not in England anymore? It...didn't look like it... 


"Oh." He managed to squeak out the words, widened eyes locked on the window as they continued to fly towards the building that some gulls had just flown off of. What was that? "Uh." Hearing a question that was probably addressed towards him, the black haired male broke his gaze away from the view and focused it on the blond opposite him. His eyes were slightly red and a little puffy, but he had a blank expression on his face, almost like he didn't understand what was being asked. 


It took Adrian a moment to process what had been said before he flinched and blinked rapidly, finally making eye contact with the man. "Yeah. I'm fine." He smiled, although it was oddly unconvincing, Adrian was having a hard to keeping his face straight, never mind smiling, but he could at least attempt it. After replying to the question he looked down awkwardly, then back towards the window. There was a moment of silence before he spoke again. "I-...I'm sorry..." His gaze flickered between the window and the other person in the room, "I'm sorry I...told you to leave..." Chewing on his lip, Adrian moving his eyes permanently back to the window. He was told they only had a few minutes left, right? So...where would he go after that? The other wasn't going to be with him for much longer probably...maybe he should ask him something now... "H-Hey...um...What's your name?" 
 
'Taking a breather' as Diana had called it was probably the soundest advice Jackson had ever received before. It was not one he had not heard before, but right then when he could not even move without breaking down into a whimpering, trembling mess, it helped. Following the exchange, everyone else had moved away to be sorted into their groups and stand by their allocated leader.


Naturally, Dane and Caleb had been paired together as the joint leaders of one group, although Jackson could imagine which one of them would be more likely to take charge; it was most likely a comforting tactic to keep Caleb from panicking like he had done on the walk. Then there were the other leaders. Diana, Daryl and Rachael each had their own groups, too, and Bella had taken some of the most vulnerable members in her car to avoid having to use the trains.


Having calmed down somewhat after his initial breakdown over Adrian, Jackson had managed to fit in the front seat of Bella's car whilst the two brothers squashed together to make room for the mother ghoul and her son. Altogether they barely fit in the space; Jackson took up so much room on his own, with his slack body and folded wheelchair wedged conveniently below his legs with the wheels detached, that there was only the back for everyone else.


There was no chance of changing over and taking the train instead now, though. The others had since left to find the nearest Underground stations to take to the suburbs, the there was only the road looming ahead to take them forwards. The sun was starting to dip in the sky.


"Are you sure you know the way?" someone called over Tommy-Jones' incoherent mumblings. It was the mother. She had her son perched safely on her lap, arms wrapped protectively around his middle like a too-tight seatbelt. He was whining quietly about being restricted so much, but the woman did not seem to notice because she was too busy berating Bella's navigation. "Because you're not looking at a map when you're driving, absolutely not. You know, it can only take one second looking away from the road for-"


"We know," Jackson interrupted. Maybe he would have been sharp or cutting about his words, but he was too exhausted to make any noise other than a toneless drawl. "It - it's fine, we just... We're just going to d-drive around and look out for Adrian for a few minutes, and then we go. Bella knows the way."


"Do you know how to read a map?" she piped again, squeezing her child's stomach without realising until he moaned and pulled at her wrists. The mother planted a kiss on the top of his head and then glared into the rear-view mirror to see Jackson nodding tiredly. Somehow he had managed to gain a couple of dark circles beneath his eyes within the last few minutes alone, although that may have just been an illusion from where his eyes had swollen and turned pink from crying. He just wished that Bella would hurry up and get the car started so that they could all get on their way.


***


'My name?' When they were still in the air, the man with the blond hair had blinked his brilliant green eyes and averted his gaze to stare out at the island. He was still uncertain, with a nervous twitch of the lip as he spoke, but nevertheless he answered Adrian's question almost immediately. 'It's Aaron. Aaron Andrew Wren.'


But since then a fair number of things had happened. No more questions were asked throughout the flight. When they landed on a helipad at the top of the building, somebody had strapped a mask back onto Adrian's face and drugged him to sleep with that choking white gas again.


Nobody really knew if he was awake or not, but wherever Adrian was, Aaron Andrew Wren was nowhere to be seen. He and the rest of the world had disappeared into a little white box, just a few metres wide and a few metres long. The front wall was made entirely of glass so that any passing man or woman in a beige trench coat could turn and peer in at the boy in the cell. Apart from that, there was nothing but a cold, hard metal bunk on the back wall and a toilet in the corner.


For now, whether asleep or awake, he was alone.
 
Bella couldn't help but sigh as she strapped herself in, they hadn't even set off and that woman was already starting to nag at her. She didn't want to hear all of this. At first she'd let Jackson deal with it, turning on the car and backing up to drive out, they needed to get to her parents as soon as possible after all, but she'd just become too much. 


"Yes, we both know how to read a map." The red haired woman snapped, slamming a hand down on her wheel, "And yes I know the way to my own parent's house. If a road is blocked or there is a diversion then we'll simply find another way, now will you shut up? I get that you're stressed out, but we all are, and your constant jabbing isn't helping the situation." With that out of her system she was finally able to focus on the road, she hated people who did that, they just went on and on, even though you knew what you were doing better than they did. "If you really want to make it then why don't you drive?" She didn't care who drove, she just wanted to get away from there, "And stop bothering Jackson, he's tired." 


The lot were out on the roads in an instant, and Bella had quickly looped around to go check if Adrian was anywhere near the house. Leaving him if he'd somehow managed to stay would definitely be bad, so at least taking a slow drive down there was a good idea... As long as everyone kept their heads down. 


Soon enough they'd reached the street, but the woman had started to hesitate. She didn't want to get caught driving there with Jackson, so she tapped him, telling him to keep his head down, before speeding up the car a bit. She needed to look like she was just going past, that way they would be fine.


----


Adrian gasped suddenly, a panic consuming him as he woke up. His grey eyes darted back and forth, almost as if they expected him to be somewhere else, before finally resting on the far wall...which actually wasn't all that far... Small hands balled into fists as he started to calm down, he could breath, he was fine... The last thing he remembered was being drugged yet again by that stupid mask that stopped him breathing...and then everything had gone black. He didn't even know where he was anymore. Actually, that was a good question, where was he? 


Removing his eyes from the wall, Adrian attempted to sit himself up, it wasn't the easiest at first, since he felt like he was about to throw up everything inside of him, but soon enough he'd drowsily got himself in a sitting position and was luckily away enough to look around the room. 


The first thing he caught sight of was the hallway just beyond a glass barrier that secured him in his own little box, preventing him from accessing the outside world. However, that didn't mean he couldn't look. It wasn't anything interesting, just a hallway people probably walked along, but it was something, at least he could see something. Considering there was hardly anything in the room, from what he could see, par a toilet and bunk being able to look out at something that might change from time to time was oddly relieving. 


Were they going to keep him there? Was that where he had to stay from then on? Probably... Adrian sighed, attempting to move his hands and stand up, but he soon found that they hadn't relieved him of the cuffs around his wrists... He looked down to see his wrists still restrained, despite probably not being able to get out of the room if he wanted to. His facial expression seemed to fall at this, his eyes became darker and looked more tired, his body slumped, and he honestly just felt like going back to sleep... They still hadn't given him movement back. 


Knowing that sleeping probably wasn't an option with how fearful and ill he felt, the boy again attempted to stand up, now with the knowledge that he didn't have free movement of his hands. After a few gos he managed to push himself to his feet and take a step forwards, immediately he started to feel light head and stumbled, almost falling forwards. Okay...standing was a bad idea... 


For around a minute or so Adrian chose to stand in the same place, staring down at the floor and hoping the feeling would pass, it did after a little while, but returned the minute he raised his head and hastily walked forwards again. This time he really did fall over, he staggered and fell to his knees, yelping quietly as he hit the ground. He couldn't stand... It was too hard. 


Why did they do this to him? He felt awful and he hadn't even done anything, but...he still felt that way. With a sigh he rolled onto his back, staring up at the lifeless ceiling, he didn't want to be there. He wanted to go home...but they weren't going to take him home were they? He was never going to go home. They were going to keep him in a prison cell forever. Forever... Adrian swallowed, that was a very long time...


"Adrian, I believe." The voice of what sounded to be a woman startled Adrian, causing him to jump. He quickly turned his head towards the glass, noticing a female with dark brown hair tied up on the top of her head in the most perfect of buns, clipped toether with a shimmering golden hair pin above. Her face was thin and all of her features were defined, in fact the most boring thing about her was her golden brown eyes that seemed to sparkle slightly in the light above her. "Right?" She spoke again, parting large, rosy red lip before smiling knowingly at Adrian.


Honestly, he didn't know how to reply, he just laid there, head tilted up, mouth slightly agape as she spoke. "I'll take that as a yes." Her voice was eloquent and intriguing to say the least, why did she sound like she knew something he didn't? "Come on boy, sit up." She urged, motioning with her head. For some reason, her expression, combined with the way she spoke made Adrian feel obliged to do so, and quickly he'd scrambled to his knees, looking up at her obediently. 


The laugh that came from the woman was of amusement, she smiled and her expression completely changed. Now it was something between pity and that expression that people get when they see something cute. "Aren't you just the most adorable little thing?" Again she chuckled, shaking her head, "Nobody told me you'd be so cute," She raised an eyebrow, brown eyes looking into grey, "And here I was expecting someone frightening." Adrian didn't much react to that, he had to reason to...she was obviously there for a reason, but...what was that reason? The boy turned his head to the side waiting. What did she want?


For a few moments nothing else was said, the two simply stared at one another, but then that smile returned back to the woman's face. "Sweetie," She start, keeping that same tone, "Since my...friends brought you here I thought we could have a little talk. I want you to look at something for me, if that's alright." 


Adrian nodded. 


"Great." Already she'd opened a large piece of paper she had in her hands slamming it against the glass of the boy's cell and causing him to jump. Althought she looked down at him, she paid no mind to his flinching, "Does this mean anything to you?" 


Adrian had blinked upon seeing the paper, and it took awhile for him to digest. He swallowed, his eyes slightly wide as he continued to stare. Why did she have that? What was it for? For a moment or so Adrian had stayed still, but someone wasn't waiting. 


"Hm?" 


His eyes met with the woman's again as she gave the prompt, he stared at her and then back to the sheet. Did it...mean anything to him...


Yes. 
 
There was still a deep-set frown carved into her face, but after Bella's intervention the woman kept her mouth mostly shut. Her son squirmed on her lap until she let him go, but she kept her hand on his shoulder as he went to explore Tommy-Jones' part of the back seat. He pulled at the older boy's ear and waited for him to look before he burst out into laughter. Callum scowled but kept silent with his arms crossed. His brother spoke quietly to the child, both of them grinning at one another.


Jackson could not deny that he was grateful for Bella's intervention. That woman was a handful on her own; she feigned responsibility over a young child, but really she was little more than a back-seat driver with a thirst for control. It was exhausting. But there was no point in trying to go to sleep now, even if the sun was sinking closer to the horizon every second. Adrian could be around here somewhere, and he had to listen out.


It frustrated the man that he had to keep his head down, but of course he did as he was asked. He pushed himself forwards to fold over and lean across his lap, but still he craned his head to one side to look out of the window. 


"What is it?" Tommy-Jones called over the child's shoulder. His eyes blinked curiously through the side window.


Callum grabbed at the older boy's arm. "Shut up and act natural," he told him, and then he leaned back in his seat and tried not to look through the glass - though he could not help it when his gaze wandered to the left. There were no investigators in sight anymore, but there were spots of blood dotted around on the street and the air felt thicker as they moved. The door to the house had been unhinged and then strung across with yellow tape marked, 'CCG - DO NOT CROSS'.


The man sitting beside Bella tried to push his glasses up, but with gravity working against him it didn't do much. His head was turning red from leaning over. "What can you see?" he asked as intelligibly as he could despite his exhaustion, powered by a freshly-kindled hope alone. "Is - is he there?"
 
The tape that covered the front door was a clear indicator to Bella that Adrian probably wasn't inside anymore, he wasn't there, but the CCG didn't seem to be either. Still, that didn't make her want to check it out further, they could have cameras set up or anything, so she just kept driving, a disappointed sigh escaping her. This could have been simple. 


"I don't see him." She replied, shaking her head, "The CCG have the door taped off, I doubt he's inside..." It was best to leave out the part about them having probably found him, Jackson could work that out for himself... She didn't want to upset him, "I'm sorry Jackson, he's not here..." With that she sped up, the despondency in her voice quite apparent. 


As she'd sped up her car again and started to move away from the building she'd noticed something on the floor, a dried red of some sorts, probably...blood. No one was bleeding when they came out, were they? They couldn't have been...plus that was a little too much blood for a finger or something, even if it wasn't necessarily a lot. There had been a fight, and Adrian had probably been caught up in it, which meant he ran or got caught. All she could do was hope to god that that wasn't his blood on the ground and instead was the blood of a CCG investigator. 


"We've got to go." Once she spoke those words she started to focus on the road again, taking another loop around to get on a road that'd take them to the suburbs, where her parents lives. Looking at Jackson would be too painful, she didn't want to see the hurt in his eyes, because he'd still had a little bit of hope...and that hope that just been shattered after they'd gone to check out the house. 


It couldn't be helped. She didn't want to have to leave Adrian, but they had so many people to worry about, they had to get them to safety first and then worry about the boy... Bella knew he was important to Jackson and whilst he might be eighteen, he really didn't act it, some fourteen year olds acted older than he did. He needed Jackson, she knew that, and now he didn't have him...which worried her equally as much.
 
He had told himself not to hope. It was not like he could ever believe they would find a sign or a trace or any kind of tracks that could lead them to wherever Adrian had wandered off to; that would be too easy, too simple. God would never grant them that kind of luck when He hated Jackson as far as the man could comprehend. But even now, when he had told himself 'no, don't hold your breath,' he thought he could feel his heart wither. His chest tightened and suddenly there were tears prickling in the corners of his eyes again.


This time he did not dare to curse Bella with another look or spoken thought. When they were off the street he sat himself up, grabbed at the handle on the ceiling with his right arm and stared out through the glass. After a while he realised that the woman in the back had been nagging Bella again, but he had been too busy dwelling in his thoughts and fears to notice at the time. Tommy-Jones still watched the mirror worriedly to try and find eye contact with either person in the front.


Clearly summer was not upon everyone yet. The days were not as short as they had been in the winter, but the sun still set early. The clouds turned red and lustrous for a spectacular few minutes before the world turned cold and dark. Only a couple of stars blinked faintly through the twilight.


'Can we stop there for a moment?' the woman in the back had asked when a large garage complete with a service station glowed out from the night. She and her son were apparently desperate to get somewhere civilised so that they could stop living like savages in the back of a car, and in the end they had nagged Bella all the way to the parking place.


When they arrived, Callum immediately punched the door open and slid out. He pulled Tommy-Jones out with him so that they could stretch their legs for a while and go inside to use the lavatory, and the other two followed them in. By the time they got back Jackson had re-assembled his wheelchair and was sat not too far outside the car. Without a watch or phone to tell him the time, it was difficult to work out whether or not he should yet bother going in to buy something to eat. Three, four hours since his last meal? That's what it felt like at the moment. But then again, sometimes it also felt like a few minutes and at other times a day.


At least they could not be too far from Bella's parents' house now. He didn't have to waste money here; just use the facilities and go.


So he told them, "I-Im just going in for a minute is all," and then he began up the ramp towards the front door whilst Callum and the woman both scowled at each other from a distance.
 
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Honestly, Bella had been glad to stop, she'd wanted to get out of the car so that she didn't have to listen to that woman's annoying voice. She never shut up! She just kept talking and talking, expecting everyone to just listen to her. If Bella could have gotten rid of her she probably would have, but she kept having to remind herself that it wouldn't be too long, they would be there soon enough. 


Whilst the others got out of the car and went inside, she helped Jackson get into his wheelchair and hung out by the vehicle, using her phone. She hadn't gotten anything from the others, which worried her a little, but she supposed that they had people to worry about too, expecting them to text her was a little silly. As long as they were alright then it didn't matter. She'd see them soon, trains were always faster than cars, if they got a direct then they'd easily be able to get to her parents'. At least...she hoped they would. 


"Uh. Yeah." The woman turned to Jackson as he said he was going inside and nodded, smiling. The others had appeared again and were looking at each other like they wanted to murder one another, let them, if that's what they really wanted to do then she wasn't going to intervene. Bella sighed and turned her attention back to the device in her hands, scrolling aimlessly through everything and anything she could find just to entertain herself. It was nice to get a break, but it was also awfully boring. 


She would have continued doing the same thing had she not heard the loud noise from directly behind her. 


Clang! 


Something crashed into the bonnet of the woman's car, causing her to kick off of it and suddenly spin around. "Hey!" She yelled instinctively, dropping her arm. Of course, she assumed to see one of the others playing around or jumping on her car, but when she saw something quite different she froze in position, confused and shocked. 


A figure cloaked in a large navy blue robe and hood that covered most of their body laid on the bonnet of her car, where they'd come from was unclear, but the minute they'd heard the voice they'd turned their head and jumped off, looking over at the woman whom had spoken. The individual was short, so Bella expected to come face to face with some rebellious kid, but that wasn't the case, in fact...she couldn't see a face at all... Under the hood all that could be see was a navy mask that covered the whole of the person's face, and head by the looks of things. The only skin she could see on this individual was that of their hands, they were wearing a black outfit underneath the cloak that covered everything...there was no indication of who they were...but she knew that she probably shouldn't be so close. 


This strange, new creature took a few steps forwards, reaching a hand out as if to touch Bella, but then there was another sound. Another thud. It turned immediately, facing another faceless individual that had fallen from a building above. However, this person did not wear the navy that the other did, instead they wore a black robe, also with a hood, and a black mask that obscured their face. The new individual was much taller than the first and seemed to be better build than their...companion as well. The one in black stepped forwards, never breaking eye contact with their opponent, before suddenly making a mad dash towards the person nearest Bella. 


They were fast, extremely fast, even as a ghoul she had a hard time following all of their movements, but it seemed that their opponent was faster. As a hand had shot out to grab the smaller of the two they bent themselves backwards, completely avoiding the grab. After that they then proceeded to do a backwards walkover, followed by a backwards handspring, to get out of range of the person trying to attack them. However, that didn't seem to be happening, the other was on them in seconds, grabbing at the navy cloak that waved


behind them and pulling it backwards. It was meant to put their opponent off balance, but it didn't, as it was followed by the individual bouncing back onto their hands and kicking at the taller's face. 


Back and forth they went, throwing kicks and punches that most people didn't even know existed. Their actions, and the speed at which the moved, showed that these people definitely weren't your average civilians... Even Bella could tell that it'd take years to learn skills like that, she'd backed up, fearing that if she was too close she might end up in the middle of something she couldn't handle... Where was Daryl when you needed him? 


It was after the smaller in the navy had jumped back and sent a kick flying towards the other's throat that something else finally happened. They'd been fighting back and forth for ages, the smaller of the two obviously having an advantage over the taller, even when you'd probably expect it to be the other way around, in fact it almost looked like they were toying with them...in...the oddest way. Nothing about their attacks seemed easy to avoid or simple, but something about the way the one in navy bounced around on their hands and threw in random unnecessary flips, cartwheels, handsprings and the like told Bella that they weren't taking it completely seriously. 


The kick that had been sent towards the taller's throat was quickly block as their arms formed an 'X' in front of their neck, catching the ankle at the top. For a moment they stood like that, before the individual who had caught the other's leg took a step forwards, forcing their opponent's leg to be placed in an even more vertical position than it already was, oddly, it didn't seem to bother the other. Their leg was grabbed around the ankle and pulled up, forcing the smaller of the two onto their tiptoes, before being completely pulled off of the ground. Really, their head should have smashed against the ground due to that move, but it didn't, as they managed to get their hands down in time and kick the wrists of the taller with their free leg. Upon making them let go they moved very fluidly into a backwards roll, landing back on their feet without much thought. 


Bouncing backwards, the smaller of the two seemed to start to look around, at least that was what was implied by the movement of their head. Their interest seemed piqued by the ghouls that had been in the car with Bella and after once again making eye contact with the other mysterious person they'd been fighting, they made a B-line for their target. Of course, this wasn't going to be allowed, the other ran head first at them, almost like they were going to tackle them. That only ended badly. As they got closer, the one in navy jumped, successfully using their opponent's arched back as a vault, springing into the air and landing effortlessly on the ground behind them. After that the chase continued. 


The one in black had spun around, just to see the other already approaching a taller male who seemed a little clueless. Tommy-Jones. Bella's eyes widened, what were they doing? She wanted to step forwards, but she didn't dare. Couldn't the other one do something? Stop them or something? That's what they'd been trying to do right? So...why weren't they over there?!


As she averted her gaze from the unknown person standing next to Tom, she turned to see what the other in black was doing. To her surprise they were just standing there, in a position as if about ready to run, but not wanting to. Was it something about the other being so close to someone else? It had to be right? That only made her worry more about the boy's safety. 


The two were now giving each other the most peculiar of looks. Their faces couldn't be seen, but the way the smaller one stood next to Tom without doing anything, just staring at his opponent, was enough 'odd' for Bella. It was almost as if the taller was saying something without speaking, warning the other not to do something. However, the other really wanted to do it. 


They raise a hand, finally showing the only skin on their body, it was a light tan coloured hand, with small, thin fingers that were curled up, apart from one which was extended towards Tom's face. This action caused the further away of the two to take a step forwards, which only provoked their rival. Their finger got closer. Now it really seemed to be a battle of who was going to listen to who. Without speaking, they were communicating their intentions perfectly, however, Bella didn't understand what they wanted to do with Tom's face, which only caused her more anxiety as that finger got closer to touching him.


It kept going, closer, and closer, and closer, until finally the faceless being struck out at light speed towards Tom's face. As they did so the other seemed to hastily stride forwards as if there was something to worry about. 


Bella's eyes widened as she saw that hand extend, however, the intentions were a lot less violent than expected. A finger touched Tom's nose before recoiling back towards its owner. The mysterious person turned their head towards the teenager, eyes alight, before skipping backwards a few steps, turning their head again, and darting towards the entrance to the service station.
 
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With a car full of fugitives and a web of empty roads, it was to Jackson's despair but unfortunately not his surprise that somebody had found them as they stopped. Although this particular 'somebody' was not at the top of his list of expectations; there were posters with his face on them up around the city, armoured agents and probably by now an entire group of ghouls who were pissed off for the theft of their prisoners. They were all out there, looking for him, looking for Adrian and Bella and Dane and, God forbid, Caleb. But was it them who found everyone? No. It was a couple of masked individuals in hooded cloaks.


The loud noise had been the first thing to catch Jackson's attention. Being halfway up a ramp it was of course inconvenient to turn around, but still he paused and craned his neck to look. Then his heart had skipped a beat when he realised exactly what he was seeing.


One in black. The other in blue. Two faceless strangers, likely ghouls, were dancing around by the car so quickly that the man had trouble following their movements. It looked like they were fighting, but he had never seen those techniques before. They were new, unknown, and frightening - and not just for him. Tommy-Jones had sat down on the ground a way away from his brother and was watching with frightened rabbit-eyes, frozen on the spot and whimpering like a pup.


"Move, Tom!" Callum squawked from his spot. But by the time he had scrambled to his feet, it was too late. The stranger had advanced on the older boy, leaned in and... Touched his nose?


Jackson had seen that, and it had baffled him equally as much as it had the two brothers. But he was in no position to stop and ponder what on Earth he had just witnessed, because the two masked fighters were not gone yet. There he was, twisted around halfway up a ramp, watching as Tommy-Jones and Callum grabbed at each other and as the stranger in blue came up to the entrance - directly towards where he was sat.


He could not move where he was, so he just let go of the railing, closed his eyes and rolled back down to the bottom with arms folded up to protect his head.
 
Just as Jackson had let go of the railing and started to roll down the figure in black hopped the first bar, landing just in front of him, however they were out of the way and on the second rail before Jackson's wheelchair could it them, proving their speed. Their only objective seemed to be to stop the one in navy getting indoors, which was most likely for everyone's sake considering their performance outside just seconds ago. 


They'd managed to speed themselves up to reach the door just as the other did, the smaller of the two had placed a hand on the glass and started to push, but suddenly they were violently yanked backwards by their cloak, towards the small set of stairs to their left. It was obvious that the individual in black was trying to knock them over. That didn't seem to be about to happen any time soon though.


After disappearing behind the small wall for a few seconds, it became clear that the smaller individual had not fallen over, they'd caught themselves in a crouching position and quickly sprung to their feet again. They were like a cat, always landing on their feet, or hands, there hadn't been a single instance either of the fighters had falling over yet. 


Once again they turned on each other, fighting down the ramp and using the rails to propel their legs at each other every now and again. Jackson's wheelchair was grabbed by the handles and pushed forcefully forwards as the two got to the bottom of the ramp. Having moved Jackson, the person in navy backwards rolled and pivoted, locking their eyes onto yet another of the people standing nearby, except this time they weren't just tapping them on the nose. No, they'd ran over to the two brothers clutching one another, they tapped the smaller of the two on the shoulder as they skipped behind them, doing something similar to a hopscotch motion with their feet. For a moment it seemed like they were going to wait, but they'd noticed their adversary gaining on them and so they speedily grasped Callum's wrist, yanking him towards them with quite some for, before wrapping the opposite arm around the boy's throat, their bicep to his jugular. It wasn't tight enough to stop his breathing, but it was tight enough to keep him in place, they stumbled back a few steps, forcing the other with them. With their other hand they'd simply kept hold of Callum's wrist behind his back, but their focus was no on him at all, it was on the other faceless figure in black. 


That figure had been barrelling towards the smaller and only just managed to stop themselves from colliding straight with Callum as he was put in between the two. They seemed to come to a standstill, the one with Callum still backing up a little bit, and the other warning them not to do something stupid with their eyes. They were purposely using a hostage to prevent whatever it was the other wanted to catch them for. 


"Holy shit..." Bella breathed, finally finding the strength to take a few steps forwards despite her nerves, "Hey!" She yelled, "Let go of him! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Oh god, what did she do? If she hadn't seen the way that individual fought then she might not have been so worried, the two were similar heights and the large cloak on the other didn't reveal their build much, but...if that individual wanted to they could probably end Callum's life right then and there. "Stop it! Let go!" 
 
Tommy-Jones had refused for quite a long time to let go of his brother. 'Who's that?' he had asked over and over, much to the younger boy's annoyance. 'Strangers smell funny. What are they doing?' Callum, of course, had repeatedly swatted at his face with a hand until they managed to part - although in hindsight that was probably a very, very bad idea.


Instead of a clingy older brother latched on to his chest, Callum turned around and found something even more restrictive and about a million times more frightening. There was a hand on his wrist and an arm around his throat, which threatened to squeeze the life away with the slightest twitch of movement. He tried not to breathe in too deeply.


Meanwhile, Jackson was still dizzy from the unexpected movement. He had to wait a moment to catch his breath and find his bearings in the darkness, but as soon as he was aware again with Bella's shouting echoing from across the pavement, he was moving again. On he raced, away from the ramp, past the car and through the spot from where the mother had just ushered her child away. She was muttering something to her son in hurried words, a look halfway between fear and stark disgust plastered across her white face.


Jackson stopped dead a few metres away from the scene after realising quickly that he was neither brave nor stupid enough to try and intervene here. Fight the strangers and he would be dead in a second - they would have kicked off his head before he could even turn around to look. So instead he watched and exchanged terrified glances with Tommy-Jones as Callum struggled to move.


The boy was flailing by now. Some foul words were coming straight out of his mouth, but even more alarming was the way he grabbed for his captor's wrist... And found that when he pulled his hand away, it came back with a long string of black bandaging which frayed and snapped in two as it unravelled.
 
The hooded figure that had had hold of Callum had tightened its grip slightly upon watching its opponent approach, they didn't want to get caught by the looks of things, that or they were still playing around. However, if that was playing to them then who knew how far they were willing to go before it stopped being a 'game'?  Either way they didn't seem like they were about to let go of the boy and trying to escape didn't seem like a good tactic. 


It would have stayed that way, something different probably would have happened, if only Callum hadn't pulled on the other's arm. As the black bandages were ripped from the other's arm their sleeve was thrown back, revealing the tan skin underneath. However, it wasn't just skin, it was more than that...there was something that obstructed it and caused the figures arm to look very strange. 


At first glance the markings on their arm looked like any old scar, however, upon closer inspection it became clear that that wasn't the case at all. The calligraphy was impressive, rounded, like someone had taken the utmost care with each line they'd placed on the skin, and it seemed that these lines were in fact words. Words etched into the arm, perfectly lined up with one another mostly on the underside of the forearm, and then seeming to continue onto the upper side of the person's arm. They were carefully placed, intricately inflicted damage and held just as much mystery within them as the person whose arm they were scribed upon. 


Upon realising that these wounds had been reveal, the hooded figure retracted their arm towards their body, pulling at the sleeve to make it fall, whilst simultaneously raising their leg to slam Callum in the back of his knees. If had had time to react to that, he sure wouldn't have had time to react to the kick that had been aimed directly at his temple. It was vicious and quick, connecting with the boy's skull to send him plumetting towards the hard ground. Ripping those bandages off had seemed to quite aggravate the stranger, causing them to lash out at the teenager in retaliation to what was done to them. 


In that moment they'd gone from steadily holding Callum to trying to cave his face in with an attack. They staggered back, clutching their wrist in order to keep their sleeve down, whilst staring at the larger individual who seemed a little stunned by their reaction. Of course, that didn't mean they wasted any time in jumping back onto the other, but the smaller of the two didn't seem like they were having it anymore as they proceeded to launch several fast paced and precise kicks towards their attacker, spinning their legs through the air. The other's dodges were all too close as they just managed to avoid getting hit by the full force of a strong roundhouse kick. The stranger in blue seemed a little more on edge, their eyes darting backwards and forwards as they looked around for an unknown reason. 
 
"Drop it!" came a shrill outcry from Jackson's direction. Still frozen in the shadow of a courage he could not find, he remained out of the stranger's range and waved his arms around frantically as soon as Callum's head hit the ground. The boy had been knocked flat on his side. He was just lying there, petrified and jittering like a mouse, grey eyes fixed on the blue-cloaked figure sparring with his taller counterpart. He was white and shaking, but most importantly he still had those two halves of the bandage grasped in his fist. That wasn't good; Jackson had seen what a frenzy that little piece of fabric had caused, and Callum was not exactly in the greatest position as he was. For a moment he blinked and saw Adrian, and his blood started to boil. "Callum! Drop it, drop the thing!" he roared even louder, "Throw it back - run - get out!"


Callum did not need to be told again. He was dazed, clumsied by the kick to his temple, and it took him a few moments to stagger back to his feet. As soon as he was up he hurled the bandaged back towards the hit-and-dodge dancing pair.


A clammy hand extended to grasp the boy's wrist as he stumbled over and nearly fell straight down against Jackson's feet. "Wh- wh..." He tried to form asentence, but his voice had been lost to shock. "I-"


"C-car. Get Tom, get in." The man swallowed when he finished speaking. The person leaning over the side of his chair paused again until his hand was shaken to wake him into the urgency. After that, he stumbled away, dodged a hug from Tommy-Jones and led his brother by the hand back to Bella's car. The door swung open and both teenagers dived inside and pulled up the locks immediately.


As intriguing as this pair was, Jackson did not want to stick around to unravel their mysteries either. The mother passed him with her son in a fireman's lift as he wound around the vehicle to Bella's side. "F-forget the station," he suggested. The words were calm but his voice was anything but; it was strained, high-pitched and broken. "We've gotta go, now."


There was a tapping at the car window. The mother had managed to climb over both Callum and Tommy-Jones to press her face against the glass. "What on Earth is going on!?" her muffled voice pulsed outwards.


"I don't know!" Jackson yelped back, but he wasn't about to stay and find a better answer. He clapped Bella on the shoulder and then moved around to his side. The door swung open, the man pulled up at the seat, and then a pair of hands threw his feet inside. Where the red-haired girl was or what she was doing, it didn't matter. They just had to move, fast, before these weirdos - whoever they were - got any closer and did whatever they had tried on Callum to someone else.
 
The minute Callum had thrown the bandages towards the two fighting the smaller had dived for the items, grabbing them in their hands and doing a dive roll to avoid landing face first on the floor. They'd bounced back to their feet after landing, loosely wrapping the now broken bandages around their arm again, but it wasn't working very well... Plus they had to think about the opponent that was already heading back towards them. 


Soon the two were in a fight again, but by the looks of things they were starting to move around a lot more, which could mean that the taller was in for another chase. That was....if they let things keep going the same way that they were. 


"Ah..." Bella didn't know what to say, she was stunned as Callum hopped in the car with his brother, before the mother and her child followed, and then Jackson did too... What was going on? What were these people doing? Whoever they were, they were insane. If the CCG got called, their asses would be sent straight to a detention centre! If...they could catch them. 


For a moment she stood there, stunned, unresponsive, but eventually what Jackson said finally sunk in. They had to go. Yes, that was right, they had to leave for everyone's sake, if they didn't leave someone else could get hurt a lot worse than Callum just did. Okay, she was going, she was going right that second... Yep... 


Finally the woman managed to detach her eyes from the scene and turn to grab Jackson's wheelchair, she folded it up, throwing it quickly in the back and making her way around to the other side of the car. She couldn't help how every now and again she'd look in the direction of the mysterious strangers fighting, just to check they weren't coming any closer, but the second she got in they were out of her mind. 


"Right. Let's get out of here." Turning the ignition, she pressed her foot down on the accelerator and turned the car around, moving out of the car parking space and back towards the main road. As she was turning she took one final look back towards the strangers, but...when she turned to see where they were...they were nowhere to be seen. Disappeared into thin air. Just as well, they were people that definitely weren't worth getting involved with. She hoped she'd never have to see them again. It would definitely be the best thing for everyone if this was the first and last time they ever showed their...'faces'.
 
Gone. They were gone, disappeared into the darkness of the newly-fallen night from which they had first appeared. It felt so surreal to remember the way two masked strangers had sparred together outside the station that it might not have been anything other than a dream. Or at least that might have been what Jackson would have concluded, had Tommy-Jones not spent the next few moments prodding and shaking Callum.


The boy himself still seemed somewhat shaken. One hand was left plastered to the side of his head where he had been kicked, and when his fingers parted it was clear that there was a dark purple bruise forming. That mark would last no longer than a full minute, but it lasted long enough to prove the force of that hit. No wonder he still looked dizzy and confused... Although the way his brother was shaking his shoulders violently and repeating his name into his ear probably did not do much to help.


In the end, it was a low tutting noise which broke the silence Jackson had been so stiffly keeping. The mother in the back leaned in towards the space between the man and his driver, and a crease appeared in the middle of her forehead. Jackson braced himself for the inevitable barrage of outraged complaining that would inevitably come after the huge, loud inhalation of air.


"Can you not drive any faster at all?" came the first round as an evil look found its way to Bella's face through the mirror. "In case you haven't noticed, it's night. The roads aren't exactly busy, you can afford to go at more than four miles per hour, you know, it's not like you're going to crash. And there are -" Her voice turned to a whisper for a moment. "-there are some total nutters around at this hour. Haven't you seen? That girl's been following us for ages, look, I've been watching her."


Had it all been rubbish, which it probably still was, the most Jackson would have done would be to roll his eyes and then lean his head against his seatbelt to try and catch some sleep. But that last statement hooked his attention. "What?" he mumbled into the thick air.


"You heard me," the woman snapped back. Her son had to shimmy from her lap to Tommy-Jones' so that he would not be squeezed in her aggressive hold again. "Look to your left. That girl there, the one running on the pavement."


A pair of lazy eyes slid to one side to check the surroundings. It was true; in the darkenss was a figure, small and thin, legs protruding from a loose garment that looked like a dress. Whoever it was hiding in the shadows of the streets, stumbling behind the car and peering out through long locks of matted hair... Wasn't hiding at all. She was leaping into the air as soon as Jackson looked at her, waving her bony arms madly at them like their attention was the most important thing in the world.
 
If the woman hadn't spoken of a girl that seemed to be following them then Bella probably would have to her to shut up again, but when she looked to her left she did in fact notice a little girl with long, blonde hair, jumping and waving to get their attention. Who was she? Did she know them? Shaking her head, Bella looked back at the steering wheel, they'd just had a run in with god knows what...was pulling over to talk to this girl really a good idea?


She was small...she was only a child. Leaving her there when she obviously wanted their attention would be despicable, like she could do that to the girl. Plus she looked in bad shape, dirty, ruined, someone could be trying to hurt her, if they didn't do something then who else would? 


"Fuck it." Bella muttered to herself, shaking her head once more and swerving over to the side of the pavement, parking on it. This had to be quick, they needed to get off again, for all they knew those psycho fighters from before could be following them and pop out of nowhere to kill someone for aggravating them. 


She rolled down the window slightly, looking in the direction of the girl, "Hey kid!" The call was loud enough for her to hear, "What is it?" Honestly, she was starting to become slightly tense, maybe pulling over hadn't been the logically right decision...but it was the morally right one. 


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"Hm." The brunette with the bold red lips smiled at Adrian, removing the paper from the glass in front of him and folding it up into a neat little triangle to be placed back into the pocket and the jeans that she was wearing. "That's all I think," She started, turning her attention back to the boy sitting on the ground, "Thank you for being so cooperative." That strange knowing smile returned to her lips again, except this time it sent a shiver down Adrian's back. What else could she possibly know that he didn't?


"Are you going?" He asked, blinking to try and keep his eyes open and focused. Falling asleep whilst they were still talking might seem a little rude. 


"Yes. I've got a job to do after all." The woman chuckled and shook her head, "You really are so innocent... To think..." A 'tsk' noise was made with her tongue as she trailed off towards the end of her sentence, not intending to finish it. 


"To think what?" 


"Nothing sweetie, don't worry about it." 


"Okay." Although tempted to push the subject, Adrian decided it was best to avoid it. She wasn't going to tell him, it didn't matter what he said. Instead he leaned backwards and crossed his legs, messing around with the handcuffs restraining his wrists. For a few moments there was silence between the two, in fact the woman seemed like she was about to leave, but Adrian didn't want that just yet. "Don't go." He looked up, his eyes catching her's. She smiled, but didn't say anything at first. 



"I have to." The reply came a few moments after the initial question, "I can't stay." 


"Why not?" 


"Because you're a prisoner Adrian, and I'm not here to provide you with an outlet to escape the situation you're in. I have a job to do, and important things to attend to. You're one of a million things I have to accomplish today, so I have to go." She tapped the glass, before turning to leave once again, "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be fine." 


Adrian was left dumbfounded, unsure of how to reply, and just generally confused. All he could do as she walked away was watch, watching and hope that she was telling him the truth...because who could you really trust when everyone seemed to be on the opposing team? The boy's head dropped, his hair casting a shadow over his face, and he sighed. No one. He couldn't trust anyone...


What had he just done? 
 
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The world had spun around him and pulled the girl's skinny form around to the opposite side, but Jackson could not take his eyes off her. His head snapped to the right. Blonde hair, he guessed from the tone of the shadows, long enough that it draped down to the small of her back. Her nails were long and chipped, with crescents of black dirt at the tip of each finger. The skin on her face was pale and clammy, her eyes milky white... For some reason, Jackson looked up and expected to see a big, yellow grin. But this person wasn't smiling. Her lips were stretched out in a a trembling grimace that ruined her round, girlish face.


"Wh-what are you doing? Bella!" Jackson made a start to grab at the woman's shoulder, but something lurched in the base of his throat and made him freeze. The window opened, and a new sound poured in.


Gunshots.


It wasn't even in the distance; the noises were sharp and loud and cutting, so close that they hurt. Somebody nearby - or several somebodies - had opened fire. Bullets whistled through the air and ploughed several millimetres down through the tarmac. The girl outside yelped and cupped a hand to her chest, where her denim dress quickly darkened and glistened in the light. Callum hurled the door open just in time for the newcomer to fall inside, and two pairs of hands grabbed her and pulled her in. Her blood made a dark streak over Callum's and Tommy-Jones' laps.


One of the boys in the back cried out, "She's armed!"


Jackson whirled around as far as he could in his position, scowled and then pulled the mirror down to look properly. It was true. In the girl's left hand was the barrel of a scratched pistol. As soon as she was able to sit up atop Tommy-Jones' lap, she raised the weapon in the air.


"Where's the button?" she asked frantically. Her fingers found every nub other than the trigger as she twisted it this way and that, and every time she pressed down it inevitably did nothing. Then she finally found the right appendage to pull - right as the barrel was facing towards the space between her own eyes. Her finger tensed, and she pulled it, but thankfully not before Callum could grab her wrist and direct the bullet towards the window, where the face of an armoured investigator had just appeared.


The investigator dropped dead on the pavement beside them, but there were more where he had come from. Other less stupid agents had formed a troop several metres down the road instead of running to the car. Another squad was waiting up ahead. All of them were armed with what looked like rifles which were no doubt loaded with deadly Q-bullets.


They were in deep shit now, Jackson realised when the CCG opened fire. The man had to force himself down into a ducking position to avoid the shots which left webs of fractured glass in the window to his left. Whatever was happening here, these guys really did not like the girl who had just stopped their car. But there was no time to think about why. It was drive or die.


"Go!" Jackson yelled up at Bella. The squad waiting up ahead sent a spray of bullets through the front windscreen, but thankfully the man could not feel the sudden sharp agony he had expected. He had not been hit, and if they were lucky then Bella was still okay too. 


So the girl in the back kept shooting out with her pistol at the attackers closing in from behind, the child on his mother's lap wailed with fright and Jackson kept shouting through his knees, "Go! Go, go, let's go, let's move!"
 
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"Shut up Jackson! I'm driving!" Bella replied, as she turned to watch the girl appear at the door. It was then that she'd heard the sound of gunshots and nearly jumped out of her chair, what the hell, what the hell... Someone was shooting something. Her eyes darted around to find the cause of the noise, but by that time the panic had already begun. 


From the back she heard someone shout about the girl being arm, then she saw her trying to work a pistol, that she nearly shot herself in the head with. They needed to be careful! What the hell were they all thinking? The bullet that was meant to go through her skull went through the skull of an individual who had been too close to their car instead. When Bella looked out of the window to see who it was she heard another barrage of bullets and screamed in shock. 


"FOR FUCKS SAKE!" The woman yelled, rolling her own window back up at bullets bombarded the car. This was bad, this was so bad...she had to drive quick and she had to drive now. It had to be investigators, but whoever it was definitely wanted that girl dead, and now...probably them too considering they'd managed to pick her up. So...how the hell did they get out of there without being shot? 


It wasn't like there were many options and Bella had to choose one fast. It was either drive into them and hope for the best, back into them and hope for the best, or...nope...there really wasn't much of another option. "God fucking dammit..." She muttered, gripping the steering wheel and turning off of the pavement. They had to, they had no choice unless they wanted to get shot up. Then later they'd have to abandon the car... Fucking number plates... 


"Alright! Everyone hold on! Seat belts!" With that little warning out of the way, Bella focused on the people in front of her. She couldn't believe she was about to do this, what the hell had they gotten themselves into now? This was hectic. Her foot floored the acceleration and the car sped forwards, sure it was slightly difficult to control, and she'd never driven so fast in her life, but they had no choice now. The vehicle was heading straight for the line of people in front of them, and she had no intention of slowing down. If they didn't get out of the way then that was their problem...they'd kill them if she didn't do this. 


The car zoomed forwards, and Bella's gaze was unwavering, she couldn't back out at the last second, there would be a lot of people in trouble if she did. They just had to get out of there...and this was the only way. "Hell..." She breath, sighing but never taking her eyes off of the road, every seconds they were inching closer and closer. Even if people were hit, she wasn't stopping, they were getting out of there as fast as possible. 
 
They were fast, and then they were faster. Bella's foot had slammed down on the accelerator, sending the car streaking on through the incoming storm of gunfire. The windscreen shattered into a thousand glass knives which rained all over the two sitting in the front. It probably would not be enough to harm a ghoul, but Jackson felt the brunt of it when a shard flew through back and sliced through his right ear.


The wound stung, and there was blood trickling down the side of the man's face, but they had bigger problems to worry about right at that moment. Callum had been directing the new girl's shots as she tried to take out the few investigators who insisted on pursuing them by foot, but in a short few moments their efforts would be wasteful - because from the darkness of a turning they had left behind in their dust emerged two trucks.


Jackson did not notice until Callum shouted out, "Doves in a car, doves in a car! They're chasing us!" But then his heart stopped. He saw them in his mirror; large, heavy-looking and darkened by the tinted windows at the front were two armoured vehicles branded with the CCG's logo. They were coming on at speeds looking to match with Bella's. To the left, one appeared and ploughed across the empty pathway to catch up. To the right, its twin did the same. They were closing in, getting closer and closer by the second, threatening to collide with the car and make sparks fly...


And Jackson couldn't breathe. Somewhere in his mind there was logic, his own voice telling Bella to 'slow down and take another road,'  that if they kept turning then 'their momentum can work for us!' But he could barely hear it over the hammering of his own heart. There were images playing in his mind - a memory from a time long gone, when something similar had happened.


He saw it. The vehicle getting closer, mowing through the back of the car... And then blackness. Except that this time he didn't wake up in a hospital, because when his eyes opened again they were still in the car and driving for their lives. One truck on either side, and he couldn't move, he couldn't think, he couldn't breathe.


The man's head was wrapped up in a pair of arms that were sweating beads as he tried not to imagine or remember. Meanwhile in the back, the others were busily fighting for their own lives. "Get the wheels," Callum kept instructing the girl, but she just shook her head and screamed and fired wildly until the back windscreen shattered just as the front had. Unsurprisingly the enemy's tyres remained very much intact, and the trucks closed in further, leaving only inches between themselves and the car.


Then, as if out of nowhere, another gun appeared. A window in each truck had slid open to reveal more armed investigators, and they shot through the windows again. Everyone ducked - but there was one person who was not quick enough. The mother pushed her son down against the seat and left herself exposed for a fraction of a second too long.


Bang, went the gun, and a hole appeared in her head.


Tommy-Jones wailed as the woman's body slumped down, and he had to reach and grab the child so that he would not see the blood oozing from the spot where an investigator had blown a hole in his mother's brain.


Someone was dead, and the trucks kept closing in and the investigators kept shooting at everything they could see. 'Drive,' Jackson wanted to tell Bella, 'Turn off and get out of here, we need to hide.' But he could not breathe for fear.
 
"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck..." Bella just kept muttering to herself as the car's speed increased, they'd driven through the lone of investigators, causing her to cringe as she felt the car go over someone's body. Someone had definitely just died, there was no way they were surviving that, but...they could still survive, the ghouls in the car were still in with a shot. 


At least...she thought they were. 


From a turning, a large vehicle that she'd seen in her side view mirror had appeared, she silently cursed herself for not thinking about that and pressed as hard as she could on the accelerator to cry and speed up the car. However, they were being gained on, matched in speed, and soon enough not one, but two vans were upon them, closing in from either side. How were they managing to catch up so quickly?! She didn't understand, she wasn't sure she wanted to understand, she just wanted to get out of there.


Swerving wasn't going to help, and with the speed they were all going, someone was bound to crash. Saying she wasn't afraid would be a lie, but the only thing the woman could focus on was the road. She had to think of a way to get out of this situation without all of them dying, which was going to happen if things continued the way they were. 


From the back all she head was shouting from Callum and screaming from the new girl as she shot at the vehicles opposite. God, this was hell. They were being slowly squashed and if she didn't find some way to stop it then their car would be crushed between those two beasts, along with them. Disastrous. She couldn't just not turn up to her own parents. One way or another they were getting out of this, she just had to be smart about it, she had to take risks that she wouldn't normally take, otherwise everyone was going to die. 


Bella hadn't seen the gun as it appeared, but she sure heard the shots, she screamed and ducked her head slightly, luckily nothing had been aimed at her own head, but...she didn't know if everyone else was okay or not. Realising she'd closed her eyes, Bella looked up. The vehicle swerved a little, but she was able to keep it on a steady path as she gripped the wheel tighter, they were not crashing into once of those trucks. If her breath hadn't caught in her throat from all of the commotion and constant near death experiences then she probably would have asked if everyone was alright. Instead, she glanced up at the rear view mirror for a split second, the only thing she saw was red... Red oozing from the head of someone in the back. Her mouth dropped open and she gasped, eyes wide. "Holy shit..." She breathed, forcing herself to swallow and focus back on the road. They got someone... They actually got someone... No. No she couldn't panic now, not now, she had to think of a way to get out of this situation. 


Every seconds those trucks were getting closer, closer to the car, closer to killing another person, every moment she wasted could cost someone's life. She had to act, and it had to be now. 


In that split second there was only one thing that Bella could think of, it might kill them, but it was better than getting squashed by the vans. She just had to hope that their momentum carried them further than theirs did. They wouldn't see it coming. It would buy time. 


"EVERYONE LISTEN TO ME!" Her voice was loud over all of the chaos, "HOLD ONTO SOMETHING!" She yelled, before focusing back on the road in front of her. "Okay... Here goes nothing." Bella took in a deep breath, facing forwards the entire time. The trucks were closing in further, there was going to be a turn at some point and someone would crash if they didn't manage to stop. She had to do it, she had to do it... "NOW!" 


Slamming her foot on the breaks, the car made the most irritating and horrible screeching noise she'd ever heard. They drifted forwards for quite awhile as the car tried its best to stop after going at such a fast speed. Bella had closed her eyes, gripping the steering wheel. 


The screeching went on for an agonisingly long time before finally the car jerked to a stop and they were all thrown forwards.


The red head opened her eyes, blinking rapidly, holy shit. She'd done it. She'd done it and they were all alive. Of course, she realised they didn't had the time to focus on her small victory just yet, they still had to escape. So she slammed her foot on the accelerator again and attempted to turn. The car wouldn't move. 


"What the hell?" Through gritted teeth, Bella growled the words, she tried desperately again and again to get the car to start, but it just wouldn't. The woman opened her door to look down at a burnt tyre, and it probably wasn't the only one. "Shit." This couldn't be happening, they couldn't hang around like this... They had to escape. Now. But where did they go? There was only one option...


Run. 


Bringing her foot back into the car, she turned to address the group. "Everyone get out! Get out right now, run, find shelter, do whatever you have to! And don't come out. Don't show your goddamn faces! GO!" With that she'd jumped out of the car once again, opening the back door and grabbing Jackson's wheelchair from over a dead body, which made her shudder, however, there were live people who still needed her help, who still needed to get out. After that she ran around to the other side and opened the other door, staring at the children. "WHAT'RE YOU ALL WAITING FOR?! GET OUT! HIDE!" She yelled, opening the front door just to grab Jackson's form and pick him up over her shoulder. It was awkward since she wasn't the tallest and Jackson at full height was probably rather tall, but she did her best to hold the man and his folded up wheelchair. She couldn't stop to see if anyone else was going to follow, she just had to run to safety, so that's exactly what she did. She ran towards a thinner street to their right, hopefully there were some alleyways or small spaces they could wind through or hide in. It really was their only hope. She'd bought them time, but she hadn't bought them forever. 
 
Bella's quick thinking had likely saved all of their lives. Just a split second after her car stopped drifting forwards, the two trucks up a head simultaneously swerved inwards. Had everyone still been there, they would have been crushed between the heavy, metallic armour closing in on their left and right.


The gunmen's fire followed the car as it came to a screeching halt. Jackson had his hands held over his ears in an attempt to block out the sounds of those memories which ate away at his mind; he almost did not notice when the barrel of a rifle turned and angled straight towards his head. Luckily, though, the words he heard in his mind stopped telling him to read a book and started saying 'duck, duck, duck'. So his head went down to his knees and then the bullets flew harmlessly overhead.


Just as Bella started shouting for everyone to get out, Callum scrambled across the new girl's skinny body to get to the door. He flew out and yelled at his brother to follow, and the two fell on top of one another and then held hands as they fled towards the shadows.


"Adrian!" the blonde girl shrieked when she saw the two heading off. They were going in a different direction to where Bella was taking Jackson, and she just could not seem to decide who she was going to follow. 'Adrian'? The other guy she had met in the apartment? She just kept looking back and forth, over and over, the pistol in her hand shaking as she struggled to find the strength to hold it. 


Eventually it was the sound of more gunfire and a wail from the child inside that caught the girl's attention. The six year-old boy was leaning over his mother's body, his eyes streaming with tears of grief as he shook her desperately. She leaned in, grabbed the boy's wrist and forced him away.


In the corner of his eye, Jackson caught sight of the girl coming along behind them. She had the child in tow, and she kept trying to dart left and right to avoid the bullets which followed her as she moved, but she was getting slower. She was limping, Jackson saw as they turned a corner and he caught a glimpse of the girl's knee which bent not forwards or backwards, but sideways. Not only that, but two dozen armour-clad figures were marching on behind her.


"Gun!" Jackson called out over the young child's wails. "Quick, throw!" He risked reaching back with an arm, and it threw him off balance a little, but it was for good reason. The girl seemed to understand; the pistol in her hand was flung through the air, and Jackson caught it in his hand. One by one, he aimed and fired. The shots were far from professional, but a few of the leading investigators fell to their knees and the rest either slowed or retreated.


For a moment, it looked like they would be safe. But then another gunman appeared and started shooting again. Jackson watched the girl dive to one side with the child as the enemy began blindfiring in their panic, and he shot once, twice, three times - and then the last attacker dropped dead.


He did not know whether to be proud or horrified. Later on he knew that the guilt of killing so many men would sink in, but right now he was flooded with sweet relief. The streets wound into narrower walkways, and eventually they were all directed into an enclosed space a few metres too wide to be an alley.


The girl finally halted, wheezing, behind them. Tommy-Jones and Callum had escaped in a different direction, but they were out of sight and out of mind. Jackson could only think of the people he could see. "Is... Is anyone hit?" he gulped. When he turned his head around to look at the blonde-haired girl, he expected her to drop to the floor and nod gratefully. But she didn't; she just shakily extended one bony arm and curled her fingers inwards to point back at him.


"Not me," she confirmed quietly, although her gaze did not waver. "Mine's almos' healed. That looks new, though."


It took Jackson a moment to realise that it was himself the girl was staring at. His eyes widened, and he followed her gaze as far as he could to see what she saw, even pushing himself off from Bella ever so slightly for a better range. And then he saw it.


Earlier today, his shirt had been white. But now, when he twisted around and tugged at it, he saw the scarlet blossom which swelled from within the mud-crusted cotton. Blood. At some point just now when they had all been fleeing from their lives, somebody had put a bullet through his middle and he had not even felt it until the world started spinning around his head.


"Bella," he mumbled quietly, thinking for whatever reason that the best way to get the woman's attention would be to pull on her hair with his now-bloody fingers, "I th... I think we should st-stop now, they're gone."
 
When gunshots were heard again Bella knew there was something going on behind her, she could hear Jackson's shouting and the shots of firearms as bullets flew towards them. However, she didn't stop running, she was scared that she stopped they'd have a target to shoot at. A moving target was hard to aim at, all she had to do was just keep running. 


From behind her the multiple gunshots rang out, however, they were too close to be the enemy, someone else had to be shooting. Jackson. It had to be Jackson. She didn't wait to see why, instead she ran, waiting for the gunshots to stop. That must mean they were somewhat safe, or that he was out of bullets, either way it'd be time to make a swift exit. 


Upon realising that they'd stopped shooting, Bella turned to her right into thinner walkways, trying her best to keep the same pace. Soon enough they'd ended up in a walled off area that they'd have to take a different turn to get out of. No one was panicking so much, so she decided to stop. 


She turned around to the new girl pointing at Jackson, not even Bella had realised what had happened to him until he pulled on her hair and she finally took him off of her shoulder, placing him on the floor against a wall... Someone had managed to shoot Jackson... Out of all of the people they could have shot he was definitely the worst... They could all heal...he couldn't. 


"Holy shit." She muttered for the umpteenth time that day, "Crap. When did this happen?" Of course, she was just muttering to herself in panic at that moment, it didn't matter when it happened, she just needed to somehow stop the bleeding. Was there a way? How were they meant to avoid him bleeding out. "Ah fuck..." She grabbed the arms of Jackson's shirt and ripped at them near the shoulder, pulling them off to wrap around his middle, it wasn't great, but it'd do for a bit, it'd at least slow the bleeding somewhat. "Don't breath too deeply..." Quickly, she ripped off the other sleeve, tying that tightly around his middle too, "This could possibly crack your ribs so don't take deep breaths." 


For a moment she fiddled around in her pocket for her phone, she didn't have enough here to try and save Jackson, she had to get someone else to come... Her parents would know what to do, if she could get hold of them. The woman had found them in her contacts quickly and placed her phone on her shoulder, positioned between it and her ear so that she could hear the ringing. Then she put both of her hands on Jackson's bleeding wounds and applied pressure. "Sorry." For a moment she cringed, but she didn't let go, she had to keep them there. 


The phone rang for a painfully long time, she thought they weren't going to answer at one point, but then she heard a familiar voice. 


"Hello?" The sound of an older man drifted through the receiver and Bella sighed in relief. 


"Dad." 


"Bella? Is everything okay?"


"Um, actually, no, no it isn't. I need your help..." 
 
It was becoming harder for Jackson to tell whether he was quite awake or asleep and how far between. Every now and then the thought came into his mind that he should be dreaming, because it felt as though a moment ago he had been walking a different world altogether. But then when he listened, that world went away. The noise faded into muffled mumblings, sentences he could only remember fragments of. After Bella's initial exclamation of 'holy shit', everything had darkened and blurred.


Now, though, the little spots of light dancing in his exhaustion-induced blindness were beginning to widen. They joined up and made shapes and colours far too bright and sharp. He broke free from that darkness and immediately surfaced into a world sent spinning by a pounding headache. He had felt this kind of pain before - it was the same sick feeling he always got when something he couldn't feel was hurting, and this time the throbbing was extreme, like someone inside his head was scraping at the lining of his skull with a machete. Oh, it was off-putting. It made the man want to rest for longer, just put his head back down and fall asleep; after all, it wasn't like he had the energy to hold it up anyway.


At least it was comfortable. He did not have the strength to spare a moment for shock, surprise of wonder, but nevertheless it was curious how he had woken up in a bed. There were sheets pulled over his unclothed body, apart from his thorax, which was wrapped up in real bandages and rested atop a towel.


Everything about the room was ornate. The bedding, the wallpaper, all of the decor gave him the impression that he had stepped back in time to the age of tasteless wealth. It was a house, definitely. But was it where they were supposed to be? Bella's parents were supposed to have a house large enough to support all of the runaways for a short while, and if he strained his ears Jackson even thought that he could hear Daryl's irritating, painful voice.


So everyone had made it... Except for maybe that boy's mother. A bullet straight through the skull made it unlikely she would be following them here any time soon, unless they had one of those horrific movie situations with zombies on their hands. He hoped that those brothers had made it out, too. If his failing mind was not tricking him, they went off in a different direction.


And that girl with the blonde hair had joined them - and this time, for some reason he found that he knew her name. "Claire," he said out loud, although his voice was much weaker than he expected it to be. There was Claire, and then there was... "Bella, and... Tom, Callum, kid, Daryl, Dane... R-Rachael, Kedin, Caleb... Nathan..." The list went on and on as he recalled the names of as many newcomers as he could remember, and he even gave nicknames to the ones he did not know. Then he stopped. "Adrian," he said at last, and felt a terrible sinking feeling worse than the gunshot headache. 


Adrian was gone. They had left central London and the single most important person whose life he was in charge of had been lost.
 
"Yes mum, it'll be fine, don't worry." Bella's voice could be heard from outside the room as she talked to an older woman, after everything had happened with the CCG and picking up that girl, whose name she'd found out was Claire, she'd had to call her parents to come and pick them up. They'd luckily been able to, and they'd brought Dane along too, who went out looking for Callum and Tom whilst the others went to take Jackson back to the house. 


Having previously trained as a nurse, her mother knew the basics of stitching and sealing wounds, so she was able to patch Jackson up well enough for him to live. Although it was risky. He could have died had they not got there in time, he was very nearly close to dying from how he'd passed out when they were all in the car, in fact they were lucky to still have him around. 


Hearing her name, Bella's attention had turned to the room which Jackson was in and she'd hurriedly moved inside. She smiled at the man as he finished speaking the list of names, almost like he was recounting who should be at the house, but she couldn't say it didn't break her heart when he muttered the word 'Adrian'. The boy was gone...and they were finally out of the chaos enough for that to be Jackson's focus, which wasn't exactly an ideal situation if she could judge from the last time they'd lost the boy. They'd both had a hard time in life, now Jackson couldn't even relax and enjoy his time out of the eyes of the law, because someone he loved dearly was still in danger... 


"Hey..." Her voice was soft, almost a whisper, as she tried to catch the man's attention, she didn't want to startle him or anything. "How're you doing?" Upon asking the question she moved closer to the bed, sitting down on a chair nearby. All of her movements were careful and delicate, like she was walking on eggshells. "My mum said you should be okay now, you're all patched up and everything, but I wouldn't advise moving for awhile. It's probably best to give those wounds time." Bella looked down at her hands, giving Jackson a second to take that in before continuing. "Everyone is here. All of the groups made it. Dane found Callum and Tom so they're safe, Claire is too, and um...the little kid, he's okay as well. Rachael's group made it here first apparently, she's really good at managing time apparently, which is something I didn't expect when she had so many people to look after. She got them on the first train, so they had to change once, but they got here." She chuckled and shook her head, "Diana brought her group in and went out according to my parents, so I'm not sure when she'll be back, she didn't say where she was going either... So...we'll see." With a shrug, she continued, "Caleb still isn't exactly comfortable with the amount of people here and he's kinda stressed...Dane's working on it, but we don't know how much longer he's going to be avoiding everyone for... Luckily that group made it back safe too, so Kedin and Nathan are here in one piece. Daryl's a little pissed, I mean, you can hear him from here, but at least they all got here safe... He's been trying to get hold of someone for the whole journey...but you see...getting hold of them is like something out of a spy movie." She laughed, "No phone number, no contact details, you have to go through a lot of people to get to him... And Daryl's meant to be his friend... Think about someone random trying that." 


Just as she'd said this there was another loud shout from the hallway, whoever Daryl had been on the phone with had definitely hung up on him, at least if you judged from the loud exclamation of 'Oh c'mon!' and the sound of something hitting the wall. "There he goes again." Bella muttered, finally looking up, "He'll get them eventually, it'll just take time...and you know how impatient Daryl is." Turning her attention to Jackson, she let another soft smile cross her face, "Anyway, yeah... That's you caught up on everything... Sorry, I kind of bombarded you with information there, but...I though it was best to get it out of the way. Less to worry about, you know?" 
 
Jackson did not so much welcome the woman to his room as he did stare blankly at something far above the ceiling, with unfocused glassy eyes and a face that was close to expressionless. It was difficult to have to listen to all of that talking; she was saying things that made perfect sense. 'Everyone is here,' she had told him. 'Diana went out.' 'Daryl is trying to get hold of someone.' Something like that, anyway.


When she was done, silence overtook them again, although Jackson was sure that he could hear his own head throbbing. Something had done that - a shot? A bullet? Difficult to remember, but it must have been something like that, because when he put his fingers in his mouth they came back sticky and red. He stared at that colour for a long time, although his eyes struggled to make out the lines when there were no glasses propped on the bridge of his nose.


"What are we actually doing, Bella?" The question came out of nowhere. Clearly it startled even Jackson, because as soon as the words were out the man's lips tightened and his arms grew tense. Of course, it didn't do much to make his voice any louder than a hoarse whisper, but it was cutting nonetheless. He swallowed and drank in a few precious breaths before he could work up the energy to elaborate, "I mean, I - look, this is weird... I don't actually know how long I was out or anything - shit, my head... But that's the thing, right? This may or may not make sense, but the point is, we're not staying here - wherever - your parents' right? It's the time, we can't stay forever. Look. Who's Daryl talking to?" The man tried to raise an arm to gesture out towards the open doorway, but it fell right back against the bed. The movement left him breathless for another few seconds. "He's... Just gonna find somewhere else to go, isn't he? Because the doves are gonna come back and we'll all need somewhere else. So we find somewhere and th-then we're leaving. Bella, we are carting children through the CCG, we'll get them shot. I don't want to get them shot, I don't... It's bad enough that - that A-Adrian's already gone, what if they go for someone else, huh? What if they take Nathan, what happens then?"
 
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