Caught in the Crossfire

Ashton followed behind Harry, trying her best to keep up with him. She didn’t know exactly where they were going; she only knew that they were on their way to help Liam. They were going to get the bad guy.

Something about that was so thrilling for Ashton, but so terrifying at the same time. She couldn’t help but worry that whoever had bombed Big Ben was somehow stronger than they were, even though it seemed unlikely.

As she ran, her arms pushing back and forth, her mind was suddenly clouded by a vision more blurry than any she had seen before. She could only make out bits and pieces, and what she could see was hardly enough to make any sense.

She saw a body, lying on the ground, crushed and covered in blood. A figure hovered over the body, while tears flooded down their face and onto the lifeless person below them. There was shaking, constant shaking, and Ashton could almost feel it pulling through her body. It caused her to pause, just for a split second, but it was enough for her to lose sight of Harry.

“Harry!” she called, trying to make her voice heard over the rubble that fell behind them. “Harry!”

Suddenly, he was right in front of her, so close that his chest was pressed against hers. Their eyes were locked, both of them caught onto the gaze of the other. His breath fell onto her face and he reached for her hand, pulling her forward. “Let’s go.”

Ashton simply nodded before following behind Harry again. This time, she was determined not to lose him. Her eyes were on him the entire time they ran, watching his curly hair bounce up and down. He had always been faster than her, so she was having a hard time keeping up, but she refused to lose him again.

When they reached the edge of the alleyway, between the bakery and the boutique, Harry stopped dead in his tracks, pressing his hand against Ashton’s chest to stop her as well. He whipped his head around, looking Ashton straight in the eyes again and took a deep breath.

“You wait here,” he said, looking down at her with soft, worried eyes. He had to know that she was going to say no. He knew her better than that.

“I’m going with you,” she said without hesitation. “I’m not letting you do this without me.”

He paused for a moment, his eyes locked more tightly on hers than they had been before. He pursed his lips before giving a soft nod of his head.

Harry’s hand fell down to Ashton’s, wrapping around her wrist. He began walking slowly down the alley as he pulled Ashton with him. It was clear by his footsteps that he was scared, but he refused to let it show. They kept walking through the thick smoke until they met the brick wall at the end of the alleyway. It was empty.

“I don’t get it,” Harry said, slamming his hands against the brick wall. “They were supposed to be here.”

Ashton didn’t know with certainty that they were in the right location, so she thought it best to check herself. Activating the wave lengths between her and Penelope, she spoke softly, just loud enough so that the girl can here.

“Techie, what’s their location?”

Penelope paused a tad bit too long, and Ashton could hear the distinct sound of the girl sniffling. She was crying; that much was obvious.

“I don’t know,” Penelope said, her voice cracking as she spoke. “I lost them.”

Ashton’s breath hitched in her throat the moment she heard Penelope’s words. She lost sight of them. They had no idea where Liam and the villain were. They didn’t know where they’d gone or whether or not Liam had been injured. They needed to help, but they couldn’t do that from where they were.

Liam needed help and he needed it fast.