Niall’s P.O.V.

I sat next to Harry, as Louis and Liam listened to the GPS, driving us to Aria’s mother’s house.

A black gun was set in my lap, guns that our guards had given us for our defense. I didn’t know how they had gotten past security with these things, but I didn’t question them.

I thought about how I had never used a gun, and how the first person I used it on might be my girlfriend’s father.

Not that either of us liked him very much at all, and I didn’t even know him personally.

I stared out the window as Louis cursed the GPS for not showing him a shortcut, considering we had been driving around for at least an hour.

Half an hour later, Liam whispered, “We’re here.”

And Harry gasped.

Because the house we had stopped at was the last, next to a dead end. At the the end, was an alley.

And in the alley, was an unconscious brunette, lying in a pool of blood.

Amber.

Harry screamed.

He manually unlocked the door and bolted out of the car, running straight towards Amber. Liam got out quick too, joining Harry beside Amber. I had a slight hatred for her, but if this was Amber, then this was the place, which meant Aria was here, and Amber didn’t lie.

I got out of the car, power walking towards Harry and Liam.

Harry was bent over Amber, crying as he tried to do mouth-to-mouth on Amber. Nothing happened. Harry shook her, yelling at her to get up.

Liam eventually told Harry to shut up, as he might be attracting attention.

Harry sat Amber up against his body, hugging her tightly. Her skin was all pale, and the hair around the back of her head was blood red. I then noticed the fire escape ladder lying slightly away from her.

I looked directly up, and saw a window. Everything clicked together. She used that ladder to try to try and get down from that window. But she fell down instead, and instantly killed herself.
I suddenly had a new fear for what could be happening to Aria.

Because those fire escape ladders were pretty reliable. Someone must have de-ttached the ladder from the window sill.

Someone like Aria’s dad.




Niall’s P.O.V.

Liam, Harry and I headed in while Zayn stayed outside with Amber and waited for an ambulance. I felt terrible for Harry; he couldn’t stop crying over Amber. I hoped I wouldn’t be like him after this.

Right on time, the guards pulled up, two police cars trailing behind them.

A police man got out, giving each of us a hand shake.

“Now, I’m going to knock on the door, and if no one answers in ten seconds, I knock again and wait another ten. If still, no one answers, I’m kickin’ this baby down.”

With the muscles of the guy, he looked pretty capable of doing so.

“Should we follow you in?” Liam asked. “We’re all armed.”

The police officer looked at us. “Are you experienced?”

“Not really.” Harry answered, wiping his nose from the previous sobbing he had done.

The police officer looked at us doubtfully. “Then I suggest you stay out here. I’ve got three other officers ready, anyways.”

“Okay, sir.” Liam nodded, backing up as the officer knocked on the door. I silently counted for ten seconds, and no one answered the door. So the officer knocked again. We waited another ten seconds, and then the police told us to back up.

He kicked the door down.

He took a gun out of held it out ready to shoot, then turned around and called for the other police officers. They quickly got out from the cars and followed him in.

I didn’t wait one less second to follow the last one in.

Liam and tried to grab me, but I shook him off.

“This is my girlfriend.” I hissed. “I have to go.”

Liam couldn’t argue with that, so he followed instead. I tried to protest but he pushed me forward. Harry gave us a look, and then looked back at Amber, who had Zayn and Louis around her.

“And she’s my girlfriend.” Harry gulped quietly. “I’m sorry, Ni.”

I smiled. “It’s okay. Go take care of her.”

Harry nodded and ran back towards Amber.

Liam and I watched as the four police split up, two going left of the staircase, and two going the opposite way. Then, I remembered the window, and how Amber must have fallen from there. I grabbed my gun into my hand and started up the stairs. Liam had no choice but to follow me.

We made it up the stairs without being shot, and began walking down a long hallway.

There were at least eight different doors. Aria could be in any one of them. So could her father.

Then, we heard a gunshot.

It came from downstairs, and the sound of the officer who had kicked the door down screaming declared that it wasn’t another officer who shot the gun. It was Aria’s dad. I felt my heart beat quicken, and Liam gasped from behind me. I looked at where he was pointing.

There, right in front of us, was a door less room.

We ran inside.

What I saw nearly made me pass out.

An older lady, who had Aria’s blonde hair, was lying in the floor, a single hole through her chest. She was definitely dead. And Then I looked to the right, and saw Aria, strapped to a chair. She had no clothes on, except her underwear and bra, and she was unconscious. I lowered my gun and ran towards her, tears immediately taking over me as I saw the cuts all around her body.
The carpet around her was red from the blood as well.

I prayed I wasn’t too late.

Her mouth was bloody, and her skin was cold. But it wasn’t just her skin. This whole room was freezing. I shivered, before proceeding to untie the knots, speechless, Liam helped me, tugging at the ropes which were holding Aria down so tightly. As soon as the ropes were undone, I laid her down on the floor and applied pressure to her chest, exhaling air into her mouth. When it didn’t work, I only tried again, and again. Suddenly, she coughed against my mouth. I pulled away as she coughed more, taking fast breaths.

“Hey,” I whispered quietly. I smiled, unable to hold my tears. “Hey, it’s me.”

She looked at me for a second, then blinked, as if trying to focus her vision, before melting into my arms. She cried out in pain when she tried to lift her arms to hug me. I noticed a deep cut on her shoulder.

“We’re going to get you out.” I whispered. “But you need to stay as quiet as possible.”

“Okay.” She whimpered. It was such a beautiful sound, to hear her voice again. I picked her up, and carried her to the door, letting Liam give her a quick kiss on the cheek.

Just as I stepped foot into the hallway, a line of gunshots pierced my ears, followed by screams..

“Niall.” Aria cried quietly, burying her head in my shoulder.

“Shh.” I stroked her hair and Liam tried to figure out where the gunshots were coming from.

There were footsteps, charging up the stairs, and Liam, Ari and I came face to face with a brunette man, whose smile said everything.

He had just killed every single police officer downstairs.

I stayed frozen, but Liam decided otherwise. Liam raised his gun, and shot Aria’s father right in the hand. He dropped the gun, and cursed loudly before charging at Liam.

“Go!” Liam yelled, before meeting Aria’s father in a scene of fists, feet, punches and kicks. And gripped Aria’s body and ran.

I ran down the hallway, past the living room full of beer and cigarettes, reaching the stair case.

“Stop.” The voice chuckled. “Just stop will you.”

I didn’t listen, stumbling down the stairs as quick as I could. I didn’t even get half way down, when a bullet shot right past my ear and ran straight into the wall. I literally felt the wind, because of how close it had been.

“Niall, just leave me.” Aria whispered. She was crying heavily, begging me to give up.

“No.” I yelled, to her,and to her father.

“Run, and I’ll shoot you.” Aria’s father said, and began walking down the stairs, gun pointed right towards me. If I ran, Aria would lower, and the gun might shoot her instead. If I stayed here, it would mean he would get closer.

I couldn’t allow either of those things. He approached me slowly.

Three stair steps away.

Two stair steps away.

One stair step away.

I ducked and ran.

“Fuck you, you bastard!” I screamed, bolting down the stairs. I could feel my slip slipping down Aria’s thigh, but if I halted even a little to adjust my hand, he would out run me. Suddenly, there was a large amount of weight pushed against me. Side hit the railing of the stairway, and I toppled over the edge. Before I knew what was happening, I was falling.

“No!”

My grasp loosened around Aria, and I let go. I freaking let go. What the fuck was I fucking thinking?

I tried to reach for her, but she hit the tile floor, groaning in pain. Two feet from the ground, I managed to land of two feet, my arms on the ground, supporting my weight. Just as I was about to grab for Aria, I was pushed down by a bigger force.

A fist connected with my mouth.

“Don’t you fucking steal my daughter from me.” Aria’s father hissed, punching me again in the cheek. I moaned in pain, wondering if this was what Aria had dealt with for three weeks.

“What are you going to do now?”he laughed, pressing the side of his arm against my neck. I didn’t answer, regaining my strength.

I kneed him right in the crotch.

“Fuck!” He cursed, rolling off of me and onto the ground. I took this time to get back up. Even in his pain, that god damn guy managed to grab me by the ankle and pull me back down.

His voice sent shivers up my spine. “Not so fast, you little cunt.”

I managed to punch his jaw, hissing from the pain that shot through my fist. I shook my hand and punched him again. His knee dug into my stomach, and I cried out. No. I can’t stop now. I grabbed his neck and used my foot to prop him up, flipping his huge amount of weight over so I was on top of him. My eyes flickered down to the gun lying only a yard away from me. If only I could reach it.

Unfortunately, Aria’s dad saw what I was looking at and threw me off of him. I flew at least five feet away and landed once again on the ground. My knee had almost too much weight pressed to it. Arias’ father loomed over me, and bent down to press the gun to my head.

“Any last words, son?”

I gulped, staring straight into his eyes. His was pure evil. Pure darkness. Pure-

Liam?

My eyes darted to Liam, who was coming up behind Aria’s father. And he had a gun in his hand. I looked away just in time, so that I wouldn’t give Aria’s dad any notice that he was right behind him.

“Actually,” I coughed. “I do have a few words.”

Aria’s dad smirked, pressing the gun even harder into my scalp. I sucked in a breath.

“I just want to say,” I paused. “You’re dead.”

Liam pulled the trigger.

The bullet shot right through the back of Aria’s father head, and I scooted out of the way just in time, so that he wouldn’t fall right on top of me.

“Y-you alright?” Liam shuddered, holding a hand out to me. But I didn’t care if I was alright. I only had Aria on my mind.

I stood up, a rather uninviting pain in my stomach, and limped towards Aria. Every part of my body was shaking. My vision was blurring with every step I took. I fell to the ground beside Aria and managed to slip off my shot-sleeve button down, slipping it onto her frail body.

“Please be okay.” I whispered, gripping her hand. Her hand was cold, her eyelids covering her beautiful blue eyes. “Aria?” My hand gripped tighter around her cold one.

The world began to spin before my eyes, and I heard Aria’s screams again. Her pained screams that drove me crazy. I fell back, my head hitting the ground, and I passed out right next to her.