4351 4351 4351... 43..Fuck

Will attempted reciting the numbers in his head over and over again. They hung on his lips with each stifled breath that he exhaled on the left step. His body was kept low, not quite a crouch but he was not standing either, occasionally brushing the tips of his fingers over the carpet for balance as he near scuttled down the hallway.

He kept close to the wall, hopping forward quickly whenever he found himself at a door. Between the pounding of his heart beat and the way he was moving, Will was beginning to sweat. It itched at his nose and caused the blood stained shirt he was wearing to cling to his back.

Despite his focus, a horrible worry for the concern of his friends burned with it's permeance into his brain. It struck him as odd even more so when the thought of Niall seemed even more at the forefront, and even now, so deep was his yearning that even though Niall was in the same building he could feel his absence within the very marrow of his bones. It urged him to pick up the pace to hurry in his return.

Will came upon the door as instructed. The last one at the end of a hall. There was a trepidation as his hand grasped the cold brass, it was weighty under his grip. Heavier in a sense of finality as opposed to literal weight.

Holding his breath he turned the handle, wincing as it clicked and let out a crooning whine as he swung it open.

The room was devoid of anyone but him as far as he could tell. Still he took the extra precaution of lying flat on the ground, while still in the door way, to look underneath the bed from where he was. Nothing. The first few steps were ones of pregnant silence. Calculated with every muscle in his form dedicated to moving each limb as silently as possible.

The wooden floorboards were cold, his awareness so high that the mere millimetres of shifting beneath his weight was noticeable. Will eyed the two wardrobes on adjacent walls suspiciously. He stood for what felt like several minutes, watching over each of them for the slightest movement. When nothing happened, he allowed himself a little breath of relief.

Luckily he wouldn't have to step much further into the room as just as Emma had said, the security pad lay just to the left of the door next to the light switch. He felt uncomfortable as he opened the small lid to reveal the buttons, the hair on his neck stood on end and in between his shoulder blades felt gappy.

The numbers and digital screen glowed a faint, and pale, green. His thumb hovering over the buttons as he gave another careful look behind him, and then once again down the hall. For good measure.

4351 he pushed the numbers in, flinching as each button press was followed by a high-pitched beep!

Then came the heavy whirring sounds of metal on metal. Squeaking gears roared throughout the house as light began to pour into the room from the glass doors that stepped onto a small balcony. It wasn't sunlight, but the pale silver of the moon, setting the room awash with ghostly whites and muted blues. As the security system ended with a heavy clunk, Will was relieved to see that the storm had passed. Allowing himself to go over to the doors and give a brief inspection of the outside.

The ground was hidden beneath a foot and a half of muddy water that swallowed the roots of the trees. A brief moment of pain was spared for his beautiful car, but he had more important things to worry about at the moment. Despite the noise he had just made, Will hurriedly walked back over to the door to the bedroom, closing it as quietly as he could.

He made quicker work of the hall this time. Rushing down it in his eagerness to return to his friends, he still did so as quietly as he could. His feet making light drumming sound as he moved. However when the wall gave way to the banister, the stairs, and a view of the living area. Will stopped. His heart stopped.

Niall and Emma were gone. His eyes widened in surprise, surely they would have screamed if they were attacked?

With no care paid to stealth any longer, he sprinted down the stairs and over to where he had left them. Blood had soaked into the foot stool and a little on the chair, leaving reddened spots that had bloomed somewhat. Thankfully it didn't seem to be enough to indicate a slit throat or other... more vicious attacks...

"Do you notice me now, Will?" That familiar voice trembled from behind him. Will snapped around to find Emma, gripping Niall with a knife to his throat, part way out of the living area and down the hall. Niall was struggling to stand on his leg as he swayed slightly to and fro with a panicked look in his eyes that were spiked with tears. Will watched as he swallowed nervously.

"Emma? What're you doing? Stop!" Will demanded. He made to walk forward but didn't get more than a few steps when Emma pulled the knife closer to Nialls neck. It was sharp, having no issue biting into the flesh there with little pressure. "Please don't"

Emma laughed, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Of fucking course. Typical you'd fall for the one person who doesn't notice a fucking thing. I said: do you notice me now, Willard?" She demanded an answer. A Queen would not be ignored, and Emma was a Queen. Will could only answer in stunned silence. He was confused and scared. Unable to stop looking at Niall. A part of him urged to push forward, singing his confidence at being able to close the gap and wrestle the blade from Emma. Wrenching Niall free and saving the day. Luckily a smarter part of him withheld him from such actions. Now was not the time to play hero.

"I don't understand, why are you doing this? We're you're friends, Emma!"

"Because they made fun of me!" Her voice breaking into a heart shattering lamentation, as her breath caught in her throat, and her face crumpled into reddened sniffles. "All they did was make fun of me... Except you.."

"Niall never made fun of you either, please Emma" Wills words immediately switched Emma from her whimpers. The tears rolled down her cheeks still, but her eyes were focused with anger. Her jaw was clenched.

"That's why he's not dead..." Her grip tightened a little as she adjusted her hold on the knife at Nialls neck "Yet."

"What do you want? Why are you doing this? I don't understand"

"I want you Will. Come away with me. I'll be the best partner ever I swear. All I've ever wanted was you Will." For the first time in this entire conversation, Emma's expression wasn't an extreme. It held no anger or sadness, and while streaks of tears still stained her cheeks, a calm smile of neutrality lay there instead. But a knife to the throat of a friend gave the almost picturesque appearance a violent hint of insanity.

"Are you crazy!?" Will shouted, jumping back in before the words could form a semblance of regret "Even if I said yes. Even if I were to go with you, do you really think we'd get far? Look at what you've done Emma! You've murdered our friends, once the police find out they'll hunt us down!"

"No, no it's fine! If we leave right now, we can get a head start! I've had this planned for a while, trust me. There's a plane waiting for us, we can go anywhere baby. It's about three days from here, even with the flood we should be able to make it." Her tone was one of hope, gone was the slight pang of desperation. She spied some resignation in Will, his questions were logical, Will was always logical she thought. If a bit of a goof ball. A loveable goof ball. But his questions weren't defiant. Not to her.

Will stood. Staring. His eyes filled with worry and Emma could tell he was weighing up the options. He swallowed thickly at the lump that had formed in his throat. Niall was beginning to ache. The adrenaline was leaving his system leaving him spent and empty. His limbs were beginning to shake and he gave as much of his willpower as he could to make them still. He couldn't adjust, he couldn't move, all in fear of his motion calling Emma into bloody action.

The knife was warm against his throat, it stung with a sharp throb were it had dug in slightly to his flesh. He wasn't sure how deep it had cut, but knew that any form of squirming would slip it deeper with no issue. The trail of blood was itching as it slid down his neck, mingling with sweat, and pooled uncomfortably in the collar of his shirt before soaking through and slipping down the crevices of his chest.

There was a moment, warring within Niall. He wanted to give up, he could push himself forward on the blade and end it. It would be so easy. He was tired, unworthy of the effort that has been expended on him thus far. If he gave up now he wouldn't have to see Will in such pain. The world wouldn't be so scary any longer if he just... left.

But then there was Will. Will the confusing. Will the kind. Will the god-damn flirtatious. Will who always got what he wanted, and what he wanted: was Niall. And Niall thought, through all of what's happened over the passed few years, as alien and unknown as it is... Niall wanted Will too. He wanted to know Will and whatever this was. Will made him brave. Will made him want to live.

Their conversation had faded much into the background of Niall's awareness. There was shouting, and debate. Each of Emma's movements jiggled the knife a little more, causing it to bite deeper. The pain and exhaustion had all but totally faded everything into a dull buzz.

Nialls fists clenched, his jaw tightened as he willed whatever lucidity he still had to come back to him. He burst with instinct, before Emma could react, Niall clutched at the arm holding the blade to his neck, gripping it with all his remaining strength before throwing his head backwards and crunching it into her face.

Emma let out a yowl as a spray of blood erupted from her nose and immediately began to pour from her lower lip as Niall dropped to the ground heavily with a grunt, and clutching a hand to his neck.

Emma's eyes began to water as she let out a stream of curses, wildly swinging the knife around in her blindness to stop any approach.

Will scrambled forward towards Niall, wanting to pull him away but not wanting to cause any further damage. In a split second he decided to worry about injury later. Keeping low, he gripped Niall under the arms and dragging him along the floor as he groaned in pain, barely able to keep his eyes open.

He looked up to the screaming Emma, still thrashing wildly with the knife as she angrily wiped at her eyes with her free arm but only served in smearing the blood from her face into her vision. There was no way he was going to be able to get both him and Niall to safety with her still in working order.

Their was a blur of motion, the sickening crack of bone as Emma's knife wielding arm was hyper extended beyond breaking, and she let out a shriek of agony. In but a moment later she was hoisted off of her feet and slammed to the ground on to her back, as Jess began laying into her. Her fists were instantly bloody as they connected with her face.

"Where's" punch "ya gun" punch "now you" punch "psychotic" punch "fucking" punch "Bitch!"

Will was at her side instantly, his strength just barely able to stop her fist coming down once more. He pulled her up, Jess seemingly collecting herself in an instant, she let loose an angry spit at the unconscious form of Emma, as her body seethed and shook with rage.

The two immediately held each other tight. Will felt Jess begin to untangle and relax in his arms, her breaths becoming less ragged as she calmed.

A/N: Dun Dun Duuuuuuuh

That is all.

Thanks for reading ^-^