Glass was flying all over the place. The couch was shredded. Zayn and I were flattened to the floor, covering our faces and the backs of our heads. When the shooting stopped, briefly, I looked up at Zayn, unable to speak a word to him, but with such a terror stricken face that he knew what I was pleading for.

Don't move. He mouth to me, slowly getting up with his gun already out. His phone was across the floor. John had probably called to warn us. And Ashton.... He was still lying in the doorway. Just lying there. Dead.

Zayn was quick and shot a few rounds at the people in the house. All I could hear were loud gunshots and shattering glass and furniture. I covered my ear and huddled in on myself. I couldn't believe that it was happening again. What was left of this safe house was being shot up and Zayn was risking his life yet again.

"Move, Niall!" I heard Zayn through my hands. The back of my shirt was pulled and I was on my feet, being dragged around the corner. Zayn was breathing hard and holding his stomach while pointing the gun in the air with his good hand. "You need to hide." He told me. I shook my head, grabbing his sleeve. "Please, Niall."

"Not this time." I told his sternly. We then ducked down again when shots fired. I wasn't going to lie. I was scared for my life. We definitely did not have the upper hand. I didn't know how many people were in the house, but they took out Ashton who was apparently the "best shot" that Zayn had ever seen.

"Alright, outside then. My car is down the street." Zayn reached his arm out as if to shield me somehow. "John has to be on his way. He has to be." Zayn told me, or rather, told himself for reassurance. I hoped that John would be there soon. He was in much better shape and probably had a better aim than Zayn did at the moment.

"I-I can shoot." I don't know why I had said it. The thought of holding a gun was terrifying. Zayn gave me this look like I was crazy. Well, maybe I was. "Y-You just look like you are going to pass out any minute."

"It's a possibility." Zayn told me flat out. His breathing was ragged as he clutched his stomach again where he had stitches. They were probably busted at that point. "There's a window across the way there. Do you see it?" Zayn asked me, nodding across the room. I nodded. "Run for it when I give you the signal."

"What sig-" I was cut off by a very frightening voice.

"I know you're in here!" Liam. He was there. We were dead for sure. "Come out, come out wherever you are!" Everything was silent and settled. I looked up at Zayn and he was breathing heavily. I glanced down at his stomach and he was bleeding again. "Are you over here?" Liam was getting closer. We only had one chance to get to that window, get it open and run.

"Ready?" Zayn whispered. I shook my head, but Zayn was grabbing my wrist and yanking me forward with him.

"There you are!" I glanced over and Liam was standing there with his gun pointed directly at us. He didn't hesitate and he pulled the trigger, sending a bullet whizzing our way. Thankfully, we were still running, dodging whatever was coming at us, but eventually one had to hit. And it was the worst pain in my life. It was a searing pain that ripped through the flesh of my calf, making me fall to the ground.

"Ah!" I cried, clutching my leg. It was bleeding so bad and the pressure of my hands was not enough to stop it from coming out of my leg. Zayn grabbed my shirt again, pulling me up from the ground.

"Dammit! I was aiming for you, Zayn!" Liam's crazed voice came closer to us. Zayn tried to keep me up, but my dead weight was too much for his weakened body. I cringed as I tried to move my leg, only to feel more pain as I did so. "I'm taking him. You can't keep him all to yourself." The others with Liam surrounded us, all pointing their guns at us. He stepped forward and Zayn basically shielded me from him. "Don't do that, Zayn."

I was stuck in a moment of pain and terror. We weren't getting out of there by ourselves. I stared into Zayn's brown eyes and he blinked back at me. "I'm sorry I got you into this mess." He said softly.

"Better give him up our I'll shoot." Liam said mockingly. He was circling us. I followed the gun in his hand. "Times running out, Zayn. Give him up to me, or you're not going to like what I do." His words were almost sing song like. "And three...." My heart was beating faster. "Two...." I wasn't sure whether is was from the adrenaline in my system or of my body was going into shock from the gun shot. "One." Another shot rang out and I feared for Zayn's life. That was the fatal shot, but something was wrong. I was watching Zayn as his face twisted in horror.

"Niall!" He grabbed me and pressed his hands fast on my thigh that was bleeding profusely. I looked down at my mangled leg with now two gun shots. He shot me. Liam shot me instead of Zayn. I was grateful for that. Zayn wasn't dead. But me, I think I might have been because the pain was fading as the blood around me pooled.

"I'll do anything. Give you my entire business. Take it all. Just don't kill him." Zayn's arms were so tightly wrapped around me that I found it hard to breath. Or was that my life coming to an end?

"You're not getting the point, Malik!" Liam threw his arms in the air, taking his gun off of us. Though, there were still others circling us. "I want him. I want you to suffer. That boy is mine and you had stolen him from me."

"He's not someone's property!"

"Is that what you think? You, of all people should know that lowlifes like Niall here are meant to be owned and controlled. You owned people yourself. Gave them out like prizes to your business partners. Kids like Niall himself. You didn't care then, so why care now. Think of this as a business transaction." Liam stepped forward and grabbed my arm. Zayn kicked his leg out and hit Liam in the knee, causing him to stumble.

Liam growled under his breath and yanked me from Zayn's grasp. I yelped in pain, reaching out to Zayn. Our fingers touched but I was pulled away.

"Take him with the other one. Fix them up." I was dragged away from Zayn for the second time. It was like the world fated us to be apart from each other. I cried out for him, but my voice was cracking and my body was giving up. I was taken away, leaving Zayn with Liam again. I feared that it would be the last time I would ever see Zayn. Liam was ruthless.

Everything moved pretty fast after that. I was thrown into a car and left there for a while. I bled on the seats and leaned against the door for support. After a minute or so, the door opened again and they threw Ashton in with me. His face was pale and I was so terrified that I screamed out, all to be slapped in the face and told to shut up. I stared at Ashton, lying, unmoving next to me. A dead body, just thrown in with a soon to be dead one. But then I heard a small cough.

"A-Ashton?" I managed to get out. He groaned and slumped forward. He was still bleeding from the wound in his back, but the knife was gone and he was alive, if only barely.

"-to the hospital-" I heard the person driving say. "Boss has it all set up so they won't ask questions." I thought to myself, Liam had everything planned, from the beginning to the end. He was a criminal mastermind with his tendrils in every nook of the city and it's surrounding areas.

I passed out at some point during the drive away from the safe house. My body couldn't physically keep my mind working from the lack of blood and the trauma caused. All I remember was waking up in a hospital room, hooked up to several machines and in a fuzzy state of mind.

"Hey, you okay over there, Kid?" I heard a croak of a voice call out to me from the other side of the room I let me head fall to the side and see who was there and saw Ashton lying there, strapped down to the bed, but alive nonetheless.

"Ashton." I sighed. "You're alive." Even though it was Ashton's face I saw instead of Zayn's, a familiar face was a face and I was happy about that.

"For now." He shot back. He looked away and stared at the ceiling. "Never thought I would be back in a situation like this again." He told me. "Sucks."

I nodded, keeping silence between us. I was held down to the bed as well and could only move my fingers and head. My leg was raised in the air and heavily bandaged. I didn't feel any of the pain from before, but I had the drip bag to thank for that. "H-how long have we been here?" I asked.

"Not sure." Ashton muttered. "But I think we'll be here for a while. I was stabbed after all." He let out a light chuckle, but I knew it was fake.

"Why didn't they kill you?" I asked. It was harsh, but Ashton was left for dead until the very end. Then he was saved and put in good hands, or as good as they can be, at the hospital. The same with me.

"I don't know. This small talk was killing me, but I was glad to know I had someone on my side in this hell of a life I was living.

"I'd rather be dead right now." I let myself say. Ashton didn't protest. He sighed and looked over at me again.

"Me too."

A/N: Poor Niall is separated from Zayn again, not knowing if Zayn is alive or not. Things are going to be wrapping up here shortly and more action to come. Hope you are all ready.

Also, QUESTION FOR YOU ALL

I am planning a few new Ziall fics. I have a cute one and a creepy one. Which would you like to see?

Much Love

Jachxx