Chapter 52.

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I stared at the door in the dark before I was cut out of my trance by my coughing. I guess it might not have been the best idea to use my shirt as bandages since the room was so cold. I let out a sigh once my coughing fit was over. I had been awake for a while now. I didn't know how long it had been since I saw Ben – since I saw anyone. It felt long, I had drifted into sleep quite a few times, I had tried to pry the boards from the window, turned out it wasn't much of a window. Just steel bars with more boards on the other side. I used all the energy I had left for that.

I was starving. I couldn't tell how long I had been there but my stomach sure could. I guess Sergio wasn't too happy with Ben... I really hoped he didn't kill him... The one good thing that came out of seeing no one was that I hadn't been beat up any more, my eyes were starting to open wider. But the healing wasn't going that well everywhere else. My leg would seemed a little yellow.

I shut my eyes feeling exhausted even though I had not moved around much. I leaned my head against the wall snuggling closer into the corner.

I almost groaned in frustration as I heard the door click. I really wanted to sleep right now.

I opened my eyes but had to squint as light flooded in when the door opened. I relaxed once I realised who it was as he shut the door behind him darkening the room again.

"Hey." I looked up as Ben walked in, "So I convinced them to let me bring some water." He lifted his hand as he knelt in front of me.

"Sergio?" I mumbled seeing the black under his eye as I reached for the water slowly. I tried to pry it open but my hand hurt too much, and I was too weak. I gave a dry chuckle. Ben shook his head as he opened the water for me.

"Yeah, how lucky am I? He was hurt... not angry." He said.

I drank the water. It was funny, it tasted incredibly good. I don't remember water tasting this good.

"So you left me here for nothing?" I hissed when I was done savouring my water.

"I tried to get to you, but Declan's been keeping everyone busy and I only got to Sergio last night."

"How long have I been here?" I mumbled.

"Almost three days... That's why I got hit." He glared at me.

I groaned out a chuckle.

"Okay, seriously. We worked all of this out last night. I need you get up. We have about ten minutes before Clyde makes it into the reception room. Once he starts things up this is the first place Declan's sending his men."

"How will we know when he 'starts things up'?" I asked.

"We'll know. Get up." he said standing up.

I nodded trying to get up. He watched me.

"Damn it, you're so slow."

"That kind of happens when you get hit half to death and then don't eat for three days, Asshole." I said.

"I will leave you here." he said.

"Sure you will." I rolled my eyes and he grit his teeth before I sighed, "I can't walk. I've tried. I think my leg's infected..." I said.

He grabbed my arm and, paying no attention to my bruises, he pulled my arm onto his shoulders. I groaned as he did this.

"Shut up." he hissed.

"You're fucking hurting me." I replied. "Is that your gun?" I felt it against my hip.

"One of them." he mumbled.

I sighed.

"What now?" I mumbled.

"Try to keep up, stay hidden and shut your God damn mouth." he said walking to the door as I limped beside him.

He opened the door and peeked outside before he locked the door once we were outside leaving the key in the lock.

"Isn't that suspicious?" I asked.

"No, we leave it like that. Who was going to unlock it? You?" No, I guess. "Stay still." He said once we were in the room beside mine. I leaned against the wall watching as he pulled a gun from its holster and checked its magazine. He looked at his watched before he looked at me seriously, "Stay with me, stay behind the walls." he said.

I nodded.

"Can you handle a gun?" he whispered.

"It depends." I replied. He looked at me confused.

"'It depends'?!" he hissed.

"On why you're asking... If you're asking to mess with me than yes, I can use a gun and I will use it on you. If you're asking because you actually want me to shoot one - I've never willingly touched a gun in my life. Though, I can shoot it... It probably won't hit anything, my hand wouldn't be able to keep it still when it goes off, that's what happened –"

"What the fuck does he see in you?!" Ben cut me off.

"Maybe he doesn't want the violence." I frowned at him.

"'Doesn't want the violence'? Since we picked you up we've had three of our buildings destroyed in fire and bombings, a drive by that has never happened before and now full on war because you somehow got yourself kidnapped. You're a magnet to violence!" he hissed.

"Yes, because I'm the one that thought it was a good idea to join two gangs." I rolled my eyes. I froze hearing shots. It sounded like an AK-47 went off somewhere. "Clyde?" I whispered.

He nodded and we both went silent as we heard more shots and then yells.

I held my breath hearing some shouts closer to us before it sounded like they were right next door.

"He's not here!"

"What the fuck do you mean he's not there?! There's no way he's not in there!"

"Stay –"

Before I could ask Ben what he was doing, he was out of the room. I covered my ears as I heard shots go off.

What the hell was he doing?! You don't just walk out of hiding without knowing where they are! I shut my eyes terrified and praying that Ben didn't just get himself killed. There was no way I was getting out if here without him.

The shots in the hall came to halt but I could still hear chaos somewhere else in the building. I wondered where I was, how far I was from the shots...

"Alex." I let out a relieved breath as Ben's voice sounded before he grabbed my arm pulling it back over his shoulder.

"Where are we going?" I asked limping beside him as we made our way from the room.

I kept my eyes from the blood-covered bodies on the ground just outside the door that was covered in bullet holes. Ben locked them in and fired through the door?

"There is a delivery area on the ground floor, has the most doors. If we can get to it, it should be easy to get out of here without getting shot."

"What about everyone else?"

"We just have to hope they'll be fine – shit –!"

I let him go as he lifted his arms and began firing down the hall.

"Go left."

I tried to walk as fast as I could as I listened to him and heard him follow me still firing before he was out of the hallway.

"Stairs?" I asked as I spotted an open elevator beside some stairs.

"No, someone could follow us down," he shoved me towards the elevator.

"We'll get shot from this." I hissed.

"Not as long as you stay down. We won't get shot. Calm down, Alexander! Just listen to me, alright?" He said.

I nodded kneeling down beside him in the elevator and we looked down. We had to be at least five floors high. This elevator did not feel safe at all. My eyes widened seeing Clyde on the third-level balcony firing down the hall. There was a balcony on every floor, shaped into a square that left the centre of the building open. It looked like there were boxes, crates and cans. Some stacked up until the third floor in the centre of the building.

"Are those drugs?" I asked shocked.

Ben nodded as the elevator began descending.

"And guns, ammunition, car parts..." he drifted.

Wow. There must have been a crazy amount of money in this place.

"Let's go."

"I thought we had to get down to the ground floor?" I asked.

"This elevator only works for the top three floors, follow me." Ben peeked out of the elevator before he ran across the hall and hid between two crates.

He motioned for me to follow. I shoved myself from the floor and let out a shout when shots went off over my head before I fell beside Ben. I gasped shocked as I felt around to see if I got hit.

"What the fuck, Alex?! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!" Ben shouted at me.

"I thought you said it was clear!" I yelled back.

"I checked if it was clear before I went, I didn't look for both of us! Jesus. Just – just stay." He glanced around the crate before he fired a couple of times. He grabbed my arm and hooked it over his shoulder lifting me as he stood up. "Run with me. We're heading over to that boulder, we'll be wide open until we reach it so move." He said pointing down the hall.

I nodded trying to stand on both my legs.

"Now!"

I tried to ignore the pain that shot through my leg every time I stepped on the ground as we ran down the hall before we crashed behind a boulder.

"Ben –" I pointed and he shot. I watched as the person he shot dropped his gun as he fell limply.

"Well, good to know you're not completely useless." He smirked.

I punched his shoulder and he chuckled.

"Are you bleeding?" I muttered as I lifted my right hand after I punched him and we looked at the red liquid on my knuckles. I wiped it onto his shirt causing him to roll his eyes.

"I must have cut myself at that elevator." He said. It wasn't a bad cut, but it could be.

"What now?" I asked. "Down here?" I looked down the hall.

"No, the stairs down here only go down to the first floor. If we can make it to there, we'll have to go down the hall and take the stairs all the way to the ground. The elevator down is on the other side, it's too far away and we know Declan's men are on that side." He said pointing behind us.

"If they're there and we run again, they'll see us." I said.

"You're pretty good at dodging bullets though." he said. I glared at him. "Fine. I'll try to take them out from here."

I leaned my head back and wondered where Clyde was now. Was Sergio here? There were shots ringing everywhere, no matter where we were someone had to be able to hear it. I doubt even Sergio or Declan would be able to get out of jail if we were caught here, with that load below.

"Oh no." Ben hissed feeling his sides.

"What?" I asked.

"Shit!" I followed his eyes to the path we had just run and saw his bullets and his other gun down the hall from the guy he had just shot. "I need to get his gun." He said.

"Are you crazy?" I asked.

"There's no way we're making it out of here if neither of us have a weapon, Alexander. I have to get that gun." He said.

"Fine." I pushed myself off the floor.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Distracting them, get the gun."

In probably the dumbest decision I've ever made I set off running towards the stairs, there were a few crates on the way so I dove behind one and covered my ears as the shots followed me. I could see bullets hitting the wall across me as I leaned against the crate. I looked back to see Ben shocked and I shot him a glare. I was not risking my life for nothing right now, why hadn't he got the gun?!

He snapped out of whatever he had been in and nodded. I turned and held my breath before I began running again until I made it to the bolder and I let out a laugh of relief and disbelief as I fell onto the ground finally letting the pain in my leg get to my head. I blinked away my temporary dizziness and looked back to see Ben behind the bolder. He grinned and waved the gun at me and I almost didn't notice the movement behind him.

I began to shout for him to look behind him but he got tacked before the person that tackled him shot down the hall hitting the person that was about to fire at Ben.

I felt a grin spread across my face seeing Sergio pull Ben to his feet. Ben seemed surprised before they looked at me. Sergio seemed shocked as he looked at me. I assumed it was my bruises that shocked him.

Ben turned and began firing at the people who had just fired at me before they ran towards me.

"Alexander –"

I groaned as Sergio pulled me into a hug squeezing me and causing my bruises to hurt more.

"S – sorry –" I shook my head hugging him tightly. "I'm so sorry." he mumbled.

"It's alright." I smiled.

"No, it's not, I never meant to hurt you, I never meant for this to happen, I'm so sorry, Alex –"

I kissed him to cut him off and I felt him smile against my lips but a throat clearing caused us to pull back.

"Can you do this later? We have to get out of here." Ben said annoyed. I chuckled.

"You were right; I'm pretty good at dodging bullets."

"You're fucking insane, Richardson." He muttered.

"What are you talking about?" Sergio asked confused.

"Nothing." Ben and I said in unison. I had a feeling he wouldn't be too happy about the stunt I had pulled while I provided Ben some time to get a gun. Sergio narrowed his eyes at us.

"Get down." He shoved Ben down beside me and began firing towards the stairs. I couldn't see the stairs or most of the hall, but from his position I bet he could. I covered my ears.

When his firing stopped I dropped my hands.

"Let's go –" Ben began.

"No, stay down." Sergio turned around and fired behind the bolder, towards the other side of the warehouse. The shots everywhere were dying down slowly. The reason for it sickened me.

"Sergio –" I began. What was he doing? He had moved out from behind our cover once he was done shooting. There were still shots, but they sounded pretty distant.

"We've got everyone on that side." he said stepping close to the balcony, "Let's get out of here –" He turned around and I froze hearing shots go off from the stairs.

I watched Sergio's body jerk as the bullets hit him and it felt my heart stop as he lost his balance and flipped over the railing.

I tried to get up, to follow him but Ben shoved me shouting something at me as he got up before he shot towards the stairs.

He grabbed my arm when he was done and began dragging me towards the stairs. I shoved by him and ran down the stairs until we reached the ground floor. I ignored the shots that sounded around me as I ran towards where I assumed Sergio would have landed.

I was relieved to see that he had landed on a couple of boxes but it was short lived as I realised he had hit his head against a crate which stood beside the boxes. I tried to check his head out but I froze as my hands touched the blood seeping through his shirt.

My mind went blank. I didn't know what to do, how to help him.

"Sergio?" Ben spoke as he knelt beside me. "Uh – help – stop the blood –" He said to me.

I nodded as he ripped Sergio's shirt apart and pressed it against his chest wounds.

"Just - keep - keep this here." I nodded as Ben pressed my hands down onto shirt. I felt no movement. His chest wasn't moving.

I looked at Sergio's face feeling myself shatter.

"Ben. He's – he's not breathing - Ben, he's not breathing." I panicked.

"CALM DOWN!" Ben shouted at me, "Please, please, Alex. I-I need to think."

I nodded.

"Uhm – uh... okay –" he pressed his fingers against Sergio's neck and I saw his face go pale before he began trying to give Sergio CPR.

I watched as he worked rapidly, his eyes tearing up and I felt myself weaken. My chest hurt, I felt like I was breaking.

"Ben, please,"

"I'm trying." he whispered. "Come on. Come on, man."

I sucked in a shaky breath before lifting my arm to wipe the tears from my eyes. Ben shook his head.

"He needs – he needs a hospital - I don't know what else to do - I'm sorry - I'm sorry -"

"You're - you're doing f-fine." I tried to reassure him.

Seeing movement from the corner of my eye I reached over and grabbed Ben's gun from its holster before I turned and pulled the trigger until the gun was empty.

I watched as the guy fell to the ground, his gun falling beside him before I dropped the empty one I held.

Ben stared at me shocked.

I looked at Sergio and sobbed as I placed my hands back over the wound.

"Keep going – keep – Ben!" He stared at me before he began shaking his head slowly.

"Alex, nothing I do is going to -"

"Just keep going!" I cut him off in a shout.

"Alex... The blood –"

He was cut off by a car screeching towards us. I shut my eyes leaning my head on Sergio's shoulder expecting to get run over but the car screeched to a halt right beside us.

"Get in!" Clyde shouted.

Ben and I pretty much dragged Sergio into the car before Clyde began driving like a maniac. We heard sirens behind us, headed to the warehouse but we were gone.

I looked at Sergio. He looked drained. Like someone in a vampire movie... He was covered in blood, his mouth hung slightly open and blood was beginning to leak out the side of his mouth.

"Ben!"

"Alex –"

"Help him!" I yelled. He bit his lip staring at me before he began CPR on Sergio again.

I shut my eyes leaning my head down onto his forehead.

*****

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