Shadows In Durango

*****Vincent's POV*****

The tires screeched as I swerved the car down on to the right street, having just ended a frantic call with Daryl who one second was finding no luck as he knocked on a few doors near to where he found the silver Jag to be parked, only before he started freaking out and saying he could see Sofia on a fucking roof!

The call quickly ended in a frenzy, which only forced me to press down harder on the gas to get there before it was too late!

Reid was beside me, gripping the dashboard, his face set in grim determination as Emma freaked out in the back - talking incoherently as neither of us listened.

Ahead of me, I eventually spotted Sofia, her figure barely visible on the roof of a house which caused for me to swerve the car up on to the front lawn - not caring about the damage caused to it or the car.

She looked frantic and terrified, her voice barely carrying out over the distance as she screamed out for help before calling my name.

"FUCK!" I shouted, throwing the door open before the car had even fully stopped.

I barely registered Reid yelling at me to wait as I bolted from the car. The urgency to get to her taking over all else as he quickly followed me.

But then, as we both began to take in the smashed downstairs window and the state of Sofia up on the roof, the sound of a gunshot tore through the air, a deafening crack that seemed to freeze time.

I saw Sofia flinch on the roof, her screams ripping right through me.

I barely caught a glimpse of Reid as he dove back behind the car, his hand instinctively moving to his head unsure of where the sound had even came from. Gunshots?!

I didn't think next - I just moved.

I

I sprinted towards the house, eyes darting toward the shattered window as I forced myself through it and ignored the shards of glass piercing me.

There was no time to think, no time to plan. Sofia was up there on the roof, and Ashton was armed... he could shoot her at any minute!

I scanned my surroundings once I was inside, my eyes adjusting to the chaos locked within.

The living room to my right was trashed - furniture overturned, glass shards littering the floor, as if a storm had ripped through it.

But I barely registered the destruction.

My ears were ringing from the loud sound of gunshots, but beneath that, I could hear something someone coughing and spluttering nearby.

The sound coming out was guttural and wet, horrific to anyone that could hear it.

Ispun myself toward the staircase where it echoed from, horrified at what I find laying at the top of it-

"Daryl!" I breathed out, my voice catching in my throat.

He was hunched over at the top of the stairs, slumped against the wall, his clothes stained through with dark patches of blood.

He coughed again, each sound rougher than the last, a grim gurgling noise escaping from his throat.

Blood spilled from his side, pooling around him on the floor. His eyes were unfocused, his face pale.

"No, no, no," I muttered as I bounded up the steps two at a time, my heart slamming into my ribs. "Fuck Daryl, just hold on! You'll make it through this! FUCK!" I panic, ripping the jacket off from my back to help plug the bleed in his abdomen.

His eyes fluttered open for a second as I reached him, but they were glassy, barely conscious. "V-Vin..." he croaked, blood bubbling at the corner of his mouth. "I- he's - Sof..." He coughed again, his body convulsing in total pain.

"I know, I know, shhh!" I whispered, pressing my hands to his wound in a desperate attempt to stem the bleeding. But the flow was relentless, hot and slick under my fingers.

My hands shook as I tried to keep the pressure, but Daryl's breathing was shallow, his face growing paler with each passing second.

We have to move fast to get him to a hospital! But first, I have to deal with Ashton and his gun!

I glanced down the hall, and that's when I saw it - movement. A shadow disappearing into one of the rooms at the far end of the corridor and reminding me of why we were even here. Ashton needs dealt with once and for all!

My blood ran cold. This wasn't just a fight for a girl anymore - this was far more personal. Rage surged through me, a burning wave that overtook the fear and panic.

"Stay with me, Daryl, I'll be right back for you!" I state, even though I wasn't sure if he could even hear me now.

I couldn't waste time.

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I had to stop Ashton before he hurt anyone else close to me.

Every nerve in my body was screaming to be careful, but the anger was too strong, too blinding as I rushed towards the room at the end of the hall.

Ashton had gone too far with the wrong fucking crowd this time!

I burst into the room, expecting to find him straight away, but instead, I squint oddly to find an old woman lying unconscious on the bed - assuming to be Ashton's grandmother.

She was pale, her chest barely moving at all, with an empty pill bottle spilled out across the bedsheets.

But that wasn't what caught my attention. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something more movement.

A glint of metal.

Ashton.

I ducked, instinctively throwing myself to the side as a second shot exploded out in to the room and just missed me.

The bullet whizzed past my head, embedding itself into the wall behind me with a sickening thud.

Ashton stood behind the door, the gun trembling in his hand, his blood coated face twisting with a mixture of rage and desperation by now.

"You're not getting out of this, Ashton! You don't even know who you're dealing with in this fucking town!" I roared, suddenly charging at him before he could get another shot set off.

My shoulder slammed into him with full force, sending us both crashing out into the hallway wall.

The gun clattered on to the ground, but Ashton wasn't done. He lashed out with a wild punch that caught me in the side of the head, the impact making my vision blur ever so slightly which made me all the more furious.

I grabbed his wrist, twisting it back quickly until I heard the crack of bones as he screamed out like a girl, before I followed through with my elbow against his face - knocking a tooth out of him.

We grappled briefly, as he only managed to slam me back into the walls, fists flying in every direction but never managing to land.

He was strong, I'll give him that, and crazed with sheer desperation, but I was fighting for more than just survival now - I was fighting for Sofia and for Daryl who lay only metres away fighting for his damn life thanks to this bastard! With a final surge of strength, I slammed Ashton's head back into the wall, the impact reverberating through the house and causing for the brick to crack behind him.

His body instantly went limp, collapsing in a heap on the floor at my feet, unconscious but still breathing - which is exactly what I wanted.

He deserves a life of suffering... not an easy way out!

I stumbled back, breathing heavily, grabbing the gun from the floor to ensure it wasn't used by him again.Exclusive content from NôvelDrama.Org.

I glance down, with my knuckles throbbing painfully from the fight, before police sirens are heard approaching from the distance.

The adrenaline pumped through my veins, but I forced myself to calm down. I had to go check on Daryl. I had to make sure Daryl was still alive...

I stepped over Ashton's unconscious form, rushing back toward the stairs where I had left Daryl.

My breath caught as I saw his chest still moving - but barely-though I was relieved to find him still alive nonetheless.

It's not too late... surely they can save him?!

"Hold on, Daryl," I whispered, dropping down to my knees beside him to add more pressure to the wound. "Can you hear that? Help is coming for you, just hang on! Please hang on!" I beg him, fighting back the sudden flood of emotion that reaches me.

He might actually die from this...

He's bleeding real fucking bad...

My best friend might fucking die...

With a single tear falling down my face, the front door is suddenly smashed open, as the rush of police officers quickly invade the space two at a time.

Everything from then on seems to go by in a blurry haze, as the cold metal handcuffs are placed around my wrists as more officers rush to drag a concussed Ashton out to the car.

Paramedics rush in after, immediately finding Daryl as I squeeze my eyes shut and pray for him to make it through before they start to drag me out of there.

I can't even speak or think straight, as the world moves around me at record pace.

Please just let him be ok....