104 Chapter one-hundred-and-two

Ally

I find her leaping down the staircase, thudding onto Deck seven. I lost her on the way up, but I have her now.

Tasmin

I'm about to head to the Front Desk, where I'm hoping Harry has got the correct information and is waiting for me when I'm grabbed by the shoulders and turned to run in the exact opposite direction.

"COME ON, WE GOTTA RUN!"

A woman who can't be much older than me with frizzy brown hair tugs at my dress, breathing heavily. I assume that the reason she's running is a good one. Something must've happened back there, but I should go back for –

"WE CAN'T GO BACK THERE!" she yells like she knew what I was thinking. "I HEARD WHAT THE CREW MEMBERS WERE SAYING! THE SHIP… IT'S… IT'S CAPSIZING! TRUST ME, THE QUICKER WE GET TO THE LIFEBOATS, THE BETTER OFF WE'LL BE!"

Her voice terrifies me. So shrill and scared, I can't help but run with her. I try to catch up to her to get a glimpse of who she is. And at the same time I'm arguing with myself.

Go back! You can't leave Harry behind! Or Emily, or Charlie, or Lilli, or Ben. Even Seb.

I throw my hand out and grab her wrist. I should let her go, but I feel like me, her, Harry, and all of us should get out of this together. She's scared, just like the rest of us. She's probably got a family or a group of friends to save too; we'll help her for sure.

I don't know how the hell we'll get out of this. But we can definitely do it together.

Ally

My plan was to keep running. We were already in the corridors of cabins, mostly unbothered except for a few screaming families. If we could get down to the lower decks, it would be so much easier to get us alone, unbothered, where I know I can talk to her, and get her to realise what's going on.

She hasn't said anything this whole time, so it surprises me when she grabs my wrist.

"I'm sorry…" she exclaims, panting from all the sprinting. I grit my teeth.

No time, no time, no time. No time for this.

"I want to go with you," she tells me. "But I've left some people behind, and I need to go get them. I'm sure you have someone you need to get as well…" I sure as hell do, but it'd be a lot easier if I could get you away from Harry right now. "... it'd be much easier if we could cooperate and get out of this together, don't you think?"

This is disgusting. I can't believe I'm just standing here, soaking in her every word, cringing at the way she speaks. And screaming-internally at the thought that he'd love her after… everything.

"I know you're scared," she informs me and I almost smirk aloud. "I am too." That's when she begins to cry. "But I can't leave him behind!" Her voice cracks, and I almost whip around to throw my arms around her.

I've heard those words before, from someone who's been broken for years, and from someone who's going to lose again and again if he doesn't finish this damn mission.

He doesn't deserve his name. Tenacity.

As I turn around to face her, that's when I decide that it's up to me to finish the mission.

Tasmin

She finally turns, and behind her lovely dark chocolate curls and vulnerable façade is the same face I saw beside Harry's a few days ago. I clench my fists.

"You're… Ally."

She grins. "Oh, good, you know my name." She's in my face in under a second, moving so quickly. I hear the clink before I look down to see the shackles. We exchange glares, but I'm afraid that mine looks like that of a deer caught in headlights. "Well, at least we can skip introductories, hey?"

Ally

I pull a gun on her when she doesn't stop squirming. I've had enough of her already and we haven't even gotten to the interrogation part of tonight. Finally, she shuts up and drops her arms, but stays tense as I grab her shoulders and shove her along the yellow-tinted corridor.

"Tell me who you are," she demands.

"Shh-Shh." I press my index finger to her lips and she grimaces. "We'll get to that."

I find the right door just as Tasmin extends her elbow to nudge me in the stomach. "Ooh, watch it," I seethe. "We're here."

I knock at the door twice, then pause, then twice again. I hear the lock click open, then I'm shoving Tasmin into the dark behind the door, sliding in behind her. I have my hand on Tasmin's shoulder to keep her from running, and the other hand is out in front of me, searching. It knocks against the chair that was placed there earlier by SBD, a guy who deserves his name, unlike Harry.

I push Tasmin down into the chair, she exclaims an Oh! in surprise, and then SBD wraps the rope around her and I hear him tying it at the back.

"All good?" I ask.

"Mn."

You know what's great about SBD? He's quiet, he's cooperative, and he always keeps the right values in heart.

I step back, flicking on the lights, feeling a little shocked when I see the gun in SBD's hands. Well, I guess that's why they call him SBD.

Silent but deadly. Silent But Deadly. SBD.

And his name is perfect for an embarrassing nickname.

Silent Butt Deadly.

I'm laughing on the inside.

Tasmin snaps her head back and forth between me and SBD, terror written on her face. The sight is pitiful, I almost feel sorry for her.

"Let me go."

I smirk.