BREATHE FOR ME

Chapter 29: To Dust

"Bumblebee." Lorrie whispers, smiling against my lips. I ignore him and continue to plant little kisses all over his face. "Bumblebee."

"What?" I ask innocently, still beaming after five minutes of kissing him. It feels like five seconds.

"We have to get home." He chuckles, rubbing his nose gently against mine. "Rain check?"

"Okay, okay." I reply, removing my hands from his hair. He kisses me once more, savouring the moment, before gently putting me back down on the floor. I step out from in front of him and take one last look at the room, grabbing my bag off of the bed as I do so. Carefully, I put my meds back into the bag, but not before sliding a night time one into my mouth. "We need to get Morgan from the douchebag downstairs."

"Yes, we'll do that now. Where's Thea?" he asks, taking my hand and leading me back out of the dreadful room. When I don't say anything, he turns around and meets my eyes. I don't even have to say anything. Realisation floods his face, destroying the beautiful smile on his lips.

"Oh." He says quietly, putting his hand into one of his many pockets and pulling out a little black gadget. He clips the gadget onto the front of his bulletproof vest and then presses a button on the side of it, turning it on with a little beep. Instantly, a little green light begins to flicker in his ear for a few seconds before disappearing again. "I've got Gen, we're on the eighth floor. Heading down to seven to get Morgan now. Luc, where you at man?"

A radio.

"Also," he pauses, taking my hand once more and giving it a squeeze. "Thea is a dead end. She was never alive."

His words make the breath catch in my throat, making it very difficult for me to not cry. We need to get to Morgan.

"Lorrie?" I say, beginning to walk with him beside me. "Morgan."

"Gen, I need you to stay behind me at all times okay?" he says, becoming very serious, very scary, for a moment. Seeing him like this, I'm reminded of the night we met and how he scared me.

"But what if you get hurt?" I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.

"I'm wearing a bulletproof vest." He says, trying not to laugh at me. "You, are not."

Well, that's a point. Giving him a nod, I let him take the lead and follow closely behind him. As we approach the elevator, he reaches down and pulls out a shot gun from his chest. Extending it out before him, he follows the gun with very delicate footwork. I can't help but feel like a baby elephant behind him. The screaming siren is still going off, splitting my head in two. Distant gun shots can also be heard, making my stomach feel queasy. This is all for Morgan and me, I realise. I don't think that I could handle the possibility of someone else being hurt... or killed.

"Gia, are all of the cameras still out?" Lorrie asks quietly, pressing the elevator button. I look up to see that none of the cameras are flashing like normal. Good old Gianni.

The doors slide open, revealing the empty carriage, and we both step inside. Silently, Lorrie presses the button for Morgan's floor and concentrates on his breathing.

"Baby..." he says quietly, not meeting my eyes. I realise what he's going to say before he even has to say it.

"You're going to kill people." I say, praying that my voice sounds as strong as he needs it to be. The image of Thea laid out naked in the middle of a field matted in her own blood, cut open, bruised, and abused, flashes through my mind. They hung her picture up like a trophy. "I understand."