High five Klaroline fans! Did you see the episode? Of course you have. You are probably not even reading this because you are dead from the feels. But hopefully there is WiFi in fandom heaven and you'll get this update!
Action packed chapter. Hope you enjoy!
p.s. The latter half of this chapter was partially inspired by a the house scene at the end of 28 Days Later and the song "In a Heartbeat" from that soundtrack.
**Shameless self promo: I recently dove into writing for another fandom, the Arrow fandom, and cracked out an Olicity one shot over on my page. If you're a fan of the show/ship, maybe give it a read? It was interesting writing for different characters and a little inspiring to step away from my comfort zone and try something new. Hence why I was able to turn this chapter out pretty quickly.
:)
.
"Good evening," a crackled voice greeted. "What do we have here?"
A woman in a mask approached Shane and Caroline, staring at them. Her mask was pale white, with a bold cerulean color flecking out around the almond shaped eyes.
"Portia, don't be so cliché," the second woman chided, entering behind the first and shutting the door. She moved over and clicked on the lamp at the desk, an orange glow emitted from the bulb, casting long cat like shadows against the walls as the two mask women moved back and forth.
"Shut up, Hermia," the one called Portia spat. Green stripes ran down the front of her face, a bright orange star over one eye. She walked up to Caroline and Shane, looking them up and down. Caroline took the moment to do the same. They were dressed head to toe in masks, Caroline couldn't even determine the color of their skin or hair. It was just as Lauren had described during her questioning. They were the same group that killed Tony Rutlidge.
Portia stood in front of Caroline. "Nice shoes," she said, her deep voice muffled behind the mask. "What are your names?"
"Rebekah," Caroline blurted. It was the first name that popped into her head, for some reason. It stumbled past her lips and she knew that the masked woman standing in front of her heard the lie in her tone. A gloved hand cracked across her cheek and pain exploded behind her eyes.
"Your real name, please."
Caroline swallowed, blinking past the stars flickering in her field of vision. She'd forgotten how much being back handed hurt. "Caroline."
"Last name."
"Forbes."
"Now who's being cliché?" the one called Hermia quipped from behind, mocking the swat that she had just given Caroline.
Portia ignored her, and turned her green striped face to Shane. "You?"
"Atticus Shane" he said.
"And her?"
April flinched behind Caroline and peered up her with big, doe eyes. "April Young."
"Did you get that?" Portia asked, tilting her masked gaze away just slightly, and walking away. "Good, let me know what you find."
"They're using earpieces to communicate," Shane whispered to Caroline.
Portia spun. "So, you lucky three have made it to the next phase of the game."
"What does the next phase entail?" Shane ventured.
"Phase two," she said. "Depends entirely on…outside factors." Her explanation was cut off with a soft curse. Something had happened that Caroline, Shane, and April weren't privy to without ear pieces.
"She's coming up here," Hermia said.
"I heard," Portia bit back.
Caroline looked over at Shane, a silent question of who "she" was, passing between them.
A few moments later the elevator dinged and in walked another figure. Another woman, obvious from her shape and gait, though still dressed in head to toe black. Caroline had assumed that the one speaking on stage downstairs had been the leader, but it was clear now that this woman, was the one calling the shots. She was tall and lithe, moving with a predatory confidence that Caroline had never seen up close before.
Portia and Hermia tensed the moment she walked in. Her face was covered completely, except for her eyes. They were left open and Caroline thought she noticed a bronze hint to her skin, but it was difficult to tell in the low light.
"Good evening," her voice sounded through a modulator, disguising it completely. "Atticus, Caroline, April. Have the ladies explained the next phase of the game?" The trio shook their heads. "The next phase depends entirely not on your choices, but the choices of your loved ones. Right now, we have others in our group contacting your families. Then we will see, just how much your lives are worth to them."
.
.
Klaus stood under the cover of umbrellas, looking up at the building. His eyes examined each floor, as if he could find the solution to the problem in the bricks and mortar that compiled the structure. Soft lightning flashed in the green glass of the old windows. The shades were pulled shut in each room, hiding the secrets unfolding inside.
"What are you thinking?" Stefan was at his side, holding an umbrella that one of the officers had given him. Radio conversation from dispath crackled from inside Alaric's patrol car.
Klaus didn't answer and Stefan sighed. "Look, it will be okay. Caroline will be okay."
Klaus's tensed jaw ticked back and forth.
"Why?"
"Why, what?"
He looked over at Stefan. "You said she would be okay, tell me how did you come to that conclusion?" Stefan stammered, not sure how to answer. Klaus pressed on. "What facts, what evidence, what absolute skill allows you to predict future outcomes?" Stefan had nothing to say. "That's what I thought. Captain Saltzman!" he shouted spinning on his heels. "We'll need five of your best SWAT team members."
"May I ask what they will be doing?"
"This hotel was built during prohibition, which means it will be chock full of secret rooms," thunder rumbled as he continued to explain. "I've studied blueprints of this particular building and I know that there is a secret underground entrance tunnel below, it's entrance should be found inside the neighboring buildings. It's unlikely that the ladies inside will be aware of its existence."
"Sounds like our best shot," Alaric conceded. He lifted his radio to his mouth to relay the orders, when a group of hostages began pouring from the front entrance of the Blackwood Hotel.
Officers surrounding them tensed with the fire arms held up as the frightened victims began running to get away as fast as they could. Others approached, intercepted the people to question them.
Klaus darted forward, his eyes scanning for a familiar blonde head. That's when he saw her, standing under an umbrella, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders as she spoke to an officer.
A weight in his chest lifted with every step he took toward her, relief filling the space where dread had been. The universe was fair. Terrible things didn't happen just to him. He didn't drag down those he cared about.
Without thinking he reached forward and spun her around, only to be met by a sharp scream.
"What are you doing?" The officer behind them shouted.
He released the blonde woman who was not Caroline. Stumbling back until he was standing in the direct downpour.
The woman was in hysterics and the officer was demanding to know who he was.
"He's with me," Alaric said stepping up. Klaus vaguely felt the rain shifting away from him as he was covered with an umbrella then the captain entering his field of vision. "Get it together," Alaric told him. "Come on, you're going to want to hear this. The people inside have asked to speak directly to me. They're unwilling to talk to any hostage negotiators or anyone else. How they got my name, I don't know."
"I have a few theories," Klaus posed.
Klaus followed Alaric back over to the patrol car where they had set up. The captain was handed a phone and he clicked on the speaker function, allowing Klaus and the others close by to hear both sides of the conversation. "This is Captain Alaric Saltzman with the Chicago Police Department. You have my attention."
"Captain Saltzman," a voice came through the other side, garbled, under the influence of a modulator. A sign that this group was outfitted with technology and money. "We have three very special guests here with us. I have three names for you. You have two hours, until midnight, to contact their families and bargain for their lives." Klaus listened to their demands. "We require 2.2 million dollars deposited on behalf of each guest into the following account." Alaric snapped for a pen and paper as the woman began to recite a list of banking numbers.
"I find it unlikely that you're going to see a dime," Alaric warned.
"Then you'll have three bodies on your conscience, Captain," the voice threatened. "And just so you know, if one of your officers set foot in the hotel, the game is forfeit and so are their lives."
The Captain clenched his jaw. Klaus shared his frustration. "The names."
A long pause hung in the air before the voice spoke again, this time addressing who else was in the room. "Please state your names for the Captain, so he knows you are all still safe and alive."
"April Young."
"Atticus Shane."
"Caroline Forbes."
His eyes fell shut at hearing her say her own name, his stony resolve breaking for the moment. She sounded brave and strong, even though she was probably scared out of her mind. He would expect nothing less of Caroline. Stubborn and resilient no matter what she faced.
"You have two hours," the voice reminded them.
The call ended.
"Six and a half million dollars," Stefan said from beside him.
"Call this in," Alaric instructed handing the numbers off to one of the officers. "I want someone tracking it. Finding out who the account belongs to. Let's see if we can figure out why this account is important." He turned to another officer. "Contact Senator Brian Young and let his family know of the situation. Find anything you can on Atticus Shane."
"What about the third one? Caroline Forbes?" The officer asked.
Alaric's head turned to Klaus. "I think we've got her covered." The officer nodded and turned away to complete her task. Alaric focused on Klaus. "Will—"
Klaus held up a hand. "Not even a question. I don't care if you are unwilling to negotiate. I want her out of there."
"We don't even know where the money is going."
"Irrelevant." He pulled his phone from his pocket, pulling up his banking app and wire transfer information.
"Do you even have that much money?" Klaus shot him a look. "Okaaaay," Alaric said. "You might want to wait a few minutes. You act too fast, and they may up the price."
"There isn't a number that is too high," Klaus replied, unsure what his reasoning was behind that statement.
"Five minutes."
"Four," Klaus bit out, pocketing his phone again for the moment.
.
.
Caroline, Shane, and April sat alone in the hotel room, hands still bound. After the phone call to the police their guards had left the room, but a quick look out the peephole in the door told her they were standing century outside.
She'd kicked off her shoes, wanting her feet free of the heels.
Outside, lightening flashed and thunder boomed, making her jump.
Unable to sit still, she walked to the window, pulling back the curtain. The alleyway between the buildings was dark and damp. She studied it hard, trying to decide if they could make the leap to the fire escape across the way. Her depth perception was not that great.
"That's at least fifteen feet across," Shane said behind her, guessing at her thoughts. "We wouldn't make it."
Caroline let out a frustrated groan, falling back against the wall. Shane got up and walked the length of the room over to her.
"I think I know what you're thinking," Shane said, his voice quiet enough that April couldn't hear from where she sat on the bed.
"Is it 'why me'?" she asked with a small bark of laughter.
Shane gave her a sad grin. "Unless the police get us out of here. I think this is the end of the line." Caroline looked over at him, noticing the small wrinkles around his brown eyes. "Being a professor doesn't exactly pay well."
"You don't think your family will figure something out?"
"I don't have any family," he told her. "They all died when I was young. And even so, 2.2 million is still a lot of money."
"Yeah," Caroline agreed. "My mom's a sheriff. She doesn't make that much money in five years." She looked over at April, who was now laying on the bed. "She'll be okay though, right? Her family has that money. Her dad's a senator." She ran her teeth across her lip. "They'll call any minute and then those people will keep their word and let her out, right?"
Shane gripped her hand, giving it a squeeze. "I hope so."
Caroline met his eyes, nodding, letting out a full breath. "Okay, so that leaves you and me."
The doorknob began to move and Shane and Caroline rushed back to the bed, where they were supposed to be sitting. The masked leader walked back in and clapped her gloved hands together.
"I have good news and bad news. Shall we start with the good?" Her eyes focused on Caroline. "Your life has been bought, you are free to go."
Caroline couldn't believe it. Where had her mother gotten that much money from? Her brain scanned the possibilities. Even if she had called on Stephen—her dad's partner—for help they didn't have that much money combined.
The woman continued speaking. "Mr. Shane, I'm afraid we could not contact anyone for you. It seems that your life is forfeit," she turned her head in April's direction. "As for you, Miss Young, your family is unwilling to pay."
"What?" Caroline shouted.
"There must be some mistake," April said. "Did you talk to my dad?"
"As a courtesy we will give them until midnight to change their minds," she said. "But it does not seem as if they are willing to budge. They have one more hour."
The woman spun and Caroline was shooting up off the bed before she had a chance to think about what she was doing.
"Wait," she shouted. "Trade April's for mine. Let the money my family gave buy her life."
The woman stop and turned, eerily slow, to face her. She took a step toward her. Caroline squared her chin, trying to ignore that her masked face was almost an entire foot above her. Or maybe it was the six inch heels that were to blame.
"I'm afraid, Miss Forbes, that is not the way the game is played."
Without room for another argument, she turned and walked out of the room.
April began sobbing out loud, her breaths becoming quick and labored. Caroline rushed to her, kneeling in front and trying to focus her the best she could. The girl was having a panic attack.
"Shh," Caroline said, brushing a hand against her hair. "Just breathe. In and out."
Caroline exaggerated her own breath, letting her chest puff out and her shoulders raise before letting it all out, leading April along. After a few breaths she started to calm down.
"Why wouldn't they just pay the money?"
Caroline's eyes shot to Shane, who grimaced back at her. They were both thinking the same thing.
"They will," Caroline lied. "You can't just give the bad guys what they want right away."
"Your family did." Her voice was small, vulnerable and it broke Caroline's heart.
"My family isn't smart like yours. They don't have a team of people to advise them, like your dad has. We tend to just say and do without thinking first."
Caroline did her best to reassure the young girl, helping her to keep her breath steady and calm.
"You know," Shane interjected. "I'm going to ignore that you jumped in to save a girl you just met over your esteemed professor." Caroline looked up at him again and he cracked a smile. "Sorry, gallows humor."
Caroline laughed at that and so did April.
Just then the door opened and in walked Portia and Hermia. They seized Shane and held him by the arms. A third woman walked in, one they hadn't seen up close yet, with a syringe in her hand. She pushed up Shane's sleeve and injected him in the elbow.
"No need for you to suffer, Mr. Shane," the woman said, "just because you have no one to save you. You should begin to feel the effects soon."
With that they released and walked out.
"What'd they give you?" April asked.
"I don't know," Shane said. "But I'm sure it's not something good."
He lifted his hand in front of his face, flexing his fingers in front of his eyes.
"Okay, that's it," Caroline said. "We're all getting out of here."
She began twisting at her hands, moving her wrists around and recalling the morning Klaus had taught her how to escape zip ties. She'd been annoyed with him that particular morning, but now she was happier than ever that he had taught her that little lesson. She wondered if Klaus knew what was happening. No doubt his news alerts had been set to inform him of breaking stories in Chicago.
April watched her working the ties. "What are you doing?"
"Getting out of these."
"You know how to do that?" Shane asked, brows raised.
"Yeah," she said, grunting. "My friend taught me."
"The detective one?" April asked.
The ties broke and Caroline let out a yelp, quickly covering her mouth and looking toward the door to see if someone would burst through. "Yes, he's the one."
She grabbed April's hand and unbound her, then saw to Shane.
He stumbled slightly and Caroline caught him by the chest, her eyes flashing with concern. "I'm good," he said after a moment. "What now?"
"I've got a plan," Caroline said.
"Okay," Shane replied and April nodded. He lifted a hand to his chest. "Let's just hurry."
.
.
Patience was not a virtue Klaus possessed. Not that he had many virtues to begin with. The waiting game was not one he enjoyed playing, especially when he lacked the upper hand. The hostages that had been released were scattered through the area, frantic and scared, being questioned by officers. All of them described seeing a group of criminals that matched the ones who had been involved in the Rutlidge murder. No one could recall any physical descriptions, other than the fact that they were all female.
News teams had shown up, along with a few paparazzi, all trying to capture the impending violence. Vultures waiting in the rain to descend on the dead. Alaric was barking orders back and forth to his team, staying in touch with the SWAT team that was attempting to find a way into the building, following Klaus's directions.
Klaus stood in the center of it all, surrounded by the wind and rain, still as a statue. His arms were crossed, eyes closed, and his thoughts turned deep within himself. Facts played in his mind, synapses making connections, trying to find something to grasp on to-some direction in which to move.
"Klaus!" Alaric was calling to him. It seemed he had been for a few moments.
Klaus opened his eyes and saw the Captain in front of him. "We just got word that Caroline refused to leave, she even tried to get them to let the Senator's daughter out in her place."
Klaus let out a hollow laugh. He'd have to have a talk with her about self-preservation if he saw her again. When. If. When.
Just then his phone buzzed in his pocket.
"I could be well moved, if I were as you. If I could pray to move, prayers would move me."
Another text blinked on the screen and he read it.
"But I am constant as the northern star, Of whose true-fix'd and resting quality. There is no fellow in the firmament."
"What is it?" Stefan asked, noticing the look of horror pass over Klaus's face.
Klaus looked up at him, fear and lightning flashing in his eyes as the rainfall began to increase.
"Alaric!" Klaus called. "You have to get everyone as far away from this building as possible. As fast as you can."
The captain considered him for a moment. "What do you know?"
"The building is going to explode. No matter what we do. Get SWAT out of there," he looked around. "All these people…"
Glass, debris, fire, and ash would consume all who were nearby.
"How long do we have?" Alaric asked him.
"Minutes."
The captain nodded, turning to his Lieutenant. "We have to clear this area. Do it fast. Do it calmly." He turned and open his mouth to address Klaus again, when their attention was drawn to the sky. Orange and red sparks rushed up to the sky, sharp whistles sounding through the patter of rain.
The crowd in the streets shifted, gasps and cries calling out at the sight.
"Fireworks?" Stefan said.
"Move everyone," Alaric called out, "NOW!"
An explosion sounded on the far side of the building, ash and fire blowing out into the street and the crowd awe turned to screams. A wave of panic erupted over everyone in the area.
In the space of a heartbeat, Klaus darted forward toward the entrance, ignoring the yells of both Alaric and Stefan. He pushed past officers blocking the entrance and ran around the side of the building as fast as his legs would carry him.
Another boom shot up over his head.
Time was not on his side.
.
.
"He's dead!" Caroline yelled. April was crying. Shane was in her lap, head lolling to the side. "Help!"
A few moments later the door to their room opened and in walked one of the masks. She made her way toward where Caroline sat on the bed with Shane, patting at his face, trying to get him to open his eyes. As soon as her black gloved hand reached toward the professor, a hard smack came down on her head and knocked her out cold. Her body collapsed across Shane's.
April stood behind her with the large decorative vase that had been in the corner of the room in her hands.
"Did I do it?" she asked, opening one eye, then the other.
"You did it," Caroline congratulated.
Shane's eyes also popped open and he pushed the unconscious body off of him, standing up.
"Hurry," he said as Caroline crouched by the mask. Part of her wanted to unmask the figure, but there was no time. She let her curiosity die and she reached for the sidearm on the woman's and gripped it between her hands.
"Can you shoot that?"
"My mom was a cop," Caroline answered. "She taught me a few things. Stay behind me."
Caroline knew how to shoot, but she wasn't police. If someone came along and stood completely still very close to her, then she might hit them.
She was playing it all by ear. Her brain went to things she'd seen on TV. Stay low, hold the gun in front of her. The plan they had developed wasn't a great one, but it was their only shot at all three of them making it out alive.
She opened the door first, seeing their second guard across the hall. As soon as the saw her, she fired. Caroline fired back and heard a feminine cry of pain. She rushed forward and knocked their second guard unconscious with the back of the gun.
"Come on," she called, waving April and Shane forward and out the door.
"You know, I feel a little unmanly, letting you go first," Shane said as they made their way down the hall toward the emergency stairwell.
Above them, Caroline could hear three booming sounds, in quick succession. She couldn't tell if it was the thunder or something worse.
"It's fine, I don't do damsel in distress anyways," Caroline replied, her eyes alert. She reached the door and motioned for the other two to stay back, in case there was another mask nearby. With the gun held at the ready, she opened the door.
A metallic click pricked her ears and she watched a tiny pin drop to the floor.
"Grenade," she yelled sending them back running the other way. She counted the seconds in her head, just as she had that time with Klaus in the woods.
An explosion threw her forward and she ducked down, covering her head. Debris rained over her and she coughed smoke, her ears ringing.
"Everyone okay?" She called out.
"Good."
"Fine," Shane coughed.
They continued back the way they came, Caroline looked down at the damage. The top stair case had been blown open, but it looked like they could make it to the next floor, though it would be a bit of a drop.
"Can we make it?" April asked.
"We have to," Shane replied, looking a little worse for the wear. Whatever they had injected him with was working fast, but he didn't seem to be in any pain, just tired.
"I'll go first," Caroline volunteered. She passed the gun to Shane, who held it like he'd never touched a firearm in his entire life. It was awkward in his academic hands.
Caroline climbed down onto the floor and put her legs over the edge. Slowly, she eased herself down as best she could, hanging from the floor by her hands to diminish the distance of the drop. Her bare toes dangled in the air above the concrete floor.
Her arms were burning and she grit her teeth, heaving her body as best she could and letting go.
She hit the concrete, the impact striking up her shins and she hissed. But relief overwhelmed the momentary pain and she turned her head up to face Shane and April again.
"Ow. Made it!" Shane tossed Caroline her gun and she checked their immediate area. Then April went for her jump. Caroline helped catch her and they stood back, waiting for Shane.
They paused long enough to make sure he was okay, before more explosions sounded overhead.
The rushed down the concrete stairs running as fast as they could alert for any other traps or masks that were lingering nearby. Caroline heard gunshots flicking around them and April screamed. They continued down until she heard another door open below, footsteps rushing up toward them. More gunshots.
"We're cut off," Shane called.
"This way," Caroline called and pulled open the door. She heard the metallic click and the grenade tick into action. Shane and April darted forward and Caroline ran behind them, ducking down the next hall and out of the way in time for the grenade to go off.
"We cut them off," April said.
"We've cut ourselves off, too." Shane replied.
Caroline looked down the hall. Left then right, curls whipping across her face. Lights flickered and cut off, emergency beams extending out from the exit signs above. "Check the doors. Try the windows."
They broke off, Shane taking the right, April the left, and Caroline looking through the middle.
"Over here!" Shane called. Caroline cursed and ran toward him.
She found him in one of the master suites, standing next to a small opening in the wall. "All the master suites of the hotel are connected by a dumb waiter," he said. "This will lead out to the lobby, or maybe the kitchens. I'm not certain."
Caroline nodded, gulping in a breath. "Okay, April you first." April climbed in and Caroline handed her the gun. "Just shoot anyone you see."
They shut the door and Shane opened the control mechanism. "It's a hand rig," he said, quickly pulling at the ropes that would lower her down.
"How many floors are we up?"
"Four."
Caroline could see his strength was waning, he was trying to pull as fast as he could.
"Let me," she said pushing him aside.
April reached the bottom and called back up, her voice echoing up the shaft. It was easier to heave the elevator box without any weight inside.
Caroline was about to instruct Shane inside, before he quickly told her to go in next. Another explosion silenced her argument. Alarms began to wail at them, anxious lights flashing and water pouring down from the sprinklers in the system. They both flinched as the spray hit their skin.
"There will be a similar control for you to pull me down," Shane told her. She climbed in and balled her knees up, hugging them to her chest. Shane was shaky as he lowered her to the ground floor, the rope slipping a few times and the ground rushing up to her. The space was dark and cramped and Caroline closed her eyes, trying not to let the claustrophobia take control.
She reached the bottom and April pushed up the door. Caroline gulped in the air, stretching out of the small space. They had been spilled out into an office, the elevator located behind a large mahogany desk. The fire sprinklers were soaking through the papers that had been left behind on top. Caroline's feet squished into the plush, damp carpet.
"Are you okay?" She asked the younger girl.
April nodded and Caroline quickly turned to send the elevator back up to Shane.
She felt the weight on the rope as he climbed in and then heard him yell down. It was more difficult to lower him at her new angle on the ground. The rope burned her hands, threatening to slip through her grip.
"Someone's coming," April yelped. Caroline heard it, too. Outside the door she heard shots and some sort of altercation. She rushed Shane down to the floor and all but grabbed him out of the small elevator.
He grunted as he stood and Caroline opened her mouth when they heard the door knob jiggle.
They backed themselves against the wall. Caroline placed herself between whoever it was and April, wanting to protect the younger girl. She raised her gun ready to shoot if necessary. Before she had been avoiding actually killing anyone, but she resolved that she would do what she had to do to get them all out of the hotel.
The door opened and she sucked in a breath, seeing a dark figure creep around the frame. A gun was in the figures hand, but it dropped as soon as it filled the door.
A heartbeat later, she dropped her own gun, relief exploding through her.
"Klaus!"
She darted forward and crashed into him. His arms banded around her and held her tight, scooping her up. She held to him like a life raft, saying his name over and over again, a few tears pricking at her eyes from the rush of emotions.
He'd come for her. He'd found her.
She pulled back and his hands went to her face, fingers pressing into her, but she didn't mind the pressure.
Everything flashed in his expression, so fast, that she would forget it as soon as the moment was gone, wondering if she instead projected her own emotions onto him. There was horror and relief and amazement and a prayer, thanking the powers above that she was in his arms.
He pressed a kiss to her forehead and her eyes fell shut, breathing him in. Rain soaked his clothes and into her dress, but she didn't care. All she cared about was feeling his arms around her and the odd sense of safety that came along with it.
But they weren't safe yet.
"Come on, sweetheart," he said, his voice betraying just how much he was feeling at the moment. "We're not out of this yet."
He wrapped a hand around her arm and tugged her forward, jerking his chin for April and Shane to follow. They burst from the office they were into the lobby, Caroline was heading for the doors, but Klaus pulled her another way.
"We can't go out the front," he said. "It's rigged. This way."
Caroline let him lead them toward a side entrance and into the ballroom where they had began the night. She shuddered. Bodies were left on the stage, even a few black clad corpses littered the room. Her mind briefly wondered if Klaus had been the one to put them down.
He removed a panel from one of the walls that revealed a secret entrance.
"Prohibition tunnels," Shane identified.
Klaus pushed Caroline through, then let the rest of them in, before rushing to her side and gripping her arm again and pulling her along.
As they dashed down through the tunnel, rumbles above began to shake the foundations. Dust and rocks shook down onto them and Klaus tugged her faster. Her bare feet burned and ached from the pressure of running so much, but she ignored it, willing herself to be faster, taking strength from his grip on her.
They ran up and finally came to the end, another entrance spilled them into the hotel next door and Klaus continued on toward the entrance.
They burst through the glass doors just as the rain had stopped.
An explosion rocked the air, larger than any in the past, knocking them all forward just as they reached the line of police cars closest to the action. Klaus pulled her around and into his chest, shielding her from debris.
It was silence and slow motion. A descent. Caroline blinked once. Twice. Ash and smoke swirled in the air in a silent, gray ballet. Fire trucks sprayed the debris and flame that licked up from the once great Blackwood Hotel. She could hear sirens and orders being shouted, but louder than that was Klaus's heartbeat against her ear. Adrenaline began to leave her body and she was unable to stop the slight tremor in her bones. Her heavy eyes turned to see that April was okay, and that medics were rushing forward to examine them. Shane was being laid out on a stretcher, an oxygen mask covering his face.
Her head turned up to look at Klaus, who was looking down at her, a gentle hand coasting over her head.
"It's okay," he said, "you're safe."
She nodded and held him tighter, unable to break away from looking at him. He was the anchor in the chaos around them.
"Thank you," she breathed, tucked her head under his chin and letting him hold her until the world stopped spinning.
.
.
.
.
.
Okay, so based on that spoiler I tacked on at the end of the last chapter, I think you can assume where the next one will open up ;)
More Shakespeare references in this one. When I started dropping those, I didn't plan for them to go this far, but in the end they keep fitting into the larger plot of the fic, so I keep including. Kinda neat how that works out.
Thanks to Ashley (jomosfamilyjewels), Miranda (livingdeadblondegirl), and Kady (klausykins) for the beta work.
Maybe read that thing I shamelessly mention above? I'm just saying...
follow me on tumblr at hybridlovelies