The Runaways – Chapter 25

By MyNameIsCAL

-Iggy's POV-

I was leaning up against a wall in the parking garage. There was cool breeze and Nudge leaned against me, wrapping a blanket around us. She had been pretty quiet since we got out of the car.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked her, squeezing her shoulder.

"How…how are you not scared by any of this?"

"You think I'd be scared because I'm blind?"

"Well…I would be," she replied meekly. "And you just trust us…No offense to Fang, but you must know that people think he's scary…"

I smiled a little. "Everyone pities the blind guy, but Fang was the only one who bothered to talk to me like I was a person. Besides, there's no point in spending my whole life in fear. It's just not worth it. Sometimes it's about taking chances."

"How'd you get to know Gazzy and Angel?"

"We moved shortly after I got hurt. Angel was just a baby and Gazzy felt a little left out, but my parents were all about getting to know all the neighbors, so I hung out with him. He's like my kid brother, you know?"

But I knew she still had one last question.

"What about me? Why'd you trust me?"

"I don't know, I just had a feeling I could."

And then I felt Nudge press her lips against mine. I put my arms around her, leaning in. We broke apart a minute later.

"Well, then," I said, smiling.

Nudge squeezed my hand. "I'm glad you trusted me."

"Me too."

-Fang's POV-

"FANG!"

I turned to see Iggy and Nudge running towards me. Max let go of my hand and we slid off the hood of the car.

"What's wrong, Ig?" I asked, grabbing him by the arm to warn him that going any further would result in injury.

"A cop car. I know how those things run from a mile away. Nudge even saw it pull into the entrance of the garage."

I looked around. There was an engine whirring, getting closer.

"Alright, there's a wall over there by the entrance to the stairs. All of you, go hide," I told them. "Max, I'll figure out a way to get them to go, but if we get separated, I want you to head towards San Francisco. The keep going til you get to Washington."

"No, Fang, we're not…"

"Max, we don't have time, go!"

She grabbed Gazzy and Angel's hands, Nudge and Iggy following her closely behind. I got into the driver seat, pushing it back so it would look like I was sleeping. For a minute, I closed my eyes, listening to the cop car pull up behind me. The door opened and closed.

"Step out of the vehicle!" I heard a man shout. "Throw your keys on the ground and put your hands on your head!"

I let out a breath and did as I was told.

"Get down on your knees!"

My knee buckled as I started to go down.

The cop took a few steps towards me, gun pointed at me.

"Show me your license!"

I pulled out my wallet and tossed it across the concrete.

The cop frowned, lowering his gun.

"What the hell are you doing up here?" he questioned.

"My…my parents were fighting and I had to get away, somewhere quiet, but you know, this is the fucking city." Lying, something I picked up on from being around Josh.

"You can stand up." The cop said, holding out my wallet. "But I'm going to need you to come with me. There's been suspicious activity up here and I'm required to take anyone we find here to the station."

"But my car…"

"I'll bring you back to get it after we clear things up."

"I…My parents…I really gotta get home soon. I'll leave right now, you can watch me go."

The cop let out a heavy sigh. "Okay, let's go. Follow me out."

"Thank you."

And that was when these two black cars pulled up. The cop turned, pulling his gun out. I ducked down, hearing the cop start to talk. And then there was shouting. They were arguing. Then there was a series of gunshots. I saw the cop drop to the ground.

"Aw, shit we weren't supposed to kill him!" I heard a deep voice say. "We gotta get out of here, pick a new location! They're onto us!"

"We can't just leave the body here!" Another voice, more panicked.

"Then stuff him in his trunk and we'll drive the car to our place."

There was a screeching of tires and when I peeked around the car, seeing that the only thing left was a pool of blood on the concrete. My legs were shaking as I started towards the stairs.

"Max…" I started to run. "Max!"

-Nudge's POV-

We watched Fang throw his arms around Max, pulling her into an embrace, most of his weight on her.

"Max, I'm okay." Fang's voice shook a little.

"I don't think I have ever heard him scared like that," Iggy whispered.

"We…we gotta get out of here," Fang said, pulling away from Max now.

He stumbled back and she grabbed him by the arm. There was a puddle of blood a few yards from the van. We stepped around it and Max floored the gas. It wasn't long until we were out of the garage, letting the nightlife of LA pass us as we headed back to the freeway.