Depths of the World ? 1D

-Athena-

The air in the mall felt suffocating, every breath thick with dust and mildew. The storage space behind the tattered poster was so cramped I could barely move, and the cold concrete pressing into my back only made me more aware of how exposed we were. It wasn't much of a hiding spot, but it was all we had.

Sienna crouched beside me, her chest rising and falling with shallow breaths. In the faint glow of light filtering through the rip in the poster, I could see her gripping her bag strap like it was the only thing keeping her grounded. Her face was tense, pale, but her eyes burned with that same stubborn determination that had gotten us here in the first place.

I swallowed hard, the sound too loud in the crushing silence. The guys had to be on their way. I glanced at my phone—still hidden in my bag, silenced and locked—but the thought of it, of the message Sienna sent, was the only thing keeping me from falling apart. I imagined Zayn and the others storming in, cops right behind them. I pictured their faces, the relief, the fury when they saw us, and clung to it like a lifeline.

I tried to calculate the time. How long had we been here? Five minutes? Ten? It felt like hours. I counted backwards in my head: the message had gone out at 12:13, and the clock on the mall's broken directory had said 12:16 when we ran inside. The guys weren't that far away. Maybe another fifteen minutes? Ten I'm hoping.

We just had to hold on.

Outside, the girl's voice rang out, mocking and sharp.

"Come out, girls," she called, her tone dripping with amusement. "We know you're here."

My stomach twisted, and I pressed my back harder against the wall, as though I could sink into it and disappear. Sienna's hand brushed against mine, a silent reminder to stay calm, but I could feel the tremble in her fingers.

"You're only making this harder on yourselves," the girl continued, her voice closer now. "Hiding isn't going to save you. You're just delaying the inevitable."

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms as her voice sent a fresh wave of panic through me.

Fifteen minutes, I told myself. Maybe less. They're coming. Just hold on.

"They're scared," one of the men said, his voice rough and taunting. "You can feel it in the air."

"Good," the girl snapped back. "Let them be scared. But I don't have all night for this crap. Check everything. Every corner, every hiding spot."

The sound of boots spread out, their heavy thuds echoing through the empty mall. I bit down on my lip, my pulse thundering in my ears. They were too close. Any second now, they'd find us, and the guys wouldn't have enough time to get here.

I glanced at Sienna, her brows furrowed in concentration. She was trying to look calm, but I could see the way her chest rose too quickly, the way her eyes darted toward every noise.

"They'll be here soon," I whispered, barely mouthing the words. "Just hold on."

She nodded, her fingers twitching around the strap of her bag.

Outside, the girl's voice rang out again, sharper now. "You know, I've been watching you for days. You're so predictable, it's almost boring."