Content Warning: This chapter contains graphic descriptions of injury and medical trauma.He had begged for every single moment of his life, every perfection, every single turn that made him who he was. But somehow, one way or another, it all found a way to screw him over. It was almost laughable. Danny could just picture it: some high and mighty bastard up there, looking down with those all-knowing eyes, always on the hunt for the next poor sod to fuck over. And once again, lucky him, it was Danny's turn.The automatic doors of the Manchester Royal Infirmary barely had time to open before Danny was barging through, his heart slamming against his ribs, his eyes wild. He scanned the chaos of the lobby, zeroing in on anyone in scrubs or a white coat. The first one he saw, he was going to grab them, shake them until they told him what he needed to know.A siren shrieked, the sound like a knife to his skull. He flinched, his whole body wound tight as a piano cord. Lexi grabbed his arm, he
The door to Danny and Tariq's dorm room burst open, the sound harsh in the stillness of the night. A figure stumbled in, his breathing ragged, his movements jerky and uncoordinated. He fumbled for the light switch, his hands shaking.The room flooded with harsh fluorescent light, revealing Tariq. His hoodie was disheveled, a dark, damp patch staining the fabric near his chest. He clawed at the garment, his fingers scrabbling at the zipper."Fuckin' hell, it's hot as balls in here," he muttered, his voice thick and shaky.He finally managed to yank the hoodie off, tossing it aside. His skin was slick with sweat, his curls plastered to his forehead. His eyes darted around the room, wide and wild, like a cornered animal.The distant wail of a siren made him freeze, his whole body going rigid. "Shit, shit, shit," he chanted under his breath, lunging for the window. He grabbed the blinds, yanking them closed with enough force to rattle the frame.He spun around, his gaze landing on his des
The black van rolled to a stop, its tinted windows revealing nothing of the occupants inside. Alex and Ethan stood their ground, their postures tense beneath the concealing bulk of their disguises. The van's door slid open, and three figures emerged.In the lead was Vince Gallo, known as Wormhole. A renowned underworld's premier broker, a man known for facilitating the impossible. He was flanked by two heavies, their frames bristling with barely concealed weapons and body armor.Gallo himself wore a mask, a sleek, featureless thing that glinted dully in the dim light. His men were similarly disguised, their faces hidden behind balaclavas and dark glasses.He approached the twins with a measured stride, his movements cool and unhurried. This was a man accustomed to being in control, to bending the wills of the criminal elite to his own ends.Alex felt Ethan's gaze boring into him from behind his own mask, a silent warning. But Alex brushed it off, stepping forward to meet Gallo halfway
The chilly autumn wind whipped through the streets of Manchester, carrying with it the first crisp hints of the approaching winter. The city's famous red brick buildings loomed in the darkness, their windows glowing like scattered constellations.In the heart of this sprawling metropolis, the Manchester Royal Infirmary stood as a beacon of hope and healing. Its automatic doors swished open as a tall, broad-shouldered man rushed in, his arms cradling a woman who writhed and moaned in pain. Her long, dark hair was plastered to her face with sweat, her eyes wide and unfocused."Please, someone help!" the man shouted, his deep voice, tinged with a distinct Mancunian accent, booming through the bustling hospital lobby. "She's in labor, an' she's in a right state!"The night shift nurses at the reception desk leapt into action, their professionalism overriding any initial surprise. Sarah, a petite blonde with kind blue eyes, grabbed a wheelchair and hurried over. She had been working in the
The bass thumped through the underground basement, the trap beat pulsing like a frantic heartbeat. In the dim, smoky light, a group of topless girls worked at a feverish pace, their nimble fingers bagging and sealing neat piles of white powder. They moved with the efficiency of a well-oiled machine, their faces blank, their eyes focused on the task at hand.Around them, young men lounged on tattered couches and mismatched chairs, some smoking, some counting wads of cash, all of them exuding an air of cocky invincibility. In a back room, separated by a thin curtain, four men sat around a table, the air thick with cigarette smoke and the acrid tang of weed."You sure the buyer's gonna keep his gob shut?" the leader, a wiry young man with bleached-blond hair and a heavily tattooed neck, asked."Yeah, bruv, it's all sorted," one of the others replied, his voice muffled by the joint dangling from his lips. "Transactions untraceable, everything's on lock. Ain't no way this comes back on us.
The dorm room was a haze of smoke and stale beer, the air thick with the tang of sweat and cheap cologne. Mikey lounged on his bed, one arm slung over his face, the other dangling off the edge, a half-smoked joint pinched between his fingers."Oi, Mikey!" A pillow thwacked him in the face, jolting him upright. "Stop bogarting the spliff, you wanker."Mikey squinted through the haze, making out the grinning face of his roommate, Liam. "Sod off," he grumbled, but he passed the joint anyway.Liam took a long drag, holding the smoke in his lungs before exhaling in a steady stream. "You see that fit bird in Econ today? The one with the tattoo on her neck?""Nah, mate, I was too busy trying not to fall asleep." Mikey rubbed his eyes, trying to focus. "Professor Jameson's lectures are like fucking sleeping pills."Liam snorted. "Maybe if you didn't stay up all night playing FIFA, you wouldn't be nodding off in class.""Fuck off, I wasn't playing FIFA." Mikey dug in his pocket for his phone,
Mikey's head throbbed, a dull, pulsing ache that seemed to radiate from his very core. He blinked, trying to clear the fog from his vision, his surroundings slowly swimming into focus.He was in a room, bare and cold. The walls were a dull, industrial grey, the concrete floor stained and cracked. The only furniture was a rickety metal table and a few folding chairs. The only light came from a single, flickering bulb hanging from the ceiling, casting harsh shadows across the space. Somewhere in the distance, he could hear the drip, drip, drip of a leaky pipe.He tried to move, but his body wouldn't cooperate. It was then that he became aware of the pain, a searing, white-hot agony that seemed to consume his entire being.His face felt wrong, swollen and misshapen. His tongue probed tentatively at the gaps in his teeth, the taste of blood thick and coppery in his mouth. But it was his leg that truly horrified him. His jeans were soaked through, the fabric clinging to his skin. He didn't
Danny stepped out of his sister's car, the crisp Manchester morning air filling his lungs. He slung his backpack over his shoulder, trying to ignore the twinge of embarrassment at being dropped off like a kid on the first day of school. His tall, athletic frame, honed by years on the basketball court, felt awkward and gangly as he unfolded himself from the passenger seat."You sure you don't want me to walk you in?" Jenna asked, leaning out the driver's side window. "I don't mind. It'd be nice to see the old place again."Danny shook his head, a stray curl from his cropped waves falling into his eyes. He brushed it away with a grin. "Nah, I'm good. Don't want to cramp your style, what with you being a big shot university dropout and all."Jenna laughed, reaching out to punch his arm. "Oi, watch it. I can still put you in a headlock, you little muppet."Despite his nerves, Danny grinned. This was their way, the easy back-and-forth that had always been the glue of their relationship."I