MADDISON CAMPBELL & KADE WINSTON
There’s very little that can draw him from his own drunken haze. The considerable amount of alcohol that had long since surpassed an ebbing warmth had left him slipping through the hours of the night with a certain ease that Kade very rarely ever felt. A reckless nature very rarely, if ever, stemmed from nothing and the reminder of all of that, lit up and celebrated under the guise of another great year gone has him nursing another double in his hands. It’s within a few passing moments that he looks up, beyond the amber glimmer of his glass, to see Asher following a man that he knows all too well, into the bathroom. It’s a wonder he hadn’t realized it before, and the swimming sensation within his skull begins to slow as pieces of everything he knows, fit together. His circles run wide, all those he knew from the streets of chicago well before anyone should have joined the depths of them, those he stood behind bars with - and now those that he sold weapons to on, and off the grid. There are many faces he remembers, even more than he wishes he didn’t - but Tony had always pushed the trope of unstable to a level that even Kade had yet to sink to. Finishing off the drink in his hand, he drops it back to the round wooden barrel that serves as a cocktail table when he sees something that sets something off inside his head. Maddison. propping open the door for but a fleeting moment before her smaller frame is yanked forward until she disappears beyond it.
He staggers forward, somewhere between dazed and determined as he pushes aside a few other partygoers that happen to step in his way, “Fuck off,” He states to another as they’re reaching for the bathroom door. The lowly growl in the cavern of his chest eats the unease in a single mouthful and as those around him mutter about the lights and the ethereal darkness that swallows everyone up, Kade pushes gently on the door until his eyes adjust and he’s stood in the room with them. “Am I interrupting something?” It’s cold, completely disassociated from the anger that burns within him - it’s all he’s ever been fueled by. Anger and guilt, and here in the dark, with his brother aiming down the sights of a gun, and a knife to Maddy’s throat, they collide and he can’t seem to tear his gaze from Asher. “Tony?” The faux realization falls with the curve of his own intoxication as he steps forward, a slight stagger in his step as if he were about to greet an old friend, “Tony! You’re missin’ out on the party favors my friend,” a lazy smile follows, languid and easy, because he’s worn it for so long, but it’s enough to convince as Tony’s arm loosens from Maddy just enough to gesture wildly to Asher, “Once he hands it all over, m’not missing out on shit..” Even with more alcohol than blood in his system, Kade sobers up almost immediately, the rush he feels as his elbow hammers down against the man’s temple and no doubt sends stars scintillating across his vision, is more than enough to spur him forward. A hand reaches for the blade - the edge slicing into his palm as Kade grabs Tony’s arm, drawing it away from Maddy and jamming the weapon deep, between two of his ribs. “That’s my fucking brother.” As if it’s not enough, the gun held beneath his jacket is drawn, muzzle pressed against the mans temple, even as blood oozes out through the wound, “Should have gone with the party favors..” He pulls the trigger, the sound drowned out almost instantly by the cheers of the crowd beyond, erupting as the lights flicker back to life, and Tony hits the floor with a deft thump. @maddisoncampbell
…
Drink in hand, Maddison had lost track of how many times she had circled the various art installations as she awaited Asher’s return. Time seemed to pass at an excruciatingly slow rate when attending an event that one had no particular interest in attending to begin with. And as the minuets continued to steadily tick by, so too did her patience begin to dwindle and as green hues finally locate a familiar figure following another into the bathroom. And after internally debating taking her leave and returning to the quaint motel room she calls home or following to give the other a piece of her mind, she settles upon the latter. The walk to the bathroom is a short one and she cares little to take note of whom might be watching as she pulls back hard on the door, just as the lights flicker out and she’s left staring into a dark chasm before cautiously stepping inside. However, before her vision is even able to adjust to darkness she finds herself being yanked backwards by her hair. Flailing some she reaches to grabble with the hand in her hair, only to fell the sharp bite of a blade suddenly being pressed into the flesh of her neck. Maddison freezes, fingers uncurling from the other as she raises her hands in mock surrender. Fuck. Only then does she see him. Asher. Green hues ablaze with something unreadable amidst the darkened room. “Do it — take the shot.” She muses, only her words seem to provoke the crazed male and she winces as he increases the pressure upon her neck. It’s enough to just break open the skin. Biting down on the inside of her cheek to prevent the flicker of pain from dancing across her features, she raises a hand to her hip, in search of the butterfly knife usually tucked away in the front pocket of her jeans. But alas, with limited places to conceal the weapon she had left it behind against her better judgement. A decision she was instantaneously left regretting.
The feeling of weakness that shadows the action of being incapacitated is not one that Maddison is familiar with and it leaves her frustrated furthermore not only with the situation at hand, but with her own inability to take control of it. Tommy taught her better than that and she knows it; craning her neck some, the brunette leans into the sting of the blade in an effort to grant the other a clear shot. Only it’s never taken, instead another steps into the room and she can’t help the exacerbated sigh that parts her lips as she struggles against Tony’s grip. Her gaze narrows some as recognition resonates between the drunken asshole the man that she can only assume is a desperate addict. Of course they knew one another. “Go on Winston, do what you do best and make a shitty situation worse.” Maddy spits out toward the older Winston, before he steps forward and to her surprise lands a sickening blow against Tony’s temple. While it doesn’t shake the blade from her neck it’s enough to loosen his grip, offering a window and she takes it, raising her foot before slamming back hard with all her strength as the base of her heel connects with his knee before she’s lurching forward and away from the two males. Only when her back connected with the cold bathroom stall did she expel the breath she had subconsciously been holding, fingertips lifting to press against the small laceration at the base of her throat. “You should have taken the shot.” She muses quietly, just as lights abruptly flicker back to life over head, emerald hues simultaneously meeting Asher’s before jerking toward the door and the sounds of chaos beyond. Only then does she hear it, what should be the cacophony of an overjoyed crowd reigning in the new year sounds much more like screams for help. @ashcrwinston
His index finger settled on the trigger, ready to pull it until his brother had come crashing in. Asher had been left standing there, dumbfounded at the actions of his older brother especially when it seemed he was too high to even notice what had been happening. As the gun went off, sending the man hurling to the ground. The younger Winston lowered his own weapon, his blue hues staring at Kade for a few moments. Only his brother had been aware of the cut off he had done a few months prior but it wasn’t as if Kade had reached out the entire time either. He turned his head to look over at Maddison as if realizing just then she had been standing next to him as he nodded his head silently, knowing how much less messier it would have been had he pulled the trigger himself. His eyes drifted towards Kade once again, only letting the look in his eyes let his brother know he was thankful. He put his index finger back on the trigger, holding the gun down as he put his free hand on the small of Maddison’s back. “Let’s go.” He muttered, nudging her towards the door. He glanced back towards Kade, using his head to gesture for the male to follow them. After walking out of the bathroom, Asher focused on the chaos in front of them and worked with them both to maneuver through it to get out. @kadewinstcn
END.
