465: Is this my karma?

Is this my karma?

0The sound of guns firing echoed loudly at every corner and floor of the building. Along with the yells and grunts, their voices fading after just a second brought fear to Sebastian and Riley. The two children squeezed themselves in the corner, covering their ears, eyes shut. The music that they'd been listening to couldn't conceal the noises anymore.

"Basti, what's going on?" asked Riley, flinching as the shootout sounded even louder, as if it was crawling toward the cramped room they were in. The noises had gone so loud that woke him up, and they didn't stop even after minutes as if they were in the middle of a battlefield. 

"Basti..." Riley forced himself to peek through his squinting eyes, gazing at Sebastian. 

"Close your eyes," said Sebastian, keeping his eyes shut and hands on his ears. "It's not good for children."

"But..."

"Riley." This time, Sebastian snapped his eyes open, looking at his friend solemnly. "Close your eyes and cover your ears. Try focusing on the music, okay? I think help is coming."

"But what if the person that came isn't help?"

Sebastian pressed his lips into a thin line. "I told you my mommy and daddy will come." He clenched his teeth, holding on to that belief as tight as possible. 

Even though there was a possibility his parents wouldn't come considering the level of danger outside, he knew help would come. His father had vast connections, even in the military. Therefore, they just had to believe in them. 

"Riley." Sebastian reached for his friend, wincing as he pulled Riley into his embrace. "It's okay. They will come and will get us out of here."

Tears covered Riley's eyes, blurring his vision. His body was still in pain, but the fear swelling in his little chest overwhelmed the pain. 

"Basti..." Riley also hugged Sebastian back to console his friend, knowing Sebastian wasn't in the best shape, either. Yet, Sebastian had looked after him since the beginning, and even now that Sebastian was also fear-stricken, he was still trying his best to comfort him. 

"I believe you," Riley added, both their body trembling and flinching at the noises outside. "Help will come and we will be safe in no time."

"Mhm." Sebastian pressed his lips into a thin line, gazing down at his friend. He then gazed up at the door, seeing sparks and shadows from underneath the door. 

BANG BANG BANG!

Both children almost jumped from their spots, and Sebastian instinctively shut his eyes on instinct. Their hugs tightened, wincing at their sore body. If they could run, they would've done it. However, both of them couldn't move from their spot. Especially Sebastian because he dragged his friend to the corner to hide while Riley was unconscious. 

The rounds of fire continued, and they didn't know how long had it been. All they knew was that it was quieting down. They weren't sure if that was because the enemies were being taken down by the people who came to rescue them or if it was the other way around. 

  BAM!

Riley and Sebastian flinched again, knowing someone had finally arrived. However, neither of them dared to look. If they opened their eyes and saw it was an enemy, they knew all hopes would disappear in the blink of an eye. Therefore, until they hear someone's voice telling them they're safe, they don't dare look.

"You children..." When they heard an unfamiliar voice from the door, Sebastian and Riley hugged each other even tighter.

They knew it. 

The person who came wasn't the people they were waiting for. 

BANG!

The boys flinched violently once again, trembling in fear at the sound of the gun, which was followed by a loud thud. Still, they didn't peek to see what happened. 

Meanwhile, the person who kicked the door open fell on the floor, face first. A hole was at the back of his head, which went through his forehead, his blood pooling underneath his lifeless body. 

"Basti..." Heaven paused by the door, eyes shaking as she searched for her son. As soon as her eyes landed in the corner, her breath hitched and her heart clenched. 

There, in the corner, were two children hugging each other. Despite the dimness of the room, she could perfectly see how their bodies trembled against each other. 

'Basti...' The corner of her eyes instantly turned red as her heart sank at the pitiful sight of her son. 

"Heaven." Just then, Dominic arrived behind her. When he turned his head inside and saw his son, his mind went blank. "Basti!" 

Dominic walked past his wife as he hurriedly rushed to Sebastian. Squatting down, Dominic scanned the two boys, hugging each other. 

"Basti," he called, watching Sebastian slowly peek through his squinting eyes. 

When Sebastian caught his father squatting in front of him, his eyes snapped open. This time, the tears he kept holding back ran down his dirty, bruised cheek. 

"Dad..." His lips quivered, releasing Riley from his embrace as he almost choked from the overwhelming emotions he tried to suppress. 

"Basti..." Without thinking twice, Dominic moved closer to embrace his son. 

"You came…" Sebastian clutched his father's back, letting go of the tears until he was crying so loud. "Daddy… I'm so scared."

A thick layer of tears coated Dominic's eyes as he felt his son's body vibrate against him. Bitterness and regret turned up on his face, knowing this all happened because someone was trying to kill him. 

"I'm sorry," he muttered through his gritted teeth, tightening his embrace but was careful not to hurt his son. "It's okay. We're here now."

"Dad…" Sebastian wept until his voice was shaking and he was hiccuping. "Ahh…"

"Basti…" Axel, who stood frozen by the door beside Heaven, felt his heart clench just hearing how his nephew cried. He could feel everything in Sebastian's cry, even though Sebastian could only call his dad repeatedly. 

Meanwhile, Heaven felt her knees wobble, watching Sebastian hug his father as if his life depended on it. Her hands felt cold and her entire body trembled. Relief and guilt mixed in her heart, fighting each other to take the dominant spot.

'Is this… my karma?'

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