Heartbeats in Ashes

The alley held its breath. Lambert’s body lay motionless on the pavement, surrounded by the wreckage of his men. The only sounds left were the shallow, unsteady breaths of the two still standing.

Crow and Hinata stood side to side, their bodies broken in all the quiet ways.

Crow exhaled shakily, his arms trembling now that the adrenaline had begun to burn away. He glanced at Hinata, then gave her a slow thumbs-up. Hinata smirked slightly with a nod.

Then, it hit.

A sharp, paralyzing pain.

His elbow.

It cracked through his nerves like a buzzsaw, cutting down his arm and spreading into his chest. His breath hitched. His hand opened and closed on reflex.

His legs buckled, and he dropped to a knee. Pupils dilated, jaw loose, lungs refusing to fill. His vision tunneled.

“No. No, no, not this again—"

That old feeling. The one buried in his bones, now staring back at him.

Hinata turned just as he dropped.

“Crow—?”

His shoulders shuddered. His hands gripped the ground like it might hold him together. Sweat mixed with ash on his face. His mouth opened like he was about to say something, but no words came. Only the sound of him gasping.

Hinata quickly knelt beside him, grabbing his face—not roughly, but with enough force to anchor him.

“Breathe,” she said. “You’re not there. You’re here. Right now. With me.”

He didn’t respond, but he felt the pressure of her touch. Her hands tapped on his face firmly and gripped his shoulders.

“Hey, do this,” she whispered. “With me.”

Inhale. Exhale.

Crow’s shoulders twitched once. Then again. And slowly, painfully, his lungs began to follow.

— • —

The panic has subsided, but the tension in the air remains. Crow leaned against Hinata, head down, breath still ragged. Her body was battered, but she held him up.

She tried to move quickly. From a distance, voices muffled, still searching and hunting.

Hinata slowed for a second and looked down at herself.

Her hoodie.

She’d worn it since her escape, and it had clung to her like a second skin. It had kept her warm, hidden, and alive.

Her fingers brushed the fabric once, reluctantly. The last tether to the life she'd been trying to outrun.

Quietly, she peeled it off and folded it once between her hands. She held it tight like a goodbye to a friend, then draped it over a low fence, the hood tilted outward. Just enough to catch the eyes of anyone still hunting.

She never looked back.

Now, back to Crow. He didn’t speak. But his eyes were alive—somewhat present.

They moved again. Together, they slipped through a broken gate to a narrow back road. And for the first time in what felt like forever, they found an exit.

The alley spat them into a sloping street lined with rusted fences and flickering streetlamps.

Hinata kept her eyes ahead, sharp, cautious, ready to drop him behind cover if even one more threat emerged.

And then—

Headlights. Blinding. Too fast.

A black car swerved around the corner, tires screeching against the curb.

Hinata tensed. Her arm shifted automatically to pull Crow behind her, heart launching into high alert.

But before she could react—

“HEY! GET IN!”

The car skidded to a hard stop in front of them, and from the driver’s side, an unfamiliar figure leaned out.

Hinata froze. Her fists curled on instinct. Then she looked at Crow.

He was barely standing. But when he lifted his head and saw Dylan and the car, his lips parted to half a laugh. He nodded faintly. Just once.

Hinata helped Crow into the back seat, careful with his arm, then slid in beside him, door shutting like a seal on the night behind them.

Crow slumped sideways without meaning to, his head bumping lightly against her shoulder. He didn’t apologize. He stayed quiet, breathing, trusting she wouldn’t let him fall.

The second it clicked shut, Dylan slammed the gas.

The tires screamed again. The car peeled off into the night.

In the rearview mirror, the riot zone burned smaller and smaller until it vanished behind broken buildings and smoke.

At the very least, they can all breathe a little easier, for now.