Sacrificial Loyalty

Chapter 16- Friend or foe

Warm tears streamed down Ava's face as she thought about her friends. She felt idiotic and humiliated.

"You doing good?"

Ava nodded, sniffing as she wiped away her tears on her bare arms.

"Good. You see Ava." Lachlan's voice raised. "You were too close to Melvin, and I couldn't have that. I don't like people being too close to the things I like. It makes me anxious, angry, volatile. I. Do not. Like it. It could have been easy enough for me to tell you to stay away, but it wouldn't have been as fun that way. I really needed to do something about it, my little poppet, and I'm going to make sure I do it well."

Ava sobbed into her hand as fresh tears ran down her cheeks, some resting on her top lip, and some dropping to the carpet below, disappearing into the strands.

"You remind me of another beautiful lady." Lachlan dragged a finger down Ava's cheek, smudging a tear. "You've seen the news haven't you? Megan? That lass who went missing. Yeah, that was me." Lachlan grinned, nodding. "She was very beautiful. Very quick too! I was almost impressed by how determined and resilient she was. But, unfortunately for her, I always, catch up." Lachlan poked Ava's nose, causing her to flinch away from him.

"That's what you get for refusing my affection." Lachlan muttered.

Melvin ran into the house and erratically looked around, spying for signs of Ava, peering into the kitchen and stating through into the garden.

He turned to Jessica who was right behind him, a worried expression across her face.

"Let's check upstairs."

The duo creeped through the kitchen. Melvin silently opened the stair door and listened.

He could hear muttering.

"They're upstairs!" Melvin murmured, jumping onto the first step and dashing up the stairs, Jessica following him.

"Lachlan! What's going on!?" Melvin yelled as he reached the top of the stairs, standing still as he listened for where Lachlan was.

"We're in the bathroom!" Lachlan calmly shouted back.

Melvin ran up to the bathroom door.

"Ava are you okay!?" Melvin asked.

Ava broke.

"Melvin I'm scared please help me!" She sobbed as Lachlan shoved the knife in front of her face, daring her to say more, his eyes boring into hers intensely.

Staring at her as he stood up, his smile had since disappeared and in its place was an intimidating scowl. He walked backwards to the bathroom door, his knife still pointing towards her as he grabbed the handle and unlocked the door, opening it and turning to Melvin and Jessica, smiling charmingly once again.

"Hello Melvin." Lachlan stepped past Melvin and eyed up Jessica as he walked up to his bedside drawer.

Melvin and Jessica rushed into the bathroom, Jessica holding Ava tightly in a protective hug as Ava sobbed into her shoulder.

Turning around, Lachlan strolled towards them, smiling as they all huddled together.

"Isn't this a sweet reunion?" Lachlan said as he stepped into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

"He has a gun!" Ava cried out, burying her face back into Jessica's shoulder, shaking.

Melvin quickly stood up, running at Lachlan and shoving into him roughly. However, Lachlan stood his ground, and with one quick shove, Melvin was lying on the floor and Lachlan was standing above him.

"Ow! Shit!" Shouted Melvin, holding his right shoulder as he winced and rolled onto his side, gritting his teeth.

"Behave yourself." Lachlan shook his head as he clicked the gun, holding it up in the air.

"Who's first then?" Lachlan calmly asked as Ava's whimpers sounded around the room.

Before anyone could respond, the dull-coloured room lit up in shades of red and blue, and the colours were flashing, as if a random disco appeared from nowhere, and the music was the sirens of a thousand police cars.

"Come out with your hands above your head!" Boomed a dominant voice, dominant against the sirens.

By this point, rain started battering against the windows, the sky turning grey and unwelcoming.

As Lachlan became distracted by the new visitors, Ava jumped up and ran past Lachlan towards the door, however before she could make it, she was ripped back by her hair and angrily thrown onto the floor next to Melvin, who caught her and held her protectively.

"Who the fuck called the police!?" Lachlan shouted angrily, pointing the gun accusingly at each of them as they all cowered and whimpered.

"No one did. We swear!" Jessica's voice wavered.

Lachlan sighed and growled, grabbing hold on Melvin's shirt roughly and pulling him up, pointing the gun to Melvin's head and wrapping his other arm around his neck, almost choking Melvin as he struggled to get out of his grip, though upon feeling the barrel of the gun against his cold cheeks, stopped in fear.

"Move forward." Lachlan mumbled.

Melvin began taking slow, small steps forward towards the bathroom door, breathing quickly and breathing even quicker every time the cold metal of the gun met the side of his head.

They both slowly walked through the bedroom, entering into the guest bedroom and peering out of the window at the many police standing around watching the house, some armed with guns that reflected the red and blue colours of the police car's flashing lights.

After a few short moments, one of the police officers looked up, and spotted Lachlan standing there with Melvin, gun pointed to his head.

He tapped another police officer's shoulder who was standing next to him, and pointed up at the window at Lachlan and Melvin.

The police officer next to him subtly waved his gun, letting Lachlan know that he was armed and that he would fire if he had no other choice.

"Come out now!" A police voice shouted. "You need to leave the house with the hostage! You have no other choice! Leave the house immediately!"

Lachlan watched the police officers for a moment, eyeing up each individual one. He then closed the curtains, and lowered himself onto the floor, gently pulling Melvin down with him.

Lachlan pressed his cheek to Melvin's, his brown hair rubbing against the side of Melvin's face as the barrel of the gun rested against Melvin's other cheek, the gun's muzzle pointing towards the floor.

"I'm so sorry Melvin."