thin white lines | l. hemmings

37

As he woke up, he almost didn't notice the cold metal gun hovering an inch away from his forehead. The screams coming from a few rooms over rather distracted him.

On instinct, he ripped the sheets from his body, preparing to run into the living room and help whoever was the source of the screaming. Of course, the gun stopped him as the man pressed it flat against the side of his head. "Don't you worry about them, kid. You and I will have a chat."

The speaking man had pulled a desk chair right up to the bed where he slept peacefully while that man somehow got into the room. "Okay," Luke said with a shaky voice, swallowing hard as he turned ever so slightly to see the man, noticing first the bright orange shoelaces he wore, his feet propped up comfortably on the previously clean blankets. "Who are you?"

"I can do the talking, don't you worry about that."

Luke flinched at the sound of another eerily familiar voice letting out a strained cry. He didn't have the time to place it while this man carelessly waved his gun near Luke's face.

"You, kid, are special. Anyone ever told you that?" He shook his head. "Yeah. Poor boy. You seem pretty nice. I hate to be the one to tell you that your young life is ending." He spoke such harsh words so calmly that Luke trembled in his sight.

"You...you're gonna kill me?"

"Nah," he said with a chuckle. "Much worse."

"What the hell is worse than—" The black metal interrupted him as it harshly connected with his chin, forcing his mouth shut and causing a flourish of pain that he couldn't focus too hard on.

"Nadia, your little girlfriend, you two are pretty serious for your age. Don't you think? Staying at her house for the night..." he motioned down at Luke, who had just woken up in Nadia's bed. As the man was implying. "You love her, she loves you, and your family loves her too, don't they? So much that everyone would be pretty upset if something were to happen." His heart dropped further and faster as the man went on. The screaming became clearer and clearer as he brought Nadia into his mind. "Right?"

The morning shouldn't have gone like this. Nadia's parents both left early for work, and they planned to make pancakes. He had snuck in late the night before while her parents were just getting to sleep. They tried their best to be quiet as they finished up some homework together just until they were tired enough to get to sleep.

It was all so perfect. Neither of them expected to have their lives threatened the next morning.

It can't be her. But he also knew that it had to be.

"And they'd be even more upset if you were the one to hurt her. Don't you think?"

"What do you want from me?" He asked, his voice just above a whisper. Perhaps it would've been more effective for him to yell, but he barely had the power for a whispered volume.

"Oh, nothing you can do now. All I need is to ruin your life. It won't end here either. You're a handsome kid, there'll always be more girls. But we'll always be there, too. Have your fun, but if you get too invested, we'll end it before you get the chance."

"What're they doing to her?" He asked, tears welling, as much as he tried to push them down.

"Aren't you curious why? Why you, and why her?"

"What... are they doing to her?"

"Well, if you won't ask, I'll just tell you," he said with a shrug, ignoring Luke's constant glaring at the ajar door. "Your dad isn't the guy you think he is. He's got secrets, and he's pissed a lot of people off in his lifetime, and I'm one of those people. He's got a lot of hope for you, kid. Shame for you that you're the best way to get to him."