Consciousness

Chapter fifteen - The motive

I tried to look up as the figure with the voice I recognized spoke to Micah again.

"Where is he Micah?" laughed the voice. "Maybe if you cooperate, I'll spare you and your little girlfriend."

"You're not going to hurt either of them" Micah finally spoke sternly.

"Pick the hard way then" said the voice and just like that a loud bang sounded from the two figures and Micah dropped to the floor. Blood ran in a steady stream from his head so I figured he'd been hit. I think he was unconscious but his chest was rising steadily so I knew he was alive. "Thank god" I sighed in relief.

"Come out Matty" sounded the voice after a while. I kept very still and I could still see Matt hiding across the room. I gestured for him not to move.

"Better come forward before I find your precious girl first" the voice laughed again.

I saw Matt twitch from the tiny place that he was hiding. I saw his face move out of the shadows slowly..he looked...scared. I hated seeing him like this, I just wanted to reach out and shield him from all the madness. I wanted to jump up and carry him away into safety. I would get him out of this. All of us.

Matt breathed slowly with a quick glance at me. He stood up and now all that was visible to me were his black converse. "Don't touch her" he stated firmly.

The voice laughed. A maniacal laugh. An evil, twisted, heart wrenching laugh that I will never be able to forget.

"Tyler?" Matt asked confused as he stepped back a few paces.

Tyler?! I screamed to myself. That's Matt's friend, why would he ever want to hurt him?

"I don't understand, what did I ever do to you?" Matt spoke slowly, his voice shaking out the words.

Tyler just laughed as Matt stared at him, terror struck.

"Tell me, what is the point of all this?"

"You really are clueless, aren't you?" Tyler barked furiously. "You have everything in the world and you take it all for granted."

"Like what?" Matt begin to giggle. "I don't have anything."

"See there you go again, this is why you don't deserve any of it. I would be so much better...more grateful in your place" Tyler spat, his face red with fiery.

"What...what do you want from me?" Tyler asked sternly, his fist clenched into tight balls.

"You have the art scholarship, you have the wealthy parents with a business that they basically handed you on a silver platter...you even have the... the girl." he finally said after a brief hesitation.

"The girl?" Matt sounded confused.

Tyler just stared at him puzzled.

"Olive?" Matt asked with a trembled voice.

"Yes" Micah answered flatly. "She's been in love with you for years and your to dull to notice. If I had a chance like you, she'd have the world on her finger."

Matt looked lost for words. He stayed quiet for a moment and then begun to speak once more. "I didn't notice because I was too in love with her and convinced myself that she didn't feel the same way. I was scared and I'll regret letting fear get in the way for so long, forever. I love Olive...I always have."

"Give me a break" Tyler laughed. "If you did, you'd treat her better."

"Matt treats me fine" I finally shouted as I stood up from the bench and grasped my feet firmly on the floor. As my eyes stared ahead, I now saw that I was face to face with Tyler. He wore a black jacket and had a baseball bat firmly grasped in his hands, ready to swing at any given moment.

"Olive, get down!" Matt yelled quickly.

"Well well well, of course you came to his rescue" Tyler grinned menacingly.

"I always will" I blushed eagerly as I flashed my eyes towards Matt just in time to see a slight smile on his lips.

"Stupid" Tyler grunted. "You're wasting your breathe Olive honestly."

"You're wasting yours" I shouted furiously. "What's your motive Tyler?"

"You" he whispered in response.

My face flushed as I saw the bat swing over his head and start towards mine, then everything went dark.