The First Steps (A Hunter Hayes Fanfiction, Book 1 of the Hardships Saga)

Chapter Forty-One

❝assault (pronounced əˈsɒlt or uh-sawlt), noun
one thing that can change everything❞

Hunter checked the time again. Where was Lilly? Maybe she was going overtime... yes, that must be it. She was fine, and he was worrying too much. He tried not to think about it and went back to TopGear.

He heard the front door open, and said, "Petal? Is that you?"

When there was no answer, he frowned. Was it her at all? He felt a slight shiver run through him. What if it was a robber? Or a murderer? He had just given away his location by calling out.

He went closer to the hallway and said, "H-Hello?"

He could see a silhouette against the doorframe, and lightning struck at that exact moment, lighting up the hallway for just a second. It was Lilly, but there was something wrong. There was something terribly wrong.

"Lilly?" he said cautiously. "Lilly, what's wrong?"

Lightning flashed again, and this time he saw her more clearly. Her clothes were mostly ripped, and she was covered in cuts and bruises. She was bleeding profusely, except for two clear tracks on her face where she had been crying. Her hair was matted, and she looked as though her legs could only hold her up for so long. He saw the look in her eyes, wild, like a scared animal, and tortured. He couldn't believe he was seeing her like that. Why was he seeing her like that?

She took a step forward and nearly collapsed. Hunter rushed forward and caught her. "Lilly! Lilly, what happened to you?" he asked her. She was shaking in fear and she didn't look like she knew where she was.

"N-No... p-please don't h-h-hurt me..."

"It's me, my love, I'd never hurt you."

"N-No, please... l-leave me alone..."

"Was it the fans again?" he asked, rage rushing through him suddenly. Who had done this to her?

"Just l-let me g-g-go..."

"Shh, my love, it's me," he murmured. "It's me, it's Hunter."

She finally seemed to recognise him. "H-Hunt?"

"Yes, darling, it's me, it's your Hunt..."

"P-Please..."

"Did someone mug you?" he asked, noticing that her purse was missing. Thankfully, he knew for a fact that she had forgotten her engagement and wedding rings at home, otherwise they might have been stolen too. And her earrings and bracelet... she had been in such a rush that morning.

She didn't answer, and he simply kissed her forehead gently. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

He lead her up to their bathroom and ran a shower, not worrying about his own clothes- they were covered in blood anyway. When it was warm enough, he tried to strip her, but she suddenly began to scream. "No! No, get away! No, stop! NO!"

"Lilly, it's me, it's Hunter!" he yelled over her screams. "It's me, it's just me!"

She kept fighting for a few more moments, then fell limp in Hunter's arms, too weak to go on. Fighting back tears, Hunter managed to strip her of her dirty, blood soaked clothing and helped her into the shower.

As he washed her clean of the blood, he started to see all the cuts and bruises she had all over her body and winced. Who had done this to her?

He studied her bruises carefully. There were a lot around her neck, which probably meant that she had been strangled... there were plenty on her hips and thighs... almost as though...