Second chance | Kurt Kunkle ✅

Chapter twelve: Sergej's list with a surprise

It took longer than we expected.

I was totally stressed, walking around and around Sergej's car. I felt that if I try to hold in the feeling, I'll just go crazy in the waiting. My face was burning from the tears running down my cheek from time to time, no matter how often I wiped it off.

Hazel was dozing on the back of the car, the door opened so she'll get enough air, with Sergej's jacket on his back. The Russian was leaning against the car beside Hazel, guarding her while keeping his eyes on me.

When he realised I'll soon go crazy if nothing will happen, he carefully placed my sister more deeply inside the car, closing the door behind her. He slowly approached me, afraid of scaring me by accident.

Beside my loitering self he put one arm on my shoulders, showing his support this way. He took a look at me, but realised I was way too anxious to return it. He glanced the direction where I was looking at. "Everything will be just fine, Marc. I know Maverick and he'll get Kurt out of there, especially with your plan"

I sighed. I felt I will collapse from the worry, so I nestled closer to the man, my head on his muscular chest. "I really hope so, Sergej. I really hope so"

He patted my upper arm gently. "I'm sure we'll find a way out of this. After all, Rick's brother did even worse things and he's still alive, keeping speeches about how dangerous the drugs are"

It took me by surprise that he said this. I lifted up my head from his chest, searching for his well-know bright blue gaze for confirmation. Hope and happiness took over me in such sneaky way that it was scary. First, I felt my mouth tremble, what wandered down my legs, then made me burst in tears. "You're not saying this to cheer me up, right?"

"No. I'm telling the truth, Marc" the Russian replied right away, patting my cheek tenderly. "Speaking of which, what do you say if we make ourselves busy while waiting for Kurt?"

I agreed. He was right, we needed to spend time somehow. "Alright. What do you have in mind?"

Sergej didn't answer until reaching the car. He opened it up, checking how Hazel was doing in the back. When he saw her snoring peacefully, he patted her leg tenderly, a mesmerized smile on his lips. He turned back to me with a little piece of paper, which contained a list of... names.

"Remember when I said I'll collect names of who could possibly wanted to do harm to Kurt?" Sergej inquired, twisting and turning the small piece in his hands.

I made a 180° turn around my angle so I could see the names better. All of them were unfamiliar, though: Oliver Cobbler, Zoe Venti, David Archer, Jessie Adams, Rick Hartman.

I narrowed my eyes. "Should I know any of these?"

Sergej shook his head. "Two are the family members of Kurt's victims, two are people from his past and a comedian girl who Kurt adored for her fame"

Aha. This didn't help me any step forward, but okay. At least it helped making my mind busy.

"Do you have any idea who could do such thing?" I inquired the Russian.

"Not at all. Especially since they used John as a middle-man to do the dirty job"

Now that was something surprising. "They used him to... to kill me?!"

Sergej nodded, not looking my way. He simply made a gulp, staring into the wall of the police office in front of us. He had a difficult time, probably because of imagining my almost-death.

My heart broke into multiple little pieces, seeing how a such powerful, young man could dwindle away when something hurts his soul. This case, Sergej still felt guilty about not being there for me when I almost left this world.

"Sergej" I turned toward him, my right hand on his unshaven face. I felt I was on the edge of crying again, the tears were burning my eyes so bad. "You weren't there. You couldn't have done anything to help"

The man sighed. His bright blue gaze wandered from the walls to the cold, grassy ground in front of him, then at me. He folded his fingers around my wrist. "I know. But I've done other things to you that caused you difficulties"

I didn't respond right away. I knew what he meant, even though they were things I took part in, too. Accepting his dates, not refusing his kisses and hugs, then that kiss in front of the house, even though my heart was someone else's – I was digusted by myself. Truly. I guess I didn't know what to do, how to tell him that I loved Kurt and not him. We were both guilty in that.

I left Sergej and my sister back at the car after a couple of minutes spent in silence. I felt the need of some alone-time, so I decided I'll take a little walk around the nearby area. I zipped my jacket since it was cold as hell – it was the middle of winter after all. Snow crunched under my every step as I walked forwards, the cold air biting my red cheek, freezing it until I didn't feel anything.

I didn't mind though. This coldness helped clearing my roaring thoughts, filling their places with crystal clearness. I felt as my worries slowly left my head, telling me that I couldn't change things happened in the past. We had to focus on the present and try to prepare for the future: aka to help Kurt getting out of his chamber, together. No matter what happened between Sergej and me, it was in the past. If we want to stay friends, we have to close those thoughts into the back of our heads and use our forces on the present and the upcoming. I had Kurt to help with my love and Sergej my sister to take care of: everyone needed the other in some way or another.

My thoughts wandered so far from reality that I found myself in some sort of miniature forest. A couple of trees surrounded a wooden table and two wooden benches in a perfect circle, mainly oak and birch.

The scene made me smile. Back when we were kids, when our little brother Keith wasn't even planned, we went on multiple trips with our parents. We didn't go to expensive places, rather collected a bag of things we may need and got the forest in the neck, exploring hidden beauties and such. We usually sat down to relax at such places like the one I saw nearby the police station. My heart and head was full of sweet memories – once I get Kurt out of that place, I'll make sure to organize picnics for the four of us. Maybe we will even invite Maverick and his brother.

My mind was so busy with all the core memories I had that I didn't care if anyone was there beside me. After all, it was early in the morning, who would have been there but me, right? I didn't give it too much attention. I heard some noises, the cracking voice of branches fallen onto the soft, dirt floor, but oh well. I simply waved with my hand. Probably some animals.

I only realised that the source of these noises were by far not animals. Not even close.

Animals can't stab injections in your neck and cover your mouth so you can't scream.

No matter how hard I tried to defend myself, this someone had a much stronger grip. I kicked and wriggled, yet the thing this someone injected into me sucked my energy out one by one, turning the world into a huge, dizzy scene.

My last memory was the world spinning around and a pair of brown eyes watching me eagerly, waiting for the final moment I pass out.

I also noticed who the brown eyes belong to: a black girl with some sort of microphone hair, around the same age as me. Then, the world went pitch black.