Forever Safe

-CHAPTER 2-

Lou watched the group of men laugh obnoxiously, huddled in their little circle. She tugged on her bound wrists, trying to blow away the pieces of hair that fell onto her face with the effort.

She was annoyed and not really hurt, not yet anyway. She was good at keeping them away, using her voice, her teeth, her nails, anything to not be their pet.

She didn't know who they were. There was a chubby man in the group who smelled of sweat and stale cigarettes, he was the one who had snatched her. She was sleeping when he did so, otherwise she definitely would have gotten away.

That's what she gets for sleeping out in the open. Normally, she would find some place to hide away, but it was such a pretty night, and the open air felt amazing.

She saw the shape of the other girls who must've been around for awhile. It was terrifying to see their spirits being stripped away, leaving them lifeless, like little dolls. It made Lou sick. She would get away. She would get them all some help.

---

Days later, Lou still didn't have a plan. She was bound to the stupid wall, unable to do anything except watch the stupid guys wave their weapons around. They were definitely over compensating for something.

She at least wanted to be put with the other girls so she could help them, but no such luck. They told her she couldn't be around anybody until she learned how to behave.

She would rather die from hunger and thirst than to let any one of them touch her.

Commotion caused her to stir from her slight doze. The room was empty, and she pushed herself as far up the wall as she could get.

A massive, scary looking guy came in with his gun out. He looked more dangerous than whoever took her, and her heart picked up speed.

He lowered his weapon. Another new person stepped in behind him.

"Untie her. Help her get out of here," the scary dude commanded.

There was no way. They were just going to take her somewhere bad, or sell her body parts.

She waited until the smaller one was close enough before she screamed as loud as she could. He looked alarmed, and he backed up.

"What did I do, Blue?" he asked the scary man.

Blue frowned, looking right at Lou. "We're here to help you. Let him untie you so you can get out of here."

Lou might've had a chance fighting one of the other dudes, but these guys - there was no way. She tried to push back the tears that threatened to spill onto her cheeks.

They kept trying, but she refused. Her throat burned and she coughed harshly. She did not want to go with them.

There was another commotion, one with gunshots that hurt her ears and hit the walls near her. She tucked herself into a tight ball, completely vulnerable to whatever was happening.

Blue took a hit, but he hardly flinched. The blood made Lou sick, and she tried to turn away. She struggled to take in air. She couldn't breathe.

She hardly even noticed the other man when he came in, not until he was coming right towards her. She didn't have the energy to scream anymore.

This man was so tall. He carried himself with an air of power. His suit and shoes looked expensive, and Lou could see just a little peek of a tattoo from where his shirt under his jacket was unbuttoned.

"I'm untying your hands," he said gruffly. "You can scream if you want to."

She didn't really want to, not really. She moved away from the wall so that he could get to her wrists. He pulled at the tight rope, not touching her skin once.

Once she was free, he backed off.

"I will have someone take you home," he said, already turning away.

"No," she said. Her voice was rough and hoarse. It was painful to talk, but the man heard her as he turned around.

His eyes narrowed. "No?"

Lou could barely stand. Her legs wobbled, and when she tried to brace herself on the wall, she crumbled back down.

He watched her. She decided to just stay down until she could feel her hands and her feet.

"I'm coming with you," Lou said, now just a soft whisper.

His frown tightened. "I don't even know who you are. You are wasting my time."

"I'm Lou. You saved me. I'm coming with you."

It made sense in her head. Unlike with Blue and the other dude, and the group of men, this man made her feel safe. She appreciated his no nonsense attitude, and therefore concluded that it would be best to go with him.

"I didn't save you. Blue saved you."

"Blue is scary."

The man almost looked like he was going to smile, but his features hardened again.

"I understand he's scary. I will get someone not scary to take you home." he glanced at the watch on his wrist, and sighed.

"You're not scary." Lou tried to stand, using the wall once again. She used it to walk closer to him. He wasn't scary. He was just dark, like a big shadow hanging over him. She really wasn't scared though, and she relished in the feeling.

His lips pursed. "I'm not getting any work done tonight anyway. I'll take you home then."

Lou asked curiously, "What's your name?"

"It's Rune. Come on. We need to go." He walked a few steps to the door before spinning around, looking at her expectantly.

"I can't leave the wall," she admitted. "My legs are weak."

His expression didn't change as he took several large strides to reach her. He picked her up effortlessly, carrying her out of the building and into his car.