WMMAP - [S2] Shelter You

Prologue

"I'm back!" He announced excitedly as he gently put all the goodies on the counter on the side of the door.

On the floor, he sat, instead of the chair next to the shoe stand. With a grin, he took off one boot at a time, not bother putting them on the stand, then stood up, and dusted his pants.

His finger tapped rapidly on the light switch, wondering why the power wouldn't run. "Do you have anything to do with this?" He asked aloud.

The smile started to disappear and his instinct started to shape form as he picked the bags from the ground.

"Are you still sleeping in?"

His questions echoed everywhere in the house; echoes of the silence were freighted on the cold wind whistling through the windows, and his silhouette burned onto the walls like painted shadows by the moonlight.

The only noise he could hear was his footsteps along with the rustling sound of the bag. But as he got closer to the dining room, he could hear something strange. Something he couldn't make out what caused it.

He shook off his dread and walked into the room, assuming it was her who made that sound.

"I couldn't decide between strawberry or chocolate or cookies and cream flavor. So I bought all of them. But don't worry! It's my treat! Consider it as a celebration for our upcoming anniversary!" He said, trying to sound positive in the dire situation. His fingertip skimmed through another light switch in the room. Yet again, it didn't seem to work.

"Aww... How sweet... I didn't know you could speak that way too." A voice intruded and his skin crawled, his eyes widened, alerted.

The lights in the house suddenly lit up as if someone turned the main power source back on and his red pupils shrunk, unable to adjust to the eruption of the flare.

Clad in a mixture of agitation and anxiety, he forced his eyes to the surrounding, locking eye contact with a pair of familiar blue jeweled that mirrored his emotions of distress.

"Welcome home." The mysterious voice added, laughing, amused with his reaction. "Your lovely Princess gave you her regards..."

The situation struck him hard but wasn't as hard as the force that clubbed him to the back, knocking him down to one knee, dropping the cakes bought.

"How dare you touch her..."

"Oh, I can do more than that." That person said, grabbing a fistful of her golden locks as she squeezed her eyes shut from the pain.

"STOP...! LET HER GO...!!"

He still had some strength left. He could save the two of them. He just needed to-

Another kick came swinging in his direction, an upward stroke to his stomach. He arched in pain as he watched the plastic plates scattered everywhere.

One of them rolled toward the girl who was now on the floor that she fell earlier, resulting from resisting the restraints that bound her.

By the time it reached her, his consciousness was almost at its zenith as it was pouring out of him like the sands of a broken hourglass. The wasting sickness had left him too weak to climb back on his feet.

"I always thought you were unpredictable; sometimes prone to violence and cruelty, but equally capable of great stupidity."

"Stop... I'll... do anything..."

"Anything?"

He watched the droplets of tears stream down her face as she shook her head apologetically, muffling inaudible words for her mouth was covered by a tight tape.

"Everything... Just... Don't hurt her..." He said, holding his stomach. "Please..."

Another stroke, this time from a baseball bat, swung to the side of his head, making him landed on backward, on his back, and his head hit the floor with a loud thud.

"And here you are, begging for mercy, not even for yourself. You continue to surprise me with every turn."

The event happening in front of her had the power to wound her, cutting deeper than any blade, knowing there had been no other choice but to watch; burdened by crushing guilt nonetheless.

"Let her." The person in charge said when other people were trying to stop the girl who showed signs of desperation mourned the fallen body.

The strain on her wrists and ankles was still tied to her tightly, but she was still trying to skid over to him using her shoulder. Tears painted her face, gliding down the tape effortlessly as she nudged him with her head, screaming his name, begging him to wake up over and over so that her throat burned.

"This is so pathetic... yet so entertaining... and the show hasn't even started..."