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68

*Elena*

Lucas has been pacing back and forth in my kitchen for 10 agonizing minutes, and I find myself unable to muster the courage to speak to him again. I've simply been crying into my knees, feeling utterly drained of all hope and strength. 

He seems to be spiraling deeper into madness with every passing second, muttering to himself incoherently and shaking his head as if plagued by invisible demons. The drugs he snorted earlier have transformed him into someone completely unrecognizable— a deranged and dangerous stranger. Every time his grip tightens around the gun in his hand, I suck in a sharp breath to brace myself for the gunshot, but it never comes. 

At last, Lucas stops his pacing. His head slowly turns to me as his chilling gaze locks onto mine, something straight out of a scene from a horror movie. "I think it's time.." he whispers eerily, as if he's trying to convince himself of his own plan.

"Time for what?" I croak, my voice hoarse from all the screaming and crying. 

He pulls out his baggie of drugs to inhale another snort. "It's time for us to meet up with your boyfriend."

The tightness in my throat intensifies, and I struggle to comprehend his end goal here. "Why would you want to meet up with Blake? I'm not going anywhere with you, so forget it."

Ignoring my words, Lucas waves me off, his eyes wide and frenzied from the drugs he just snorted rapidly entering his system. "Get up," he grunts, grabbing my wrist and yanking me up like a ragdoll before I even have a chance to move. My legs wobble beneath me, and my head swims from dizziness.

Lucas drags me to the front door, and the second his hand grips around the doorknob, a surge of desperation suddenly bursts through me. If we are really about to meet up with Blake, I can't leave the house with him. Whatever he has planned, I know his intention is to hurt Blake. And without me, his plan will cease to exist. If I have to make him kill me to keep him from hurting Blake, then so be it. The sudden realization has reduced me to my basic survival instincts, forcing me into fight or flight mode. 

And I pick fight. 

Summoning all the strength left in me, I suddenly launch myself at Lucas when he goes to open the door, attempting to tackle him to the ground and grab the gun. Even in my heightened state of adrenaline, he's quick to anticipate my attack. He quickly turns and uses his free hand to grip my throat, shoving me up against the glass front door. With all my might, I use my free hands to claw at his face, leaving deep scratches across his skin. But it's futile as he doesn't even flinch, only becoming more enraged.

"You think you can escape me?! Overpower me?!" he hollers, his grip on my throat intensifying as he leans in mere inches from my face.

I try to answer, to defy him, but my voice is reduced to nothing more than a feeble whisper. In one swift mention, Lucas drives me forcefully into the glass door behind us in a fit of rage. The sound of shattering glass echoes in my ear and shards bite harshly into my face. Despite the oozes of crimson liquid streaming down my eyes and the pounding in my head, Blake's face flashes before my eyes, urging me to keep fighting. A fist suddenly flies into my jaw, making my mouth pool with blood. I recover, screaming and squirming against the wall to try and free myself of his grip.

With sheer willpower, I reach for the gun again during our struggle, my fingers only inches away from it. But Lucas is quicker. He clamps down on my wrist this time, twisting it mercilessly and snapping it back into the wall with a sickening crack. Agonizing pain shoots through my entire arm and I let out a guttural scream. I try to shove Lucas back, to do anything to hurt him, but I can't. He's too strong.