Picking Up The Broken Pieces Part 2 (Prapai's Story)

Chapter 5

Pai ran down the hallway after the boy, catching him by the hair and slamming him down onto the floor. The boy clutched his head, groaning as Pai stepped over him. His eyes were still blurry, but he couldn't tell if it from the sweat pouring down his face or from being hit on the head. As he looked around, he saw Gun racing toward him from the side, thrusting his body against the wall. They grappled for a minute, until the other two boys caught him by his arms, allowing Gun to slam his fist into his stomach.

All the air rushed from him at once, making him double over in pain. He was now on his knees in front of Gun, looking up into his maniacal face. He had a crazed look in his eyes and Pai could tell he was pissed.

"You're not playing right!" Gun screamed. He snarled, making him look like an animal caught in a corner. He threw his fists against the wall over and over, slamming them so hard that blood began to trickle from his knuckles. He had finally lost his mind, and for the first time, Pai was afraid. 

Suddenly, they could hear footsteps approaching the front door and a key card clicking in the doorknob. Pai opened his mouth to yell, but Gun quickly covered it. 

"He's dead if you make a sound." Gun whispered. Then he pointed to his goons. "I'll distract Sky. Get the rope and meet us on the roof. The show is about to start." 

They could hear Sky milling around in the kitchen, completely unaware that Pai was being held just around the corner. Suddenly, the phone buzzed to life in Pai's hand, but Gun snatched it from him. He lead the group into the bedroom, grinning widely as he pressed the "answer" button. 

"Hey stranger. Did you miss me?" Gun placed the phone on speaker so that Pai could hear Sky's reaction. It sounded as if the phone was thrown from his hand to the floor, and Pai's heart fell. He knew Sky was scared and he couldn't do anything to help him. "Don't you want to say hello?" 

Gun put the phone closer to Pai's face, but before he could say anything, Sky screamed into the phone. "What do you want from me?" 

Pai choked down a sob. He leaned into the speaker and spoke as softly as he could. "Sky..."

"No, no, no!" Sky was sobbing, making Pai's heart ache. He heard Sky trying to reason with himself, thinking it was a dream, that it wasn't real. Which Pai hoped with all of his heart was true. 

Gun pulled the phone back, but Pai shouted desperately into the phone. "Sky, don't come here!" He felt a fist connect with his face and he fell backward. "Run, they're in the apartment!"

The boys grabbed him by his arms and legs as Gun gagged him again. "Don't fight me or you'll make it worse!" He signaled to them to take him from the room, and he caught a glimpse of Sky as they carried him out. 

Once they reached the hallway, they put him down and lead him up the stairwell until they reached the door to the roof. He eyed the rope in their hands and closed his eyes, fighting the tears as he prayed Sky would be spared.