The Truth About Drew

t h i r t y f i v e

Kai didn't even have time to pull completely into the drive of the little, beat up house that Blake had pointed to before Blake was kicking open the door to Kai's precious truck and jumping out, cracked phone in hand.

"Hurry up!" he hissed, fingers clutched far too tightly around his phone. "Move your asses before I move them for you!"

Kai swung his long body out of the driver's seat and cracked his neck. In the fading light, he looked quite intimidating and Blake was frankly glad he was on their side. Kai wasn't exactly someone you wanted to poke with a stick. "Come on," he said.

"Hold up, we're just going to charge in there without a plan?" Aaron said, opening the door and clambering out clumsily, his legs wobbly after being squashed up for so long. "He could be dangerous!"

"Okay then, gotta plan?" Kai said, cracking his knuckles.

"Well, no, but-"

"Okay. Then we'll do it my way. Find the bastard and snap his neck." Kai seemed to be enjoying himself, teeth gleaming as he grinned. If this were a horror film, Kai definitely would be the serial killer in disguise.

"I have 911 on speed dial," Blake offered. "Just say we found him and he jumped out a window... repeatedly."

"Why do I have to be the voice of reason?" Aaron complained as he trailed after the two boys on the hunt for blood.

Kai kicked open the door, ready to kill anything that moved. When no ghosts popped out at him with bombs, he beckoned the others in. Blake bounced in before leaning down, and to Kai's amusement and Aaron's horror, pulled a four-inch blade out of his boot.

"What? I told you I was bringing a knife," he said, shrugging. Aaron made a choking noise.

"Nice," Kai said, nodding his head in approval. "Now where's my boyfriend?"

The house was absolutely tiny, so it didn't take them long to narrow it down to one room. Kai stood out side of it, silently counting down from three on his fingers when a horrible screeching noise came from just inside the door.

Throwing caution out the window, Kai flung open the door in a panic, sure that Jared had hurt Drew, Blake, and Aaron right behind him.

Drew was huddled in the corner, hands over his mouth. Jared was on the floor, blood flowing from a wound in his temple. He looked dead. Drew's head snapped up when Kai opened the door, pupils blown wide open in fear.

He let out a choking sob. "Oh my God, I killed him."

Kai took four long steps across the room and gathered Drew up into his arms, quietly shushing and soothing him as Drew tucked himself as close to him as possible. "Shh, it's okay, Deedee, it's okay," he said sweetly, stroking his hair.

Blake crouched down next to Drew and rubbed his arm quietly.

"Is this guy dead?" Aaron asked loudly, jabbing at Jared with his foot. "He looks dead."

Blake sighed and stood up. He leaned down and put two fingers on Jared's neck. "No, he has a pulse." He shook his head. "Damn it," he muttered under his breath.

Drew looked up, "He's not dead?"

"Nope. Might need a few stitches, though. That's a nasty wound in his head."

"Want to tell us what happened, Deedee?" Kai said softly.

Drew took in a ragged breath. "Um, I-I woke up here, and he came in a-and started telling me I was beautiful and stuff like that, 'n how much he loved me and wanted me to stay here w-with him."