Devil's Prey

{chapter 1, part 3} - Orlando, Florida

Florida? Sapnap couldn't believe what he was hearing. He sat in utter shock when that word left his mother's mouth. It was as if he heard the worst thing imaginable known to man. It probably seemed like he was exaggerating to others, but he didn't like the idea of moving to Florida. "Come on, it won't be that bad! You'll grow to love it there," Abigail smiled, rubbing Sap's back as they entered the plane. He shook his head as he sat down on their designated seats, turning to look out of the window.

"How do you know that?" he asked, aimlessly looking for the seatbelt with his hands. Abi sighed as she sat beside him, "Everything will be alright." He shook his head again, keeping his eyes on the window. He was staring at the plane's wing, outlining the shape with his vision. He needed a distraction, but his phone was not much use. He'd listen to music during the flight, but what else was there to do? He couldn't text his friends anymore. He told them before stepping on the wretched flying vehicle that he was moving to Florida! From there, he wouldn't have any signal to text anyone.

He shut his eyes as he rested his head against the plane's wall, trying to find a relaxing position. After that, he dug through his pocket for his earbuds, plugged them into his phone, and turned on some music. All the meanwhile, his mother began to converse with some man who sat in the same row as them. He seemed to be around Abigail's age, 34 years old. He was also moving to Florida as a getaway. It was nothing as similar to their situation, however. He was merely going to live his own life the way he wished. He wanted to get away from his family as they always coddled him and were too involved. They'd tell him everything he could and couldn't do.

"What are you two going to Florida for?" he asked, holding a sweet and gentle smile.

Abigail smiled in return, turning to look at Sapnap. The boy stared out the window, ignoring how he could see their reflection. "His father and I have separated. We don't have to go through all the trouble of a divorce since we never got married," she said. The man nodded, listening intently to the story. "We argued after he had caused physical harm to my son and after he cheated on me with another woman. I decided it was best for my son and me to leave Texas and move somewhere else," she finished.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you two are doing well! If you'd like, you can always contact me if you need anything. I'd be happy to help," he suggested. Abigail quickly accepted, pulling out her phone to get the man's number. Sapnap physically gagged, covering his mouth with the palm of his hand. He couldn't believe what he was witnessing.

The man and Abigail continued to talk, forgetting that Sapnap was there. All the boy could do was turn up his music even louder, hoping it would drown out their voices. It didn't.

—

"Do you know what to do here? We've never had to go through this before," Abigail asked, following the man they had been sitting with on the plane. The plane had landed not too long ago. It was time to go through the last process before leaving the airport. The man nodded, "Follow me! I'll tell you exactly what to do."

Abigail smiled, thanking the man. Sapnap rolled his eyes as he followed his mother, keeping his earbuds in. Being distracted by the music blasting in his ears, it seemed like the process didn't occur. When he had pulled out his earbuds, he realized they were already out of the building. "What the hell...?" he whispered.

"Do you two have a place to stay?" the man asked.

Abigail nodded, "Yeah! I bought a house before getting a plane ticket. It's only an hour away from here." Sapnap turned to look at his mother. He was shocked that the woman was able to afford a house. He meant no offense by it. They used to live in an apartment before they had to leave the night before. "Really? My place is an hour away from here, too! Is it around *** street?"

Abi's eyes widened, "Yes!"

Sapnap tried to cut out the conversation, but he couldn't. He hated the idea of living on the same street as this stranger. However, his mother seemed quite happy about it. He didn't understand why. "We should take an Uber together! Let me call one," the man suggested. Abigail nodded, standing beside the man. Since when was his mother so big on being friendly with utter strangers? Sapnap didn't know.

All he could do was stand there and follow along without saying anything. He didn't want his mother to turn around and talk to him about how he should be grateful a stranger was willing to befriend them as they were all new to Florida. "Whatever happened to stranger danger?" he thought.

A few minutes passed, and their Uber was there. The three of them shoved their luggage into the trunk, getting into the backseats. Sapnap sighed as he turned to look out the window again. How many was that? Three times. He couldn't bear looking at his mother and that man. He couldn't even look at the driver without wanting to die. "Mom, what part of Florida are we in?" he asked.

"Orlando, Florida! It's perfect here. You're going to love it," she smiled.

"How?" he asked.

"There are a ton of places you can go to. Like waterparks," the man butted in. Sapnap nodded, keeping quiet. He didn't want to have a conversation with this man. He can already imagine the man developing feelings for his mother. Or the other way around. Sapnap shook at the thought. He didn't want that to happen. He wanted it to be just his mom and him. It was supposed to be that way, to begin with.

Slowly, he began to notice all the buildings. He even saw a theme park they had passed. If he tried, he could enjoy Orlando, Florida. But what were the chances of that? 50-50, possibly. Sapnap sighed, looking down at his phone. It was 4:23 AM. "This sucks..." he groaned quietly. He shut his eyes as he felt the warm breeze coming from the driver's open window. He decided that the least he could do was accept his situation. For now, that is.

To Be Continued. シ