Shattered Horizon

34 Liam

Three days passed, and a chilling discovery was made: five guards were found dead at the settlement gates. Each held an envelope containing a letter with a chilling message: "Give me Liam, and your people do not have to die." Liz, upon reading these threats, immediately increased security measures. Bodyguards were stationed outside the building, on our floor, and at Terra's and Iris's doors.
The uncertainty of when they might strike hung heavy in the air. In the middle of the night, unable to sleep, I got out of bed, leaving a peacefully slumbering Bo behind. I paced the floor restlessly before seeking solace in the bathroom. The warm water cascaded over me as I sat in the bathtub, losing track of time. Hours seemed to pass as I grappled with the weight of the situation, unsure of how to proceed.
A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. "Liam?" Bo's voice called out.
"Yeah?" I responded quietly. He entered and rushed to my side, joining me in the shower. Without a word, he pulled me into a comforting embrace and kissed my forehead. His silent support spoke volumes. We sat together, his presence a reassuring anchor in the midst of the storm. "Hey, let's go back to bed," he said softly.
He understood my deep aversion to anyone dying because of me. He knew that if it meant saving others, I would willingly sacrifice myself. We rose from the tub and walked back to our room. Bo dried me off with a towel and handed me a fresh pair of pants. We both changed into comfortable sweatpants.
I sat on the bed, our hands intertwined. Bo lay down first, and I snuggled close to him. He kissed my forehead, then my lips. "I love you, Liam," he murmured.
"I love you too, Bo," I replied, holding his hand, our faces inches apart. I didn't want to let go of his warmth and safety. My eyes started to close, then fluttered open. Bo was still there, his hand a tangible reassurance. I closed my eyes again, finally drifting off to sleep.
I woke up in the morning to find the spot next to me empty. I got up and opened the bedroom door; normally, Bo would be reading in the living room, but no one was there. I grabbed my shoes and walked out onto the platform. No guards. Worry rose within me as I called for the elevator. It finally dinged and opened, and I headed to the fifth floor to see if Bo was there.
The elevator opened, and I heard Lightning whimpering at Terra and Tyler's door. I knocked, and he started to bark. I tried the doorknob, and it opened. "Terra!" I yelled inside. Lightning jumped on me as I entered, but no one was home. I realized there were no bodyguards either. "Come on, boy," I said to Lightning, and he followed behind me.
I called for the elevator again, and Lightning and I got in. We took it to the ground floor, again with no guards. I went outside and saw Vrys everywhere. The air smelled rotten, people were screaming, and tons of them were chasing or eating someone. Blood splattered everywhere. I saw a Vry rushing towards me, whistled to Lightning, and we both headed towards Iris's place.
We got there and I called the elevator to Iris's floor. When it arrived, there was crimson blood on the floor, and the door to her apartment was open. I went in. "Iris!" I yelled. "Noah!"
Nothing. I headed to the kitchen to grab a knife, just in case. Then I heard a faint whimper. I looked in Joey's room.
"Joey?" I whispered. I saw him on the floor, his small hands holding a body. He looked up. "Liam." He let go of the body and rushed to me. I knelt down. "What happened, buddy?" I asked. He cried in my arms. I whistled for Lightning, and he came to my side. "Hey buddy, hold onto Lightning while I check a few things out, okay?" I said softly. He nodded and hugged the dog.
I went over to the body and saw it was Noah. First, I checked for bite marks, but then I saw the bullet hole in his chest. I checked for a pulse. He was ice cold, no heartbeat. I went back to Joey. "What happened?" He wouldn't talk to me. He just gazed into my eyes.
Things started to shake, and I heard a thud, thud, thud. The power flickered. I picked up Joey, and we headed for the stairs to the ground floor, Lightning behind me.
We got to the ground floor, and I put Joey down. BANG! The windows were blasted inwards. I hurried to cover Joey from the glass. I looked up and saw a giant foot. It came up and bang, the earth shook. I heard the Vrys howling and screaming. I needed to get to Liz's place; maybe she knew where Bo and the others were. I picked Joey up, and we headed outside, Lightning beside us.
I ran in the direction of the capital, where Liz was. I heard shouting as we got closer. Joey, Lightning, and I hid behind a building. I saw eight people on their knees and about a dozen people standing with guns in their hands. One guy was pacing. I looked and saw Bo there. My heart pounded. "No, no, no," I whispered.
"Liam," the speaker echoed, "if you don't turn yourself in, every hour we will shoot one person you love, until we get to your partner," the guy's voice said in a furious tone. I needed to find somewhere safe for Joey and Lightning, but where? Vrys were everywhere, and so was his group.

I got up and heard growling from Lightning. I turned around, knife up. "Woah there," a familiar voice said. I glanced at him. "Dad!" He was wounded. In a whisper, "Come with me," he said. Lightning, Joey, and I followed him.

He led us down into the basement of an old building. The door opened, and I saw hundreds of people huddled together. I saw Terra; I glanced in her direction. She was with Iris's younger sister.
"Terra!" I yelled, grabbing Joey's hand.
She looked up and started to cry. I got over to her, and she gave me a tight hug. I saw a gash on her forehead. "I tried. I'm so sorry!" she said.
"It's okay. I'll get them back, I promise!" I said, holding her. "Can you watch Joey and lighting?"
She shook her head and sat back down. I knelt down to Joey. "You're safe now, kiddo. You protect Terra and Iris's sister, okay?" I said I turned to lighting and gave him a pet on the head.
He didn't say anything, but he nodded okay. I got up, and my dad followed me. I got to a medic. "There's a lady with two kids. She's hurt and needs help. Can you help her?"
"Yes," the guy said and headed over to her.
After the guy left, I raced to the door where we walked in. I opened the door and let it close behind me. I stood there, my hands clenching. My dad came out the door. "Liam, what's your plan?" he asked.
"I'm turning myself over to him. Once I do, you get them out, okay?"
"No, I won't let you do it," he said.
"Look, every hour I stay here, he will kill one of them. I can't let that happen! This is the only way. When they are released, you get Iris, Liz, and Bo to safety. They will try to fight back." My stomach turned. "I can't have them hurt!"
"I... I..." He started to break down. "I just got you back," he said to me.
"I know," I said, giving him a hug.
We stood there for a couple of minutes. He stood back.
"You know I'm so proud of you and what kind of man you turned out to be," he said.
I shook my head. "Stay with me until we get there?"
"Of course," he said.
We walked out of the building, and my heart raced.