Soulless

Fourty | it's not her father

Atlas Thayer

I watch as the screen cuts. The surveillance is taken down as the images close like dominos as a black screen takes over. Then the power in the van goes out leaving us with the red glare of the emergency light.

Moments ago the image of her father facing her remained on the screen. The noise of the locks securing the place was heard, but I could tell it wasn't us who secured them.

"What the fuck just happened," I watch as she scrambles to bring everything back up, but it fails.

"Verena," A ghostly expression grows on her face as she looks back at me. It already told me what I needed to know.

"Fuck," my legs almost can't catch up to my movement as I escape the van running towards the building. I try to reach it before the last foot locks, "Lunden!" As my arms reach the door the seal is complete and she's trapped in there with god knows what.

"Lunden," I felt my face burning as I began to scream, the sound of my voice giving as my lungs started to hurt.

I scream until I can't anymore, as my lungs no longer allow me to. For any hope that she could hear me, that I was here trying to fight for her, it was failing. It was all fucking failing.

My body began to bruise as I threw myself at the door, but there was no use. I was useless; my life's love was in danger and I couldn't do anything. I couldn't protect her.

I broke the one thing I promised her.

Verena looked lost as she stared at the ground shaking her head, "You don't give up, you get me into this fucking building Verena! I swear to god I'll kill you," but I could see it in her face. The hopelessness as her eyes moved up to the warehouse.

"Her father's about to kill her and there's nothing you can do?!" I bitterly yell out at her, but we both failed her. "She saved you time and time again I can't-" My hand slammed against the door but it didn't even sting as I beat into it, it almost felt numb rather than painful.

"It's not her father," her words come out in a realization. She paces back as she looks at me, and a cold sweat begins to drip down her face.

"What do you mean, he trapped her. He's about to kill her and we are just... standing here," her head lowered as her eyes met the ground once more.

"It's not her father Atlas," when her fractured eyes met mine they widened in fear, "it's Cade." The weight of my body pressed against the door as I realized what was happening.

The pit in my stomach could swallow me whole, he has her. The only thing in my life that's ever mattered, the one person I was supposed to protect at all costs. He had her and he was never going to give her back. He was going to take her from me because I chose her.

"No," I shook my head in denial, "he couldn't have-"

"The way it all shut down... everything just crashed in seconds. The security lock... he beat me at my game. He must've... he had to have been studying me for months and I didn't even know," her words sounded unforeseen as she spoke in shock.

"Atlas," she doesn't stare at me as she speaks, instead she looks behind me. I hear the sound of a vehicle headed straight for us.

The brakes screech as the navy van comes to a halt. Two men jump out like hawks coming towards us. My legs couldn't work to run, instead, I just watched them come in swarming ready to take me and Verena down with them.

Arms wrapped tight around me, I'm forced down to the ground as I feel the zip ties tighten around my wrists. A sting is felt across my cheek, as sharp object on the ground sliced it.