The Keys to freedom

Frayed and Betrayed

"Get down!" one of the men shouted, shoving Eric to his knees.

Jesspers heart raced as she instinctively pulled Evie close, walking backwards until she felt the solid surface of the wall hitting her back. Oz began to take several steps away as one of the men, tall and broad locked in on her and made his way over. She put her hands up in surrender as he approached towering over her. He gripped her wrists and pulled her to him. Grayson shot her a look, panic and fury in his eyes, but it was quickly swallowed as the man in front of them who they assumed to be the leader, barked orders.

"On the ground! Now!"

James and Grayson dropped to their knees beside Eric, but the men weren't satisfied. They pressed their weapons harder against their backs, forcing them lower, until all three were lying on their stomachs with their hands out in front of them.

Oz felt a rough hand seize her from behind, yanking her backward into a solid chest. She tensed, breath catching in her throat as a strong arm locked around her middle. She flinched but didn't resist; shock held her still, and so did the sight of the gun in his other hand. He didn't aim it at her—just let it hang menacingly by his side.

"Where is it?" the man closest to them screamed, his voice filled with rage. "Where's the key? Where's the clue?"

One of the masked men began ransacking the house, tearing through drawers, knocking over chairs, and sending papers flying. The crash of furniture echoed through the room.

Oz's eyes flicked to Grayson, still crouched on the floor, his jaw tight, fists curled so hard his knuckles blanched. His entire body was coiled, ready to spring.

"Don't!" James hissed as if sensing what he is thinking, his eyes darting around, assessing the situation. "They're armed. You make one move and they'll shoot."

Across the room, Jessper and Evie shrank into each other as one of the men stormed past, flinging open drawers just inches from them. Evie buried her face in Jessper's shoulder, silent tears streaking down her cheeks as Jessper wrapped an arm around her, holding tight despite the fear in her own eyes.

"Please," Oz pleaded, her voice shaking. "We don't know what you're talking about,"

The man holding her, tightened his grip as if warning her to stop talking, but then she felt a few absentminded thumb strokes against the fabric on her skin as if he was trying to comfort her. The odd gesture made her skin crawl with confusion. He quickly stopped as if he had realized what he had been doing. But it was to late, his touch sparked something deep inside her, a nagging sense of recognition that she knew couldn't be true, but the way his touch felt, the way she fit in his arms was a familiar embraces that only she would know, but the biggest give away, was his smell.

"Don't lie to me!" the man in front of her snarled drawing her attention by aiming the gun straight at her face. "We know you have it."

Her whole body tensed as she stared down the barrel of the gun.

"You're going to tell me where it is," he said, voice laced with a dark threat. "Or you all start dying, one by one."

She swallowed hard, trying to keep her breathing steady, but the chill in his eyes made her blood run cold.

Grayson couldn't hold back any longer. Fueled by a surge of adrenaline and desperation, he lunged at the man, attempting to wrestle the gun away, but his brave attempt was met with a swift blow to the ribs.

A shot fired, echoing loudly in the small space, causing everyone to flinch and drop back to the ground. "Stay down!" the man barked again, and Grayson fell back, his resolve crumbling under the threat. "Or the next one meets in between your eyes,"

"Okay! Fine! Will tell you!" James finally blurted, his heart racing. "Just don't hurt them!"

"Speak!" the man barked, swinging his gun toward James, eyes narrowing into slits behind the mask.

"They're upstairs—in the attic!" James blurted, the words tumbling out in a breathless rush, desperate and raw.

Without hesitation, the man lowered his weapon and bolted toward the stairs, his heavy boots thundering against each step as he disappeared above them, the ceiling groaning with his weight as he tore through the attic.

Oz scanned the rest of the men, her eyes narrowing as she tried to discern if she recognized any of them. The masks they wore obscured most of their faces, leaving only a small part of their eyes visible. Her gaze lingered on one in particular—a smaller frame. Something about the way this one carried themselves made her suspect it might be a woman.

"Got it!" the man upstairs called, his voice echoing down the stairwell. He appeared moments later carrying the key and the written riddle clutched in his hand, "let's get out of here,"

"Down!" the second man barked, the one still holding Grayson at gunpoint. His focus snapped to the girls. He grabbed Jessper by the arm and shoved her hard—she hit the floor with a thud. Evie was tossed beside her, her body trembling as she curled inward, trying to make herself small.

The last man holding Oz eased her down to the floor beside the others, his grip firm—but not rough. She felt a chill run through her as she recognized the strange mixture of familiarity in his hold. He didn't speak, not once, as if he knew she would recognize his voice, but that didn't matter, he didn't need to. She knew him.

The masked man stepped back, turning toward the door. But she couldn't stay down any longer, she had to be sure. Her pulse pounded in her ears, her body shaking—not from fear, but from certainty.

She rose slowly from the floor, her eyes locked on his retreating figure.

"Oz!" James shouted in a whisper reaching for her to stay down.

But she didn't listen. "Pyke?" She called out, her voice shaky.

He paused at the doorway, for just a moment, his silhouette framed against the light shining through. Her breath caught in her throat as the confirmation washed over her—there was no mistaking that familiar shape.

But he didn't turn around. He simply stood there, frozen in place, as if her word had stunned him. Then, without so much as a glance back, he stepped out of the house, the door swinging closed behind him.

She remained frozen, reality of betrayal settled in. Her heart sank, her stomach twisting in knots. The world around her blurred as she stood there, disbelief coursing through her veins, the familiar scent of him still lingering in the air.