Tyrant (Lazaretto Sequel)

twelve

April 25, 2094

LAUREN

Nothing was working. Every time she was within my reach she would somehow manage to escape. It was almost like she was a shadow that I would never quite be able to catch. I thought the subway trick would do the job, but I was slowed down by what seemed like a ghost from my past. It was none other than Conley Drake. I thought he had died years ago...turns out I was wrong. As much as I wanted to stick around and chit chat, I had better things to do. I swiftly beat him up to where he was detained and stepped over him like he was a dirty rug. My father's once loyal confidant was lying on the ground in pain, and I kept walking like I never knew him at all.

Three days after my stunt had failed, I found myself lying on the couch in my hotel room staring up at the ceiling. I watched the blades of the fan spin round and round, trying to focus on just one blade in particular. In doing so, it put me under some sort of trance. My eyes began to get heavy, and for the first time it what felt like years, I fell asleep. And no doubt I dreamt about the girl that I couldn't stop thinking about.

***

It was the day after Camila had been shot. We were lying in her bed talking about everything and nothing. Every couple of hours I had to change her dressings, but she didn't seem to mind the pain. I figured the euphoric feeling of us finally accepting our feelings for one another was greater than any infliction. I curled my arms gently around her midsection and pulled her closer to me, my warm breath hitting the back of her neck. Her chestnut hair fell effortlessly over the white pillow and sheets, and I loved the contrast. Minutes had passed of us lying in silence, and I could tell she had drifted off to sleep. I began to lightly trace sweet nothings against her skin, loving the way her muscles constricted under my touch even in the state she was in. As I moved my hand higher, her shirt rode up exposing her wound. I delicately ran my fingertips across it, careful not to snag any stitches. She twitched slightly in my arms, and I pulled my hand away.

I leaned up slowly and bent down to place a kiss next to the covered bullet wound, smiling when I noticed the goose bumps rise on her skin. "I will never let anyone hurt you ever again," I whispered, knowing that she wouldn't hear me anyway. "And I will die before I ever do." I pulled her shirt back to its previous position and lied down on the pillow once more, breathing a sigh of relief as I closed my eyes, reveling in the moment. I had always dreamed of holding her in my arms and now that I could, I never wanted to let go. Opening my eyes again to see that the tattoo on the back of her neck was partially hidden by her hair, I lifted my hand and brushed the remaining strands to the side to fully expose the black ink. Without a second thought I leaned forward and captured the four numbers between my lips, wondering how many kisses it would've taken for me to erase them completely.

***

I jolted awake at the sound of my cell phone ringing, rubbing my eyes and trying to shake away any remnants of the girl I had been dreaming about. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and rolled my eyes at the name on the screen.

"Hello?" I answered groggily.

"Lauren—Wait, have you been asleep?" Val asked.

"Yeah, I think I was."

She sighed. "Whatever, listen. I've had enough of the games. Bring the girl home. I'm not going to ask you again. I'm giving you until the weekend to have her in your possession before I come up there myself, and if I have to do that I swear to god I will kill her right in front of you. Do you understand me?" The anger and frustration in her voice was evident.

"I hear you loud and clear," I returned sarcastically.

"Don't be smart with me. Bring her home. Now." She ended the call not a second later, and I tossed my phone onto the table. I sat up and sighed, wondering if sleeping was going to become a normal thing for me from now on. I just prayed that every time I slept that I wouldn't dream about the girl, but something in me knew that I would be.