Embers [Lashton]

Chapter 6

*Luke's POV*

"I can take care of myself, thank y-"

Out of nowhere a huddle of guys approach me, laughing and taunting me. An inaudible "Ash" slips from my mouth as they reach me. There's four of them, staring at me like a lamb for the slaughter.

"Hemmings, just the cripple we're looking for," one smirks, his dark eyes narrowing.

Ashton's voice sounds in my phone, capturing my attention. I open my mouth to answer but the guy closest to me snatches the phone from my hand and smashes it against the concrete.
My phone breaks, the screen and back splitting from all the wires and shattering.

"I'm not a cripple," I mumble.

One of the guys, with bright red hair and emerald eyes, grips onto my shoulder and backs me into the nearest alley. He shoves me up against the nearest wall, my back scraping the bricks.

As much as I always thought I'd fancy being pinned against the wall, this is in no way how I want it to feel.

"Is it true about the fire? Is your arm all fucked up?"

My eyes widen as I gaze up at him, terror flooding my veins. I slowly shake my head to answer their question.

"Get out of the way, Michael."

The red haired guy steps back and a different black haired boy steps forward, holding me in place. I shove him roughly but he doesn't budge an inch.

"Let me go," I spit, trying to sound stronger than I feel. My wobbly knees buckle and give me away. The guy smirks and yanks up the sleeves on my sweatshirt.

A rush of cool air greets the scars across my arms from the burns. The other is still covered in a blue cast.

"Holy shit, it does look disgusting!"

"You ugly ass prick."

My bottom lip trembles as I fix my gaze at the concrete floor. "Please, I don't have anything, I'm sorry. I just want to go home."

"Oh, back to the Hemmings house? You sure that's a good idea being someone tried to burn you alive there?"

Memories resurface and I kick them back down, gulping in a breath of air. Out of nowhere, a fist flies and slams into my jaw. Pain bursts in the spot of contact and I cry out.

I throw my arm with the cast as hard as I can. It slams into the guy's nose and he lurches back, howling in pain. My legs move to sprint away but one of them grabs my sweatshirt collar and yanks me back.

I give up trying to be tough. I need help and fast.

"Ashton!" I scream at the top of my lungs, biting back tears. The redhead visibly flinches. "Ashton, please help me!"

This infuriates the dark haired guy and he unleashes his anger on me. Punch after punch hits my stomach, before my strength fails. I fall to my knees and the redhead, Michael I think he called him, kicks me in the face, hard. My head flies back and into the wall. Iron blood dances on my tongue and seeps down my spine from my head.

"We want what your dad sells. And you're gonna fucking get it for us. It'll be so much worse than this, if you don't. And if you fucking tell anyone, you're dead. You're our fucking bitch. You're not telling anyone shit."