Teenage Runaway

Chapter 7

It was Liam's turn to comfort a very torn up Niall, although there wasn't much to say. Liam wanted to promise Niall that everything would be okay, and he wish he could have, but he didn't want to lie to one of his best mates. No one really knew what to say, the just sat there in silence, hoping, wishing, and praying for the best, for their safety, and Sam's.

The group of men who held Sam hostage watched the scene at Taylor's house through one of the many secret survaillence videos they had installed in her home when they snatched Sam. They had Niall in the fragile state that they wanted him in, and had gotten everyone else into a scared, paranoid state of mind.

Throughout the next week, everyone tried to carry on as usual for Niall's sake, although most days he refused to get out of bed. Zayn and Harry insisted he joined them sleeping in the living room so he didn't have to go back to the bed him and Sam shared. Everyone was getting tensed up, considering the circumstances, and on Friday, marking it exactly a week since Sam was taken, Eleanor blew up on Louis. It was a silly reason, something about leaving crumbs in their bed from night snacking or taking something out of place and not putting it back and disrespecting Taylor's home for being a slob. Taylor repeatedly told them that it was fine, but Eleanor continued yelling at Louis while he just sat there and took it like a good boyfriend instead of opening his mouth and making things worse. Getting more and more frustrated and even more red-faced, Eleanor announced she was going on a walk to clear her mind. Despite Louis' protests to go with her--since it wouldn't be safe for her to go out by herself with the men out looking for them--she slammed the door and made her way down the town sidewalk on her own.

After not returning for two hours, Niall, Harry, Zayn, and Louis went out to look for her. Taylor insisted they bring a flashlight, as dusk was beginning. While they were out, Taylor started to make dinner. It was cold by the time the four boys walked through the door, Louis looking pretty broken up. Immediately, Taylor and Liam knew they hadn't found her, and knew their theory, which was even worse. Louis had his lips pursed together in a frown, trying to prevent himself from crying, even though they all knew it would come pouring out eventually. Niall had his arm around Louis for both emotional and physical support; Louis looked like he could barely stand. In his hand, he had been gripping a red bandana that Eleanor had tied around her head as a hairband that she had been wearing earlier, which had been a fashion trend she had picked up from Harry.

"Louis, I-"

"She's gone." He choked out the two venomous words the same way Niall did last week when Sam had been taken. "I may never see her again and the last thing we did was fight." He had to say more, and everyone knew it, but he broke down and buried his face in Niall's t-shirt. Niall led them over to the couch and sat, Louis beginning to bawl like a child who'd lost his mother in the department store, but who could blame him?

When Eleanor came into Sam's view under the dim lighting of the cellar, she had to admit she was happy, at first. That was, until she saw the men pushing her and that she was also bound at the wrists. The men pulled up another metal chair matching the one that Sam was bound to, and threw Eleanor in it, separating her legs and tying her ankles to opposite legs of the chair as he did Sam's. He pulled the TV on a metal cart over in front of the girls and turned on the surveillance video in Taylor's home. They gasped when they saw their two boys breaking down with each other and holding one another while they cried. Sam and Eleanor started crying themselves, but due to the very inconvenient conditions, were not able to comfort each other.

"Poor, poor boys," said the man, who Sam had been forced to become a little too friendly with over the past week. He turned the TV off and stood in front of it, diabolically tapping his gloved fingers on the metal cart. "Don't you worry, girls, I'll take good care of them. And, you'll have another friend to join you soon."

Everyone agreed that with what had happened that day that they deserved an early bedtime. Zayn and Harry insisted Louis join them on the pullout couch as they did with Niall. If you don't think that four grown men can sleep on twin bed, your right. Taylor and Liam took Bentley into his bathroom and gave him a bath with bubbles and toy ships, everything he wanted. They put him to bed the same as they had been doing since Liam had been there; Taylor giving him a kiss goodnight and Liam singing him to sleep.

Taylor went in her room and changed into her pajamas and waited for Liam to finish his song to Bentley. He joined her on the bed and laid down right next to her while she was lost in her thoughts. "I'm scared, Liam."

"I know. It's okay."

"No, it's not. I'm next, we all know it." She was getting choked up. "I don't want to be next."

"You won't be next. Not as long as I'm here."

"Look, what happens to me doesn't matter. Just make sure Bentley is okay. Promise?"

"I can't promise you that because nothing is going to happen to you."

"Liam, please," Taylor pleaded with him, looking at him throught the tears in her eyes.

Taylor got up and went to Bentley's room, pulling the sleeping child from his baby bed and into her arms. She carried him into her room and laid him down. "I just want to spend as much time with him before..." Liam nodded so she didn't have to go on and moved down to his makeshift bed and turned off the light.

Taylor woke up in the middle of the night from a terrifying nightmare. The men had came and snatched her, and her son. You simply don't do anything to harm a mother's child. She rolled over underneath the white comforter and saw Liam peacefully sleeping. She hated to wake him, but she was scared to death. "Liam." She said. He groaned in his sleep. "I'm scared." She hated how needy she sounded, but it was the truth.

Without asking any questions, Liam got up and slid into bed next to her and ran his thumb across her cheek. "It's okay."

That night, Liam held Taylor a little closer, and Niall and Louis held each other tight, because they were all each other had anymore.