Mad Hatter |George Daniel|

27

Matty POV

There's a weird and uncomfortable silence draping over the house when I came inside. Navi didn't greet me like normal and the TV wasn't normally on. Walking in, the hardwood floors were scuffed by someone's shoes rather roughly and a railing at the end of the staircase was cracked. "Luana?" I call out, setting my bag down at the bottom of the steps. Nervously my heart races when I don't hear her reply. It was so quiet my breathing sounded loud.

Heading up the stairs rather fast I check inside her and George's room. The door handle was warm, my breath hitched in my throat when I came in. The whole thing was wrecked. Completely trashed! The drapes were torn down, dressers wide open and all their clothes were on the ground in piles. Their bed was flipped...their bathroom the same. One of their windows was cracked but not fully shattered. I walk around looking for evidence of her presence. "Luana!?" I'm yelling this time, stumbling out to the hall with a complete look of terror dancing to my features. Where is she? Did she do this? Oh god we had to be robbed or something!

When I pass my own room I find it to be in similar condition, but a body all too familiar was in a heap under my shattered windowsill. "LUNA!" I leap to her side, my shoes crushing the glass under her. She's conscious but shaking uncontrollably, her hands over her head that was burried in my drapes while in the fetal position. I could hear terrible moans and her breathing was so hoarse it sounded like she broke a rib. Her once smooth perfect hair was like fireworks, a complete mess.

"No...no..n-no...Geo-George." Was all her frail voice could produce. It pained my ears. When I touch her she flinches, pulling her head from her hands and the curtains to look up at me. When I saw her eyes...I swore my heart was in pieces lumping and cutting my throat. One of her eyes was completely swollen shut and blackened terribly. The other was bloodshot. Her shocked expression fell into a gut wrenching pained one, her busted lip quivering. "Matty." She wails, her shaking body reaching for me, her hands decorated wth blood bht no clear blood wound from herself. I pull her into me, falling back into the glass but not letting it cut either one of us.

"Oh god, who did this? Who hurt you?" I hold her by the small of her back, cradling her, rocking her and kissing her forehead to try and calm her. She's unresponsive at first so I let her collect herself, pulling her onto my broken bed. The frame cracks then snaps, startling her. "I need to call the police." I anounce, letting her go to rea h for me phone.

"No!" Luana wails, grabbing my arm very harshly. She looks at me with her own terrorized expression. "They said if the police are contacted they'll come back and kill me!"

I grab her facd in my hands, studying the busted lip and black eye on her intently. "Who's they?"

"Macen he...he was in this thing. Like a gang but not really a gang. They don't kill people, only scare them. They found out about George. I-I don't know how they got the address, they broke in while I was out. And, oh god." Her voice cracks again, then she covers her face. Blood smearing on her forehead as her quivering hands covered her mouth. It pained me to see her cry like that. Sobs just racking her whole body...."They wrecked everything! I found Navi...dead in the living room." She holds up her bloody hands. I pull her closer to me now. To let her know I was there listening to every horrible bit of information she was feeding me. The sick fuckers killed her dog! My fists clenched tightly as she spoke more: "They knew me, I walked in and they instantly knew me. I ran, oh jesus did I run. There was four of them. Two of them they interigated me, held me down, screamed and screamed for answers. I told them nothing, for Gee and I's safety. They beat me, beat me black and blue until I ran in here, locked the door until they thought I jumped the window. Gone and here you are." She was calm by now, sharply breathing but calmer. Her finger tips fearfully dug into my skin as she held me. I watched her eyes flicker around the trashed room rapidly. The fear in her was physically evident.

"I hope you realize I have to do sometning about this Luna. Even if that means having to speak about it. George needs to be informed too." I speak slowly so she isn't spooked or startled if i raised my voice. That's all I wanted to do was scream and scream until my vocal chords were strained. Why does all the bad things happen to her?! It's not fucking fair! She doesn't speak, just tucks her head into my lap and lets me call the police. While on the phone I look around my trashed room, the glass, my wood dresser and the bed under me cracked and scraped. My clothes shrewn and shredded in the closet. It was a nightmare and it raked my bones with every glance. Luana shakes vigorously again.

&&&

"You two should both consider stayig with a friend or family member until we get this figured out. We don't want anyone coming back and finding you here in the midst of this."

We were told by a female officer in her 40's mearly minutes after questioning. Luana was in a state of shock as I drove the both of us to my mums. Although my mother was clueless of she and I arriving she was very glad to see me. So was my brother and they were both very concerned for the two of us. Thankfully the word about George being a murderer didn't pass onto my mum. She assumed we were only robbed for a clueless reason. Bless gulible parents sometimes.

When we arrived I sat on the bank of her trailer in the yard, explaining everything while Luana was taken to the guest bedroom to sleep off her terror. My nerves were shooken up too but that ddint prevent me from calling Ross and Adam to make sure they weren't robbed either. After my short encounter with my mum it was already midnight and I was groggily half awake. Blessing the two goodnight, I headed up to the guest bedroom with our bags. She slept in the corner of the bed against the wall in a bundle. Slipping off my shirt I joined her cold body under the sheets. Pulling her closely and gripping her tightly to assure her I was there. And on my watch she was safe for now.