Deadline≫hemmings a.u

4.7

It was exactly a month after Luke's death that the police stormed Marcus's compound.

I watched it all unfold on the news from in front of a small television in a hotel room somewhere in Colorado as footage of Marcus's arrest was broadcasted nationwide. People flooded out of the compound, his employees and policemen alike. There were cop cars on all sides of the lot, making it impossible to escape. Even though I knew it was hopeless, I searched the crowd of people that evacuated the building desperately for a certain blonde haired boy. But to no avail. He wasn't there.

Almost everyone who Marcus employed was given a pardon, seeing as many of them were desperate for work, or was forced in to work by Marcus and his deals. The only people who got taken in for trial and ultimately sentenced to prison were men close to Marcus that schemed with him, or men that were doing things much worse than stealing. Everything came out about Marcus came out. The men he tortured, the men who died because of him. It was all out in the open.

There were even other people who ran operations similar to Marcus's all across the country that were exposed because they had ties to each other.

It was over, all because of Luke.

I even had my name cleared.

"Missing eighteen year old and assumed criminal, Melanie Davis has been cleared of all charges." The reporter on the news read to the camera. "The same anonymous source that tipped police forces off to Marcus Bay's whereabouts and is believed to have returned the stolen money has also cleared Davis's name by revealing that she was in fact abducted and forced into work."

"You did all that on a five minute phone call?" I raised my eyebrows at Michael, who sat on the bed. "Don't you think people will be looking for me?"

Michael shook his head. "I've been anonymously contacting them for the past few days, telling them everything. As for you, I covered it up a little. What happens is up to you." Michael jutted his chin at the screen and I returned to watching.

"However, Davis's whereabouts remain unknown," the reporter continued. "It is possible that she is trying to find her way home."

I tuned out the next part of it, still amazed that things were over so quickly. It was only when a familiar face showed up on screen that I snapped back to attention. It wasn't Luke.

"Calum?"

"I didn't believe it for a second when they said you were dead, I didn't believe it for a moment when they said you were a criminal," Calum's face was still a lot thinner and there were bags under his eyes, but the happiness I saw there restored the boy I grew up with, my best friend. "I never stopped looking, I knew you were out there. I'm still going to look for you, even if you're on your way home. And if that's the case, then please, Melanie, hurry back."

They cut away after that. His speech this time was shorter than the last, but the message got across.

However, when his bit was over, I found that my chest still felt every bit as heavy as it had before he had come on the news, if not even heavier. As the news reporter kept talking, they showed the footage again of the peopl evacuating Marcus's building. This time, I couldnt bring myself to search the crowd for Luke. I couldn't even bring myself to watch the screen anymore.

"Mel, where are you going?" Michael's voice was laced with confusion as I got up suddenly.

I ignored Michael, my throat tightening as I shook my head at him and started for the door. It was all too much.

Behind me, I could hear Michael clambering off the bed, his feet hitting the floor with an unceremonious thud as I opened the door. "Melanie wait - "