As Hollow As A Mannequins Grin (Keveridge)

20 - It's Like I'm Panic In Distress, I Need A Hypodermic In...

 He wasn't moving.

He wasn't breathing.

Panic finally set in as I looked down at the two Timids. I didn't know what to do...but there had to be something - anything to help him. Me and Luke stood behind Barrone, eyes fixed on the pair of them as small sobs escaped his lips as he looked at his boyfriend.

"Cyrus, come on we-" I started.

"GET OUT! GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT!" he screeched.

Both me and Luke jumped back in fright but neither one of us made an attempt to leave. He looked up at us, tears streaming down his cheeks and his eyes were red - and that wasn't from his usual red eyeliner for once.

"I-I can save h-him..." He took a deep breath to try and calm himself down a little to speak, "I know I can..."

"We can help?" Luke offered, crouching down and putting a hand on Cyrus's shoulder but he brushed it off.

"No. Go and find Laurence and save him. Kill the men who did this to him and make sure they suffer." My eyes widened slightly as he spoke. This wasn't the Cyrus I knew at all. "Make sure they know that if Drew dies I will find each and every one of them and slaughter them." He tore his gaze away from the two of us and lay Drew on the ground before starting to pump his chest to get air into his lungs.

Luke opened his mouth to speak, to try and convince Cyrus that we should stay and help, but I cut him off by pulling him back by his elbow and shaking my head. There was no way that one Timid would leave the other. Especially when one of them was close enough to dead.

I motioned for him not to make a sound and we both walked out the room, though I could tell that Luke was reluctant to do so. I carefully and quietly shut the door behind me and we walked out the building. Luke pulled his hood up so it mostly masked his face should someone recognise him and stood watching me. We didn't know what to say to one another as we began to walk down the street, heading in the direction of the palace.

I had too many things going on in my head: what I'd done in the forest with letting them take him, Laurence being captured and most likely tortured, Drew almost dead back in the building...and here I was trying to keep up the act that I was innocent and didn't know how the bandits had found Laurence and what they were going to do with him. His best friend was putting trust in me.

I'd screwed up big time.

"Why wouldn't you let me stay with him?" Luke finally broke the uneasy silence that was looming over us.

"Because Cyrus wouldn't have wanted you to stay. Nothing personal - just when it comes to Drew he's really protective of the little guy..." I shoved my hands in my pockets and lowered my head slightly. 

Luke stopped and waited until I turned to face him before saying, "There's more."

I sighed, "You're the only one out of our group that knows the palace near enough like the back of his hand. You'll know where they'd most likely keep Laurence and that's why I need your help here more so than back there with Drew."

He nodded, satisfied with my answer and continued walking. I had to tell him the truth at some point - I knew I did... I just didn't want him to take it too badly, which was selfish because Laurence is his best friend but I-

"Kier." I was snapped out of my muddled up thoughts by Luke who had almost gotten to the end of the street, "You coming?"

I nodded and jogged up to the bearded man as he continued to walk on. Neither of us had much to go on in the ways of where Laurence had been taken or where he was being held. The whole thing was a massive gamble on our part.