Transformed || l.h.

Chapter 17

FOREWARNING: If you're easily triggered, don't read this chapter. It has mentions of suicide within it and there is the threatening of life.

Georgia feels her heart drop into her stomach. “Sh-she was murdered?” she manages to stutter out. Luke’s uncle shifts his weight and just as he’s about to open his mouth, Liz steps forward.

“Stewart,” she says evenly, holding her chin high in pride, “that’s enough.”

He shakes his head, “She deserves to know what that cretin did to my wife.” Liz’s jaw goes slack for a minute and then she composes herself, crossing her arms over her chest. Her voice is low and slow paired with a pointed glare as she says, “I won’t have you talking about my son like that.”

Georgia’s head is screaming at her that she has no place here; she doesn’t belong. Clutching her fists around her shirt, she steps back from the stare-down. Just as she places her palm over the doorknob to open it and slip away, it opens and she finds herself cowering behind it.

“Hey mum, I’m ho- What’s going on?”

Watching, Georgia sees Luke toss his gym bag behind the couch and she’s surprised to see his torso bare. As he walks past Stewart and to his mom, the hair on the back of his neck bristles and his shoulder muscles are as tightly coiled as possible. Luke’s fists are curled by his sides as his jaw clamps shut and he looks over his mother, instantly noticing the fading red marks placed there.

“Oh my God,” Luke breathes, “I swear if you hurt her…” He rushes over to his mom, murmuring to her about whether or not she’s hurt and how she should’ve told him to come home early. In that few moments he’s coddling over his mother, it gives Stewart the chance to grab Georgia from behind the door and hold her near to his chest. She squeals as his fingers wrap around her throat, her cry cut short as he legs dangle slightly in the air thanks to the man’s towering height.

“Georgia?” Luke’s cheeks pale as he realizes what’s going on. Stewart positions his thick hands so they’re right where they need to be to expertly cut off her air supply if need be. Georgia chokes, her eyes splitting open as Stewart’s hands dig into her neck, cutting off the majority of her oxygen flow. Her hand flail around as she tries to scratch and claw at his arms and wrists in a weak attempt to pry him off of her.

She manages to croak out Luke’s name in a labored whisper as the first tear leaks down her cheek and her face begins to darken shades of red. “Stewart!” Luke growls, “Stop this and put her down.” Stewart merely shakes his head, “Not until you tell her how you killed her!”

Luke’s cheeks are pink as his mouth opens and closes while he tries to form a sentence but comes up short, unable to speak. As if to prove a point, Stewart presses his fingernails into Georgia’s neck, creating crescent shapes and successfully making her face shade purple. She’s gasping for air now, only the slightest amount of oxygen reaching her lugs, her hands now dead weight on Stewart’s arms with no obvious fight left in them.

“N-No, Stewart, c’mon,” Luke lunges forward as he sees Georgia fumbling for air. His arms are stretched out towards her and his face is twisted with anguish and pain, wondering just how this whole situation turned in a matter of seconds. “C’mon, mate,” he tries again, begging with stormy blue eyes filled with regret. Georgia whimpers in Stewart’s hold, tears streaming freely down her cheeks as she really begins to fear for her life.

“Oh,” Stewart chuckles cynically, “This is payback, little Lukey.”

Luke’s jaw clenches at the name and he reaches towards Geeps, but Stewart just takes a step back, twisting Georgia’s head, making her cry out in agony. Stewart releases his fingers from around her neck to cradle it in the crook of his elbow as he pulls back her eyelids, forcing her to look straight ahead at Luke.