Sanctuary ☠ l.h.

One

I dash around the corner and into Michael and I's old bedroom, and then running into the closet and locking it.

I slide down the wall and scoot as far back as I possibly can, scared for my life.

Still out of breath from running for my life, I pull out my phone and dial my best friend Michael's number.

"Hiii,"

"Michael, I-"

"I can't come to the phone right now, but I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Beeeep."

"Damn it Michael!" I curse.

Hearing Michael's voicemail disappointed me, because right now I really needed him.

I hear heavy footsteps outside of the closet door, and a deep voice demands,

"Hey, Eric. You search in the bathroom and I'll search for the bitch in the closet."

As soon as those words escaped the man's mouth, my heart fell into my stomach and adrenalin began to fill my veins.

With my luck, my phone rang.

"What was that?" I hear one of the men ask as he nears the closet.

Knowing that I don't have much time to talk, I make my words as short as I can manage.

"Michael," I whisper in a serious tone, "I'm going to put my phone in my pocket, but stay on the line, alrigt?"

"Stella what's wrong?" Michael asks worried.

"Michael just do it."

I put my phone into to pocket and I see the door knob wiggle a little.

"Eric!" The man calls out.

"What's up, boss?"

"This door is locked."

I cover myself up with clothes and shoes, and completely relax my body. Hopefully I look like a pile of clothing.

They both start to laugh and not long after, a hole is kicked into the door and then unlocked.

I can see through a slight slit in a sweater, and I notice them just looking aorund.

"Boss.. I don't mean to disappoint you, but no one is in here." Eric says.

"Fuck!" The boss exclaims. "Now what are we going to tell Zant? He wanted her dead. Dead!"

The boss storms out and Eric follows, and I make sure the door shuts before coming out of hiding. I wait for about five minutes after, and pull my phone out of my pocket.

"Mikey?" I cry, tears beginning to slide down my face.

"Stella! Oh my God, who was that?" He asks, "How did they get in? Are you alright? Do I need to-"

"Michael slow down. I don't know who they were. One of their names were Eric, and the other didn't give his name. The name Zant was mentioned, though. I was hiding in the closet.. Michael I want you and the boys home." I manage to speak, my voice cracking a bit at the end.

I hear Luke and Ashton in the background ask Michael if everything was alright, and Michael said, "I don't know what's going on but I am about to find out."

"Go to my side of the bed." He demands.

I do as told.

"Okay, now what?" I ask Michael, wondering why I'm at his side of the bed.

"Open," He hesitates to say his next choice of words, but speaks anyway. "Open the dresser door."

I open the dresser door and my breath hitches.

"Michael, why the hell do you have this?!" I ask, now concerned at what I'm holding and why It's been in Michael's possession for God knows how long.

"Take it with you everywhere you go, okay?" He says in a serious tone.

"Okay.. Michael I'm so scared. I don't know who they are, Michael, but I have a feeling that they're going to come back and this time they'll get me. Mikey, they said that Zant wanted me dead. D-E-A-D." I start to cry again as I look down at the shiny chrome pistol in my hand.

"I'll try to come home as soon as I can, okay Stells? But promise me one thing Stella." Michael gains a softer tone in his voice.

"What's that?"

"If they come back," he paused. "I want you to try to kill them. Kill the and run. Buy a plane ticket to New York and never look back. Forget about us being best friends. forget about you and Luke. forget about all of us, and find someone new.. Okay? Can you do that for me?" I can tell that Michael is close to crying by the way he said 'forget about all of us'.

"No, Michael I can't just forget about you boys and leave-"

"It's either us boys die, you die, or you run away and forget about us and you be safe, Stella. That's all I care about. Your safety, your protection."

"But Michael,-"

"Promise?"

"I.. I promise."

"Good. I love you, bestie. I'll text you as soon as I'm done with this show, alright? Stay safe." Michael says.

"I love you, too Mikey." I say, and hang up.

If I would have known that that was one of the last times I ever talked to him, or a chance to have talked to Luke, I would have never ended the call.