Captive || 5sos AU

The Flame-Haired Boy

As Laurie sat in the corner of the small cement prison she was forced to dwell in, her hunger grew and the pangs in her stomach became impossible to ignore. For a time she considered starving herself- if she was dead they couldn't make any money off of her, after all, she wouldn't want them to succeed in using her freedom as a pawn in their little game. However, it wasn't long until this thought passed and Laurie's instincts took over.

She devoured the plate that Calum had brought her, and when she was finished she retreated to the corner she had taken up residence in since she had first arrived. The loneliness of the room began to take it's toll on Laurie, and her thoughts and emotions swirled and intermingled with one another.

Her thoughts of Calum, the new boy in her math class who had come over to help with homework, but ended up staying the weekend, collided with thoughts of another Calum, the one with which she had just been acquainted, who had kidnapped her in the veil of night, and locked her in a dark, unfamiliar place. This enraged, saddened, and shocked Laurie all at once, and sent her into a dream-like delirium which was only broken by her door coming open.

Though Laurie's vision was slightly blurred by her state, she could clearly make out the vision of a tall boy with flame colored hair who she had certainly never seen before. "Hello." The boy said in a jolly and friendly tone, which was so welcoming it sent chills down Laurie's spine.

Once the world stopped spinning and she could form coherent sentences, Laurie managed to utter a weak "Hi." but avoided all eye contact. The boy walked toward the corner which Laurie had occupied and reached his hand out to help her up. Though this new boy seemed friendly, she was warn out by the array of new characters she had met, and wasn't willing to take any chances.

She rejected his hand but, taking it as a cue, stood up weakly and leaned on the wall immediately, the pain from her ankle returning when pressure was placed on it. "That looks bad." The boy said, examining her dirty and blood-strewn ankle. Laurie finally looked up at the boy and examined him.

He was tall like the others, but was much less intimidating. Something about him gave him an air of friendliness and trustworthiness, and Laurie finally extended her hand out to him. The boy took her hand and leveled her body against his so that she could stop depending on the wall to stand. "What's your name?" He asked, turning the both of them around and leading her out of the room.

Laurie looked around at the surroundings outside of the room she was just rescued from and shuddered. "Laurie." She responded blankly, dazed by the unusual civility of the boy. "That's a cute name." He said, carrying her up the stairs and into a brightly lit living area. There was a muffled bang, and Laurie looked back to see that it was the sound of a bookcase slamming against the wall, and that the captive area was hidden easily from an unknowing eye.

She felt a new wave of terror build in her body, but was calmed again by the sound of the boy's voice. "Mine's Michael. It's a little boring, but I didn't pick it out." He said, laughing a little at his own statement. Michael continued up the stairs, Laurie in arm, until he reached a large bedroom.

Inside the room was a full sized bed with bright white bedding, a desk with a note pad and a few pens, a chest of drawers, a nightstand, and a separate bathroom. There was no TV or computer, and only a small, rectangular window settled at the very top of the wall.

Michael placed Laurie very gently on the plush bed, and she almost collapsed immediately by the much needed comfort. "Just a second, Laurie." Michael said, chuckling a little at her still slightly delirious state. "I need to fix this cut in your leg, it looks like it's getting infected."

He walked to the desk and opened one of its drawers, shuffling through until he found a box which looked to Laurie to contain medical materials. He returned to Laurie's side and began explaining to her what he was going to be applying to her leg, and that it might burn a little, but that it would help with the pain after a while and would clean up any infection.

He went on and on as he cleaned up her cut and began applying the medicine, but all Laurie could think of was escape. She knew that that moment wouldn't be a good time to run, as she knew nothing of the layout of this house, but that it was a perfect opportunity to ask questions.

"Michael..." She started, interrupting his spurt of medical information and silencing him immediately. "Yes?" He responded calmly. "Why am I here? Besides the money, I mean. Why did you move me from where I was to this nice bedroom?" She asked, not waiting for one question to be answered before asking another.

Michael became obviously anxious by these questions and looked around the room. "Well, I don't really do much around here." He chuckled. "It's just my job to make sure our... guests... stay good and healthy. But I was told to bring you up here." He said with a smile.

Laurie was disturbed by the whole thing. This wasn't just some one time thing, this was a fully operational business with multiple people working to kidnap one person at a time for money- complete with medical staff, an insane head orchestrator, and a bunker that seemed to Laurie like it belonged in some weird mix of Texas Chainsaw Massacre and 50 Shades of Gray!

She recomposed herself and cleared her throat. "Who told you to do that?" She asked, and scanned Michael's friendly face up and down. He bit his lip and looked around for a few seconds, pondering over whether or not it would be a good idea to tell her. "Luke- er, Hemmings. He controls everything that goes on around here." He said and stood up, quickly changing the subject.

"Anyway, your cut is taken care of and it shouldn't give you much trouble anymore. Take it easy for a while, though." Michael approached the door to leave, but turned around one more time and tossed a paper at Laurie.

"I'm always available if you need someone to talk to." He said reassuringly and left the room. Laurie had hoped that he would leave without locking the door, but when she heard the familiar sound of metals colliding, she frowned and sank back into her new bed.

Laurie uncrumpled the wad of paper Michael had thrown to her and read it. '9183729 -Michael's room code. Give me a buzz if you need to talk :-)' Laurie smiled a bit at the idea of a newfound friend and set the paper on her nightstand.

The day was long from over, and the sun still peeked through the tiny window, but Laurie was done. Within a few minutes of arriving in her new room, she had fallen asleep in it.