Darkest Hour

.21.

Shasta's POV:

    I pull Atlas to the side, as I see my father calling over two men you get rid of the body. There's blood everywhere but looking back I see this isn't their first time covering up something. How did it end up like this? Why? Was he really a predator? As they walk by us I see it's someone I knew sorta. I didn't know his name but, I knew he was a good friend to my neighbor that's new next door. I wonder if he knew this man was gonna try this. Or there's another reason and I need to think about it good. What if he was the one who set it all up?

"What are you doing here really?" I say to Atlas. He's to busy watching my fathers moves. "Huh? Umm yeah well I wanted to apologize for being the biggest dick alive. I'd really love to make it up to you, I'm so sorry for what I've done and how I've made you feel." He says and I look into his eyes and I'm watching for emotion. Hmm, I see it a lot but I'm going to mess with him.

"I don't know. I'm not really the forgiving type." I say and I see his face fall more than before. "Look Shas I'm so sorry please listen to m-" All he got out when I planted a small kiss on his cheek. I stepped back and he was at awe. It was like seeing a teenage kid wanting a kiss or to be noticed from his crush. He won the lottery, his cheeks are so red and his softly touching where I kissed. He isn't smiling, he's just looking at me and the ground. What did I do wrong? He then smiles the biggest smile I thought his face was going to fall off. His dimple is so big and so amazing. He grabs me softly with his hands on my shoulders just enough to give a small squeeze. He then does that most amazing thing, he gently kisses my forehead and I feel small tingles.

What this boy does to me, I can't stop it or even explain it. "Thank you." I say to him and he looks confused. "For what?" He says looking into my eyes. "For apologizing, men don't usually do that to me." I say to him and he hugs me. I don't feel turned on the slightest I just feel in heaven.

"Okay now lets get down to business, who was that?" He says getting all serious I just wanna laugh at him. "Well, I don't know but I've seen him before with my neighbor." I say rubbing my neck, he nods. "Alright then we start there." He grabs my hand and gives it a squeeze. He starts to lead me to my house. Oh boy, he hasn't met Togo yet. Togo don't take well to men, he just was starting to adjust to my father.

We got to my front door and I already hear Togo running you to the door. "Umm, before we go in do not move suddenly and do not act like your touching me right away okay?" I say to him and he lets go of my hand and keeps a distance. His eyes show curiosity, a smug look on his face and I wanna already punch him.

I step in first and Togo round to my legs and leans against them not yet noticing Atlas because he's still on the porch. "Come in." I say and he slowly walks in. Togo gets defensive by me and growls and his hairs are standing on edge. "Togo, no." I say to him grabbing his fur twisting it a little to let him know I'm okay. "Togo?" Atlas says to me slowly getting to his knees. Togo stops growling and walks to him and somehow someway he lets him pet him. "So much for a guard dog?" I say to myself watching them hitting it off so fast.

"He likes me." Atlas says. "Well maybe he sees you as a girl." I say with a smirk. He laughs lightly and Togo runs off into the other direction. "Okay we gotta get to business now." He says walking to my fathers office. He walks right on in like it's nothing. What a jerk he can be. "Sir, we need to find who did this." He says to my father who is facing the windows with his arms crossed. His muscles bulging and he sighs and turns to face us. Grabbing the back of his office chair, you can see him gripping it by the sound of the wood creaking.

"I know." He says, he runs his hand through his hair and motions for us to take a seat. Right now he don't feel like my father, it feels like a demon has taken over. He's cold and dark, and someone you don't wanna even encounter on his good days. Yet he's not mad at us, he's mad at whoever tried to hurt me. He always said he loves playing their games because he always plays it better than the maker.

"If I may speak I think I know where we should start." Atlas says now matching my father. Both of them are dark right now and show no emotion. "Where Atlas?" My father says clicking his pen and pulls out a piece of paper to write notes. "We should try the new neighbor, Shasta said she's seen that man before and it was with him, so we talk to him and get some answers hopefully." Atlas says as saying it's the easiest idea because it makes sense. "Very well then to the neighbor we go." My father says.

"We leave at once so it's daytime. If we don't get answers we search his house top to bottom. Evan?" He says and Evan immediately walks through the double doors. "What's up?" He says looking at all of us then straight to my father. "We're going and checking out the neighbors house and we're getting answers tonight. I have a feeling this is the beginning of something not so good. Poor girl hasn't done anything and people are already trying to harm her." He says and Evan nods. "When do we leave?" Evan asks. "Right now." They all head out and I follow. "Not you." My father says stopping me.

    "Why not?! They want me dad, not you not Atlas, me!" I say getting frustrated. I wanted to help so bad because it's my safety and I want to stop it anyway I can help. "No, Shasta it's to dangerous, what if it's worse than we know? What if-." He says as I cut him off. "What if? What if? It's always what ifs! Why dad?" He calls my mom and she walks to me. "Keep her in the house I'm putting men out to watch the door and windows. If you leave your done for Shasta, for once listen to me this time?" He says closing the front door behind him. I grunt and head to the back windows, I watch as they walk over to the house that's hidden behind trees.

    "Why boy? Why do I have this feeling I should of gone with them?" I say petting Togo. He lays his head on my lap and sighs also. "It's for your safety Shasta." Mom says and sits beside me. I'm so bored it's already been 15 minutes, everything is dead silent. Suddenly me and mom hear gunshots, not just one more like 10. "What the fuck!" I say running to the back windows once more. "Shasta stay here she says texting my dad and Evan or any of the other men they took along. About 20 minutes pass, one of the guards named Nick comes in the front door. He's holding his stomach and there's blood all over him. The doctor is already in the house because of dad, so he's in luck. "Nick! What happen? What's going on?" My mother asks him she's about to cry. "Nothing good at all. They are okay just we got jumped somehow they knew we were heading over." He says.

    The doctor leads him into another room and I keep pacing the kitchen. I keep sending texts to Atlas and dad and no one answers. "Fuck this!" I say heading to my room and going to my top drawer. There is my box and opening it are my two shiny cold steel revolvers. "Time to feed the dark wolf." I say and take off downstairs.