Promise // Mullette

chapter 19

- Laf -

Is this a dream? It has to be.

I woke up from my post-panic rest the next morning, early. I spent the day with Sam, cleaning and cooking so that when King came home late tonight, he wouldn't be upset about any mess or lack of a meal for him to eat.

It was around 3pm when I heard a woman's voice come over the home's buzzer system. Usually, she announced who was coming over once they got in the gate. This was always King's cue to lock me away and threaten that he'd do awful things to me if I made noise.

But this time, a name came across the the speaker that I never thought I'd hear.

"Hercules Mulligan to 1776 Royalty Avenue. Again, that is Hercules Mulligan on his way to 1776 Royalty Avenue." The woman announced, before I heard a click and the system shut off. Oh my.

"Sam?" I yelled at the same time that he yelled, "Laf?"

We ran down to meet each other in the front room by the door.

"You heard that, right?" He asked, and I nodded. I had told him all about Herc the other day, and he had told me about his coded posts. Herc had to have seen them.

"How are we gonna leave if the system alerts King when we open the door?" I asked. Sam shook his head.

"He's still so far away that by the time he gets an alert for it and starts coming back, we'd be long gone. And besides... I might have seen King disable the system a few times. I know his code." He smiled mischievously and I felt excitement fill me. I haven't been here as long as he has, but I can't take King and his abuse anymore. He's damaged me so much.

A few minutes later, I see Herc's car pull up. Alex and John are in the back seat! They're sitting outside, watching the house. They do this for a while. I'm assuming they're waiting to see if someone else is here.

I sit by the front door and wait, praying that Herc gets out of the car. Sam is waiting by the keypad next to the door, ready to disable the system and run for it. We don't have anything since he only took us with what we were wearing. My phone is still in my apartment.

Finally, I see Herc pop the door open and run up to the house. My heart almost hurts in anticipation, waiting for him to knock. The second he knocks on the door, I look at Sam and he disables the security system. I yank the door open and we sprint out, closing it tightly.

"Laf!" Herc shouts. I run to the car with Sam and settle in the front seat. John and Alex shift to let Sam in the back.

Herc gets back in the front and I cry out, "we need to go, now!"

He starts the car and zips out of the neighborhood and out the back gate, speeding until he hits the highway before I start to explain.

"So... do we get to know what's going on?" Alex asks from the backseat. I laugh, relieved, and nod.

"King took me from my apartment and kept us locked in his house as... a slave. For a few things. But then, we realized that he goes on these business trips. And that's when Sam and I met. Sam has been stuck there for a while too, and we became friends." I said. Sam nodded before looking out the window, seeming a little upset. Did I get something wrong?

"Well, I can't wait until we get home. I was so, so worried about you Laf. I can't wait to hold you again." Herc said, looking over at me with glistening eyes. I smiled back and nodded.

"I just realized something." Alex said from the backseat. I turned around quickly.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Lafayette, you're going to have to move out of your apartment. He knows where you live now, and can easily come back and try to get you again." He said. What a mess! I had just barely moved in and now I had to find some place else.

"You probably don't want to stay in the same complex either. We can help you search for an apartment, Laf. I'm sure there's a lot of options nearby." John added.

"And if you're up to it... you could always stay at my place for a while, to stay a little safer. I have a guest bedroom. You can live with me until we get you all packed up and find you somewhere new." Hercules said.

"You'd really let me do that?" I asked, feeling a smile cross my face. He nodded and smiled back.

"Of course I would."

"Hey, what about Sam?" John asked. Yeah, that might be important.

"I lived in an apartment with my sister in New York City. I have some friends around there that I could stay with for a while, too. But I don't think King will come looking for me." He said, fidgeting with his hands as he spoke softly.

"Alright. The city is on our way back to our place anyway, so we'll be able to swing you by there, not a problem." Hercules said. Sam thanked him before going back to looking out the window.

We continued the ride back in relative silence, but no one really minded. I couldn't help but wonder what things would be like once we got back. I'm sure there was something we had to settle with the police, some legal matter. Let's hope King goes to prison. I won't have to worry about his threats if he was locked away.

I also wondered about what would happen if, in a quite a while of course, my relationship with Herc progressed. We'd only been dating a little while, and I was gone for half of it. But what if, a while down the road, he wants to do certain things? What happens if I can't bring myself to do them?

I shake the thought out of my head for now. If Herc drove from New Jersey to the middle of New York to come rescue me, I knew that he would let me take my time when it came to things like that. Or probably anything at all, for that matter.

We finally arrive in the city, and Sam gives us the address of his sisters house. Apparently, they've been in contact but he hasn't told her where he has been. She comes down from the apartment and engulfs him in a hug for almost a minute on the sidewalk.

Before we leave, Sam grabs my arm and holds out his phone.

"Laf, you made the experiences I had in King's house a lot more bearable. I'd love to meet up sometime, hang out. Or we can just text and keep in contact." I enter my phone number into his contacts as he says this.

"Of course, Sam. I would love to keep our friendship going, under better conditions and, what's the word? Ah, circumstances, this time. Much better circumstances." I said. He nods and I give his phone back. He gives me a wave before heading up to the apartment with his sister, and I get back in the car.

It was finally almost time for me to really get to be with Hercules again. I couldn't wait.

a/n: yesss they're free! sorry for a bit of a shorter chapter today! probably some fluff for the next chapter bc hercand laf are reunited. alsoooo do we think sam really just wants to be friends? or does he have another motive?? hmmm...