Chapter 32: Chapter 28

Travis.

Everywhere I looked, there was fire as I sat on the ground, buried in concrete blocks that used to make up the stairs. Smoke surrounded me, dark and choking. I pushed away block after block but as soon as I removed one, it would come back right on top of my legs, trapping, pining me. The air suffocated me, burning my eyes. Sweat stuck to my head, dripping down my nose.

Brick after brick, I couldn’t get my legs free. My arms were shaking. Not from fright, from strain as they moved pieces in a futile attempt to get out of the burning building. My hands were raw, red. The smoke enveloped me as I coughed, my eyes straining.

And just as a piece of the concrete slipped out of my hands, a calmness washed over me.

Just lie down, my mind coaxed, take a break.

So I did it.

I gave up on trying to free myself and leaned back all the way until my back hit the concrete floor I was situated on. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. Heat licked my skin and then it was gone. I felt nothing.

No, that wasn’t true. I focused more - cold. Why was I cold?

I opened my eyes and saw nothing but the dark sky, filled with stars overhead. I went to sit up, but I couldn’t move. I cast my eyes down my body and nothing was holding me down. I took a ragged breath in, trying to summon the strength to move but nothing happened.

Sleep, the voice in my head whispered.

No, not yet. I turned my head, the only thing I seemed to be able to do and looked at the ground around me.

It was red. Blood. My blood? It was too much, judging by how far the red stretched.

Dizziness washed over me, urging me to close my eyes just for a little bit.

I needed to get up but I couldn’t remember why.

My chest ached as I took a deep breath in, protesting against any movement at all. After a moment’s concentration, I tried again to move.

And I woke up.

The first thought was always confusion as I worked to get my bearings.

Where was I? Hotel room. Lacey was here.

I could hear her breathing softly as I looked at the ceiling. It was white. No stars.

I could feel the bed sheets against my skin. No concrete. No blood.

I laid motionless in the bed, looking around the room. Duffle bags were thrown on the desk in the corner. Dozens of candy wrappers were on the nightstand next to me from last night. No fire. No smoke.

It was just another dream. But that didn’t calm my heart rapidly beating. That didn’t stop the tremor I could feel in my arms, in my chest.

They were reoccurring dreams, two of many that haunted my sleep now.

I turned my head to the side to look at Lacey. She was still asleep and I was glad I didn’t disturb her this time. I stayed where I was, not willing to move, as if still paralyzed by the dream and observed her.

Lacey, who’d come back for me. Who traded in her freedom to be with me. Who said she wasn’t afraid of the danger that lurked in the shadows anymore. Who had her knife on the nightstand next to her side of the bed.

But despite all of that, when I looked at her I couldn’t help but want to protect her. Hide her away from the danger so nothing touched her. So nothing caused her to frown. So nothing tainted the bit of gold I’d managed to find for myself in this grey city.

I looked over at the clock on the table next to me. 7:18 a.m. There was no point in going to sleep, I wouldn’t be able to and we had to be back home soon. When we got back to the hotel last night, I’d gotten her to agree not to try to rescue Elle but it didn’t come free. In exchange, I told her she could join Annabeth, Finn, and I today.

We were going to sneak into the Casey house to get a notebook Cam needed.

“Why are we sneaking into your own house?” she had pressed while getting ready for bed last night, as I wrapped my arms around her waist.

“The house has cameras watching the grounds and your cop friends or the Dacostas could’ve hacked them,” I had answered as I kissed along her jawline.

Now, I stared at her as she stirred in bed. Her eyes opened and immediately landed on mine.

“Good morning,” she mused.

Run. The word popped into my head and I tried to squash it down but it was overtaking my thoughts. It could be so easy. We were already out of Melkin. We had the SUV, some clothes, enough money for gas and food for a short time until we found a way to get more. It was just the two of us and we could run away from all of this mess and be free. I could stop fighting.

But I’d tried to run once. Or, I was pushed by my dad to go to my mom’s and that didn’t turn out well. It caused Lacey to get stuck in this mess and I ended up coming back.

And what about Ben?

I couldn’t leave him again. He would definitely kill me.

“Hi,” I said as I exhaled, letting the idea fall away.

“Tired?” she asked, eyes looking over my face.

“No.” Run away with me, I mentally urged her, suggest the idea so it won’t guilt me.

She didn’t seem to believe me but she didn’t question it anymore and I wasn’t about to tell her what I was still trying to let go of: the idea of freedom.

Lacey sat up slightly in the bed, her eyes alive with excitement. She held the sheet up to her chest as she bent over the edge of the bed to pick up one of my old shirts she had been using to sleep in off the ground, sliding it effortlessly over her head.

She hopped out of the bed and went over to the duffle bag, digging through it before looking back at me.

“Aren’t you getting out of bed?” she questioned.

“In a second.” I didn’t want to.

When I got out of bed, I’d have to be the Travis Miller everyone expected me to be. If I could just stay in bed for a few more hours and pretend I didn’t know that life existed, then maybe I would want to get out of bed. I doubted it.

“Why are you so jazzed up?” I asked, resting my hands behind my head.

“I get to go with you today,” she said breezily.

I rolled my eyes. “This isn’t a field trip. You shouldn’t be this happy.”

Lacey turned, hand on her hip and all amusement was gone from her face. “Yes, I know,” she said with snark that disappeared just as quickly as it came, “I get to go with you to make sure you’re okay. I get to help you.”

I looked over at the clock, trying to figure out how late I could stay in bed before I absolutely had to get up. Lacey stood in front of me a second later and placed a soft kiss on the top of my head as she reached behind my head, grabbed my hands, and pulled me out of bed.

“We’re going to be late and I don’t want Cameron to give me that look or Annabeth to yell at me. She just stopped calling me Barbie, I think I’m starting to grow on her and I don’t want to ruin it,” Lacey urged.

Shortly after that, I was standing outside the perimeter of the Casey house, looking at the side of it that had burned down from the Dacosta attack.

Annabeth was on one side of me, Lacey was on my other and would occasionally shift her weight towards me, leaning against my arm. Finn was facing us, a wild grin on his face.

“Ahem,” he cleared his throat. I rolled my eyes and looked at the grey clouds overhead as he continued. “There’s video cameras in the back that I haven’t had time to disable and I don’t know if the cops are using them. But lucky for you, I’ve come to grace you with my presence to help you on this escapade –”

“Oh my god,” Annabeth interrupted, causing me to look back down at the pair. “I’m going to go without you if you don’t hurry this up.”

“I’m the leader!” Finn protested. “I happen to be an expert at sneaking about the camera’s scope and going where they can’t see so excu–”

“Because I showed you,” she said.

“That’s not important,” Finn snapped, and looked at Lacey and I.

“Just make sure to step exactly where I step. Ex-act-ly or you’ll get picked up on a camera.”

Did we need four people to sneak in and get a notebook? No. Did they listen to me? No. I called Cameron yesterday night while I was waiting for Lacey outside of the dance club. Cameron had insisted Finn, Annabeth, and I go in case the house was being watched. I suggested we just forget the notebook and Cameron hung up on me. It was apparently important enough to hang up without saying goodbye or wishing me a good night. Lacey was added on to the group to make her happy.

“This way, children,” Finn said and hopped the fence into the Casey backyard.

Lacey started to follow him but Annabeth grabbed her arm and held her back.

“Go,” she said, looking right at me. “So Finn and I can both watch you.”

“The lack of trust here is astounding,” I said. “I know how to fucking walk.”

She pointed to the spot I had to climb up over like I didn’t know how to climb a fence.

“No,” she scolded, “Scoot more to the left or you’ll show up on camera. This spot,” she hit the spot she was indicating with her finger, “Is in a blind spot.”

I let out an exaggerated sigh but did as she instructed and landed where Finn indicated. He started walking slowly, his footsteps creating soft marks in the overgrown grass and I was able to step in them after he abandoned each.

I heard someone land and looked behind me to see Annabeth landing and Lacey at the top of the fence, about to jump down. Once she landed, I went to move forward, only to almost run into Finn to see he had stopped too. He didn’t start walking again until Annabeth and Lacey caught up to where we were.

Finn stepped cautiously, weaving around in the grass. Sometimes he walked forward, other times we were walking sideway. I felt like an idiot but I could hear him counting under his breath so I knew he wasn’t doing this just to make me look stupid.

“Eight, seven, ten,” I said over his own counting. He turned around and whacked me on the side of the head.

“Why do you know this path?” Lacey asked from behind, brushing past the fact that I was just harassed.

“How else was I going to sneak into Annabeth’s room?” Finn asked with a wide grin.

“Don’t kid yourself. Half the time you came to hang out with Cameron,” Annabeth corrected.

Finn frowned, stopping his steps. “Yeah but I always said hi to you.”

We continued on, nearing the house. As soon as Finn’s foot left a spot, I stepped in it, my eyes stuck on the ground. I let his counting echo in my head with each step.

“Ah ha!” Finn said, causing me to jump as he stopped walking and turned around on me in an instant.

I lost my balance, his foot not moving from the spot I’d meant to step in and started to fall to the side, my raised leg out as I tried to right myself.

“Gotcha,” Finn laughed as he grabbed hold of my shoulders tightly and steadied me.

I glanced around at the cameras, nervously and pushed his chest. He didn’t move much, having both feet on the ground.

“Don’t mess up my counting,” Finn taunted and continued on. I glared at the heels of his feet until we got to the house.

Once we came to a stop, I looked up to see us standing near a lattice.

“Help me boost them up,” Finn instructed and I went to stand next to him, hoping we weren’t about to show up on camera.

“Go up and to the first window on the left,” he added as he looked at Lacey and I.

I laced my hands together and Finn did the same as Annabeth walked forward and stepped on our hands. We raised her until she grabbed onto the lattice, making her way up and to the left like Finn said. She made her way to the window and using one hand, started to raise it. It was slow work but eventually she got it.

I watched as she hopped from the lattice to the window ledge, arms holding her up as her feet barely found anything to get a grip on. She pulled herself up and through the window, raising it higher now that she was inside.

There was no worry in me that Annabeth would be able to do that – it was her house, her passage in. My worry was whether or not Lacey would be able to hold tight enough onto the ledge or not. The wall was just flat brick, nothing for her feet to push up against.

But Lacey didn’t hesitate, stepping into our hands as we pushed her up. She didn’t even look at me as she did it. Once she was high enough, with one hand and foot on the lattice, she managed to grab onto the sill with one hand. And then she pushed, and was hanging by both hands. My stomach caught in my throat at the thought of her falling.

Finn didn’t hold my concern as he jumped, grabbing onto the lattice and continuing as if nothing was wrong. But then Lacey started to pull herself through the window, kicking her feet against the air only slightly. She was stronger than I gave her credit for and thankfully, Annabeth’s arms were there a second later to help her through.

I followed Finn up and not long after, I found myself through the window and standing in a dark room that hadn’t been used in years.

“Where are we?” Lacey asked.

“Cam’s room,” I answered. He used to live here when he was a kid, before Ben and I came into the picture. No one ever took his room and I don’t think he cared enough about the room to ever empty it.

“The notebook’s in my room. Ben and I were working on some stuff in it last,” Annabeth said. We exited the room and went into hers. It was odd walking in the house when it was this quiet. I could hear the creak of our feet on the floorboards, the scuff of Finn’s shoes against the floor.

I was used to being a ghost outside of these walls. I was used to watching my footing, sticking the shadows everywhere but in here. Now, the house felt like the ghost.

Annabeth went over to her bookshelf and started looking for the notebook. I yawned.

“Got it,” she said, grabbing the composition book.

“Hooray,” I said, waving my hands in the air slightly.

She gave me the middle finger.

“Does anyone need anything while we’re here?” Annabeth asked.

I opened my mouth but no sound came out because the faint creaking of a floorboard sounded as loud as a shotgun in that moment. I knew for a fact none of us had moved.

“Someone’s here,” Finn said.

“No shit, genius,” I retorted automatically.

“Where are they?” Annabeth asked.

“Does it matter? They’re trespassing in our house,” Finn said.

“If they’re still downstairs, we can sneak back out Cam’s window,” Annabeth said.

“And they’re not going to see us in the backyard if they’re on the first floor?” Finn argued quietly back.

“Would you guys please shut up?” Lacey asked politely. I watched as she stood on her tip toes and pivoted so she was facing the door instead of away from it, not lifting her feet as she did so.

And then she had the audacity to start taking steps toward the door.

“Where do you think you’re going?” I whispered.

She didn’t answer at first and I thought she was ignoring me as she stepped carefully to the door, as if each step would break the ground.

“To see if the coast is clear,” she finally answered.

I held my tongue. Partly because I didn’t think I’d be able to keep my voice down if I told her to stop.

Carefully, almost silently, she disappeared out of the room from view. I could hear hushed voices now but they were too quiet for me to pick apart their voices or figure out how many of them there were.

I expected Lacey to come back and tell us it was clear. Or tell us that we needed to find another way out. But she didn’t come back and it was taking entirely too long and all she’d been doing was checking if the hall was clear.

Without waiting for her return, I stepped out of the room. Not as quietly as her but I didn’t go stomping about. I was tempted to call her name when I didn’t see her in the hall, but a glance into Cameron’s room and I saw her looking out the window at the backyard. My heart calmed.

That is, until I heard a voice. It was louder now, clearer but still muffled. I started walking in the direction of it, tilting my head as I tried to pinpoint the location.

“Him. That’s Miller.”

It happened too quickly. The voice was behind me and before I had a chance to turn around, I was struggling to breathe.

A cold metal pulled at my neck and dragged me into the room the person had come out from. I struggled to get my footing, still trying to process what was happening. I tried to yell but nothing came out as the metal pulled harder.

My hands grabbed desperately at whatever was around my neck. A chain? I slipped a few fingers between it and my neck, trying to push it away.

Someone came into my view as he stood across the room. I’d never spoken to him, not directly but I knew him as the asshole Dylan.

“Hello, dog,” A weathered voice said into my ear.

I pulled again at the chain, trying to turn my head and get out of this person’s grip and I saw metal cuffs around their hands. Handcuffs. I was getting choked out by a handcuffed man. Embarrassing.

“You aren’t so tough,” the handcuffed man said. “Take away your gun and what are you? Nothing. Nothing at all. That’s no dog. That’s a disgrace.”

I kicked my foot, toppling over a chair that was within reach and it clattered to the ground as I struggled to breathe. My heartbeat echoing in my head louder than the chair had fallen.

The others came running into the doorway. Finn glared, Annabeth froze. Finn had to push past her as he came into the room, running towards me.

A person was either a fight or flight type of person and as Lacey pushed past Annabeth to see in the room, fear and shock overtook her features. Flight.

"Travis," she yelled.

I didn't blame her. I wanted her to run and get to safety. I didn't want her to see me choke.

Lacey frowned and her face hardened. She reached in her pockets and her hands came out armed with knives.

That didn't look like flight.

I tried to tell her to leave but no sound came out of my mouth. Lacey trailed after Finn but her path was interrupted as Dylan grabbed her arm, a pair of handcuffs in his free hand.

“Shoot," I mouthed to Finn when he got in front of me. Finn looked back to Annabeth who was still staring at us.

“Bethie,” the guy behind me said with a snakelike fondness to his voice. He pulled harder against my neck and I could see dots forming in my vision. Annabeth looked like she was the one who was about to pass out.

For some reason that I was going to kill him for, Finn didn’t shoot the guy. Instead, he started to punch the guy from beyond my eyesight, moving behind me.

But thankfully, the chain loosened enough that I was able to push away with my hands and duck out and away from the guy. My knees buckled as soon as I was free, not realizing the man’s pull on my neck had been holding me upright. On my hands and knees, I took quick breaths in, trying desperately to fill my lungs enough so my vision would clear.

I glanced to my side and behind dots that swam in my eyes from the lack of oxygen, I could make out Lacey. She must’ve been fighting with Dylan but he had her back pressed against him, his arm around her throat to hold her in place as he said something to her, holding the handcuffs out in front of them.

Dizziness rushed me as I stood and my vision swarmed even more.

I watched as she gripped her knife in one second and the next second, she’d buried it in Dylan’s arm. I couldn’t see, a black spot was hovering where I was trying to look but I was pretty sure she’d stabbed him right where I shot him.

That’s my girl.

He screamed out, back handing her and my blood boiled as anger reared its head inside me. I reached for my gun strapped against my back and aimed but Lacey was moving and so were the black dots still in my eyes. I took in deeper breaths, hoping it would help so I wouldn’t harm her.

I didn’t get the chance to try, the guy from earlier attacking me again. Finn kicked him in the stomach, sending him towards me and instead of attacking Finn, he swung both his hands at my head. A ringing developed in my ears.

Fuck, he hit hard.

My body fell to the ground again in time to see Dylan grab Lacey and start dragging her out of the room. Was he holding onto her hair or her arm or both? I saw double as she was yanked away, her mouth open, moving but I couldn’t hear over the high pitch note in my ears.

I stood back up and Finn and I circled around the guy. He tried to hit me again with his handcuffed hands and guessing wildly at which set of handcuffs were coming at me and which were the imposters brought on by the lack of oxygen to my head or the oncoming concussion, I grabbed the chain in my hands. I moved to the side to dodge his hands and tugged, pulling him with me.

My hearing came back to me in a wave.

“You bitch!” Dylan yelled at the same time Lacey yelled, “Annabeth!”

That seemed to knock Annabeth out of her daze because she fled from the room and in the direction Dylan had dragged Lacey. I wanted to run to her, to help but Goliath over here was still trying to strangle me again.

“You’re weak,” Goliath said, revealing a tooth-chipped smile right before he headbutted me and I saw nothing but black for a second.

I didn't let go of the chain as I fell back, my back running into the wall but I wanted to.

Finn grabbed something heavy and hit him on the head with it. It was enough to send Goliath to the floor, knocking him out.

“Why the fuck didn’t you shoot him?” I mumbled, my voice hoarse, burning my throat with each word.

“That’s Annabeth’s dad," he said before he ran out of the room.

The tremor in my arms threatened to return from this morning but I pushed it away. He was nothing to be afraid of.

I followed Finn, casting a glance behind me to make sure Scully was still knocked out. As far as I knew, Scully was still a prisoner in jail. Shooting him would give the cops evidence finally to come and arrest us.

When I found the others, they were at the bottom of the stairs and Lacey was securing half of Dylan's handcuff to the sturdy stair banister. The other half was already securely on his wrist. He has a slash over his eyebrow.

I started walking down the stairs, almost toppling down so I grabbed onto the banister for support.

"Where's the key?" I asked.

Lacey held the handcuff key out to me and instead Finn grabbed it.

"Don't worry, I got it," he said as he took the stairs two at a time. He disappeared into the room Scully was in and moments later he was dragging the unconscious body to the stairs. He unlocked one cut, looped it around a thick support beam in the banister and clicked it back on his wrist so he wouldn't go anywhere.

"Ready?" Finn asked as he bounded back down the stairs. He led the way out the front door and I filled, the girls trailing behind.

"Aren't we going back the way we came?" Lacey questioned.

"Fuck it," I breathed out.

She came up beside me then as we left, resting her arm around my waist casually. It kept me walking in a straight line, which I was thankful for.

She had a bruised cheek. Finn had a bloody lip and from the smear I bloody nose that he was trying to get rid of. Annabeth was the only one who didn't look busted.

"Nobody tell Ben," I called as we made it to the street and headed to where our cars were parked a block over. We'd meet Annabeth and Finn up here.

"Uh, okay…" Finn said, glancing back at me.

"Sure," Annabeth said with no fight in her which didn't seem right.

"What?" I asked.

Lacey spoke gently, as if she was trying to soften a blow, "Your entire neck is purple, he's going to know."

Damn. I didn't need another lecture from him. My hand drifted up to my neck, which was sore.

"Do you need to sit?" Lacey asked, tugging discreetly on my waist to keep me from veering to the left.

Sleep, my head sang. Rest your eyes.

I shook my head, pretty sure I had a concussion. "No, I'm good."

Silence enveloped us and in my head I urged them to talk so I could listen to something other than the pounding in my head. I closed my eyes for a moment as we walked, letting Lacey guide me.

"Dylan asked why we were there. I don't think he knew," Lacey suddenly spoke up and my eyes snapped open. She was staring at me with wide eyes.

"What a lucky guy," Finn joked.

"I don't understand what he's doing. We're just supposed to remove the gangs here, not release one from prison or make deals with one or get a co-worker kidnapped," she said.

"Maybe he's trying too hard, it's too big of a job for him and he's in over his head," Annabeth answered.

Lacey just bit her lip as she thought for a moment before looking back at me.

"Do you want to watch a movie when we get home?" she asked.

"Sure."

"What kind of movie?"

"I don't care."

Finn butt in, "An action movie, those keep his interest if only so he can make fun of it."

I tried to tell them I was fine and they didn't need to do any of this but the words wouldn't form in my mouth and soon I forgot what I was trying to say.

"We could put a nice scarf around your neck and then Ben might not notice," Lacey suggested.

A smile formed on her lips and I tried to mirror it.

"We're almost to the car," she said and as an afterthought added, "I'm driving."

"Are you old enough to drive?" Annabeth shot out.

Lacey scoffed.

"Annabeth," I said, it sounding more like a question than I had intended. She was walking next to me now and looked over. "I hate your dad."

She didn't have a snappy remark. Instead she looked at the ground. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise for him, it's not your fault," Lacey said.

They kept talking, all the way to the car and during the whole drive home. Lacey's voice sounded like a lullaby but one I didn't want to fall asleep to. I wanted to soak in every second of her talking. Maybe it was the concussion. Maybe it was just her voice. Either way, it kept me awake.

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I'm sorry for the delay!!!!! I've been way too busy and dealing with too much crap over the past few months. But I hope you enjoy! More to come (:

Have a great day and don't forget to smile <3