ログインThe vibration of the burner phone on the concrete resounded all over the almost empty warehouse. Renn froze, his hand was hovering over the device, his eyes darting to Elias. The translucent shimmer around us was thinning, Elias’s face slick with a cold, grey sweat as he fought to keep the veil from shattering.“Someone’s coming,” Elias wheezed, the was sound barely audible.Then the heavy door at the far end of the corridor groaned open, it wasn't the one we came in from. The rhythmic thud-thud of combat boots echoed against the corrugated metal walls. A man in a dark tactical vest walked into the center of the room, grumbling to himself. He looked annoyed, his eyes scanning the floor for the source of the ringing.He walked right past us.I held my breath, the scent of the man’s cheap cologne and gun oil filling my nose. He was so close I could have reached out and touched his holster. He reached down to scoop up the phone, but before his fingers could close around it, the air itse
The silence in the truck was suffocating. Hargrove stood there, leaning against our hood with the casual arrogance of a man who thought he’d already won. He didn’t realize he wasn't looking at a construction crew anymore. He was looking at wolves who had been pushed to the edge of the abyss.“If you want the boy back safely, you’ll have to cooperate. Finish the job quietly, no more accusations and certainly no more walking away until you are done, understand?”I could sense Marcus, he was already on the verge of shifting. His knuckles were white where he gripped the handle of his sledgehammer.I put a hand on Marcus’s arm. "Not yet," I whispered to him.Mia’s voice was still echoing in my ear from the phone call, how shaky and scared she sounded. Theo was gone, he was taken. And this man, Mr Harlan Hargrove stood there like he owned the world and our lives along with it.Renn’s hands clenched into fists at his sides. Kira stood frozen, her face was already pale but her eyes, usually s
LIORA’S POVWe arrived at the estate early the next morning. The air was still cool, but the sun was already climbing. Renn parked the truck and we unloaded tools without much talk. Elias stayed home with Lena as he was still healing. Finn and the kids were already at school. The client, Mr. Harlan Hargrove was already waiting on the porch, his arms were crossed and he was watching us with that same thin smile.“Morning,” he said as we approached. “Let’s see if you can finish strong today. I expect the final touches done by the end of day, no excuses.”Renn nodded once. “We’ll get it done.”We got to work right away. Marcus and Renn started on the last section of the main wall, carefully removing the remaining old drywall. Kira and I worked on the floor in the living room, prying up the last bad boards and checking for any hidden damage. “Pass me the level,” Renn called from across the room."We are almost there," Renn muttered, as he collected the level Marcus handed to him while s
Lena came out holding another bowl filled with ice packs. A little towel was hung on her shoulder. “He's refused to say anything since he got back. He only said he was fine.” She said looking worriedly at Theo.Shortly after, Elias came out slightly limping but his movements were more steady now. “He's probably trying not to bother anyone with what happened.”“Him not talking is only going to increase the worry more. He should at least say what happened.” Mia said.“Recently Theo has been getting picked on for his grades. Some of those rich kids say he's taking their spot and stealing attention from their parents because their grades dropped.” She said while facing the floor, afraid to look at Theo as this would be considered telling on one another.“Though it wasn't so serious and it eventually stopped. I thought that was the end of it until today. I wasn't present when it happened but I'm sure it's related to it because I saw him on the floor in the hallway in this condition.” Mia a
The next few days things started returning to normal. We were slowly adjusting and getting used to Elias' presence. Elias stayed in the guest room most of the time, resting while Lena checked on him regularly. He was getting stronger, but he still moved slowly and spoke very little. We kept an eye on him, always. No one left him completely alone with the kids, and I made sure to stay close whenever Finn wanted to peek in and say hello.This morning the kitchen felt busier than usual. I was packing lunches for Theo and Mia while Finn sat at the table drawing as usual. Lena stirred a big pot of soup for Elias, and Marcus stayed on the kitchen Island and was checking the company schedule on his phone. Theo came downstairs first, his backpack already slung over one shoulder. “Liora, the teacher said we have a big project due next week. Can I work on it at the job site after school? I can help carry some stuffs and about the business as well.”Mia followed right behind him, her neat braid
By the next morning, things began to feel almost normal but somehow there was still a stranger who could be in danger lying unconsciously on our kitchen floor. We had moved the stranger to the small guest room off the hallway last night, but this morning Lena had insisted on bringing him to the kitchen so she could keep a closer eye on him while she worked. He was laid on the far end of the kitchen floor, not a bare floor obviously. We laid some blankets on the floor before placing him there. He was still looking pale like yesterday, the only difference was he was covered in blood like yesterday. His eyes were closed, breathing slow and shallow.We were halfway through breakfast when I noticed his eyelids flutter.“He’s waking up,” I said quietly.Everyone present stopped whatever they were doing. Renn set his coffee down. Kira rushed from the stove towards the man while Marcus and Lena moved closer. Gage and Thorne looked up from their plates. The man’s eyes opened slowly. They were
The next morning, the house felt different. The rain had stopped sometime in the night and the air was cool and heavy with the smell of wet leaves. The sun shone weakly through the cracks in the windows but there was no joy to be found. We all knew what the clear skies meant, it was time to leave.
We walked east throughout the night still the rain was relentless. Mud and roots made up the floor we walked on with roots pulling at our feet at every step.My legs had started to ache from how far I had traveled holding Finn in my arms. My back screamed in pain but still I continued. Finn slept p
We walked for hours without stopping. The woods thickened around us, the canopy of leaves growing dense enough to block out most of the sun. Finn slept in my arms, wrapped in the old, worn blanket, his breath coming in soft, slow puffs against my chest. My entire body ached, but I didn't dare slow
The shadow in the fire light was unmoving at first. It was standing perfectly still, staring at us. My heart felt like it was beating my ribcage open, I could practically feel it beating in my throat. Finn stirred in my arms with a sleepy mumble and I pulled him tighter against me, one hand resting







