ã€ŠScreamless Voicelessã€‹


 Chapter 1

    As Dr. Steve was busy talking to Lou¡¯s parents, Lou was busy looking around the office that they were sitting in. The walls were a creaming white colour with nothing but a single poster on the wall. The poster read ¡®Just because you can¡¯t scream, you still matter!¡¯ in bold black against a white background. Lou felt that the poster was very stupid because being unable to scream at all meant people will at suffocating protective of you, much worse than if you struggle with screaming.

    ¡°Lou, Lou are you listening?¡± asked Dr. Steve. ¡°Yes Doc!¡± Lou replied. ¡°Good, you understand that now a day it¡¯s not bad if you can¡¯t scream. Its not extremely rare since I¡¯ve seen many!¡±

    ¡®Of course you have seen many. You literally specialized in assisting those who can¡¯t or struggle with screaming so you would of seen many¡¯ thought Lou but he decided to stay quiet. Looking out the nearby window, Lou watched as Dr. Steve began writing the doctor note that would explain to the school that he isn¡¯t to participate in any screaming events. It was annoying that he had to come back here because the school had misplaced the previous doctor¡¯s not excepting him from such events. Once the visit was finally over, the doctor once again repeated that there was nothing to worry about being unable to scream but Lou knew that it was a lie especially because how important screaming was in life. Getting up, Lou watched as his parents shook the doctor¡¯s hand, thanking him before they finally left the room. On the way towards the exit Lou did his best to ignore his parents gashing about how kind and helpful Dr. Steve was. Arriving back home, as Lou was making his way to his room his parents told him to get ready for school tomorrow. Lying down roughly down onto his bed Lou felt annoyed since tomorrow he was going to have to sit through a whole lesson on improving your screaming ability and how to use screaming as a way to protect yourself from dangers. Closing his eyes, Lou drifted off to sleep.

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 Chapter 2

    Waking up to his mother knocking on his door and telling him to get ready for school. Lou got out of his bed, showered, and got changed into his school uniform. The uniform was a short-sleeved white shirt, a navy-blue tie and knee-length navy blue shorts. It was nice for the warm weather but less so when there was any cold wind drifting in. Looking around Lou took a deep breath to calm his nerves. His room contained a soft fluffy bed, a simple wooden desk on wheels that he was gifted by his mother to celebrate him entering primary school years ago. He had a bunch of different stuff toys lying on his bed and cupboards, and posters from movies that he enjoyed watching. Picking up his school bag, Lou packed everything that he was going to need for the day before carrying it downstairs to the kitchen. Taking the money for lunch and toast his mother had prepared for him Lou quickly made his way outside to the school bus that had just pulled up. Hopping onto it, Lou quickly took a spot near the front, closet to his house as he waved buy to his mother. As the bus began driving, kids were getting a bit rowdier the closer they got to school. With students throwing things around and yelling until the bus driver told them to quiet down. Arriving at the school, Lou was one of the first few to get off before they grabbed their school phones from their homeroom teachers before making their way to the assembly hall since their day was starting off with an assembly.

    The assembly hall was a large building that could fit the whole school and more. It had a double door at the entrance and another one to the side leading into the back area of the school. Walking into the school, Lou wondered if it has to be an announcement about an upcoming scream competition that was going to be held or something similar. Finding where his fellow classmates were, Lou sat down and waited for the assembly to begin. As the principle walked onto the stage, a sudden hush fell upon the hall. The principle was a tall elderly man who oozed of wisdom and kindness. Once the principle tapped on the mike, the assembly officially begun.

    ¡°Welcome staff and students. I thank you all for coming here for this emergency meeting. An extremely dangerous man had escaped and is on the loose!¡±

    As the principle continued explaining the description of the man and other information, the screen behind him came down. It appeared to be a recording of the news. Once the principle had finished speaking, he made his way off the stage as the video began to play. It showed a young female anchor standing in a dark purple business suit behind a desk. Behind her was a video of the escape and a most recent photo of the criminal wearing prison gear. The news anchor began talking. She said, ¡°just earlier this morning an extremely dangerous villain had escaped while being transported towards a more secure prison!¡±

    Before the news anchor could continue, the video had ended. It most likely due to not wanting her to explain how many people died during the escape or what crimes the criminal committed. As the screen went back up into the ceiling, the principle went back up onto the stage.

    ¡°As you all can see while the criminal had escaped a distance away, it still very important to stay aware of your surroundings and keep your distance from anyone who looks like the criminal. Now students make your way to your second period!¡±

    As each of the year groups were led out, Lou followed slowly behind some of his classmates, Clutching the doctor¡¯s note tightly in his pocket, Lou wished that he didn¡¯t have screaming class today or at least being able to skip it. The fact that an extremely dangerous criminal had escaped, Lou felt more annoyed. People were going to start becoming extremely protective and suffocating, especially to those who ae known to be completely voiceless. Lucky for him, people just thought he struggle to scream so it would be much less of an issue. Being knocked forwards a bit Lou looked up to see one of his male classmates were beside him. ¡®I think his name was Ko. He was one of the most popular males in my class and was extremely kind despite his appearance and size. A big teddy bear¡¯ Lou thought.

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    ¡°Dude how do you feel about the news. If you are scared, I can always take you home today since you live on the way I need to go to reach home!¡± Ko stated cheerfully.

    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it!¡± Lou replied.

    Walking silently beside Ko as Ko spoke about how excited he was for the screaming class since a competition was going to be held next month, how life was going for him and some other stuff.

    After everything that had happened, Ko made everything feel peaceful. Walking though the doors, they were greeted by the teacher and the rest of the class. It appeared that they were late somehow. Taking their seats, the screaming teacher came over and took Lou¡¯s doctor¡¯s note.

    ¡°I see, you will not be required to take part but just sit there to support your classmates!¡±

    Lou¡¯s screaming teacher was a female in her 30¡¯s who had one of the loudest screaming voices, it was really painful to hear. Everyday she would wear different floral dresses or tops. Her eyes were a bright green, and she would usually dye her hair base on the seasons. For this season she had dyed her hair green just like her eyes. Before Lou thoughts could enter darker places about how he would never be like everyone else no matter what or that he may never achieve great things, a terrible headache began to form from his classmates screaming. Lou closed his eyes and held his head in his hands as he waited for the class to end, hopefully soon. When the screaming teacher finally rang the bell loudly, everyone became quiet before getting up and leaving. It was finally lunchtime and Lou would be finally able to rest and recover from his headache. Making his way to the lunchroom, Lou joined the short line glad his class ended early compared to other classes. Taking a metal tray Lou began looking at the items available before choosing what he wanted. Today he chooses to have French fries, a beef burger, a pop soda and a packet of sweet and sour sauce.

    Looking around Lou chose to go to a small table that was emptied before seating down. Eating in silence Lou listened to the other students talking about the criminal and how scared they were. Some were talking about ways they can keep safe, ways to stay in contact and some other things. Hearing them talk made Lou realised that he should start being more careful himself especially to avoid people finding out that he couldn¡¯t scream at all. Taking a final bite of his burger and sip of his pop soda Lou got up and made his way outside. Sitting down onto one of the oak trees Lou took a deep breath. Being out here was so peaceful and Lou wish that it would last forever. Closing his eyes, Lou began to rift off to sleep deciding to skip the next class which was safety and defence. Feeling something wet drift on his face, Lou looked up to see that it was starting to rain. Slowly getting up Lou began making his way inside to avoid getting soaked. Looking up at the nearest clock, he saw that school was about to end. Making his way to the locker Lou was greeted by Ko who was holding onto a pile of papers.

    ¡°Sleep well? The teachers gave me the homework you have to complete and lucky for you I also made some notes. Let¡¯s get going!¡±

    ¡°Give me a second!¡± Lou replied as he pulled out his umbrella and book bag. As they made their way to the school entrance, Lou listened in silence to Ko explaining what they were taught in class and what homework is due when. Outside the rain had become heavy and winds fierce. The trees danced and shaked, some threatening to fall over.

    ¡°So you think that the criminal would enter out area?¡± Ko asked.

    ¡°Maybe, I don¡¯t know?¡± Lou replied. ¡°Anything could happen!¡±

    Arriving at Lou¡¯s place, he entered before waving buy to Ko so that he can make his way home before the downpour got stronger. Once inside Lou was greeted by his mother who was in the process of cooking dinner.

    ¡°How was school honey?¡± she asked, kindly. Putting her full attention on Lou.

    ¡°Good mother, learnt different things like usual!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good honey!¡± Lou¡¯s mother replied before returning to cooking.

    Making his way to his room, Lou settled down to do his homework with the radio playing sweet and calming tunes as he focused. After some time, Lou heard his mother call so he went down for dinner.

 Chapter 3

    The next few days passed normally with the talks about the dangerous criminal possibly coming to town becoming almost non-existence. That all took a sudden turn when during the last period, the loudspeakers turned on and informed everyone that an emergency meeting way going to be held immediately and to make your way there. Under the clear guidance of their teacher they made their way to the assembly hall before taking their seats. When the teacher made his way onto the stage, everyone became silent. He appeared to be worried.

    ¡°Thank you all for coming here today at such short notice. As many of you have suspected, this emergency assembly has to do with the criminal we talked about a week ago. Reports have come in that the criminal is around our area and have been targeting those who can¡¯t or struggling to scream. We don¡¯t know how or where the criminal got the information but for now, please be careful and aware of your surroundings. Now quickly make you way home!¡±

    As the principal made his way down off the stage, everyone began talking, getting into groups to head home. Keeping back until most students were out Lou began making his way towards the exit when he was pulled back by Ko who led him towards a group of five other students. They were Jack a science nerd, Charlie a cheerleader, Mike a cooking student and the twins Suzie and Josh who were the fashion students.

    Being the closest to school, Lou was dropped off first at his house. He was greeted by his mother with a hug.

    ¡°You will be safe so don¡¯t worry honey!¡±

    ¡°I know mother, don¡¯t worry!¡± Lou replied hugging his mother tighter.

    ¡°Honey, today we are going to eat out since your father finally have a day off!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great, I¡¯ll get ready!¡± Lou responded before making his way towards his room. Throwing his bag onto the floor, Lou dropped on his bed with a sigh. It had been months since he had last seen his father and he wasn¡¯t sure if there would be much to talk about but at least it would make his mother happy. Getting up Lou began sorting through his clothing when there was a knock on his door. ¡°Come in!¡±

    When the door opened, there stood his father and mother. In his father¡¯s hands was a small present.

    ¡°Hi father!¡± Lou stated uncertainly.

    ¡°Hi son!¡± Lou¡¯s father stated as he gave him a tight, warm hug. Hugging back, Lou said ¡°I missed you¡­¡±

    Taking the present Lou carefully opened it. The gift was a strange device. It looked like a small badge that had some strange technology attached to it and was oddly cold to touch.

    ¡°It¡¯s a new piece of technology that can be used as a tracker, emergency beacon, gps and has the ability to assist in certain situations when placed against other technology. Thought you would like it due to the current situation!¡± Lou¡¯s father stated joyfully. ¡°Don¡¯t give me that look Lou, its going to go public in a month for everyone!¡±

    Studying the device closely, Lou gave his father a hug.

    ¡°Get dress soon we are going to Divinius and then a drive-in cinema. How exciting!¡±

    ¡°It is, darling!¡¯¡± my father stated as thy went out and close the door.

    Placing the device onto his bed, Lou began looking at his options for clothing. It needed to e something suitable for a van restaurant but also comfortable enough to relax in during the cinema. In the end Lou finally decided for a formal outfit. Standing in front of the mirror Lou began to check that everything was correctly on and looked well. He had chosen to wear a royal blue coat tail top and royal blue pants. Before leaving he room, Lou picked up the device and attached it to his chest pocket. Making his way downstairs Lou was met by his mother and father. His mother was wearing a pearl green capital dress and diamond earrings. His father was wearing a black tailcoat with a golden chain around his waist.

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    ¡°Ready to go honey?¡±

    ¡°Yes, mother I¡¯m ready!¡±

    Following his parents out of the house and towards his father¡¯s car. He climbed into the back. The car was a luxury brand that had soft felt seats, high-quality heating and cooling systems, and the windows were mostly black out to prevent people from seeing inside. After his father had confirmed that everyone was buckled in, he began to drive. Looking out the window Lou enjoyed the view as they drove by, it was nice to see things change from what he normally sees to something else. The normal suburbs and shops he would visit often changed to larger and more elegant business area. Arriving at the Divinius, Lou and his parents got out as a valet took the car keys. Reaching the reception desk, Lou stood with his parents as their photo was taken. Lou didn¡¯t fully understand why every customer got their photo taken when they visit but his father had told him to not worry as it was a tradition and something to save in case a customer dies so that their families can have a copy. The Divinius was one of the most luxurious restaurants in this area ad had seven floors. Two of the floors were dedicated to restaurants, one was a cinema two were for gabling and two were floors for people to stay in for how long as they want, and the roof contained a giant pool area. Following a young attendant, they made their way onto an elevator and made their way to the 5<sup>th</sup> floor for the more specialised restaurant. Walking pass a bunch of people and seats they arrived at their spot. Their seats were located near one of the large windows that allowed them to have an amazing view of the outside. As the attendant made her way to get the menus, Lou admired the view as his parents acted lovely dovely.  Being here allowed Lou to forget about how his life was going to change because of the escaped criminal. How it was going to change from peaceful to suffocating. Less time to be alone. But at least it would be less suffocating compared to those who were known for not being able to scream at all. It would be more difficult for them to decide things for themselves.

    ¡°Honey, honey!¡± my mother said giving me a gentle tug. Looking back, I saw that the attendant was holding out a menu for me.

    ¡°Thank you!¡± Lou said as he carefully took the menu and began looking through it. After deciding on what he would have, the attendant wrote it down before leaving after his parents have finished ordering.

    ¡°So, we have been discussing if we should take you out of school or to have a bodyguard to keep you safe whenever you go out!¡±

    ¡°I refused!¡±

    ¡°But honey I could never relax even if you could scream. I want you to stay safe!¡±

    ¡°I know mother but I¡¯m already going to deal with a lot at school and I¡¯m already travelling home with a group of other students!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good honey¡­...but!¡±

    ¡°I also got the gift from father!¡±

    ¡°Son, listen to your mother! You do not want her to be sicken with worry, do you?¡±

    ¡°No father!¡±

    ¡°Good, how about this. In two weeks if something does not happen then we will do nothing. But if things do then you will be home schooled and have a bodyguard whenever you leave the house!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a great idea!¡± Lou¡¯s mother replied happily. ¡°Do you think so to sweetie?¡±

    ¡°I accept!¡± Lou replied. ¡°It¡¯s fair!¡±

    When the food arrived, Lou began digging in. The texture was soft and crunchy at the same time. The gravy gave the meal the extra bit. Once done, they were led back outside by the attendant to their car. His parents were super loving and chatty. Climbing back into the car, they began making their way towards the drive-in cinema, Moles Theatre. Arriving there Lou helped his father place the backseats down before placing the blankets and snacks down just before the movie started. Lou sat to one side while his mother sat in the middle, hugging him and his father. Splitting the snacks, the movie began to play. The movie was slightly scary, but Lou felt safe next to his mother.

 Chapter 4

    The new school week had begun, and Lou was preparing as much as he could for whatever might happen. Getting dressed slowly Lou began making his way downstairs and was greeted by his mother. Taking a plate with pancakes, toast and bacons Lou sat down at the table to eat. Due to the criminal still being on the lose the school had decided that the school would start later and end earlier so students and staff would be able to get home earlier to avoid leaving in the dark. From what the news had stated, there was barely any progress in the case in the law enforcement catching him but there were questions on how the criminal was able specifically target those who can¡¯t or struggle to scream.

    ¡°Honey I won¡¯t be home tonight so please message me when you get home. I have already got dinner ready for you!¡±

    ¡°Ok mother, hope you have fun tonight!¡±

    Once finished eating Lou hugged his mother before making his way outside. Standing out in front of him was Ko, he had made Lou promised to wait for him before heading to school.

    ¡°Ready for school Lou?¡±

    ¡®Yeah, hope today go by quickly!¡±

    ¡°It will. The school days are shorter now. Let¡¯s get going so we won¡¯t be late!¡¯

    ¡°Ok!¡±

    Walking quickly Lou listened to Ko talk about what he did during the weekend and how he hoped the authorities would capture the killer soon. Arriving at school, they found themselves waiting in a long que at the school gates.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on Ko?¡± Lou asked as he couldn¡¯t see much in front of them.

    ¡°Seems like there are security guards having students and teachers go through metal detectors after having their ids check!¡± Ko stated as he had a better view. ¡°Got your id?¡±

    ¡°Can never leave home without it!¡± Lou replied. ¡°So what¡¯s taking so long?¡±

    ¡°Relax Lou, we will get through before class starts!¡±

    When it was finally their turn, Lou presented his id before following Ko through the metal detectors. Waving bye Lou checked his timetable to see that it was cinema class. This one was one of Lou¡¯s favourite classes where they got to watch different movies and have to write a review on them before class ended. It was more of free time instead of having to listen to the teachers or basically write the whole time like some other classes. There was a large screen to play the movies, the chairs were soft and comfortable. They were placed in step form where the back seats were higher than those in the front. When the movie starts, the whole room would become mostly dark to enhance the cinema feel. Taking a bag of extra salty popcorn, a bag of mixed lollies and a bottle of pop soda before choosing is seat. This time Lou chose to sit in the middle row on the side so that it would be easier and quicker to leave when class ends.

    Once everyone was seated, the lights turned off and the movie began. The movie they were watching today was about people trying to survive in a world where dinosaurs had made their way inland. There was a lot of blood and gore as people were ripped apart and eaten. The movie ended right as the bell rang for the end of the class and the lights turned on. Quickly getting up Lou made his way out of class with his classmates towards their next class, screaming class. Lo hated it but hoped it wouldn¡¯t be so bad since the class would be much shorter. Realising that his classmates were waiting at the door which led outside Lou saw that there was a note on the door. It read, ¡®Screaming class, please wait inside until I come.¡¯ Sitting on the floor against the wall Lou waited and waited. It was starting to appear that the teacher wasn¡¯t going to come and if she did class wouldn¡¯t be long. It was nice that no other teacher had walked by, or they all would have been in trouble. When the bell had finally rang, everyone made their way to the lunchroom to eat. Joining the line Lou ended up choosing a beef burger, chips, potato and gravy, and a bottle of pop soda. Taking a seat in the corner Lou begun to eat. It seemed that a lot of other students were still in class since the whole lunchroom was mostly emptied with only a few of the classes.

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    ¡°Hay Lou, guess you got out of class early too!¡± a familiar voice said from a distance.

    Looking up Lou saw that Ko was making is way towards him, carrying his lunch. Giving a wave Lou returned to eating his food, he became lost in thought. ¡®Are the classes on different schedules for lunch or something.¡¯ Deciding that it was best to not worry about it, Lou decided to check his timetable later.

    ¡°What did you have for your first and second class?¡± Ko asked. ¡°I had chemistry and dance!¡±

    ¡°Movie and screaming class!¡±

    In the end they ended in silence, enjoying the peace and tasty food. The bell rang just as Lou and Ko finished eating. Pulling out his phone Lou was surprised that there was only one class left before home time. His last class was self-studying and he had to go to the library.

    ¡°What¡¯s your next classes Lou?¡±

    ¡°Self-study, you?¡±

    ¡°PE and screaming class mixed together. See you at the school entrance once class ended?¡±

    ¡°Nah since its self-study I plan on leaving early so don¡¯t worry about waiting for me!¡± Lou stated before they got up and made their way to their respective classes. Arriving at the library Lou entered alongside his fellow classmates. Inside they were greeted by the librarian who directed them towards the self-studying section. This section was the furthest corner of the library with some moveable walls allowing it to be closed off when in use. There was a lot of desks that were separated through dividers to ensure students would study instead of chatting. Although it doesn¡¯t really work. Looking around before taking his seat Lou was surprised that the teacher wasn¡¯t here. Miss Tella would always be waiting for the students before anyone got there. It was very much strange to have happened twice and for the students to not have been notified. Turning the computer on, Lou realised that he didn¡¯t have any homework to do or nothing to study. Thinking about it, was the cinema teacher even there for class either. Deciding to play some games while he waited for the teacher to show or until it was time that they could leave early.

    After an hour, Lou realised that the teacher was not coming and some of his classmates were already packing up and leaving. Looking at the time, there was still two hours left for the class. Weighing up his options on whether he should lave a few minutes or so earlier or stay till the early leave time. In the end Lou decided to leave early since his mother wouldn¡¯t be home tonight so she wouldn¡¯t even know. Slowly getting up, Lou turned off the computer before making his way towards the exit. Waving goodbye to the librarian Lou noticed that the library was usually emptied. There would often be other students skipping class in the library, finding books to help with their research and teachers chatting while on their breaks. Walking through the emptied hallway, Lou could hear his footsteps echoing loudly. Heading to the lockers, Lou grabbed the stuff that he needed before making is way out.

 Chapter 5

    A distance away from the school, alarms began to ring loudly. Stopping Lou tried to work out what the alarm was for but decided that it was best to get home safely since something might be happening at school. Taking a quick pace Lou started his way home at a quicker pace. Seeing that his house was just in the distance, his phone begun to ring. Pulling his phone out, Ko was calling. Answering the call, Lou listened.

    ¡°Lou are you safe? The school just went into lockdown!¡± Ko asked, sounding more worried than scared.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine Ko, I left early and am almost home!¡±

    ¡°Call me back when you get safely inside, can you see if there is any news?¡±

    ¡°Will do, stay safe Ko!¡±

    Hanging up the phone, Lou quicken his pace before breaking into a full out run. Reaching the house¡¯s door, Lou struggled to find his house key before entering. Feeling a strange sense of fear, he slammed the door shut before racing around the house ensuring the windows and back door were locked. Grabbing the remote Lou turned the television on. The immediate channel was the news, it showed a female news anchor standing in a room with a screen showing his school behind her.

    ¡°Breaking news, there have been reports of a shooter in or somewhere around this school, Nova Piece. One of the witnesses reported that they suspected the shooter to be the escaped criminal. Police are on the scene and the school is on lockdown. There are no reports of gunshots. I repeat no reports of gunshots. We shall be back soon with more information!¡±

    Grabbing his phone, Lou texted Ko about the information he got as well as wishing him good luck. Right after sending the messages, his phone began to ring. It was his mother. Answering the call, Lou immediately stated that he was safe and not at school.

    ¡°Thank god honey, where are you?¡± she asked concerned.

    ¡°I¡¯m at home. The house is fully locked so don¡¯t worry about this!¡± Lou replied trying to calm her down. ¡°Make sure the curtains are closed and for extra security place some chairs against the front and back doors. I¡¯ll be there soon!¡±

    ¡°Mother, calm down and think for a moment. It will be more dangerous if you come here, stay there until everything has calm down!¡±

    ¡°Ok honey ok, just keep in regular contact with me, ok!¡±

    ¡°I promise mother, I¡¯ll stay in regular contact and stay safe!¡±

    Hanging up after saying bye, Lou checked his messages to see that Ko had texted back. It read, ¡®Thanks, once things have calm down lets go to the cinema this weekend.¡¯ Lou replied, ¡®Sure, stay safe.¡¯ Placing the phone down on the coffee table Lou made his way to the curtains near the front door. Just after grabbing the curtain Lou realised that there was someone staring at him through the window. Taking a closer look Lou realised that he was looking at the criminal that was on the news. The criminal had an insane look on his face and murderous intent in his eyes. His hair and clothing were a mess.

    Pulling the curtains shut quickly Lou raced into the kitchen, grabbed a chair, and shoved it beneath the front door¡¯s handle. Grabbing his phone Lou raced upstairs to his room. Before he could enter his room there was a sound of glass behind the door. Turning away quickly Lou ran into his parent¡¯s room. Locking the door Lou did his best to avoid the chance of being see through the window as he made his way to the closet. Pushing the closet slowly in front of the window Lou sat down onto the floor. Turning on his phone Lou placed it onto silence before messaging Ko. He wrote, ¡®How are things going¡¯. It took a moment before Ko sent a reply, ¡®Everyone is safe, its believed that the criminal had escaped. What about you¡¯.

    ¡®Safe for now I think¡¯, Lou texted before realising what he had wrote. His phone began to vibrate immediately. Answering the call, Lou ensured that the loudspeaker was off just before Ko begun to talk.

    ¡°Lou what do you mean for now? You didn¡¯t see the criminal?¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­¡­. well I saw the criminal through my front door window. Everything is quiet now so I should be safe!¡±

    ¡°Are you fucking stupid Lou. You are a perfect target for him, struggling to scream remember. I¡¯m coming!¡± Ko screamed through the phone.

    Pulling the phone away from his war, Lou said, ¡°Ok ok calm down, I¡¯ll wait here for you!¡¯

    ¡°Good, I¡¯m on my way. Keep the call on encase something happens!¡±

    ¡°Ok!¡± Lou replied before placing the phone carefully onto the floor.

    After a few moments the silents became defeating and Lou realised that he might be in sever danger and there really wasn¡¯t anything to protect himself with. Getting up Lou began to search his parent¡¯s rom for anything he could use as a weapon, there wasn¡¯t ready anything beside the lamp. Lou couldn¡¯t bring himself to use the lamp since it was a precious gift from his mother¡¯s dead cousin. Sitting back down beside the phone Lou began to feel panic forming as his situation began to fully hit in. Hearing a soft knock on his parent¡¯s bedroom door Lou quickly covered his mouth before he could let out a scream. Grabbing the phone Lou crawled underneath his parent¡¯s bed.

    ¡°Where are you Ko?¡± Lou whispered silently into the phone.

    ¡°I am stuck inside of the school; they won¡¯t let anyone leave and won¡¯t believe me. Can you somehow get back here?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± was all Lou could say before the knocking began to get louder.

    ¡°Who is knocking and where are you in your house!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m in my parent¡¯s room and I don¡¯t know who is knocking on the door!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m coming in, my little prey! Let hear your sweet screams of fear!¡± an icy cold voice said singing voice.

    ¡°Shit stay safe, I¡¯m going to try again!¡± Ko stated firmly, trying to hide his fear.

    ¡°Ok!¡± Lou whispered back, trying to hide the fear growing in his voice.

    Moving closer to the wall under the bed Lou tried his best to appear hidden and think about what he could do. ¡®Wait did I lock the door¡¯ Lou thought. Realising that he hadn¡¯t as it begun to slowly creak open. Covering his mouth, Lou tried to keep his breathing steady. In his view appeared two black shoes. A creepy whistling began as slowly in view appeared a hand than knees and then a face. The person who had been knocking at his parent¡¯s bedroom door was indeed the criminal and there was a very unnatural smile on his face. It was as if it stretched beyond his eyes. As the hand begun to slowly reach towards his, Lou realised he could move, he was frozen. Feeling his body shook more intensely and tears begun to form, starting to make it difficult to see. There was a loud bang that seemed as if the front door had been slammed open against the wall. Starring at the criminal Lou¡¯s attention went straight to the bedroom door when a loud bang came against it. In silence the criminal retracted his arm before getting up. Crawling his way to the other side of the bed to get a better view of the door, Lou was in horror as something moved quickly inside from the door before the criminal was sent flying against the wall with an almighty crack. There stood Ko boldly over the criminal with his face red from anger and exhaustion. Carefully crawling from beneath the bed Lou ran and hugged Ko, unable to prevent the tears from falling.

    ¡°Everything is going to be ok Lou. Let¡¯s get out of here!¡± Ko stated, patting Lou on his back till he calmed down enough. Calming down Lou stepped back and wiped his tears away.

    ¡°Ready to go Lou?¡±

    ¡°In a bit, need to grab something first!¡±

    Going to the other side of the room, Lou quickly unplugged the lamp before picking it up.

    ¡°A lamp?¡± Ko asked confused.

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s important to my mother and I risk it getting destroyed since its very important to her!¡± Lou replied, holding the lamp tightly.

    ¡°Ready now?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Lou replied before he begun following Ko outside of the room, pass the door barely hanging on its hinges. Waiting in silence Lou watched as Ko forced the door back into place before locking it and leading the way downstairs. Outside of the house they were met by an officer, he was breathing heavily.

    ¡°Are you both alright?¡± the officer huffed. ¡°I was sent after you to ensure you are safe!¡±

    ¡°We should be fine now, but the criminal is in my friend¡¯s house, knocked out I believed!¡± Ko stated before explaining what had just happened before meeting him outside.

    ¡°The two of you go to the other side of the road while I go inside and arrest the criminal and bring him to justice!¡± the officer stated confidently.

    Walking to the other side of the road, Lou sat down on the ground feeling the exhaustion slowly set in as the fear began to lessen. They watched in silence as the officer went inside of Lou¡¯s house before nothing. There was no sound of anything, no gunshots, commands nor screams. The streets were emptied as expected since majority of those living on the street were busy during this time.

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    ¡°So Lou when is you mom coming home? How do you think she will react to this?¡±

    ¡°No clue Ko, she was meant to be going out tonight for her and my father¡¯s anniversary!¡± Lou replied. ¡°Oh and I also told her that she shouldn¡¯t come here until things have calmed down and its safe!¡±

    ¡°Would she listen to you?¡±

    ¡°Of course not! You know how parents can be when they believe their kids are in danger!¡±

    ¡°Ha ha true, my parents are going to kill me for doing something so stupid!¡± Ko started to laugh. Before they could continue their conversation, there was a sudden gunshot. Their attention turned to the house. There was a loud crash before out of one of the windows came an object. When the object landed, Lou realised that it was a body. Even from across the road Lou could see that the body belonged to the officer and from the amount of blood splatter and unusual position, he was most likely dead.

    ¡°Shit, we need to find someone who is home to place a solid space between us and him!¡± Ko stated as he pulled Lou up and towards the closest door. While Lou knocked on the door, Lou looked back at his house to see that the criminal was staring at him. He watched as the criminal began to draw a smiling face onto the widow, most likely from the officer¡¯s blood. ¡°Lou, Lou come on, let¡¯ get inside!¡±

    Before Lou could tell Ko what he had just saw, Ko had roughly grabbed him by his arm and dragged him inside. Compare to the horrors happening outside on the other side of the road, the inside of this house immediately made Lou feel comfortable, safe and at home.

    Looking at who had invited them inside it was the old lady that was well known for enjoying growing and selling many different plants. She was also known for having custody of her granddaughter whose parents had vanished when she was only a few years old, there had been no sighing of them since.

    ¡°Thank you for allowing us inside!¡± Ko stated.

    Of course I would dear, its dangerous out there. I¡¯ve called the officers about that nasty gunshot!¡±

    ¡°Thanks you miss!¡± Lou said.

    ¡°Take a seat and I will bring you some tea and cookies!¡±

    Following the directions from the old lady, they sat down on the couch and waited, allowing everything to slowly sink in. Accepting that he was going to be a target of the criminal until he was either killed or the criminal was caught, Lou decided to observe his surrounds. The area that they were sitting in had a nice fireplace, a carpet with cat patterns on them that looked soft to touch, a small wooden coffee table, the comfortable lounge they were sitting on and two single chairs that Lou suspected might just be as comfortable as the couch. Looking at Ko, Lou saw that he was about to say something when the sound of a kettle whistling loudly before the old lady made her way into the room, pushing a trolley in front of her. On the trolley was three cups, three small plates, a bowl full of sugar cubes and another bowl full of shortbread and choc chip cookies. There was also a jar full of different types of lollies, many different shapes, and colours. While the old lady made the cups to what they liked as she insisted and placed plates with cookies beside them, they all were quiet. When the old lady sat down her demeanour changed.

    ¡°So young men are you both ok and have any clue on what is happening outside?¡±

    ¡°An officer had been killed by the criminal that been on the news lately. He tried to attack my friend!¡± Ko explained. Hearing that the old lady¡¯s face because suddenly pale.

    ¡°You talking about the voiceless killer? The one targeting those who can¡¯t or struggle to scream. You poor souls!¡±

    As the old lady tried to calm down, she slowly picked up her cup of tea, her hands shaking as the cup clacketed against the plate she held beneath it.

    ¡°Thank you!¡± Lou said as he picked up his and took a sip, it was delicious.

    ¡°You poor dears, once everyone is safe, we all would be graceful!¡±

    As Lou was about to take another sip, there was a knock on the front door. Lou looked at both Ko and the old lady knowing that it was more likely to be the criminal than anyone else. As the knocking continued, it got louder and louder.

    ¡°Dears get up quickly, lets get further away from the door!¡± the old lady said as she got up and begun leading them up the stairs and towards a specific door partway down a hallway. The old lady knocked on the door gently and it opened to show the 25 years old granddaughter who looked much younger.

    ¡°Hello Amy, can you access the security cameras and see who is knocking on the front door?¡± the old lady asked gently with the warmth of a loving mother and grandmother.

    ¡°Sure grandma, come in!¡± Amy said cheerfully but shyly.

    As they walked into the room Lou was amazed by Amy¡¯s room. It was full of different types of technology including a set of six screens on one wall, two drones changing, an enhanced telescope, and other devices that Lou didn¡¯t know. In a corner there was a large pile of stuffed toys that might have been hiding a bed.

    ¡°Please take a seat!¡± Amy said as she pressed a button and three seats appeared from the floor. Sitting down they watched as the screens turned on and showed different areas of the outside.

    One of the screens showed the front door where someone who looked like a postal worker holding a small package.

    ¡°Dear, did you ordered anything?¡± the old lady asked unsure.

    ¡°No grandma, also that¡¯s not our usual poster worker!¡± replied Amy.

    It was as if the person knew that we were staring at them because they looked up, showing that it was the criminal. ¡®How did he have access to a postal worker uniform and how was he able to change so quickly¡¯ Lou thought before suddenly the camera was broken and the screen went hazy.

    ¡°Oh my dear, we are in deep trouble!¡± stated the od lady in surprise.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry grandma, I¡¯ve called the police and they are on the way. From what it seems from the news, something had happened at the school nearby so officers would be much closer!¡±

    ¡°Yes, the criminal was reported to be seen near the school, so it had gone into lockdown some time ago!¡± Ko stated, allowing hope to show.

    ¡°Then why are you two here and not at school?¡± the old lady asked, confused.

    ¡°My friend here found himself in direct contact with the criminal after he got home so I had to go and save him!¡± Ko said confidently as he patted Lou on his head. ¡°As you can see, he isn¡¯t exactly tall nor have the strength to defend himself from someone so evil!¡±

    ¡°So why did you leave early then?¡± Amy asked as they all turned their attention to him.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t the only one, some of my other classmates left as well!¡¯¡± Lou said trying to defend himself.

    ¡°Yes, but why exactly would you leave early?¡± Amy asked, clearly wanting more information.

    ¡°I had nothing to do during self-study and the teacher wasn¡¯t there for class!¡± Lou said feeling slightly annoyed btu also not wanting to put the nice librarian under the bus for allowing them to leave earlier than allowed.

    ¡°Sure¡± Amy stated as she got up and grabbed one of the drones. ¡°Glad its almost fully charged, let see what the criminal is up to!¡±

    Opening the window Amy dropped the drone out before locking it and closing the curtains. Going back to her seat, the others watched as she pressed the side of one of the televisions and the screen changed to that of the footage from the drone. It showed the drone scanning and searching the outside. There were symbols showing the drone battery life and anther one of a box showing if it detected anything important. There was no detection of the criminal or the body of the officer who had fallen to his death. However after zooming in the direction of the school, it showed that there were cops making their way here.

    ¡°Where did he go?¡± Lou asked in wonderment and utter confusion.

    ¡°Get a closer look at the house with the broken door and window across the street, he could of went back inside of there!¡± Ko stated as he leaned in closer to try and spot the criminal, wherever he could have been hiding.

    ¡°What about the roof?¡± Lou asked, offering his best suggestion as he also tried to look for the criminal.

    ¡°What was that?¡± the old lady whispered in confusion and fear as she moved around trying to see or hear something.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong grandma?¡± Amy asked as she turned away from the screen.

    ¡°I think I can hear faint knocking on the window, Amy!¡± the old lady whispered back in panic as she was closed to the covered window.

    Amy quickly redirected the drone to make its way back to the window. As the drone whizzed back, there was nothing. No animal or the criminal that could of made the faint knocking sound that the old lady heard. After the drone did a final check of their house, the drone made its way to Lou¡¯s house. The drone did a normal and heat scan of his whole house only for there to be nothing of importance. The drone then made its way to the officers who had just arrived. Getting up Lou carefully followed the others downstairs as the old lady opened the door, they were greeted by the officers.

    ¡°Hello madam!¡± one of the officers said calmly. ¡°Were you the one who called?¡±

    ¡°Yes officer, the criminal was at my door after I saved these two pour souls!¡± the old lady replied.

    ¡°May we come in to discuss what happened encase the criminal is still nearby?¡±

    ¡°Yes officers, please come in where it will be safe!¡±

    Once everyone had settled down with tea and cookies, the taking begun.

    ¡°So you said that this boy, Lou is a target of the criminal?¡±

    ¡°Yes sir!¡± Ko stated confidently. ¡°Why would the criminal come over here and try to get inside otherwise?¡±

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t it be that the criminal was mad that his to be victim had escaped twice now?¡± Amy stated while she sat close to her grandma, eating a cookie.

    ¡°Son where are your parents and when will they be returning?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what my father is doing but my mother is meant to come back tomorrow however she most likely on her way home now!¡±

    ¡°I believe that it would be best if you call her now encase, she is on her way!¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡± Lou replied as he tried to find his phone only to realised that it was not with him. ¡°I don¡¯t know where my phone is. I can¡¯t remember if I grabbed it from my house or left it there!¡±

    ¡°Give me a second and I¡¯ll see if I can locate it!¡± Amy said as she pulled out a small device. Sitting in silence, everyone waited to see what Amy was going to do to find the phone.

    ¡°Strange, it says that Lou¡¯s phone is near that window!¡± Amy stated as she pointed at the window close to them, its curtains drawn close.

    ¡°I¡¯ll check!¡± one of the officers said as he got up and slowly made his way to the curtain. Carefully moving the curtain a bit, he peeked out.

    ¡°It¡¯s here, I¡¯ll go grab it!¡±

    As the officer left the house, the other one made their way to the window. Most likely to keep an eye on her partner and provide backup if necessary. Everyone sat in silence as the tension grew until the officer who went outside was safely back inside. In his hand was Lou¡¯s phone and no sign that something happened to it. Before Lou could be given the phone Amy took it and held the strange device over it, apparently, she was scanning it. After a few moments Lou was finally given the phone.

    ¡°Thanks!¡± Lou replied as he began to look over his phone, nothing looked out of the usual.

 Chapter 6

    When Lou¡¯s mother arrived, Lou was allowed to leave with her without any issues after the situation had been explained to her in details. It had been agreed that Lou would be safe if he stayed somewhere else till the criminal was caught. Waving goodbye to Ko, Amy, the old lady, and the officers Lou hopped into his mother¡¯s workmate car. Once inside Lou had been told that they would be staying at a secure hotel. As the car begun to drive away Lou stared outside and tried to ignore his mother and her workmate as they talked about what had happened and how it was lucky everyone got out safely. Feeling the exhaustion draining his remaining energy Lou allowed his eyes to drift close as he wondered about what the hotel, they were going to stay at be like. Waking up Lou found that they were still on the road. Sitting up groggily Lou looked out of the window to see that it was dark outside and there no other vehicles on the road beside them.

    ¡°Mother, where are we going?¡± Lou asked confused as he was still slowly waking up.

    ¡°Honey go back to sleep, we still have a long distance to go!¡± cooed his mother.

    ¡°Ok!¡± Lou replied as he laid down on the back seat and allowed his eyes to adjust to the darkness. ¡®Something isn¡¯t right here. Why would we be going to a hotel out in nowhere¡¯ Lou thought. As his eyes began to adjust Lou carefully and slowly sat up, trying to prevent his mother or her workmate to notice. His mother was sitting in the passenger seat and was looking at her phone.

    The phone was at a good angel that Lou could tell that it was showing a gps which appeared to be leading them out to nowhere. He wasn¡¯t sure if there was a town or something that far away. Deciding that it wasn¡¯t smart to try something without any more information nor when the car was moving, Lou tried to fall asleep and save his energy for a time when he could act. Closing his eyes, Lou found it difficult to sleep with the thoughts running around his head about ways he could deal with the situation and how uncomfortable the back seat was to lie on. Giving up on sleeping Lou decided to get more information on to assist his planning. Just before Lou could sit, they begun talking.

    ¡°What are you going to do now?¡± The workmate said. ¡°His now has the attention of the criminal and it would be more dangerous to keep him in this area. What about your husband?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure things will work out in the end. I¡¯ll just keep up the act and have him home schooled until it¡¯s safe to move him elsewhere!¡± his mother said. ¡°Besides its unlikely anyone would consider going out of the way to this hotel and I¡¯ll tell my husband once we get there. We can¡¯t allow him from finding out that things aren¡¯t right!¡±

    ¡°Once I drop you two off, do you want me to go back and grab some things to make things appear more realistic?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea!¡± his mother said with a hint of creepiness in her voice.

    ¡°Of course I know! You are my friend and I want to help you with this!¡± his mother workmate said. ¡°Beside the pay is tempting if things go well!¡±

    As their voice began to get muffled, Lou inched himself to try and not fall asleep to no vail.

    Feeling that someone was patting him gently on his cheek, Lou slowly woke up to see that his mother was standing over him. He was still in the car, but it appeared to be daytime.

    ¡°You awake honey?¡± his mother asked sweetly.

    ¡°Yes¡­mother. Where are we?¡± Lou asked, yawning.

    ¡°We decided to stop and have something to eat. Do you want to come in or have me bring you something?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll come in mother!¡± Lou said after weighing up his options.

    Taking his mother¡¯s hand Lou got out of the car slowly and unsteadily. Stretching Lou was surprised about how well rested he was even though he was very much sore. Following his mother, they made their way in the direction of a fast-food place called Beefy Tasties. The building looks ancient in design and was made out of wood instead of brick. The inside also looked old. It was emptied beside some people and workers. In a corner sat his mother¡¯s workmate, she was holding a menu. Reaching the table Lou slid into the seat, followed by his mother. Looking at the menu, there wasn¡¯t much on offer but at least they sounded delicious. In the end Lou chose something that turned out to be bacon and beef burger, a medium hot chocolate, and a consonant. His mother had ordered two slices of toasts, tomato soup and green tea while the workmate ordered a sweet tea and a chicken burger. While they waited for the food to arrive, Lou¡¯s mother had gone to use the bathroom.

    Pulling out his phone Lou saw that he had multiple missed calls and texts from his father and Ko.

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    ¡°What are you looking at Lou?¡± asked his mother¡¯s workmate with a hint of suspicion.

    ¡°Nothing much, just at my phone!¡± Lou replied trying to keep up his clueless appearance.

    ¡°Give it to me or put it away now!¡±

    ¡°Can I just message my father and friends. They seem to be worried about me!¡±

    The next thing Lou knew his phone was out of his hand, lying on the ground.  Staring at his phone Lou started to feel that things were starting to get more unsafe, and he would have to do something sooner than he liked. ¡®Why was Ko constantly texting and calling me, did he suspect something and going to cause a fuss? Why was his father also messaging him, what about his mother?¡¯ Lou though as he did his best to not look scared or mistrusting. Feeling that his mother¡¯s workmate was staring at him intently, Lou carefully got up and grabbed his phone. Walking quickly out of the building, Lou made his way to the car where he would be able to think clearer. Turning his phone on, it luckily still worked. Before Lou could start looking through the many text messages, a call begun. Seeing that it was Ko calling him, Lou answered it while taking in his current surroundings to see if there was any escape routes or danger. There was nothing but the empty road and dirt ground for miles.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on Ko? What the texts and calls for!¡± Lou said calmly, wanting to get information before saying something that could cause issues later on for him.

    ¡°You finally fucking answered! Where the hell are you!¡± Ko asked loudly with fear clearly in his voice.

    ¡°I¡¯m not exactly sure at the moment. You know that my mother and her workmate picked me up right, so I basically slept on the way here!¡± Lou replied simply.

    ¡°Shit¡­. well¡­your mother is here and so is your father! Your mother wasn¡¯t at work today!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s make sense, I though something was a bit off!¡± Lo replied as he though why he didn¡¯t think his mother would take the whole day off for their anniversary day.

    ¡°Are you serious, then why did you leave?¡± Ko asked, clearly getting frustrated.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, I¡¯ll start making my way back home now. This isn¡¯t really new to me!¡± Lou said before he realised, he was giving away some information he didn¡¯t wanted to say. Quickly hanging up the call, Lo made his way to the driver¡¯s side of the car and opened the door. Climbing in Lou locked the doors before searching for the keys, there was none. ¡®Guess she decided to take the keys but not lock the car, how stupid¡¯ Lo though with a chuckle. Removing the strange device from his pocket Lou paced it against the keyhole and waited in silence as it started the car.

    Seeing a light blink Lou pressed it and watched as a screen opened up, showing a map. It had two options which were home and to Ko. ¡®Strange¡¯ Lou thought as he pressed Ko. As the wheel of loading began, Lou heard banging on the window near him, but he ignored it.

    ¡°Driving shall start now!¡± a robotic voice stated from somewhere, most likely from a speaker hidden in the strange device. Suddenly the car sprang forwards and out of the parking lot.

    ¡°Unfortunately this car contains no snacks or entertainment. However there are music options, would you like to listen to some master?¡±

    ¡°Yes please!¡± Lou replied as he tried to get comfortable for the surprisingly long way home. It seemed that the ride would be a few hours Lou guessed. His phone begun to buzz beside him. Answering the call, Lou held it against his ear.

    ¡°Why the hell did you hang up on me?¡± Ko asked more annoyed than fearful.

    ¡°I told you, remember?¡± Lou replied. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯m on my way!¡±

    ¡°What¡­never mind, where do you want me to meet you at?¡±

    ¡°Wherever you want!¡± Lou replied as he turned on the speaker before placing the phone onto the dashboard before climbing into the passenger¡¯s seat. ¡°Oh it might take me a day or two depending on the traffic so don¡¯t stay up too long!¡±

    ¡°We can meet up at the local Pop and Chop!¡± Ko answered after thinking for a moment.

    ¡°See you there! Lou replied before grabbing the phone and ending the call. Searching through the things that were in the dashboard and middle compartment, there was some useful things including a bunch of fake ids, a pack of cigs, a lighter and a strange tracking device which Lou threw out of the window. From what Lou could recall there wasn¡¯t anything in the backseats from the time he was there but there might be something in the boot.

    ¡°Tell me can I access the boot from the backseat?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately no master!¡±

    Ok, I¡¯ll check that later on!¡± Lou stated as he adjusted the seat until it went fully down. It would have to do and should hopefully be more comfortable to sleep on than the backseat was.

    ¡°How long before our first stop?¡±

    ¡°For safety reasons, tonight I shall stop at a gas station for supplies and to refuel!¡±

    ¡°And how would we pay for them?¡± Lou asked, somewhat interested in the conversation.

    ¡°No need to worry mater, by the time we reach the gas station the card should be ready!¡±

    ¡°What card exactly?¡±

    ¡°The emergency card, master! Prepared by your father!¡±

    ¡°I see¡± Lou replied as he stared out of the window, partly watching the scenes go by. Soon Lou laid down and fell asleep.

 Chapter 7

    Lifting up the back of the car, there was what appeared to be a body bag.

    ¡°Wonder if they are alive?¡± Lou asked silently.

    ¡°Master, connect me to your phone, I will be able to scan it!¡±

    ¡°Ok¡± replied Lou as he went to the driver seat and took the device off of the keyhole and attached it to his phone. The screen changed and entered a boot-up mode. While waiting for the boot-up to complete, Lou went back to the boot. From what the device told him there was still 20 minutes left before they would reach the closest as station and at least a day and a half to reach Ko if the traffic stayed the same.

    ¡°This is such a pain!¡± Lou muttered to himself as he kicked a rock. ¡°First with the criminal, the kidnapping and now this. Will this ever end?¡±

    Sitting down on a rock Lou found himself deep in thought about everything that had happened.

    ¡°How should I convince Ko to not tell anyone about this or just pretend that I was on holiday. I can¡¯t handle the idea of him telling and the suffocating atmosphere it would bring!¡±

    ¡°Master there is no reason to worry, everything has already been sorted out!¡±

    ¡°Ok then, what should I call you anyways?¡±

    ¡°Alright I¡¯ll call you G.I.T. based on the barcode on you for the time being!¡±

    Using the phone to scan the body bag there wasn¡¯t a body but just drugs, bags of them. Closing the boot Lou hopped back into the car, allowing G.I.T. to take control again.

    ¡°We shall reach the gas station soon!¡± G.I.T. stated before a card popped out of the CD player.

    ¡°Cool¡± Lou stated before taking the card.

    It was a black card which said unlimited on the front. As the gas station came into view, it was empty. There was not a single vehicle or an attendant outside. Hopping out Lou inspected one of the pumps, it looked strange.

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    ¡°How am I supposed to operate this and which one?¡±

    ¡°Master, here is a video on how to use the pumps and this car requires regular petroleum!¡±

    Watching the video a few times Lou followed the instructions carefully. When the pump stopped working, Lou was about to climb back into the car so they could continue.

    ¡°Master don¡¯t forget to pay at the counter!¡± G.I.T. stated. ¡°Why not buy some snacks and drinks before we leave? We still have a day before reaching Ko¡¯s position!¡±

    ¡°Ill be back soon!¡± Lou replied before entering the store. Beside the aisles being stocked, there was no one around. Picking up a basket near the door Lou begun to go through the aisles.

    Deciding to be picky, he decided to only grab things that he liked. After grabbing everything Lou headed to the cashier desk where he began to place bags of cheesy chips, soda, bottles of water, lollies, and bowls of fruits. Leaning over the desk Lou tried to see if the attendant was out back or if there was a bell placed somewhere. There was nothing.

    ¡°Guess I¡¯ll scan everything myself then, it shouldn¡¯t be that hard!¡± Lou muttered to himself.

    ¡°Master, bring me close so I can scan the device and get a good view to see if there is a video or manual on how to operate it!¡±

    Placing everything back into the basket Lou moved it to the side before leaping over the counter.

    ¡°Maybe I should take a quick look around? To see if there is anything else I would want to get?¡±

    ¡°Master you are not allowed to take any drugs or cigs, I¡¯ll inform your father!¡± G.I.T. warned sternly.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning to. Already have enough on my plate!¡± muttered Lou as he began to investigate the new area, he was in.

    There was a lot of cigs that he never heard about and ammo for a shotgun. There were some random stuffs scattered on the shelves but it also appeared to have not been dusted for weeks. Heading towards the other side, Lou saw that there was a door being hidden from view. Giving the door a little push, the door groaned open piercing the silence that had previously engulfed them.

    ¡°Be more careful master!¡±

    Peeking his head through the whole place was surprisingly empty. ¡®Shouldn¡¯t there be stock or whatever a gas station required here?¡¯ Lou thought as he fully went inside. There was only one door in here which had a dimmed exit sign above it. Turning around Lou went to the cash register and with the assistance of G.I.T. was able to pay for everything. Rushing back to the car Lou hopped in before locking the door and putting his seatbelt on.

    ¡°Hurry and get us out of here!¡± Lou ordered, trying to stop the fear from growing.

    ¡°Understood master!¡± G.I.T. stated before the car roared to life and was off, reaching the speed limit in minutes.

 Chapter 8

    Finally reaching an area Lou knew, he pulled out his phone to message Ko. Due to the speeding they were doing, they should arrive a few hours early. Sending the text, Lou waited. He wasn¡¯t sure if they might end up at the local Pop and Chop or catch Ko at a bad time, so Lou had G.I.T. pull off to the side of the road.

    ¡°What me to provide some information on the local Pop and Chop shop master?¡±

    ¡°No need to worry about that G.I.T. I have been there many times before!¡±

    Grabbing a drink of pop and bag of salty popcorn, Lou begun to enjoy them. His phone stated to ring loudly against the music. Placing the bag of salty popcorn down Lou picked up his phone, Ko was calling so he answered.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Give me a minute and I¡¯ll meet you at the local Pop and Chop, do you want me to tell your parents?¡±

    ¡°Not now Ko, I¡¯ll deal with them after we eat some real food!¡±

    ¡°Ok, see you there!¡±

    Hanging up the call Lou commanded G.I.T. to start heading their way to the local Pop and Choop and get a good parking spot.

    ¡°Understood master!¡±

    As G.I.T. drove Lou felt himself relax a little, it would be fun to have some company after everything beside G.I.T. Once this was finally done Lou would be able to go back to normal life and forget everything that have happened. There was little traffic so it was easy going and there was plenty of good parking spots available. Climbing out of the car Lou made his way to the entrance. The store was already opened but G.I.T. had informed him that Ko was still a long distance away. Checking the time, it was only 6 in the morning.

    ¡°So any new updates on the criminal?¡± Lucia asked and he rested against the wall.

    ¡°There are none unfortunately, he hasn¡¯t been seen since the time he attacked you!¡±

    ¡°I see¡± Lou replied as he started feeling slightly uncomfortable that the criminal could of still be coming after him.

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    ¡°Hey Lou, I¡¯m here!¡± yelled a familiar voice.

    Turning in the direction of the voice, Lou saw that o was crossing the road towards him. Waving, Lou greeted Ko before they made their way inside. The inside of the local Pop and Chop had a front desk where people were lead to seats, a valet rope which blocks the rest of the restaurant and bathrooms at the front encase of a long wait. Heading to the counter Lou was about to pull out the card when he was steered to the valet rope by Ko to see hat the valet rope was being opened.

    ¡°I already paid and booked a booth since I thought you would be hungry and want a break after a long drive?¡± Ko stated friendly.

    ¡°Thanks!¡± Lou replied as they begun to follow a waiter to their booth, it was one of the more secluded ones.

    Sitting down they were handed their menus before the waitress stood to the side for them to choose. Looking over the items, Lou endued up choosing a beef burger with chips and a soda pop.

    ¡°So is it normal for you to get kidnapped?¡± Ko asked worried.

    ¡°Kind of¡± Lou replied, focusing on the menu not wanting to talk with Ko. ¡®Soon everything ill be back to norma¡¯ though Lou with relief.

    ¡°Want to talk about it?¡±

    ¡°No thank you Ko, I rather not!¡± Lou asked trying to stay level-headed and not yell at Ko to leave it be.

    They sat in silence util the waitress came back with their food and drinks. Trying to enjoy his meal, Lou couldn¡¯t help but see that Ko was still looking at him worried and not really eating his food. It made him feel disgusted. Quickening his pace Lou wanted to be done and leave so he wouldn¡¯t have to see Ko for long.

    Once done Lou started to make his way outside, he moved to the side as he waited for Ko to catch up.

    ¡°Are you in a rush?¡± Ko asked, exhausted.

    ¡°Not really just though it was best to call my father now before things get out of hand!¡± Lou replied as they left the local Pop and Chop.

    ¡°That¡¯s good!¡± Ko replied before they went down an alleyway where it would be much quieter and less people around.

    Turning on his phone Lou called his father and waited. The phone ringed before it hit the voicemail.

    ¡°Father, can you call me later!¡± Lou said before hanging up the call. ¡°Guess he is busy at the moment?¡±

    Lou then tried his mother but also got the same result.

    ¡°Any luck?¡± Ko asked as he was keeping an eye out for something or someone, Lou wasn¡¯t sure why.

    ¡°Think its best that I start making my way home encase they are still there!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll join you since that¡¯s the way I need to get home!¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡± Lou replied as he followed Ko towards the closest bus stop. Lou felt it was best that he doesn¡¯t take Ko to the car since it would just make things more complicated.

 Chapter 9

    Arriving home they were greeted by police tape surrounding Lou¡¯s house.

    Guess the investigation is still going on?¡± Lou stated as he went closer to get a better view and see what was happening.

    ¡°Don¡¯t know if you can stay at your place util the police finish their work and remove the tape. You can stay at my place if you want?¡±

    ¡°Thanks¡±

    On their way to Ko¡¯s place, Lou¡¯s phone begun to ring. Answering the call, it was his father.

    ¡°Son where are you?¡± his father asked concern and worried.

    ¡°I am with Ko going to his place. He lives nearby!¡±

    ¡°Wait where you are, and I¡¯ll come get you!¡± his father stated firmly. ¡°Your father is worried about you!¡±

    ¡°I understand father!¡± Lou replied before ending the call.

    ¡°My father is coming to pick me up and want us to wait here!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine, lets sit on that tree trunk as we wait!¡± Ko stated as he pointed at a tree trunk nearby, still in view of the road.

    Following Ko, Lou sat down on the tree trunk as they waited in silence. Lou didn¡¯t want to have a conversation and was glad that Ko didn¡¯t try to start one. Looking at his phone, he begun to look up information on the criminal and other things that could be happening. Like G.I.T. had told him there was no information on the criminal but information on how the city was dealing with it. One of these was that those who can¡¯t scream were required to stay in groups with at least two people who were able to scream and banned from travelling anywhere during nighttime. ¡®Well this is going to suck¡¯ Lou though to himself before he noticed that his father had texted him. It read, ¡®be at your location in a few minutes, this is the car I am in¡¯ before a picture of the car was sent. Replaying that he understood, Lou showed the image of the car to Ko so that he could assist in keeping an eye out for the car.

    ¡°Is that the car?¡± Ko asked before taking a more detailed look at the photo. ¡°It is!¡±

    Getting up Lou was about to make his way to the car when Ko pulled his back.

    ¡°I¡¯ll come with you encase that ends up not being your father!¡±

    ¡°Fine with me!¡± Loy stated as he pulled his arm away before making their way to the car. Getting closer Lou saw that it was his father¡¯s butler in the driver''s seat. Lou had only seen him a few times, but the butler¡¯s appearance and aura was something that gets stuck in your mind.

    ¡°Hello young master, glad that you are safe. Your father is sleeping at the moment from stress ad worry!¡± the butler said kindly.

    ¡°Hi sir, thank you for coming to get me!¡± Lou stated before opening the back door and climbing in. he was slightly surprised when Ko hopped in after him.

    ¡°Young master who is this young man?¡±

    ¡°I can answer for myself!¡± Ko stated, rudely. ¡°I am Lou¡¯s friend. Who are you?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s with that attitude?¡± Lou snapped back, pissed that Ko dared to talk rudely to someone his family cared about.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry young master, anyone would be suspicious after someone looking like your mother tried to kidnap you!¡± the butler stated. ¡°I am young master¡¯s father butler and have been with the family for many years. My duty is to care for and protect my master and his family!¡±

    ¡°Fine¡± Lou muttered back, annoyed his father¡¯s butler was defending Ko.

    The ride took them towards what his father¡¯s butler said was there new safe house and that his mother was waiting inside for him. With Ko sitting near him, Lou couldn¡¯t feel rested or comfortable. He wanted him gone sooner than later.

    ¡°Hope we get there soon!¡± Lou muttered, unable to hide his annoyance and exhaustion.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry young master, we will be there in twenty minutes!¡± his father stated caringly.

    Looking out of the window Lou saw that they were surrounded by massive fields and in the distance, he thought that he saw wheat fields.

    ¡°So is the safe house kind of rural?¡± Lou asked, confused on why they would be out here this far away from anything.

    ¡°Yes, young master. Both of your parents have decided that a rural safe house would be the best option for many reasons including the fact it would have fresh air and peaceful compared to your home, and I do have to agree with them!¡±

    ¡°Cant wait to see it them; I sure can do with some peace!¡± Lou replied, slightly hopeful that he wouldn¡¯t have to deal with the restrictions out here.

    ¡°Is it secure though¡± Ko buttered in.

    ¡°Oh yes, its extremely secure to protect my master and his family!¡± his father¡¯s butler stated mater-of-factly.

    ¡°Ko, could you shut up if you going to have that attitude!¡± Lou stated more pissed, wishing he could kick him out.

    ¡°Fine!¡± Ko replied, clearly annoyed before looking outside of his window.

    Sighing in annoyance Lou rested his head against his window, wishing to be at the safe house now and to never see Ko again for a long time.

    ¡°We have arrived young master!¡±

    Looking up, there in front of them was a large two-story house with a strange looking roof. The roof was pointed in some areas but flat in others. The house stood out like a sore thumb against the area around it and wasn¡¯t like what Lou had expected. He thought it would have been a farmhouse or something similar at least. Around it there was a large, beautiful garden filled with different colours blooming in harmony. As the car came to a stop, Lou got out to take the scene in more. Despite the house being an eyesore, everything else was amazing and made Lou feel calm. The air smelt sweet and fresh. Things that he hadn¡¯t felt in a very long time.

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    ¡°Think I¡¯m going to enjoy living in this place, its so peaceful!¡± Lou stated, feeling relieved.

    ¡°Sure but it doesn¡¯t appear secure at all!¡± Ko stated annoyed.

    ¡°That¡¯s because they are hidden with another layer of protection as well!¡± his father¡¯s butler stated proudly.

    Lou watched in silence as his father went to the passenger¡¯s side door and helped his father out. His father looked extremely exhausted and fragile. Going to him, Lou hugged him lightly not wanting to add any more stress.

    ¡°I am glad you are safe son. I couldn¡¯t help but worry about you!¡± Lou¡¯s father stated weakly, barely above a whisper.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry now father!¡± Lou replied, hugging his father tighter before moving to the side so that he could be assisted inside.

    ¡°You will see your mother soon!¡±

    ¡°Of course father, I¡¯ll go see her once I know you are resting and feeling better!¡±

    As the doors opened, Lou was amazed by the sight. The inside appeared grand but also has a country feel. There was a large chandelier above the entrance room, a mixture of photographs throughout the entrance hallway and a shoe and coat rack near the front door. Following his father¡¯s butler they passed many doors before reaching the sunroom, it would be nice to see the night sky through it. There Lou¡¯s father was carefully placed into a chair before being handed a remote for the large television on the wall.

    ¡°Young master, your mother is resting in your parents¡¯ room. Your friend can wait here till you return!¡±

    ¡®Shit I forgot about him¡¯ Lou thought as he looked carefully about him to see that Ko was sanding some distance behind him, close to the hall leading to the entrance. For some reason Lou felt that Ko was observing and studying him, it gave him the creeps.

    ¡°I think that¡¯s a good idea!¡± Lou quickly stated as he begun to follow his father¡¯s butler out of the room and down another hallway. Once they were a good distance away where it was unlikely for someone to eardrop, Lou sighed and felt greatly relieved.

    ¡°Young master tell me what do you think about your new friend?¡± his father¡¯s butler asked kindly.

    ¡°Well at the start before the kidnapping attempt and getting attacked by the criminal we didn¡¯t really know each other, and I didn¡¯t really plan to. He was just someone who made a group to drop off fellow students. But now I don¡¯t really like him. For some reason he made me feel suffocated and stress out, I just don¡¯t want to be near him!¡± Lou stated concluding his thoughts on the matter of Ko.

    ¡°So you don¡¯t want to be near him because he makes you feel unsafe?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t feel safe near him!¡± Lou replied, agreeing fully.

    ¡°I¡¯ll drop him home soon and will talk with your father about the situation!¡± his father¡¯s butler stated confidently. ¡°Everything shall be delt with young master!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, sir!¡± Lou stated, feeling more relieved that he might not have to deal with Ko anymore nor see him.

    Reaching a door, they stopped for a moment before his father¡¯s butler knocked on the door.

    ¡°Come in!¡± came a weak female voice, Lou¡¯s mother.

    Opening the door, the room was dimly lit, and the air smelt of lavender. In the large bed laid his mother, looking much weaker than Lou thought possible. She looked extremely sickly and unwell.

    ¡°Hello mother, I have returned safely!¡± Lou stated calmly.

    ¡°Honey is that you?¡± his mother said weakly. ¡°Come closer!¡±

    Moving closer Lou sat on a chair that was beside the bed and held one of his mother¡¯s hands tightly.

    ¡°Yes mother, it is me, Lou!¡± Please don¡¯t worry about me and get well soon!¡±

    ¡°I....I will honey, I promise!¡± his mother said as they hugged each other.

    ¡°I shall leave now so that you can rest¡±.

    ¡°Please visit again, honey?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll visit you again after dinner!¡±

    ¡°Thank you honey, see you them!¡±

    Leaving the room, Lou followed his father¡¯s butler back to the sunroom in silence. It was decided that Ko would be taken home now so that everyone would rest after an exhausting day.

    Reaching the room, Ko was standing against a wall clearly annoyed about something. Lou couldn¡¯t help but wonder if his father said something or if that how Ko usually was.

    ¡°It¡¯s time that you head home now!¡± Lou stated as confidently as he could.

    ¡°Can¡¯t I just wait here for a while longer?¡± Ko asked, not truing to hide his annoyance.

    ¡°No!¡± Lou blurted out rudely. ¡°I need to focus on my parents and not have to split my attention, ok!¡±

    ¡°Fine I¡¯ll see you at school when it starts back up again!¡¯¡± Ko responded.

    ¡°Ok, bye!¡±

    Once Ko was making his way down the hallway with his father butler, Lou felt happy.

    ¡°Glad that he is gone now!¡±

    ¡°Son I¡¯m not a fan of your friend!¡± his father said calmly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t really consider us friends; he makes me feel stressed!¡±

    ¡°If you feel that you can¡¯t deal with him at school, I can have you enrol at a different school!¡±

    ¡°Thanks father!¡±

    ¡°Do you want to see your room?¡±

    ¡°Sure father, just give me the directions. I want you to stay here and rest. I hope you and mother gets better soon!¡±

    Lou¡¯s father begun to ramble in his pocket before pulling out a piece of paper. Taking it, the paper turned out to be a map which presented each floor and what each room was.

    ¡°Son, take that and use it to find your way around, I have an extra set for myself and your mother!¡± his father stated happily.

    ¡°Thank you, father!¡± Lou said, hugging his father tightly before leaving the room.

    Walking through different hallways before finally reaching the staircase to the second floor. Finally locating his room, Lou stood at the door not sure what he would see. The map had shown that his room was broken up into five parts. They were listed as the bedroom, bathroom, clothing room, study room and what appeared to be a balcony area or something similar. Taking a deep breath Lou slowly opened the room, to be greeted by a large bed with a canopy. The bed was a dark red colour and had bit of a royal fill. At the end of the bed sat a wooden chest where Lou suspect that he could store stuff in. Moving in Lou bent down and felt the carpet, it was silky soft. ¡®Can¡¯t wait until I can just lie on it¡¯ Lou thought excitedly. Using the map, Lou decided to start at the closet room first. Openign the door that would lead to the bathroom, he opened it. The bathroom was a good size and fully white in colour. It contained a sink, toilet and a combined bath and shower. Looking into a container that was resting in a corner beside the bath Lou saw that it held different bath salts, bodywash, shampoos and conditioners. Leaving the room Lou closed the door and headed to the next door which was the study. Opening the door, the room was a lot smaller than the bathroom but fitted everything needed for such a room. It had a desk with a computer facing a window and had study books sitting on wall shelves. There were many different subjects, many Lou had seen and others he couldn¡¯t read the titles of.

    The next room Lou went to was the clothing room, it was like a short hallway with many different shelves. On these shelves were clothing based on the seasons, accessories, shoes, and a section with professional and party clothing. ¡®This is a bit too much, but they should last long since I grow slowly¡¯ Lou thought, closing the door. Standing in front of the last door, Lou opened it and was greeted by the sweet and delightful smell of flowers blooming and the freshness of the outside world. Moving forwards Lou realised that this wasn¡¯t a balcony but one of the flat roofs.

    ¡°This is actually cool!¡± Lou said to himself excitedly before peeking over the edges. Heading back inside Lou started to fill the tiredness settle in. yawning, Lou made his way into the clothing room before grabbing a pair of pyjamas. Heading into the bathroom Lou got changed and did his teeth before looking at the mirror, he looked more tired than he thought. Heading back into his bedroom Lou climbed under his blankets before drifting off in the welcoming embrace of his soft bed.

 Chapter 10

    Waking up to the sun shining in his face, Lou yawned. Hearing knocking on his bedroom door, Lou got out of bed. On his way to the door his father butler came in pulling a cart behind him.

    ¡°Good morning young master, hungry yet?¡± his father¡¯s butler asked cheerfully.

    ¡°Good morning, sir, I¡¯m not sure?¡±

    His father¡¯s butler moved to a specific spot before tapping the floor. Out of the floor came a table and two benches.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave you a manual on the different devices and electronics available in your room. Your father wanted to provide you with everything he can since he rarely sees you!¡±

    Taking a seat his father butler placed the tray onto the table alongside two cups, one filled with milk and the other one emptied with a jug filled with icy cold water. As the butler lifted the lid off of the tray for Lou to be embraced by the delicious, mouth-watering armour of home cooked food. For breakfast, it was eggs and bacon with the butler¡¯s world-famous secret sauce.

    ¡°Thank you for breakfast sir!¡±

    ¡°Your welcome young master. I¡¯ll come back later to pick up the empty plates and cups. I think its best for you to stay in your room to rest and recover. If you desire to go outside, I have placed chairs outside for you!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, sir!¡±

    Lou begun to eat the food when the door closed. He saw that the butler had placed some crushed pills into his food and most likely drinks. ¡®Guess his more worried about my health than I thought¡¯. Finally finishing off as much food and milk as he could, Lou felt the pills slowly start to take effect. ¡®Think I should take a nap outside under the sun¡¯ Lou thought with a yawn. Going onto the roof Lou laid on the sunbed beneath a sun cover so that there was enough shade and less chance of getting sunburnt, Lou fell into a peaceful sleep. Slightly waking up Lou felt that he was being carried before going back to sleep. He suspected that it was the butler putting him to bed whenever he was sick. Waking up Lou felt so alive and energized like never before, guess he was feeling sicker than he thought. Looking around, he noticed that there was a booklet sitting on one of the side tables near him. Picking it up the booklet title read ¡®5<sup>th</sup> main bedroom manual¡¯. ¡®This will keep me busy for a while¡¯ Lou thought. Opening the manual Lou was surprised that the second page after the description was touch face. A few were locked and when pressed said access only allowed when healthy. Deciding to try one of the available ones, Lou pressed the television button. The pages turned on their own before stopping at one that displayed the word television on the top with an illustration below before the body of text. Quickly scanning the page, Lou looked at the side table that the manual had been sitting on. Leaning over Lou saw that there was a ladybug craved into it and pressed it. The side of the table moved up and a drawl opened with a remote resting on it. Taking the remote, Lou pressed the button again so that the drawl returned. Pressing the on button on the remote, the floor opened, and a television slowly came up out of it.

    Flipping through the pages Lou found the DVD page, reading it he pressed the D button on the remote and watched as the top of the side table moved to the side while a DVD display cabinet came out. Looking through the selection, Lou ended up choosing a nature documentary one. Pushing the chosen DVD cover in, Lou watched in awe as the cabinet went back down and the tabletop back on before the television begun to play. While listening to the documentary Lou retuned back to the content page before deciding to look at one more since his head was starting to hurt. Deciding that it would be best to know how to contact staff in case he needed help, Lou pressed that specific button. The next thing Lou remembered were glimpses of bright white lights before darkness overtook him. Regaining full consciousness Lou found himself inside of a hospital room with the devices and wires connected to him. Carefully sitting up Lou crawled to the end of the bed and grabbed his medical notes from the tray before getting back under the covers. Flipping though the pages Lou took notice on his heart condition and how his stress levels were not well before quickly placing the notes onto the side table before the hospital door opened. Inside came his father¡¯s butler and a doctor.

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°How is my health?¡± Lou asked hoping to get a better understanding of his current situation.

    ¡°You should be doing fine now; you had been experiencing difficulty breathing due to high levels of stress after the recent events so it has been decided that you will stay here for a few days for observation in case something goes wrong!¡± the doctor replied professionally like he always did.

    ¡°Ok¡± Lou replied, expecting that response while not bothering to study their faces since they were masters at hiding their actual expressions.

    ¡®Maybe I¡¯ll have a better chance getting more information from a nurse¡¯ Lou thought, deciding to wait until one comes into his room along.

    ¡°Young master I¡¯ll try to visit you as much as possible!¡±

    ¡°Please focus on my parents so that I won¡¯t have to worry about their condition¡±.

    ¡°I understand young master, but you are also someone I am responsible for!¡¯¡±

    ¡°Cough, it might be best for us to let Lou rest and recover since he had just awoken up. Before you head home, I need to talk to you about some things!¡±

    ¡°I understand, I¡¯ll see you later young master!¡±

    ¡°See you later sir!¡± Lou replied as he watched his father¡¯s butler leave the room and the door closed.

    Grabbing the remote Lou turned on the television. There wasn¡¯t much on beside a nature documentary which appeared to already be halfway through. Resting for a bit Lou quickly glanced at the door to see that his father¡¯s butler quickly moved out of view. Because how quickly he moved, Lou wasn¡¯t sure, but he thought that there was a look of worry and sadness on his face. ¡®Guess I better wait a while longer before taking a better look at the doctor¡¯s notes¡¯ Lou thought as he returned his attention to the documentary. Even through the documentary was a good distraction, it was a boring episode. When the episode finally ended, Lou glanced back at the door, seeing no one.

    Picking up the doctor¡¯s notes, Lou begun to go over it in more detail. It appeared that his heart condition had started to get worse as his dosage of medication had been increased and he was going to be placed onto a heart transplant list in two years or sooner if his condition got worse. ¡®Guess I¡¯m not doing that well, do they still believe I can¡¯t read the doctor¡¯s writing after these constant visits?¡¯ Lou thought with a weak smile before placing the notes down. Returning his attention to the television, Lou begun searching for a new show or movie to watch, there was nothing interesting. Wishing that there was something he could do, Lou remembered his phone. Looking around Lou realised that it wasn¡¯t anywhere to be found but decided to wait until his father¡¯s butler returns to ask about it. Picking a random channel Lou placed the remote down before closing his eyes and trying to fall back asleep. It was easy with the sedative connected to his arm through one of the tubes, a normal thing for him.

 Chapter 11

    After a week Lou was finally able to leave the hospital with his father¡¯s butler once the doctor gave him the all clear. During that time he had been kept informed on his parents¡¯ conditions and how they were getting better knowing that he was being taken cared of. Taking a slow pace, they made their way to the car which was located at the front of the hospital. Allowing his father¡¯s butler to open the front passenger¡¯s door, Lou hopped in.

    ¡°Your parents can¡¯t wait to see you now that you are all better!¡± he said cheerfully. ¡°I am as well glad that you have recovered!¡±

    ¡°Thank you for taking great care of them!¡±

    ¡°Young master it is my great duty to care for my master, your father and their family which includes you!¡±

    Leaning against the car¡¯s window Lou closed his eyes and enjoyed the motion of the car moving. It wasn¡¯t the most comfortable but better than being stuck in bed and not being allowed to move around much. Feeling the car stop Lou looked over to his father¡¯s butler rambling through the backseat.  In the end he pulled out a pillow and gave it to Lou. Taking the pillow Lou rested against it before the car started, falling asleep quickly. He suspected that the trip was going to take a long time and was glad that he could just sleep through it. Coming to, he was being carried by his father¡¯s butler into the house and into the living room. Being paced gently onto the couch, Lou sat up to see that his parents were making their way towards him. Hugging them both tightly Lou repeatedly told them that he was ok now and to not worry. Sitting back Lou wipe the tears from his mother¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Son, we have decided that you will return to school in a week to reduce the stress and suspicious that something happened to you!¡± his father stated calmly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about your friend, he had been delt with and understands that he should leave you alone!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, father, I feel much better now!¡±

    ¡°Maybe it best that you rest in your bedroom until school starts again!¡±

    ¡°I understand, father!¡± Lou replied before hugging his parents again before following his father¡¯s butler to his room. Saying goodbye Lou closed the door before making his way to the study room. Going through the book options Lou reconsidered his though on doing any studying, he went back into his bedroom and sat on his bed. Skimming through the manual Lou saw that there was a page about a bookcase which contained different novels, comics, manga, and the likes. Getting back up, Lou headed to a wall which held a giant frame that contains a fantasy castle with a dragon flying over it.  Scanning the image Lou tried to find anything that would look out of place in the picture, but he couldn¡¯t see anything. His attention was drawn to the door when there was a knock and his father¡¯s butler entered the room with a cart.

    ¡°You doing well young master? I brought you some tea and a light snack!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, sir!¡± Lou replied. ¡°Can you assist me in finding the button that meant to access the books?¡±

    ¡°Understood, young master!¡± his father¡¯s butler said before coming over and lifting the frame. Pointing at the heart-shaped button, he pressed it before taking a step back.

    Following his lead Lou stepped back and watched as the wall spined around to display a wall length bookcase, there was so many choices.

    ¡°If you need help with anything else, please call!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have access to my phone?¡±

    ¡°I see!¡± his father¡¯s butler said before taking the manual and flipping through the pages. Following him, they went to the side table. Paying attention Lou counted three times as his father¡¯s butler pressed the ladybug, out of the table came a telephone.

    ¡°Here young master, now you will be able to call me when needed!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, sir!¡± Lou replied before following his father¡¯s butler to the table. Sitting down, he allowed the food to be served to him. For a light snack he was having a jug of cool water and some biscuit with cheese.

    ¡°I¡¯ll come back later when you are done, young master!¡± his father¡¯s butler stated before leaving the room.

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    Pouring himself a cup of water, Lou drank some before eating some of the biscuit with cheese. Once done Lou got up and headed to the bookcase where he begun to look for something to read. Seeing a book that stood out, Lou took a closer look at it. The book was large in size and was made out of what appeared to be leather. The side text of the book was written in a language that Lou didn¡¯t understand and was embossed in gold. Deciding to take a closer look Lou tried to pull it out, only for it to get stuck. Letting go of the book Lou heard a click somewhere before a section of the bookcase went down with a bit of dust. Just before Lou could walk inside the room, the phone begun to ring.

    Making his way to the telephone, Lou picked it up.

    ¡°Hello young master I have found your phone and will bring it to you later!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, sir!¡± Lou replied before hanging up.

    ¡®Maybe I should find a torch encase it gets dark inside?¡¯ Lou thought before picking up the manual. Finding the page Lou followed the instructions before looking for a book like the one he had just pulled. Finally finding it to the side, Lou pushed it inwards and watched as a large torch took it place. Picking up the torch Lou begun making his way inside, taking the manual just in case. The room was somewhat dimly lit from the outside, so Lou turned on the light. Closing his eyes for a moment Lou was surprised by how bright the torch was, it appeared that the room was something like a hideout. There was a large chalkboard to one side, a computer sitting on a desk in a corner with a strange device that pointed out into the empty space. Beside the other wall there was a strange looking statue, it appeared to be a golden statue of a man sitting and weeping into his hands. The man only worn a loincloth, but the strange thing was that his fingers were bent in the wrong direction. Seeing that the fingers could be moved, Lou placed them all into the right position. When nothing happened Lou turned his attention to the computer and begun studying it. Seeing that there was no way to turn the computer on Lou left the room and placed the torch back into its position so that the book went back into place and did similar with the other book. Returning back to the table Lou finished off the rest of the biscuits with cheese before the door opened and his mother came inside. Quickly getting up Lou made his way to her.

    ¡°Are you ok, mother?¡± Lou asked concerned.

    ¡°Yes honey, I just wanted to see you again. I¡¯m glad that you are doing well, honey!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m glad that you and father are also doing well!¡± Lou replied as he gave her a hug.

    Going to the door Lou watched as his mother carefully made her way down the hallway before closing the door. Hopping back into his bed Lou turned the television on before picking a new movie to watch. The movie appeared to be one about dinosaurs. As the movie played Lou begun to go over the details of his room more before seeing at the back there was actually a 6<sup>th</sup> room, an arcade. Feeling excited Lou hopped off his bed before making his way to a specific spot on the floor. Tapping the spot with his foot twice he felt the floor begun to move. Stepping back, the floor slowly turned into steps with lights turning on the deeper the floor went. Carefully making his way down, Lou slid his hand against the cold stone wall for the extra balance. Despite knowing he should have been resting Lou couldn¡¯t help but feel excited to see what the room would look like, maybe to show people if he had any friends. The deeper Lou went, the hum of music begun to grow. Taking the final step to the solid floor, Lou was amazed by what he saw. The room was dimly lit by the lights which hid how large the room was. There were many different types of arcade machines including pinball, racing games and a whole row of claw machines. Running around the room to look at the many options before sitting down on a chair, feeling breathless and his chest starting to hurt. Doing his best to catch his breath, the pain just continued to grow. Feeling the tears begin flowing, Lou forced himself onto his feet and used the machines to try and reach the entrance so he could get some help. Closer and closer Lou got, his legs begun to tremble, and view became darker, he collapsed to the ground passing out, scared. Waking up groggily Lou struggled to sit up as he felt extremely weak.

    Leaning against an arcade machine Lou tried his best to focus. ¡®How long have I been out¡¯ Lou though, his head still cloudy. Looking at the desk Lou felt disheartened.

    ¡°There is no way I¡¯m going to get up those stairs for a while. Maybe sir would realise that I¡¯m not in my room and look for me?¡± Lou muttered weakly to himself as he tried to get comfortable since it would most likely be a long wait.

    ¡®I should avoid falling asleep since I had been warned that I might not be able to wake up¡¯ Lou though with a shudder.

    ¡°This is nothing new, just calm down Lou everything will be fine!¡± Lou repeatedly told himself until he was able to calm down. Knowing that he shouldn¡¯t panic since it would increase his blood pressure and become a danger to his heart.

    ¡°Young master, young master, are you down there?¡± his father¡¯s butler spoken in concern.

    Wanting to yell that he was there, Lou could only gasp before ending up in a coughing fit. As his eyes became cloudy with tears Lou could barely see his father¡¯s butler run towards him. Weakly reaching out his trembling arms Lou was quickly picked up before being rushed back to his bedroom. Being gently placed beneath his blankets, his father¡¯s butler raced out of the room and returned with a medical beg. Watching his father¡¯s butler pull out a needle and filled it with an unknown liquid that Lou only saw once years ago when he was in the same condition before everything went dark. Coming to, it was dark in the room beside a lamp dimly lighting the room. Beside the bed was his father¡¯s butler sitting on a chair. In the silence Lou could make out his breathing deeply, he was asleep. ¡®Strange how some people can sleep on chairs, don¡¯t they get sore afterwards?¡¯ Lou wondered before closing his eyes and drifting off back to sleep, feeling safer.

 Chapter 12

    As the week passed Lou received daily health checks until it was decided by his father¡¯s butler it was safe for him to go to school, at least for a half day. After getting ready for school, Lou hugged his parents bye before hopping into the car with his father¡¯s butler.

    ¡°Before I forget, young master, here is your phone!¡±

    ¡°Thank you!¡± Lou replied, taking his phone happily.

    As the car drove, they sat in a peaceful silence, listening to music. Lou started to get nervous the closer they got to the school. He wasn¡¯t sure how things would go with his classmates, especially Ko.

    ¡°Young master f you are worried I can stay in town until pickup?¡± his father¡¯s butler said kindly. ¡°Unfortunately we are unable to enrol you into another school until the next year.

    ¡°No sir, I think I¡¯ll be fine!¡± Lou replied as he tried to get comfortable, preparing for the day.

    As the car pulled up to the drop off zone, Lou was handed a note before getting out.

    ¡°Young master, make sure that you give this to your homeroom teacher to explain your absences!¡±

    ¡°Thank you!¡± Lou replied before closing the door. Waving goodbye Lou begun making his way into the school, there was less students outside than Lou expected. Just upon entering the school¡¯s doors, Lou found himself in a line.

    Peeking to the side pass the line of students, he saw that there were two metal detectors with officers standing beside them. ¡®Guess this explains why other students weren¡¯t outside¡¯ Lou thought as he begun to slowly move forwards. Finally with just two other students in front of him, the school bell begun to ring.

    ¡°Can we just head to class now, this is taking longer than necessary, and we will get into trouble for missing class!¡± stated the girl annoyed in front of Lou.

    ¡°Miss, calm down, if you were that worry you should have come earlier!¡± one of the officers said calmly, clearly not wanting a confrontation.

    When it was Lou¡¯s turn, he walked through the metal detectors before heading to the schedule board. There he found out his first lesson was screaming class. ¡®Maybe I¡¯ll be allowed to sit out this time?¡¯ Lou though hopefully.

    Feeling a hand tap on his shoulder, Lou turned around to see that Ko was standing there.

    ¡°Hay Lou? Feeling better?¡± Ko asked chipper.

    ¡°Um....yeah I am doing well now!¡± Lou managed to get out, trying to hide his nerves.

    ¡°Huh it seems that our class is combined for screaming class. Want me to persuade the teacher to let you sit out? She had been getting worse lately since the criminal is still out!¡±

    ¡°Thanks¡± Lou replied as they slowly made their way to the screaming class. It was located outside in the courtyard of some reason; they would be an annoyance for the classes around.

    Upon reaching the classroom,  a large number of students and three teachers were already inside. Not really a surprised due to the classes having large amounts of students and now being combined together. Following closely behind Ko they made their way to the screaming teacher. This screaming teacher was a balding male who looked unfit and not someone who could scream extremely loudly. ¡®Guess this is Ko¡¯s class screaming teacher¡¯ Lou thought.

    ¡°Hi sir, I guess you are taking over for our normal teacher? By the way, my friend here has a note and I think its best for him to sit out of this class¡± Ko asked confidently.

    ¡®Guess he isn¡¯t Ko¡¯s normal screaming teacher then¡¯ Lou thought as he handed the note over. As the teacher read the note, they waited in silence for his decision.

    ¡°I see....I think that it is best for you to head to the nurse¡¯s office with one of the teachers and get checked out!¡±

    ¡°Ok¡± Lou replied as a teacher was called over and begun to lead him to the nurse¡¯s office. On the way to the nurse¡¯s office there was no one out in the hallway and it was kind of freaky. Upon reaching the door, it opened, and they were greeted by Miss Cherry. She was an old lady who had been working as a school nurse for as long as Lou could remembered. Miss Cherry was wearing a floral dress, and her fingernails were painted red. Everyone considers her as a grandmother and would go to her for help.

    ¡°Hello dear, how are you doing?¡± Miss Cherry asked cheerfully.

    ¡°My teacher wants me to have a health checkup because of a note I gave him. Not sure why?¡± Lou replied happily.

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    ¡°Come in and lets get you check out so you can head back to class!¡±

    Following Miss Cherry Lou sat down on a soft seat and allowed his blood pressure, heart rate, weight and height checked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll write you a note to skip all physical activities today. Please have your parents take you to the doctors this afternoon if your health doesn¡¯t improve!¡±

    ¡°I will!¡± Lou replied before he was given the note and followed the teacher outside, down the hallway.

    ¡°Do you know why there isn¡¯t any students outside?¡± Lou asked confused.

    ¡°We have become much stricter with the students after the criminal had come to the school awhile back. Have you been updated on the rules yet?¡± the teacher explained calmly, clearly wanting to be helpful.

    ¡°No sir, I just came back today so I am informed!¡±

    ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll explain them to you¡± the teacher stated before clearing his throat. ¡°There are five main rules that all students must follow. Rule 1, only travel in groups of two or more with at least one who could scream. Rule 2, students are only allowed to go outside in specific areas if there are at least two teachers. Rule 3, students are not allowed to go home unless in a group or being picked up by their parents. Rule 4, try to avoid leaving class, if possible, encase something happens and everyone needs to be accounted for. Rule 5, report any and all suspicious people inside or around the school. I¡¯ll provide you with some pamphlets with all the rules so that you and your parents can stay informed!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, sir¡±

    The closer to the classroom they could clearly hear the screaming and feel the vibrations they were making.

    ¡°I think that its best if you don¡¯t continue forward encase it causes your health to get worse. I¡¯ll open a classroom for you!¡±

    Following the teacher back a good distance so that the vibration has stopped, and the screaming was much less, the teacher unlocked the door and turned on the lights.

    ¡°You stay here, and I¡¯ll get something for you to do!¡±

    Handing the teacher the note, Lou went and sat at one of the many desks. Turning on the computer, Lou opened his school mail to see if there was any work he needed to complete. His mail was filled with twenty different messages ranging from classmates and teachers. Saving the work he needed to complete into pdfs Lou sent them to the printer. When the printer didn¡¯t whizz to life, Lou got up and made his way to it. Pressing the on button, nothing happened. Searching around Lou found the cords and begun untangling them to find the correct one before plugging it into the power point. Getting back up and whipping his pants off, Lou pressed the on button and listened as the printer whizz to life. Once the first page had begun to print, Lou headed back to the desk. Going through the messages send by his classmates, they were asking if he was alright. Deciding to send a copy pasted message to them, he wrote ¡®Sorry to worry about you, I am doing well¡¯. Turning to the internet, Lou looked up information on the criminal. There was nothing at all, it seemed people have moved on from it. Getting up Lou went to the printer and took the first few pages that had been printed. Sorting them into different pies, Lou stapled the ones that have been completed while leaving the others to do later.

    Sitting back into his seat, Lou begun to play some music quietly as he begun to work on them. Out of nowhere an alarm begun to ring fiercely. Looking around, Lou noticed that the teacher hadn¡¯t returned. ¡®Is this just a drill? A fire alarm or lockdown¡¯ Lou thought confused not sure what to do. Peeking out of the door, there was no one around. The speakers begun to crackle to life.

    ¡°Attention, attention to all. The school is going into lockdown. I repeat the school is going into lockdown!¡±

    When the speaker crackled into silence Lou found himself alone and basically in view of anyone that turns into the hallway.

    ¡°What to do, what to do?¡± Lou muttered to himself. ¡°Since the class was outside, they would head to the closest classroom!¡±

    Backing into the classroom, there was no windows to cover the windows. ¡®Great what am I supposed to do?¡¯ Lou thought as he begun looking for something to cover it with, there was nothing. ¡®Maybe I should try another classroom, but wouldn¡¯t the door be locked?¡¯ Lou thought but decided it was better to try. Unlocking the door, Lou peeked out before going to the door across from him. It was locked and also appeared to be missing curtains. Trying a few more doors, they had the same result, so Lou rushed back into the room. Looking the door, he begun to look for some stickie tape. Finding some Lou grabbed some paper before tapping them over the windows. Realising that the printer was still on and making noise Lou quickly pressed the off button before pulling out the plug since it was taking so long.

    Turning off the computer, Lou then turned off the lights before searching for a hiding place. In the end Lou decided to hide behind the teacher¡¯s desk. Knowing that the papers wouldn¡¯t provide much hiding Lou just hopped that no one would come by. After ensuring that the windows were all locked, Lou grabbed all of his things and hid them behind the teacher¡¯s desk. Realising that it would have been better to make it appear that no one was actually inside, Lou rushed to the windows and ripped the paper and tape off. Giving the room a final look, Lou hid behind the teacher¡¯s desk. At least there was a large enough opening in the desk to hide in. Sitting in silence Lou waited and waited, nothing happened. Looking at the papers he still had to complete, Lou grabbed a pencil and begun working on them. Depending on how things go, he would have everything done and ready to submit. ¡®Hope the lockdown isn¡¯t going to last long¡¯ Lou thought before his concentration was broken. There was the sound of rymantic knocking happening, it was further away but was closing in. ¡®Oh shit¡¯ Lou though as he pulled everything further in with him. ¡®If everything goes well whoever it is will not notice me¡¯ Lou thought. Grabbing his phone, Lou made sure that it was fully off. As the knocking got closer, Lou couldn¡¯t stop trembling and having to make sure he was breathing. ¡®For the first day back, this suck. Hope my parents don¡¯t end up worrying too much¡¯ Lou thought disheartened. Covering his mouth to prevent a gasp as the knocking begun on his door. When it stopped, Lou begun to feel the desire to peek. ¡®This person is gone now or are they waiting at the door, why did they stop knocking¡¯ Lou thought as many thoughts begun to run through his head and he couldn¡¯t prevent it. ¡®I need to calm down now, or I might have a heart attack¡¯ Lou realised but he couldn¡¯t. all he could hear now was his heart racing faster and faster. Quietly rambling through his small bag, Lou pulled out a needle and immediately injected it into his thigh. Feeling his heart calm down Lou allowed himself to fall unconscious with the needle dropping to the floor with a silent clank.

 Chapter 13

    Waking up groggily Lou wiped the salvia off his mouth. Feeling slightly confused he looked around before picking up the empty needle. Just before Lou was about to get out from beneath the teacher¡¯s desk, he remembered that the school was under lockdown and the person could still be outside. Hearing a firm knock on the door, Lou quickly covered his mouth just before a scream was about to erupt.

    ¡°Is anyone inside there, this is the police!¡± said a firm male voice followed by something that sound like a radio crackling.

    ¡®Should I trust this person but what about the noise afterwards¡¯¡¯ Lou thought uncertain. ¡®Maybe I¡¯ll just take a peak¡¯. Carefully moving to the door¡¯s peephole, whoever it was, was holding a police badge out.

    ¡®¡¯Its seem that no one is in this room, I¡¯ll do a better check once I get the key!¡±

    Feeling someone staring intensely at him, Lou turned around and saw that the student president was peeling through the window at him. He watched silently as she held her finger to her mouth but something about it just looked wrong. The student president was someone everyone knows about. It was said that she was one of the most beautiful and kind people in the world. She had long blue hair and always had it in a ponytail with a stuff bear attached to it. She would also wear blue fingernail polish. That was it, the fingernails were not blue. Ensuring that he had his phone in his bag Lou rushed out from beneath he desk.

    Almost sliding due to his scattered papers on the floor Lou used the momentum to reach the door. Just before he could open it, the rymsntic knocking begun again. ¡®Wait what the fuck! Thts the soud from before!¡¯ Lou thought as he drew his hand away from the door¡¯s lock. ¡®A officer wouldn¡¯t do that right¡¯. Before Lou could decide on what to do, the knocking got louder. Deciding to risk it, Lou unlocked the door and ran out of the hallway and into the direction of the officer. Taking a quick glimpse of a recording device before knocking into something. Falling down onto the floor, looking up Lou released that he recognised the officer. It was one of the officers who come to the school and talk to students every year.

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    ¡°Are you alright Lou?¡± the officer asked kindly as he helped Lou up.

    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Lou asked, not hiding his fear and worry.

    ¡°The school is still under lockdown, but it has been decided that it safer to get the kids who are more likely at risk and place them somewhere safe!¡±

    Following the officer, Lou explained about how he saw the student principal and his fears before the sound of glass breaking interrupted him. Looking back to the door Lou had left open a figure ran out and begun making their way towards them. The figure appeared to be a ghostly pale male who appeared as if he hadn¡¯t eaten in ages nor been in the sun for just as long. Noticing the blood on its mouth first Lou was starting to look down when the officer moved in front of him, blocking his view.

    ¡°When I say run, you run!¡± the officer commanded in a hushed voice.

    ¡°Where¡± Lou asked feeling panic.

    ¡°Continue down the hallway and turn left, it should lead you towards the door to the carpark. You should see some officers there!¡±

    Before Lou could say something the officer sternly told Lou to run. Deciding to follow the order, Lou turned around and begun running as fast as he could. He chose not to look back, fearing what he could see. Just as Lou turned the corner, gunshots begun to ring out, echoing all around him. With the door just within reach, there was a strange sound. Ignoring it Lou slammed into the doors, opening them. Missing his step Lou found himself falling down the stairs. Landing on the ground with a groan Lou forced himself back onto his feet. With a limp Lou looked around before catching sight of the officers. Limping his way towards the officers, Lou tried to scream for help, but he gagged, and his throat was raspy most likely from the injection he took. Seeing that one of them had turned his way, he thought they said something, but it was too distance. The closer Lou got; the voice became clearer. ¡®Why is the officer yelling duck¡¯ Lou thought. Before he could think about what to do, Lou tripped over nothing and landed on his face. Hearing gunshots, Lou looked up to see that the officers were running towards him and shooting above him. Seeing darkness fill the outer parts of his eyes, Lou passed out. Opening his eyes Lou saw that he was being loaded into an ambulance. Realising that he was going to be safe, Lou closed his eyes and drifted off peacefully. His last thoughts as he drifted off was about how he hoped the student principal would be alright and his parents wouldn¡¯t get sick again because of him.

 Chapter 14

    Waking up inside of the hospital again, Lou was once again alone. This time Lou didn¡¯t feel well enough to try and grab the doctor¡¯s notes on his condition, he already knowns that it wasn¡¯t good. From how weak he felt to the amount of tubes attached to him. Looking at the door, he hoped that someone would open the door instead of leaving him in the darkness, alone and scared. Feeling the tears form Lou struggled to wipe them away. Looking around slowly Lou saw that the controller was nearby. Reaching out Lou tried to grab it, he could just barely touch it but nothing else. Trying harder and harder, Lou allowed his tears to flow as he felt so weak ad useless. ¡®Please someone, please come¡¯ Lou screamed inside of his head. Hearing what sound like footsteps just outside of his door, Lou couldn¡¯t help but have his hopes up only for it to immediately dashed when the footsteps went away. Closing his eyes Lou waited for sleep to come since he didn¡¯t want to be left alone.

    ¡°Young master are you awake?¡± said a familiar voice.

    Opening his eyes, Lou looked at the door, there stood his father¡¯s butler. Watching his father¡¯s butler make his way in and sat down.

    ¡°The doctor will be in here shortly!¡± his father¡¯s butler asked calmly. ¡°Do you desire me to put the television on and open the blinds slightly, so you have some sunlight?¡±

    Nodding his head slightly, Lou wanted to tell his father¡¯s butler how thankful he was but doubted he could at the moment.

    Staring at the television Lou watched as the channels changed before landing on a screen with a DVD disc bouncing around.

    ¡°I shall put on a movie for you, young master!¡± his father¡¯s butler stated as he sorted through the few disc options the hospital had. After the disc was placed in, the television showed that a nature documentary begun playing. When the doctor didn¡¯t arrive after a while, his father¡¯s butler looked out of the door.

    ¡°Young master give me a moment and I¡¯ll see what taking the doctor so long, I¡¯ll be back shortly!¡±

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    ¡°Ok¡± Lou replied as he watched his father¡¯s butler left the room and he was left alone once again. As the memories of what happened came back in flashbacks, Lou tried his hardest to block and ignore them. He couldn¡¯t focus on anything and being alone just amped up his fears. ¡®I¡¯m safe here, nothing bad is going to happen at the hospital¡¯ Lou kept thinking to himself, but it didn¡¯t help with his body increasing trembling. Feeling his breath struggling and the tears forming didn¡¯t help. ¡®Mother, father, butler please don¡¯t leave me alone¡¯ Lou screamed in his head as he found himself struggling more.

    ¡°Young master, I¡¯m back!¡± his father¡¯s butler said cheerfully. ¡°Young master? Someone grab the doctor!¡±

    As his world blackens Lou barely heard the sound of footsteps running in before succumbing. Waking up with a gasp Lou found himself surrounded by doctors, nurses and gladly his father¡¯s butler. This time Lou could clearly see that his father¡¯s butler was worried, and it didn¡¯t made Lou feel any better.

    ¡°Young master, young master you are going to be ok now!¡±

    For some reason Lou felt that it was a lie like how his parents said a similar thing when he was first diagnosed because of some minor health issues his mother was worried about. The next hour or so went by with Lou getting regular checked on by different doctors and having a nurse stationed in his room. His father¡¯s butler had left a few times, most likely making called and hopefully eating. Lou wasn¡¯t sure how he would feel if his father¡¯s butler became unwell because of him. After awhile a doctor injected him with something, it caused him to lose and regain consciousness until he was finally able to wake up. Slowly looking around him, he saw that he was in a room he never seen before. It was basically an emptied room beside a heart monitor and some other machines. Everything was white beside the window which showed the night sky, it was the only colour in the room. ¡®Hope I¡¯m not stuck in here for long, I might lose my mind¡¯ Lou thought with a slight chuckle. Looking over his body, Lou saw that he had different tubes attached to him. ¡®At least I feel better¡¯ Lou thought. Moving his hand to his face Lou felt a tube there. Putting his hand down, Lou waited and waited for someone to come. No one did, there wasn¡¯t even a sound beside that of machines working. Lying in silence, it was difficult to prevent his thoughts from wondering all over the place. Looking to his side to see if there was a device to call for a nurse but there was none. ¡®Guess I will have to lie here until someone comes sooner, or I might end up falling back asleep¡¯ Lou thought in boredom. After a few minutes Lou started to consider removing all the tubes but decided not to because he might end up either hurting or killing himself. ¡®I¡¯ll give it maybe an hour before I do anything direct¡¯ Lou decided before returning to waiting.

 Chapter 15

    After what felt like a couple of hours the doors to the room opened with a fizz. Looking to it, Lou wasn¡¯t sure how he felt when a figure dressed in an airtight suit entered, it looked like the ones scientists wear while handling dangerous chemicals, but it was white in colour instead of yellow. The figure made their way towards Lou with a strange device, it was held over him. As the device emitted a blue light, it appeared to be scanning his whole body. Once the scan was done, the figure gave a thumb up, Lou was barely able to give a thumb up back before the figure left the room. ¡®What was that about¡¯ Lou though before he begun to smell something oddly sweet. Yawning, Lou rubbed his eyes before placing them back down, his body was feeling heavy to the point he couldn¡¯t move, and his eyelids closed. Coming to, Lou was bac inside of his hospital room, it appeared as if nothing had changed. ¡®Was that a dream but it felt so real¡¯ Lou thought before deciding to leave the thought behind. The door opened and his father¡¯s butler quickly made his way inside.

    ¡°Young master are you ok? Do you feel well?¡± he asked in concern.

    ¡°Sir, I am feeling well. Do you know what is happening?¡± Lou asked confused.

    ¡°The doctors have decided to keep you here for a few days to ensure your condition improves. I have talked to your parents, and they have decided that I will stay with you until you are discharged!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, sir!¡±¡¯

    Hearing knocking on the door they both turned around to look. There stood a doctor with a man dressed in a business suit.

    ¡°I have good and bad news!¡± the doctor stated. ¡°What do you want to hear first?¡±

    ¡°Is young master even in a good condition to hear anything stressful?¡±

    ¡°I think I can handle it!¡± Lou stated. ¡°Can we start with the good news?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we can!¡± the doctor stated. ¡°The good news is that your condition is improving much faster than we though possible and you have been moved up on the list for a new heart!¡±

    ¡°The bad news?¡±

    ¡°It still may take a few months to a year before you can have the heart transplant operation and till then need to take some pills to assist your heart till then!¡±

    ¡°I see, its sill good because the transplant can happen sooner!¡±

    ¡°Yes, but it also means that your heart is slowly failing, and it could speed up with more stress and damage!¡± the doctor said. ¡°The man beside me is going to go over the details with your guardians so when there is a heart compatible and it¡¯s your turn, we will be able to begin immediately!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great news young master, I¡¯ll inform your parents so that they can come here quickly to go over and sign the papers!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great, we will be able to get everything signed today!¡± the doctor said before he and the man in the suit left the room. The doctor came back in quickly.

    ¡°By the way Lou is allowed to eat food, a nurse will come with a menu for you to choose from!¡± the doctor stated before leaving the room once again.

    ¡°Young master, do you want me to put a movie on, fluff your pillow and give you a stuff toy for comfort?¡±

    ¡°Yes please, sir!¡± Lou stated as he watched his father¡¯s butler went to the side of the bed and pulled out a large bag. His father¡¯s butler was kind of insane with how he was able to get everything prepared for majority of cases. As his father¡¯s butler went through the bag, he pulled out a large teddy bear, a spray bottle and two DVDS.  When Lou was showed the two DVDS, he chose one that was about a bender going on a journey to find himself. After the movie was put on, Lou was assisted into a sitting position so that his father¡¯s butler could fluff his pillow, it felt more comfortable afterwards.

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    ¡°Do you feel better, young master?¡±

    ¡°Yes sir, thank you very much!¡±

    Just then the door opened, and a nurse came in.

    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m here to provide the menu for loss. Do you want me to read them out for you?¡± the nurse asked joyfully, trying to lighter her patients¡¯ days.

    ¡°Yes, I think that would be great!¡± his father¡¯s butler stated as he took a seat and begun pouring the liquid into the toy.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± the nurse asked confused.

    ¡°Preparing the toy for my young master, this will allow him to stay calm and lessen the chance of him having a panic attack!¡±

    ¡°I see¡± the nurse said before reading off the menu. ¡°Today for lunch there is three different items. This includes a light burger with fries, baked potato roast with gravy, and tomato soup with bread. The drinks on offer are orange juice, water, milk, tea, and coffee. What do you want?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with the potato roast with gravy and milk tea!¡±

    ¡°And you sir, since you are staying with Lou until he is discharged, we need to make sure you eat as well!¡±

    ¡°I understand miss, I¡¯ll have the tomato soup with bread and black coffee!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, the food should arrive at 12:01 am¡± the nurse said before leaving the room.

    Taking a quick glance at his father¡¯s butler it was clear that he wanted to say something, but his phone begun to ring.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take this call quickly and come right back!¡±

    ¡°Take your time, I feel much better already!¡± Lou replied as he watched is father¡¯s butler leave the room.

    Once Lou was sure that he was left alone, he carefully sat up and checked his surroundings. Everything looks the same beside the fact he had much less tubes attached to him. Carefully Lou crawled to the end of his bed and saw that the doctor¡¯s notes were not there but instead a folder.

    Opening the folder there was a colouring book, a puzzle book, coloured pencils, and a simple note. The note read ¡®we know that you have been constantly looking at the notes so having something else to keep you busy.¡¯

    ¡°Great¡± Lou muttered to himself as he went and sat back in the bed. Placing the folder to the side he decided to wait before using them since having a solid surface would be much useful. When no one came in Lou looked around and saw a clock above the door, that was new. It wasn¡¯t a normal round clock but one that was a rectangle, displaying the current time. It was 10:20am, still a long time before lunch and maybe before someone would come in. ¡®Its odd, didn¡¯t he said that the call wouldn¡¯t be long. What¡¯s taking him?¡¯ Lou thought before deciding to watch what left of the movie before worrying. At the moment the movie wasn¡¯t really enjoyable but helped the time even though he wasn¡¯t really sure what he story was really about nor what was happening. Hearing a knock non the door Lou looked up and saw that it was the nurse.

    ¡°May I come in? Lunch have just arrived!¡± the nurse said cheerfully. ¡°Where is your friend?¡±

    ¡°You can come in. I don¡¯t know where he went but he should be back soon!¡±

    ¡°Ok then I shall assist you in being able to eat and I¡¯ll leave your friend¡¯s food on the chair for when he comes back!¡±

    ¡°Thaks¡± Lou replied while he watched the nurse pushed a cart in before coming over and lifted a tabletop in front of Lou. She then placed a tray on it and removed the lid.

    ¡°Here is your lunch, I shall return later to collect the empty dishes!¡±

    ¡°Thank you!¡±

    Once the nurse left, Lou begun to slowly eat his food. The potato roast was so good. ¡®I wonder if my father¡¯s butler would be able to cook something like this later¡¯ Lou thought happily. Once done Lou looked around him to realise that he had not returned, and it has already been a few hours. ¡®What is going on?¡¯ Lou thought as he moved the tray to the side. Opening the folder, Lou pulled out the colouring book and the colouring pencils, he begun to slowly colour in the first page. ¡®To bad that I don¡¯t have my phone or I could call my parents and my father¡¯s butler but oh well¡¯ Lou thought as he placed his focus on colouring the page.

 Chapter 16

    As the days passed and his father¡¯s butler had not returned, Lou couldn¡¯t help but feel a ping of worry that continued to grow despite the nurse and doctor saying everything would be ok. One day when Lou woke up the stuff teddy was lying next to him with the sweet smell coming from it. Carefully sitting up, he looked around, but his father¡¯s butler was not there. The bathroom door was open like it always was and his ag was still where it was before. ¡®Did he just left right after placing the teddy mean me. Nah he would always leave a note¡¯ Lou thought. When the nurse came inside, she was followed by a girl wearing a maid uniform. Before the nurse could explain, Lou spoke first.

    ¡°Do you have any information on him?¡±

    ¡°Sorry Lou, no one could get into contact with him!¡± she said with a bit of sadness and concern. ¡°However it appeared that he had scheduled someone to come in and take care of you for a while!¡±

    ¡°Who, is it the girl in the maid uniform or something?¡±

    ¡°Yes, young master I shall take great care of you until your butler can return to his duties¡±

    ¡°His my father¡¯s butler!¡±

    ¡°I see why my main duty is taking care of you, I¡¯ll also try and care for your family!¡±

    ¡°So what should I call you?¡±

    ¡°I go by the name Rose; can I call you Lou?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine by me¡± Lou replied as he studied the girl dressed in a main uniform.

    She appeared to be at least 2 or 5 years younger than him. Her hair was in a ponytail and her outfit was a common maid dress and accessories. ¡®Why was she chosen to take care of me. Was I being used as a training tool for her and if so, who was she with.¡¯

    ¡°Young master, please stop staring at me like that, it makes me feel weird!¡±

    ¡°Sorry Rose I was just lost in thought. A lot have happened, so it seems difficult for me to adjust to this!¡±

    ¡°I understand young master and that why I have been chosen to take care of you for the time being to ensure you are able to adjust and deal with difficulties!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to get to know each other as I have to get back to my other work and patients!¡± the nurse stated as she left the room.

    ¡°So is there anything you need help with?¡± Rose asked kindly.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. You can do whatever you want since I am basically stuck here until they decided it would be best for me to be discharged!¡±

    ¡°When do you think that will be?¡± Rose asked as she sat onto a chair and begun swinging her legs.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know when?¡±

    Hearing a knock on the door, hey both looked up to see a man dressed in a business suit. His hair was a dark red and shirt, his fingernails appeared to be painted purple and it appeared to be a crazy look in his eyes.

    ¡°What are you doing here Koby?¡± Rose asked in joyful surprised.

    ¡°Oh haven¡¯t you heard, my beloved master is next door, and I was wondering who ¡®he¡¯ was taking care of!¡± Kody stated. ¡°Guess it was this kid?¡±

    ¡°This kid is the chid of his master, I¡¯m taking care of him while he is away!¡± Rose stated as she got down from the chair and made her way to the door, preventing Koby from coming in. ¡°Let¡¯s talk outside, I don¡¯t want you to cause unnecessary issues to young master¡¯s health!¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine. Let get going! See you next time young master!¡± Koby stated jokely as they left.

    ¡®This isn¡¯t going to be fun¡¯ Lou thought as he held his toy closely before falling asleep. Waking up the sun was shining on his face, Lou couldn¡¯t help but feel annoyed, his father¡¯s butler would usually wait until he was awake before opening the curtains. Siting up, Rose entered the room with a skip and a hop.

    ¡°You are finally awake, young master!¡±

    ¡°Why did you open the curtains before I awoke?¡±

    ¡°Simply so that you would wake feeling the warmth on your face, young master!¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t because it interrupts my sleep and blinds me when I wake up, it¡¯s annoying!¡±

    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Oh I¡¯m sorry, I won¡¯t do that again!¡± Rose said cheerfully as she went to the end of the bed and pulled out a sailor uniform.

    ¡°Good news, you are being discharged today so I got you a cute outfit to wear!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not wearing that, beside I should already have a more suitable outfit in that bag!¡± Lou stated as he pointed to the bag.

    ¡°Ok, I won¡¯t force you since I promise him, I¡¯ll do my best to care for you!¡±

    ¡°Thank you!¡± Lou replied. ¡°Where do I actually get to leave?¡±

    ¡°The doctor said around afternoon, but he also recommends that you spend the next few days resting at home!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine with me!¡±

    Laying down Lou stared at the television, he wasn¡¯t in the mood to watch anything but there was nothing else to do. Lou completed all of the puzzles and colouring pages. He wasn¡¯t sure how he felt about Rose caring for him or why his parents haven¡¯t come to visit him.

    ¡°Hey Rose, do you know what my parents are up to? Why haven¡¯t they visited?¡±

    ¡°Well young master, at the moment they are very busy. From what I heard they think it would be best for you to go to a different school after being homeschooled to catch up!¡±

    ¡°Ok¡± Lou replied as kindly as he could. ¡®It was clear, Rose was lying about his parents since before being removed from school he was usually part of the conversation.¡¯ Hearing a knock on the door, Lou sat up to watch the doctor enter.

    ¡°Guess what Lou, you are healthy enough to head back home!¡±

    ¡°Thank you doctor for taking care of me!¡±

    The nurse came in pushing a wheelchair.

    ¡°I shall take you to your vehicle and ensure you know how to take your pills!¡±

    ¡°Thank you miss!¡± Lou stated as he was helped into the wheelchair.

    As he was pushed outside Lou took a quick glance at the room beside him. The door was open, and he could see Koby feeding sliced fruit to a young man that appeared sickly. Upon seeing the man raise his hand, Lou quickly looked away. He didn¡¯t want to worry or deal with anyone for a long while and just want to go home. Lou didn¡¯t paid attention to where they were going since he had been here multiple times. Reaching the waiting room Lou signed out before they begun making the way outside. There parked to the side was a fancy red car with some guy who was waving at them. The guy had bright red hair. Behind them came Rose and Koby.

    ¡°So because I can¡¯t drive, Koby insisted on dropping us back home!¡±

    ¡°So who is this person?¡± Lou stated while he looked at Rose, slightly concerned.

    ¡°Who?¡± she asked.

    ¡°The person in the fancy red car!¡± Lou replied annoyed.

    ¡°Oh I don¡¯t know, do you Koby?¡±

    ¡°Of course I do, that¡¯s my older brother. Wonder what his doing here?¡±

    Staying there where they were, they watched as Koby went to his brother to talk. Looking around Lou tried to see if anything was happening but there wasn¡¯t anything interesting to see.

    ¡°Lou, do you want to have something to drink and maybe rest in the shade till they are done?¡± the nurse asked kindly.

    ¡°Yes please!¡± Lou responded as he was wheeled into some shade before the nurse left to get him some cold water. Rose was still standing here she was before, she appeared to be intensely listening. Looking around there was nothing interesting to see. ¡®I wonder how long this would take before I¡¯m taken back home¡¯ Lou thought as he suddenly became exhausted.

    ¡°What the hell is wrong with me!¡± Lou muttered to himself as he rested his head against his hand. ¡®I don¡¯t want to go back to the hospital, I am almost out of it.¡¯

    ¡°Hay kid are you ok?¡± asked a concerned, unknown voice.

    Looking up Lou saw that it was an older female. She was wearing a long black dress, held an umbrella over her head and her breasts were a bit too close for comfort. Her eyes were bright green and show sincere kindness, her hair was the same as Koby and his brother, could she be another sibling. Feeling a cold had touch his forehead, Lou was broken out of his thoughts.

    ¡°Poor child, you have a fever coming on. Let take you inside, out of the heat!¡±

    As Lou was pushed back inside, he saw that Rose hadn¡¯t noticed him being moved. ¡®Guess Rose is terrible and doesn¡¯t focus on who she is meant to¡¯ Lou thought as he waited patiently. Entering the hospital they were met by the nurse.

    ¡°Who are you and what are you doing to Lou?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry dear, I just brought him inside because he was developing a fever!¡±

    ¡°Oh dear!¡± the nursed stated as she rushed over and placed her hand against Lou¡¯s forehead. ¡°You are right I¡¯ll contact the doctor immediately!¡±

    The nurse ran off into the distance while carrying the water bottle with her.

    ¡°Let get into a more airconditioned area while we wait fir her to return with a doctor!¡±

    ¡°Maybe I should tell the others first?¡±

    ¡°They will be fine; they would come looking later!¡±

    ¡°You sure? I still want to tell them, so they don¡¯t worry!¡± Lou replied beginning to feel concern growing.

    when the lady didn¡¯t answer, Lou was going to try and turn on the wheelchair break when the wheelchair begun to speed up quickly. Grabbing onto the sides of the chair tightly util his knuckles went white; the panic was making it harder for Lou to breath. Feeling a type of pressure let go, Lou took a quick glance back to see that the lady had let go of the wheelchair. ¡®Shit shit shit¡¯ Lou thought as he tried to think of a way to stop. There was no really safe metho since Lou couldn¡¯t grab the break connected to the wheel and didn¡¯t want to risk flinging himself out of the chair. Deciding to just focus on his breathing and hoping that someone would help or at least not cause an accident. Feeling himself blackout when the wheelchair abruptly stopped. He could just make out a figure leaning over him before nothing.

 Chapter 17

    Coming to Lou found himself lying inside of a large vehicle. Looking around he saw that Rose, the nurse, Koby and the young man was sitting there.

    ¡°Young master, you are awake!¡±

    Looking away from her, Lou decided to ignore her since he would most likely say something bad until he calmed down.

    ¡°Come on kid, she didn¡¯t mean to not check up on you!¡± Koby said.

    ¡°Well look at what happened because she ignored her duty and basically spent that time ear dropping o your conversation instead!¡±

    ¡°Just give her a break, she is still learning!¡±

    ¡°Well she can go with you to practice her skills then because I don¡¯t want to deal with her!¡±

    ¡°I have to agree with him. He could have been seriously injured or worse!¡± the young man stated firmly to prevent the argument from continuing.

    Closing his eyes Lou allowed himself to calm down, it wouldn¡¯t be smart to get himself hospitalized again. ¡®When my father¡¯s butler comes back, I¡¯m going to tell him how bad Rose was at her job¡¯ Lou thought with a slight smug forming.

    ¡°Do you want to tell him or do I?¡± Rose stated annoyed.

    ¡°Maybe once everyone¡¯s head cool down then I will!¡± stated Koby.

    ¡°Well brat your parents are dead and will never return home!¡± Rose stated without a care.

    ¡°Rose for fuck sake he clearly isn¡¯t in a condition to find out!¡± Koby stated extremely pissed.

    When the van came suddenly to a stop Lou was caught by Rose before, he fell. Shoving her away, Lou got up ad made his way outside.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡± the young man asked.

    Ignoring him, Lou closed the doors before taking in his surround. It appeared that they were on a long desert road with no other vehicles. Lou didn¡¯t know where he was and knew that they were not heading back to the safe house nor his home. ¡®Where the hell are they taking me¡¯ Lou thought. Hearing the sound of the vehicle starting up, Lou turned around to see that the vehicle had begun moving away. The vehicle appeared to be a traveling van and it was mostly white with a red strip along the sides of it. ¡®Guess I¡¯m being left behind¡¯ Lou thought as he looked around for a place to go. There was no buildings or any other structures around, there was only trees and plants. Walking to the side of the road, Lou sat beneath some of the hanging trees. ¡®Guess I will just wait here for them to return or someone else drive by.¡¯ Looking on the direction that the travelling van was going he saw that it had stopped. Looking away Lou got up and decided to move away. He felt that the travelling van was not going to move, and he didn¡¯t want to walk the distance nor sit in the back with any of the others. As he slowly walked beside the highway, the sound of honking begun. Stopping, Lou looked back and saw that the travelling van was speeding towards him backwards. ¡®What the hell is it doing¡¯ Lou thought as he took a few steps off to the side, hoping the van would not hit him. The travelling van came to a halt jus mere step away from Lou before the sound of the driver side door opened and slammed closed. From around the vehicle came Koby¡¯s brother, he was looking quiet displeased.

    ¡°How about you behave yourself now boy!¡± he stated coldly.

    Before Lou could come up with a reply, he was roughly grabbed by his arm and led to the passenger¡¯s door. Getting pushed in, the seatbelt was roughly put on before the door was slammed close. Trying to remove the belt Lou saw that it was locked. Looking around him, Lou took in his environment. It looked like any outer front area beside having a demonic figure moving. When the driver¡¯s door opened, Lou quickly looked away since he didn¡¯t really feel safe. As the travelling van begun moving, music begun to play. It had an upbeat and catchy tune. It helped Lou begin to feel a bit better. After awhile they came to a gas station and stopped.

    ¡°Hey kid I¡¯m sorry for yelling at you before. It¡¯s not your fault that you aren¡¯t well and dealing with a lot!¡± Koby¡¯s brother said. ¡°If you feel the need to talk to someone, I¡¯m here!¡±

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Lou replied. ¡°I would be better if I didn¡¯t have to deal with useless people!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be harsh or you won¡¯t make any friends!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care!¡± Lou replied. ¡°Why should I care about people who don¡¯t do their job and gets others hurt, that¡¯s just stupid!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about this later!¡± Koby¡¯s brother stated. ¡°Want to come in and help me get snacks, you don¡¯t have to come to the back to hand them out!¡±

    ¡°Sure, if I can choose my own snacks!¡±

    ¡°Ha ha ha sure kid, let¡¯s go!¡± Koby¡¯s brother laughed as he got out of the van and helped Lou to climb down. As they got closer to the gas station Lou took a closer look.

    The gas station looked like millions of others beside parts being coloured royal purple and having cute stickers attached to the windows. ¡®I wonder if they sell those stickers¡¯ Lou thought as he felt an excited buzz. Entering the store Lou moved around as Koby¡¯s brother grabbed a cart. The inside of the store was way larger than the outside with many different aisles. Going to the back of the store Lou saw that there was a door that had a curtain blocking it. The curtain read ¡®adult only¡¯ in bright red text. Behind him appeared a man who appeared to be a gas station worker.

    ¡°Hay kid you are not allowed in there, let¡¯s fine me your guardian!¡±

    ¡°Ok sir!¡± Lou replied as he followed the male gas station worker towards the front of the store.

    ¡°Hey there you are. Thank you for finding him!¡±

    Turning they saw that Koby¡¯s brother as in the drink aisle.

    ¡°So this kid staying with you?¡±

    ¡°For the time being until everything gets sorted out!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re lucky bastard you are going to have so much fun!¡± the male gas station worker respond, slapping Lou on his back. Falling to his knees Lou tried to catch his breath.

    ¡°Shit I¡¯m sorry kid¡± the male gas station worker stated as he helped Lou carefully to his feet. The next moment Lou found himself being carried by Kody¡¯s brother who then placed him on the handle of the cart.

    ¡°Dude seriously!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m stupid, I didn¡¯t notice. Is he going to be alright?¡±

    ¡°Ill be fine, just need a second!¡± Lou replied as he still struggled to breath properly but it was much easier.

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk a bit later, can you fill the van while we finish up getting everything?¡±

    ¡°Sure, I¡¯m sorry!¡± the male gas station said as he slowly backed away before racing outside.

    It felt awkward sitting on the cart handles as Koby¡¯s brother did the shopping, although it was more awkward having a stranger worry about him, Lou didn¡¯t like the feeling at all. After they got all of the snacks, they headed to the counter. The gas station was there waiting and near the counter was a chair. Lou was lifted up and placed onto the chair while the snacks were scanned and packed. While everything was packed, the gas station and Koby¡¯s brother talked about different things like work, life, and something else in a different language Lou didn¡¯t understand. Once everything was packed into the cart, Lou jumped down before Koby¡¯s brother could lift him back up onto the cart¡¯s handle.

    ¡°I can walk now!¡±

    As they walked outside, the gas station worker went with them. ¡®Guess he is still worried; I can¡¯t blame him¡¯ Lou thought. Once they reached the travelling van, the passenger¡¯s door was opened and Lou was helped in. getting his seatbelt on, he was handed his snacks before Koby¡¯s bother and the gas station worker headed to the back. Closing his eyes Lou took a deep breath before getting comfortable. The driver¡¯s door opened and Koby¡¯s brother got in.

    ¡°Ready to continue the journey, kid?¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Lou replied as he grabbed one of his snacks which was a pack of sweet gum. Eating one, Lou enjoyed the delicate flavour.

    ¡°Are those good, can I try one?¡±

    ¡°Sure¡± Lou replied as he handed one over.

    Watching Koby¡¯s brother¡¯s face, Lou couldn¡¯t help but smirk when he tried to hide a disgusted face. ¡®They are all mine. Not surprised he didn¡¯t like it.¡¯

    ¡°Think I¡¯ll skip those, not sure how you like them!¡±

    ¡°Been told many times, its actually delicious!¡±

    ¡°Guess so!¡± Koby¡¯s brother said as he pulled out of the gas station and onto the road.

    ¡°You should get some rest; we still have a long way to go!¡±

    ¡°Ok¡± Lou stated as he felt a yawn coming on.

    Placing the sweet snacks down, Lou rested his head against the window. Closing his eyes, Lou listened to the music as it lulls him to sleep.

 Chapter 18

    Being shook awake Lou quickly looked around confused.

    ¡°Hey hey relax kid, you need to take your meds now and eat something!¡± said Koby¡¯s brother.

    ¡°Ok¡± Lou muttered silently as he pushed himself into a sitting position. Taking a piece of bread Lou slowly ate it before taking the pills with water. Closing his eyes Lou drifted back to sleep. Upon waking, it appeared to be early morning. Looking around Lou saw the radio clock, it read 2:20am. It appeared that they were parked at a pit stop. Feeling the need to go and desire to wash his hands, Lou saw that Koby¡¯s brother was deeply asleep. Not desiring to wake him up, Lou opened the door after realising that his belt was off. Immediately feeling the cold, Lou quickly got down before closing the door. Standing there Lou waited for his eyes adjust to the dark, he begun to see of there were bathrooms around. Seeing a building in the distance Lou looked back at the van before starting to make his way. Reaching the building Lou entered carefully. Suddenly lights turned on and it was indeed a bathroom. ¡®Glad the bathroom has motion sensing lights¡¯ Lou thought as he carefully looked at the toilets, most were extremely disgusting. Choosing one that wasn¡¯t as bad he covered the seat before using it. Washing his hands Lou decided that at their next stop he would buy some soap and use a cleaner bathroom. Turning to the door Lou saw that Koby was standing there displeased.

    ¡°Next time tell one of us if you want to go to the bathroom, you aren¡¯t safe out here alone!¡± Koby stated, failing to hide his annoyance. ¡°I¡¯m going to the bathroom and then we can head back, ok?¡±

    ¡°Fine¡± Lou replied as he stood there, he kind of felt relieve to have someone with him especially walking in the darkness to the van. When Kody was done and washed his hands, he pulled out a small bottle of hand sanitiser.

    ¡°Want some?¡±

    ¡°Yes please!¡± Lou replied as he held out his hand.

    Rubbing the sanitiser into his hands Lou felt much better, the smell helped too. They walked in silence to the van where Koby tried to open the passenger¡¯s door only to realise that it was locked.

    ¡°Guess it was good that I found you or you would have been stuck outside!¡±

    Following Koby to the back of the van, he tried to open the door, but it was also locked. While watching, Koby knocked hand on the door, a cold wind blew by causing Lou to shiver.

    ¡°Shit, take my jumper!¡±

    ¡°You sure?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you need it more!¡± Koby stated as he took his jumper off and placed it onto Lou, zipping it up.

    When no one answered, they headed to the driver¡¯s side door where Kody begun banging on the window. After a while Kody¡¯s brother woke up with a startle. Feeling bad Lou stood directly behind Kody. The window rolled down and Kody¡¯s brother poked his head out.

    ¡°What are you two idiots doing?¡± Kody¡¯s brother asked annoyed. ¡°Get in the van before you both get sick!¡±

    As Kody¡¯s brother unlocked the passenger¡¯s door, they went to the side. Getting placed in Lou was made to move to the middle seat for Kody to hop in. once the door was closed, Koby¡¯s brother turned on the heater. After awhile Lou ended up taking the jumper off. Feeling tiredness coming on Lou closed his eyes, falling asleep. Waking up, it appeared that they were on an uncomfortable, bumpy road. It appeared that they were on a road surrounded tightly by trees and plants.

    ¡°Where are we?¡±

    ¡°We are almost at my place!¡± Koby¡¯s brother said. ¡°Try to stay awake since we need you to take your pills in a bit!¡±

    ¡°Ok¡± Lou replied as he took a bottle of water from Koby. ¡°You slept a bit too long, I thought you were dead!¡± Kody stated with a laugh.

    Taking a sip, it was lukewarm. Putting the lid back on, he handed it back to Koby.

    ¡°Guess its too warm for you?¡±

    ¡°It just taste weird!¡±

    ¡°Lucky for you kid, we have another stop before reaching my place so wait till then, ok?¡±

    ¡°Sure, I can¡¯t wait!¡± Lou replied as he took a zip bag filled with some sandwiches. It had ham, bacon, and cheese. It was delicious. Eatig the sandwich quickly Lou ended up coughing. Taking a sip of the lukewarm water Lou felt much better.

    ¡°You need to take it now idiot, don¡¯t start chocking again!¡±

    ¡°Sorry¡± Lou muttered as he handed the water back.

    Hearing banging coming from the back, Koby¡¯s brother pulled the van over before getting out. Muffled yelling begun before Lou felt something being placed over his head blocking out the yelling. It was a pair of muffled headphones which begun playing music. Taking a peak Lou was surprised to see how uncomfortable Koby looked. Taking the muffled headphones off, he headed it to Koby.

    ¡°You seem to need these more than me!¡±

    ¡°You sure?¡± Koby asked.

    ¡°Yes, you look like you need it more so put them on!¡±

    ¡°Thanks, kid!¡± Koby stated as he placed the muffled headphones. Immediately he looked much better. ¡®Despite what he looked like guess he doesn¡¯t like to hear people yelling¡¯ Lou thought as he closed his eyes and listened to the music from the radio. ¡®Wonder what the name of the music, I would enjoy listening to them often¡¯ Lou thought, feeling a smile form. Hearing the driver¡¯s door open and slam closed he saw that Koby¡¯s brother looked very pissed. ¡°Wonder what got him so pissed¡¯ Lou thought, deciding its best to not ask.

    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    ¡°Sorry kid but it best for us to skip the stop so you will have to take your pills with the water, you fine with that?¡± Kody¡¯s asked, pissed but also disappointed.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine with that!¡± Lou replied as the van started up and got on the road.

    As the van speed increased so did the bumpiness. Lou begun to feel sick.

    ¡°Maybe it best for us to slow down!¡± Koby stated.

    When no reply came, Lou felt like the van was increasing speed.

    ¡°For fuck sake Luke, slow the fuck down. You are making me and the kid sick!¡± Koby yelled.

    ¡°W...w...what?¡± Luke, Kody¡¯s brother responded. ¡°Sorry I¡¯ll slow down ok!¡±

    As the van begun to slow down, it didn¡¯t really help Lou feel much better at all.

    ¡°I think I¡¯m going to throw up!¡± Lou weakly stated.

    ¡°Shit we are almost at the pit stop just hold on!¡± Luke stated.

    Deciding that it was not best to respond, Lou hoped that they arrive soon. Reaching the pit stop Lou was quickly helped out of the van where he threw up in some bushes, he felt much better afterwards. Having the vomit wiped away from his mouth Lou was quickly led to a bench. Sitting down Lou held his head in his arms as he recovered.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move, I¡¯ll get you something cold to drink!¡± Koby stated as he rushed off somewhere.

    ¡°Ok¡± Lou muttered as he closed his eyes as he calmed down.

    Slowly looking around, there wasn¡¯t much. There was a bathroom, small playground, BBQ area and some vending machines which Koby was at. Hearing his stomach grumble Lou groaned before lying his head on his arms.

    ¡°I really want something to eat!¡± Lou muttered to himself.

    Hearing some footsteps behind him Lou wasn¡¯t bothered to see who it was.

    ¡°You doing, ok?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Lou replied through his arms.

    Looking up a bit he saw that it was the young man, who was sitting down.

    ¡°Let¡¯s try to restart properly; you can call me Samsom. What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°Lou!¡± Lou replied before placing his head back into his arms, closing his eyes.

    ¡°There, there!¡± Samson said while he gently patted Lou on his back.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do a check up so I can check if you need anything!¡± stated the nurse behind him.

    ¡°Ok!¡± Lou replied as he looked up to see the nurse place a hefty bag onto the bench beside him. He watched as she pulled out a bunch of things including pills, heat pads, stethoscope, thermometers, syringes, and the thing that checks your blood pressure.

    ¡°Please hold your arm out for me!¡±

    Slowly holding out his arm Lou watched as the nurse placed the blood pressure device onto his arm, so she pressed a button to tighten it. Once that was done the nurse pulled out another device and pricked his finger, it hurt just a bit. After that she used the stethoscope to check his heart rate.

    ¡°I have some good and bad news!¡± the nurse stated. ¡°Your heart is doing well and beside car sicknesses, your sugar levels are low. I¡¯m going to give you something to help before I let you have something to eat and drink!¡±

    Looking away as the nurse used a syringe filled with something it made Lou feel slightly better. As the nurse packed everything up before most likely making her way to the vending machine, Lou rested and waited.

    ¡°From what I heard the place we are staying at is large and in a peaceful area, so I don¡¯t think there would be any reason to worry about that!¡±

    ¡®What the hell is Samson talking about, I honestly don¡¯t give a shit about where we are going since it isn¡¯t home, and I might not be able to see my parents again¡¯ Lou thought as he was filled with sadness.

    ¡°Hey here a bottle of soda!¡±

    Looking up Lou saw that Koby was standing there with a bunch of sodas and the nurse was holding a bunch of snacks behind him. Taking a soda carefully, Lou saw that the lid was already undone so it was easy for Lou to open and drink from. Taking a sip Lou coughed a bit before chugging the soda.

    ¡°Take your time with that!¡± Samson stated as he pulled the soda away from Lou.

    Feeling better Lou allowed Samson to take the soda without issues and watched him place it onto the table that was brought over.

    ¡°I feel better!¡± Lou stated silently.

    Twi bags of chips and a large bar of milk chocolate was placed in front of him.

    ¡°Please eat these slowly, we don¡¯t want you to chock on anything!¡± the nurse stated as she patted him on his shoulder before placing things down for Samson then heading off with Koby to the others.

    Struggling to open one of the bags of chips, he allowed Samson to open it for him. Eating one of the chips, Lou couldn¡¯t help how delightful the saltness was. Before he could start eating more of the chips, the bag was quickly snatched from him.

    ¡°Promise me that you will not start eat too quickly or throw a bunch in your mouth Lou!¡±

    ¡°I promise I won¡¯t¡± Lou replied with a sigh as he was given the bag of salty chips back.

    Slowly eating the chips, Lou enjoyed the chips as he rested and recovered.

    ¡°How long before we get there?¡± Lou asked after a bit.

    ¡°We should just be an hour away if we continue at the previous pace but a bit longer to prevent you from throwing up again!¡±

    ¡°Ok!¡± Lou replied as he started to wonder if this could be another case of him being kidnapped although it didn¡¯t really matter.

    Closing his eyes Lou decided to rest for a while. Getting sook, Lou looked up angry at Samson.

    ¡°Stay awake so you can take your meds, ok?¡± Samson asked in concern as he tried to get the attention of the nurse as she was conversating with Rose. Lou felt a pang of annoyance as one again someone was not doing their job. ¡®I hope my father¡¯s butler come back soon since he was the only responsible one beside his parents¡¯ Lou though. When it was clear that the nurse was outright ignoring Samson Lou thought about throwing a rock or stick at her since he didn¡¯t trust himself getting up but decided against it.

    ¡°Just give up Samson, they are purposely ignoring you, I shall be fine for a while!¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Samson stated annoyed.

    Lou watched in silence as Samson got off the bench and made his way towards the nurse and Roze where he begun to yell at them. Once everyone¡¯s attention was on Samson, Lou gave up on staying awake and allowed his eyes to close, drifting off despite the noise.

 Chapter 19

    Waking up Lou was slightly surprised that they had arrived at the place, although Lou felt a bit sick.

    ¡°Thank god you are awake Lou!¡± Luke stated with tears in his eyes.

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I wake?¡± Lou sated as he sat up fully. ¡°So where are we?¡±

    ¡°Let leave introductions for later, let¡¯s get you inside!¡± Luke stated after he got out and picked Lou up, carrying him towards the entrance.

    Looking back Lou saw that Koby was sitting in the driver¡¯s seat, staring blankly into the distance.

    ¡°Think Koby might need assistance!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get to him once you are taken care of, don¡¯t want to scare my brother more, would I?¡±

    ¡°No you wouldn¡¯t¡± Lou replied as the front door opened and they were greeted by his father¡¯s butler.

    Being handed over quickly Lou was rushed inside, upstairs and passes many different hallways and doors before they entered a room. Once placed onto a bed Lou was surrounded by may different people, all dressed in hospital wear. Having a mask placed over his mouth Lou tried to pull away as everything was becoming too much. With the extra pressure of the mask being held over his mouth, he fell into an uncomfortable sleep, scared of what was happening. Coming to there was a light shining over his eyes before a head blocked most of the light, it was his father¡¯s butler.

    ¡°Just rest now, young master, you¡¯ll be fine now!¡±

    Realising that his father¡¯s butler was holding a mask over his mouth and noise, Lou allowed it to do its job as he drifted off again, hopeful this time. Waking up Lou sat up to see that he was inside a bedroom instead of a nurse or hospital room. The roof had what appeared to be glow in the dark stars and planets. There was a single door closet, a small bookcase, old television on a stand and a desktop fan sitting beside a small lamp. Looking over the side of the bed, the carpet appears to be one of the rough-feeling one. The bed was average comfort with two thick blankets covering him. Pulling the blankets off Lou placed himself into a sitting position. Carefully Lou tried to stand but his legs began to shake immediately before Lou sat down quickly before his legs gave out. ¡®Guess I just have to wait till someone comes. Maybe my father¡¯s butler so I can ask him about my parents and if they are actually dead¡¯ Lou thought as a sinking feeling of worry begun to grow. Pulling himself back onto the bed Lou roughly covered himself up as he waited and waited for someone to come. After what felt like an hour Lou begun to think no one would come when the door burst open and a child fell in, face first onto the ground. ¡®What the fuck¡¯ Lou thought as he stared at the child.

    ¡°Ummm...are you ok?¡¯¡± Lou asked, slightly concerned.

    The child suddenly sponged up to their feet before racing to the back of the bed. The only parts of the child that could be seen was the top of their head and hands. The child than ran to the side of the bed and just stared at him.

    Lou couldn¡¯t tell how old the kid was. They had long, straight dark brown hair covering most of the kid¡¯s face. It appeared that the kid was wearing what appeared to be fluffy dark grey shorts with a golden rope around their waist and a dirty white singlet. Leaning back Lou decided it was best to keep his distance, but he was still grateful that he wasn¡¯t alone. The kid held out his small hands before jumping and grabbing Lou¡¯s arm that was close. Landing on his face, Lou looked up to see that the kid was close. They oddly smelt of olive oil.

    ¡°Hi!¡± Lou stated quietly.

    The next thing Lou knew the kid was screaming to the high heavens. Lou tried to pull back, but the kid¡¯s grip was strong, or Lou was just weaker than he thought. Hearing the loud sound of footsteps running in their direction, the kid finally stopped screaming. Barely getting a glimpse of the door Lou saw a bunch of people run in. This includes Koby, Luke, Samson, his father¡¯s butler and those two. With them came two young girls who raced over and wacked the kid over their head.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°Young master you are finally awake. How are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Lou stated, being unable to hide his annoyance that those two thought they could have the right to be there. Feeling a tap on his forehead Lou felt himself calm down as he looked at the kids,

    ¡°So who are you three?¡± Lou tried to ask as friendly as possible, not really spoken to kids often.

    Catching a smile from one of the girls, they all ran around and out of the room.

    ¡°Young master there is no reason for you to be annoyed!¡± his father¡¯s butler stated in a caring voice. ¡°We won¡¯t be moving a lot anymore and there won¡¯t be any more stress!¡±

    Behind them appeared an old lady wearing a black dress and hat, it reminded Lou of funeral wear.

    ¡°Its best to get the checkup over now so that the young sir can rest!¡±

    When Lou saw that the nurse was making her way towards him, he couldn¡¯t take it anymore.

    ¡°You are not fucking touching me!¡± Lou yelled at her.

    When the nurse begun to slow down Lou caught sight of Rose moving towards him pissed. Rose raised her hand and way about to slap him when his father¡¯s butler appeared and grabbed her arm roughly.

    ¡°What do you think you are doing, Rose?¡± his father¡¯s butler stated with acid in his voice.

    Lou couldn¡¯t help a grin appear on his face. ¡®Didn¡¯t the others tell him how useless those two were¡¯ Lou thought.

    ¡°Young master, that was an unacceptable outburst, you should have been taught better!¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t they tell you how those two basically useless and caused me to get worse!¡± Lou responded, struggling to hide the venom in his voice.

    ¡°Explain!¡± his father¡¯s butter stated, looking coldly at the others.

    ¡°I¡¯ll explain it simply¡± Luke stated with a sign. ¡°Those two didn¡¯t did their job at all. Rose allowed my mentally unwell sister to take him into the hospital before causing him harm while Rose just stared at me and my brother while we were discussing things. The nurse left to get water. They got into a fight because Lou didn¡¯t want to deal with them not properly caring for him, almost caused him to leave him behind on the road, and more importantly ignored Samson when he told them Lou need to take his meds and get look at because he appeared to get worse. Well after that you know what happened!¡±

    ¡°You two leave this room immediately and wait in my office!¡± his father¡¯s butler demanded.

    ¡°But...but...b¡± Rose stammered before she stopped and left, most likely from the pissed off look on the old lady¡¯s face.

    ¡°Now lets introduce ourselves, shall we?¡± the old lady stated. ¡°I go by the name Miss Tamworth, now you, my boy!¡±

    ¡°I am known as Lou!¡±

    ¡°Ok Lou for now on you are in the custody of my organisation until things have been sorted out!¡±

    ¡°So my parents are dead?¡± Lou blunted out.

    Seeing the horrified look on Miss Tamworth¡¯s face, Lou couldn¡¯t help but feel like it was true.

    ¡°Young master, who told you that?¡± his father¡¯s butler asked kindly.

    ¡°Just tell me if its true or not!¡± Lou stated. ¡°Sir I have the full right to know the truth!¡±

    ¡°Young master, its true that your parents have died from an illness!¡± his father¡¯s butler spoke with sadness. ¡°I wanted to wait until you were more stable!¡±

    ¡°Who told you?¡± Miss Tamworth asked as kindly as possible.

    ¡°Rose told him!¡± Koby stated quickly before an awkward silence begun to grow.

    ¡°Its best that you rest now, tomorrow you will be allowed to leave your room!¡±

    ¡°Fine!¡± Lou muttered as he laid down and stared at the wall.

    Lou was confused on how he was supposed to act or feel after the news were confirmed. ¡®Am I supposed to cry or something?¡¯ Lou thought as his mind started to feel numb. Closing his eyes, Lou listened as the door carefully closed with a click and the sound of footsteps moving away. Once Lou was sure that they were gone, Lou carefully sat up. Dragging himself to the bedside Lou tried to stand again but instead of landing on the bed his legs collapsed, and he fell heavily onto his hands and knees. Lying on his side Lou started to take deep breaths as his chest begun to hurt. Feeling tears form Lou covered his eyes as he begun to cry deeply.

    ¡°What the fuck did they die!¡± Lou muttered to himself again and again before screaming out of pain, hatred, and frustration.

    Lou laid there crying until he couldn¡¯t anymore, no tears form, and his throat was hurting. Calming down Lou fell into a deep, unsettling sleep as trouble thoughts swelled throughout his head.

 Chapter 20

    Over the next few weeks Lou¡¯s life became a mess of confusion, loss and chaos. He had to relearn how to walk after regaining the strength in his legs and learn a schedule that his life was to follow until things got better. Finally two weeks before Christmas, Lou was given permission to leave his room and see what the outside look like. He was able to accept his parents¡¯ deaths after being given some of their stuff including his mother¡¯s lamp and an old photo of them all together. It was taken when Lou was around five years old while they were spending the weekend at a waterpark. It was before Lou got his diagnosis and his father became extremely busy at work trying to prepare for whatever way Lou¡¯s health could go. With the assistance of his father¡¯s butler, Lou wasn¡¯t sure how long he was going to stick around. Once Lou had a formal suit placed on, he was assisted into the wheelchair before making their way outside.

    ¡°What are you going to do now?¡± Lou asked.

    ¡°Young master what do you mean?¡± his father¡¯s butler chucked.

    ¡°Well your main job is to care for my father but now he is dead!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you remember young master. My main job was to pay for your father and his family!¡± his father¡¯s butler said. ¡°I am still employed by your family since you are still alive as long as you required or if my company decided!¡±

    ¡°I understand¡± Lou replied, unable to hide the joy in his voice that he wouldn¡¯t be left alone with strangers.

    ¡°Are you ready?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Lou replied as he was wheeled down a simple, empty hallway towards a large staircase. Looking through the pillars Lou saw that the three kids were running around when the boy suddenly stop and stared at him. During his recovery Lou had been informed that the kids sometimes act weirdly but are harmless so he shouldn¡¯t have need for concern. Giving a careful wave, Lou saw the boy wave back before he was moved away, and they were met by Koby and Luke.

    ¡°So how do you want to do this?¡± Koby asked.

    With no reply Lou found himself being held carefully by his father¡¯s butler.

    ¡°Ok we will bring the wheelchair down!¡± Koby stated as he and Luke lifted the wheelchair up before making their way carefully down the stairs, his father¡¯s butler followed.

    Reaching the ground floor the two girls begun running around his father¡¯s butler legs.

    ¡°Girls now please calm down, allow the young man to be set down!¡± Miss Tamworth as she entered from a door followed by a maid.

    Being carefully placed into the wheelchair Lou was made comfortable as Miss Tamworth clapped her hands and the maid was suddenly holding a blanket. The blanket was covered in teddy bears playing, it was placed over Lou¡¯s lap. As the chair was being wheeled towards the front door, they were stopped by the boy who went in front of them. He was holding his hands out, wanting to be picked up. Staring at the kid Lou wasn¡¯t sure what to do. The next thing he knew the boy had begun climbing up with the assistance of the two girls. As the wheelchair begun to move again, the two girls waked beside them. As Koby moved in front of them, he opened the front door. After the blinding light they were greeted by a whole bunch of people.

    ¡°Miss Tamworth insisted that you are given a quick welcome before we visit different parts of the estate!¡± his father¡¯s butler said.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine!¡±

    Feeling the boy¡¯s grip tighten Lou patted he boy gently on his head.

    ¡°You, ok?¡± Lou asked gently in a whisper.

    The next thing Lou knew the boy turned his head into Lou¡¯s chest, tightening his grip more. ¡®I wonder what is wrong with him¡¯ Lou thought as he looked around, it appeared that the two girls also appeared nervous but not as bad as the boy. ¡®Guess I might ask Miss Tamworth about it later, maybe my father¡¯s butler knowns¡¯. Instead of going down the stairs, they went down a thin, wide plank that was surprisingly stable. Once down the crowd created a gap as Miss Tamworth joined them.

    ¡°Now children let begin the welcoming!¡± Miss Tamworth stated heartfully, clapping her hands.

    No one moved or made a sound. Those around him looked uncomfortable and seemed to move away from the girls when they got near. It was strange.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just skip this and do the tour!¡± Lou muttered into the boy¡¯s hair. ¡°They clearly don¡¯t want to do it!¡±

    ¡°You sure about this? It¡¯s important to get to know the others sooner than later!¡± Miss Tamworth stated with what appeared to be a hint of pity.

    The wheelchair begun to move again as they begun to make their way to the waiting vehicle. ¡®Guess the others don¡¯t like the younger kids for some reason¡¯ Lou thought as the others begun to quickly move away when the girls moved ahead, creating a path. Reaching the waiting vehicle Lou saw that it was a strange looking van. The roof was oval, and it was painted baby blue. From the side a person begun to run over, most likely the driver. The driver appeared to be in his late 70s, he was wearing a dark blue driver suit.

    ¡°Hello, I shall be driving you on your tour, you can call me Sam!¡± Sam stated as he bowed low.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to bow!¡± Lou stated, feeling slightly embarrassed.

    As Sam stood up, he board a giant smile.

    ¡°You can call him Lou!¡± the boy stated, his voice muffled.

    ¡°Thank you, child!¡± Sam stated as he leads them to the back of the van where a machine was used to lift them up.

    Even though Lou knew he was safe, he felt worried that the machine would break, or the wheelchair roll off. Feeling trapped on his forehead, Lou was interrupted from his thoughts.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to be ok!¡± Lou stated as confidence as he could muster.

    The wheelchair was chipped into the side of the van by Sam before he ensured that everyone was safe, and the back door was secured before he climbed into the driver¡¯s seat where he turned on some music. A map popped down from a slip from the roof showing the whole estate with names for some specific locations. These includes the main house, the farm, a lake, and houses with numbers. Just looking at the map Lou felt that the estate was giant ad he wouldn¡¯t likely visit or see everything during his time here.

    ¡°Our first location shall be the lake which as shown by the map is located in the middle of the estate. There is a bunch of fish so it¡¯s a good fishing and swimming spt. Just make sure that you have enough drinking water on you or money to ger some whenever you need from the vending machine!¡± Sam stated cheerfully as the van begun to increase in sped.

    ¡°How far away is the lake?¡± his father¡¯s butler asked as he begun to go through his bag.

    ¡°At our current pace it¡¯s between 20 to 30 minutes, however with other methods it will be shorter or longer!¡±

    Reaching the lake, the van slowed to a stop before Sam got out and opened the back doors.

    ¡°Give me a second and I¡¯ll make sure that your young master can get down safely!¡±

    ¡°Its alright, since we won¡¯t be here long, I¡¯ll just carry young master!¡± his father¡¯s butler stated as he placed a thick hat onto Lou¡¯s head before picking him up. Being carried out Lou couldn¡¯t hide his surprise on how large the lake was, you could barely see what appeared to be the other side of the lake.

    ¡°Quiet normal to be shocked at see the size of the lake. The map doesn¡¯t do it justice!¡± Sam chuckled as he led them closer, in the distance was a shack.

    Upon reaching the shack Sam stood in front of them with a broad smile.

    ¡°Welcome to the shack!¡± Sam stated proudly. ¡°While it looks like every other shack on the outside, the inside is where the magic happens!¡±

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    The shack¡¯s doors suddenly spung open and out came an old man. He was wearing a set of old, worn-out clothing. His eyes were bright blue, straw-coloured hair and was carrying a broom in his hands. Out from behind him raced a bulky cart bolt that did a spin around the old man before coming to a stop beside him. The bot was carrying a bunch of cleaning equipment and other assortments. Sam turned around and lowered his arms.

    ¡°Come on man! I was getting them excited!¡±

    Heading inside, everything was hidden in the dark beside the immediate area that was dimly lit from the open door. Sam clapped his hands twice before the lights begun to turn on one at a time.

    ¡°Wow¡± Lou stated in amazement.

    As the lights turned on, its presented multiple vending machines, a ping pong table and a staircase which appeared to head down.

    ¡°As you can see there are many different vending machines. There are a few for sunscreen, tanning scream, personal health products as well as many different snacks and drinks!¡± Sam stated while he spread his arms. ¡°There are ones that have the option for hot and cold meals since some prefer staying for the majority of the day!¡±

    Sam led them down the stairs to a long hallway. Efore them was a large sign on the wall. It stated that the bathrooms were on the left with the changing room and the tanning and nurse room was on the right.

    ¡°We will start on the left before going to the right and then have a snack. I¡¯ll then explain some things, show you the other locations before we head to the place you will be staying!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lou asked confused about what Sam meant.

    ¡°You are getting your own residence like everyone else!¡± Sam stated pleased. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you are going to love it!¡±

    The first place they came to on the left was the bathrooms, there was an arrow stating the changing rooms were further along. Entering the male bathroom they wet about a bend to see a long row of cubicles, and six different sinks with automatic soap dispensers connected to each. The bathroom smelt amazing, a mixture of a meadow smell and the scent of roses.

    ¡°As you can see the bathrooms are always kept clean by the janitor, the old man you saw back there!¡± Sam stated. ¡°If you see him, just wave since his not a fan of talking.¡±

    Leaving the room they headed to the changing rooms that were separated in two areas, the males, and females. Entering the male changing room they were greeted by an open area with wide benches and showers before a row of cubicles which contained showers and a bench.

    ¡°Alright lets visit the right side quickly so that we can eat!¡± Sam stated cheerfully as he led the way.

    Making their way out, they took a peak into the tanning room where there were separate rooms covered by curtains and the sound of a bed being on. Heading to the next room they saw that some people were in there chatting. Deciding to not disturb them, they turned around and made their way back up to the top room.

    ¡°Alright I¡¯ll give you some money to spend so if you want you can try a bunch of different things!¡± Sam stated as he pulled out a small pouch of money.

    Handing the pouch over to Lou, Sam begun to move around looking for something to eat himself.

    ¡°Young master where do you want to start looking first?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know sir, there is so many choices!¡±

    ¡°Alright then let¡¯s start over there¡±! his father¡¯s butler stated as he pointed out a specific machine.

    The machine looked like the others but appeared to be a bit taller and had a cowboy hat on top. As his father¡¯s butler walked Lou took a better look at some of the machines that they passed, many had products that he had never heard or seen before.

    ¡°Do you know what these items are?¡±

    ¡°I know most of them, young master but there are also a few I heave never heard of or seem myself!¡±

    ¡°So what the machine we are headed to?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll see soon!¡±

    As the products inside of the vending machine came into view, Lou realised what they were.

    ¡°Meat buns!¡± Lou exclaimed in excitement.

    ¡°Yes, young master, I knew immediately upon seeing the design of the vending machine!¡±

    Being carefully placed down, his father¡¯s butler begun to scan the options that were available, there were many. These included pizza buns, double and triple meat buns, hamburger buns, cheese buns and so much more.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see, young master, do you want to have the mash and meat bun?¡±

    ¡°Yes please!¡± Lou exclaimed, being unable to hide his pure joy.

    He had only had these types of buns a few times but there were so tasty and made him feel happy and at peace, especially during times of turmoil.

    ¡°Ok, then I¡¯ll have the rice and meat bun!¡± his father¡¯s butler stated as he got up.

    Watching in excitement, his father¡¯s butter inserted some of the coins in before choosing their selections. Hearing the machine buzz to life, a few moments passed before a shaft opened and two packages of steaming buns popped out.

    ¡°Be careful young master, I¡¯ll grab them since they will be very hot!¡± his father¡¯s butler stated as he pulled out a small plastic bag and placed the buns into it.

    Getting picked up, they turned around.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see, young master do you want something to drink or maybe some desert?¡±

    ¡°Yes, please!¡±¡°Any idea on what you want to drink?¡±

    ¡°Maybe something cold that goes well with the meat bun!¡± Lou asked hopefully.

    ¡°I understand, young master!¡±

    Moving around they begun to move, there were a few different options before Lou ended up choosing some cold chocolate milk while his father¡¯s butler chose some cold ice cream tea. Before they begun to look for something for desert Lou¡¯s stomach begun to growl.

    ¡°How about I set you down to start eating while I got some desert and snacks for later?¡±

    ¡°If that what you think is best, sir!¡±

    ¡°Yes, I think it is best!¡±

    They headed to the benches where Lou was placed down and handed his mash and meat bun, and his cold chocolate mil.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a bit so if you need me, just yell my name!¡±

    ¡°I will!¡± Lou stated as he took a big bite while his father¡¯s butler left.

    ¡°It¡¯s so good!¡± Lou muttered to himself as he took a sip of his milk before returning to the meat bun.

    ¡°Enjoying that?¡±

    Looking up Lou saw that Sam was heading his way with a strange bag and what appeared to be black coffee.

    ¡°Yes, meat buns are so delicious, and I never have them often!¡±

    ¡°Ha ha well don¡¯t eat too quickly, more will be available, and you can always order to have some delivered to your place whenever!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s cool, I might do that once in a while!¡± Lou stated happily at the thought.

    ¡°So what is the cost of having things delivered. I know Miss Tamworth doesn¡¯t do it for free!¡± his father¡¯s butler stated as he came into view, holding his half-eaten rice and mean bun in one hand and the stuffed bag in the other.

    Once his father¡¯s butler placed the bag down, he threw the pouch of money bac to Sam.

    ¡°You got me!¡± Sam stated with a chuckle. ¡°Miss Tamworth provides all dependants and other people living on her estate a large sum of money each year. I¡¯ll go further into it once we reach your new home!¡±

    Finishing off his food and drinks, Sam got up and dusted off his clothing.

    ¡°Ready to go?¡±

    ¡°We are ready!¡± his father¡¯s butler stated as he carefully lifted Lou up before making their way out of the shack and back into the van.

    Being carefully placed on the bench, the seat belt was placed on before the van begun to move.

    ¡°Where are we heading to now?¡±

    ¡°Think we will basically stop at the shop which holds everything before heading to your new home since I don¡¯t want you to feel too exhausted!¡± Sam stated.

    ¡°By everything you mean I can just get anything?¡±

    ¡°A lot of things you need to be a certain age to get and of course nothing that are severely illegal!¡±

    Lou wasn¡¯t sure how long it took for them to finally come to a stop, but Lou felt a bit tired.

    ¡°If you want, we can head straight to your new home since you starting to look exhausted!¡±

    ¡°If we are already at the store, I want to look inside for a bit!¡± Lou pleaded.

    ¡°Ok, we will go in there for 20 minutes before heading out, that¡¯s fine with you?¡±

    ¡°Young master, I¡¯ll be keeping time so when it time do not complain!¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t!¡± Lou replied as he took off his seat belt.

    Getting lifted up, everyone got out of the van. Looking around there was only grass, trees, and the road around the store. The store looked like it was two stories with flower beds at the front and a large sign hanging over the door. It read ¡®The shop of everything¡¯. As the door opened a sweet tune begun to play. In front of them, there were rows upon rows of different things. The next thing Lou knew they had turned around and was heading back to the van already.

    ¡°What is going on?¡±

    ¡°We will explore this place tomorrow since 20 minutes isn¡¯t even enough to explore one single row properly!¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t wait then!¡± Lou replied with a yawn, feeling slightly annoyed.

    Once they were seated, his father¡¯s butler somehow pulled out a blanket from the bag. After being wrapped up Lou leant against his father¡¯s butler as the van started up. Closing his eyes, Lou drifted off, exhausted.

 Chapter 21

    Waking up Lou felt so alive and energised like never before. Sitting up Lou felt confused, he was inside of a medium side bedroom, alone. Getting out of the comfortable bed Lou placed his feet onto a soft, comfortable carpet before opening the windows. Beig blinded for a moment Lou wasn¡¯t sure how he should feel about the sight. There was nothing but grass all the way into the horizon. ¡®How much space is between the houses?¡¯ Lou thought as he made his way to the bathroom. After doing his teeth, Lou washed his face before looking at the mirror.

    ¡°Guess I¡¯m not really doing much better¡± Lou muttered to himself as he went back to the bed.

    Seeing that there was an envelope sitting on the side table. Picking up the envelope, Lou opened it. It read ¡®Sorry, young master, our trip to the shop have to be postponed. Something urgent have come up. When you read this, I would be gone. Rest today, young master. Signed ...¡¯, Lou couldn¡¯t read his father¡¯s butler signature, but he knew it was the real one since he saw it many times.

    ¡°While I¡¯m feeling this good, think I will explore my new place!¡±

    Walking out of his room Lou saw that his room was down a hallway with a window near him. The ground was made for wooden floor that was covered by a thick carpet with a strange pattern on it. Heading down the hallway Lou came to another door that had a lock on it.

    Continuing on Lou entered a large open area that was emptied. It appeared to be the living room and to the side was another door. Heading there, Lou found that it was also emptied. ¡®This is weird¡¯ Lou thought as he went into the next room that was long and most likely be used as a library. As Lou searched every room, they were emptied until he found the front door. Opening it, Lou walked outside to look around for a bit. There honestly was nothing to see or do. Closing the door, Lou made his way back to his bedroom to have a better look. It was there when Lou realised that beside the bed and side table, the room was basically emptied. Lying down on his bed with a huff Lou realised that if this was actually his new home then he would have to buy everything.

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    ¡°Why did I fall asleep before I could ask any questions!¡± Lou muttered to himself in annoyance. ¡°What am I supposed to do now?¡±

    After awhile Lou begun to feel boredom and annoyance grow within him, rolling over his bed Lou got up. ¡®There got to be something I missed¡¯ Lou thought as he begun to look everywhere as closely as he could until he found himself lying on the grass outside, exhausted. There was nothing to find nor do and no one around beside him. Lou was left all alone with nothing to eat nor drink.

    ¡°Maybe I should look further out but if I remembered there wouldn¡¯t be anything for miles¡¯ Lou thought with a sigh. Holding his hand out above his eyes Lou watched the clouds dance in the sky, it was kind of boring. Sitting up, Lou felt slightly dizzy, maybe from the heat or his health issues. Slowly getting up to his feet, Lou made his way to the door where he leant against it, trying to catch his breath.

    ¡°Maybe I should have stayed in bed?¡± Lou muttered to himself as he walked inside and slowly made his way back to his room breathless.

    Climbing into the bed, Lou held tightly onto a pillow as he begun to feel alone and a slight pain in his chest. Closing his eyes, Lou slowly drifted off into a troubling sleep. Waking up to a cold cloth being placed onto his forehead, Lou saw that it was his father¡¯s.

    ¡°Glad you have awoken young master!¡± his father¡¯s butler stated softly. ¡°If you are doing better tomorrow then we can see the shop so please rest now!¡±

    Slightly nodding his head, Lou drifted asleep, feeling safe.

 Chapter 22

    After two days Lou was in a much better state that he was finally allowed to leave the house and see the store. Lou couldn¡¯t help but feel excited as he was assisted in getting dressed in some comfy clothing before being carried outside. His father¡¯s butler had insisted that he carried Lou until they arrived at the store. ¡®Can¡¯t wait until I can move around normally again¡¯ Lou thought as he covered his eyes from the sun. outside Sam was leaning against his van, waiting.

    ¡°Are you ready, Lou?¡± Sam stated in an upbeat and cheerful manner.

    ¡°Yes!¡± Lou stated, unable to hide his excitement and curiosity.

    Getting inside of the van, they were met by the young boy, he was wearing a cue sailor uniform.

    ¡°By the way, the kid insisted on coming and seeing you. He was worried since you haven¡¯t visited!¡± Sam stated as he closed the back door and made his way to the driver¡¯s seat. As the van begun to move, it begun to play a light tune and blow in some fresh air. ¡®This trip might be better¡¯ Lou thought as he got comfortable against his father¡¯s butler.

    ¡°You doing ok, young master?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Lou replied.

    ¡®I just want to stay close to those I care about¡¯ Lou thought with a slight sad smile.

    ¡°I understand!¡± his father¡¯s butler stated as he held Lou close, wanting him to feel safe.

    ¡°I¡¯ll wake you when we arrive there so rest!¡±

    not feeling tired Lou spent the time listening to the music. Just before his thoughts begun to wonder onto his parents and school, they have arrived. Getting carried out Lou was placed down inside of the store where the boy held ono the edge of his shirt.

    ¡°You, ok?¡± Lou asked, carefully.

    When the boy didn¡¯t replied Lou begun to walk around the store, the boy tugged along. Seeing a signpost in front of them, it had words that Lou didn¡¯t understood. The sign pointed in three different directions; left, right and straight ahead which led to a staircase.

    ¡°Young master if you want to head up the stairs, tell me and I¡¯ll take you up there!¡±

    ¡°Not at the moment!¡± Lou replied as he looked in the way of his father¡¯s butler¡¯s voice.

    He was standing with Sam and Miss Tamworth; they were talking silently. Deciding to wonder around Lou and the boy went down the left pathway where they passed many different aisles. These included tools, costumes, hair dye, healthcare products and other stuff. Upon reaching the end of the left side, they were faced with a large range of different pots and pans. Lou didn¡¯t realise that there were so many options. There were large ones, small ones, normal ones, and weird shaped ones. Turning around Lou was about to head back the way they came when he was stopped by the boy pulling on his shirt.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Lou asked as he looked at the boy.

    The boy was pointing further down the aisle.

    ¡°You want to walk further down there?¡± Lou asked confused but nevertheless followed the boy. Reaching the end, it turned out that there was a passageway which appeared to go to the other side. It was dimly lit and felt cold.

    ¡°Is it safe?¡± Lou asked slightly worried about what could happen.

    The boy didn¡¯t answer but begun making his way down, pulling Lou along. Upon reaching the end Lou felt much better. Around them was tons of toys. Walking along, they passed drones, robots, stuffed toys, sport equipment¡¯s and much more. The next aisle had a bunch of electronics, the one after that had a bunch of masks and the next was a pet section. It had a bunch of food, toys and accessories, and treats. ¡®Maybe later I could ask my father¡¯s butler if I could get a pet even if it was just for a short time¡¯ Lou thought as hey found themselves standing in front of the stairs. Just before Lou was about to make his way up, he was pulled to the group by the boy.

    ¡°Ah young master, do you want to go up the stairs?¡±

    ¡°Yes, please!¡±

    Getting picked up carefully, Lou was carried up the stairs. They went slowly so that the boy could keep pace. Reaching the top, Lou was placed carefully down.

    ¡°Young master when you want to come down yell and I¡¯ll get you!¡±

    ¡°Ok!¡± Lou replied as he watched his father¡¯s butler make his way bac downstairs.

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    Turning back around Lou observed the area that they were in. In front of them it was open for a good distance before the rows of candles, snacks, fruits, and other treats.

    ¡°Wow¡±! Lou stated in amazement.

    He didn¡¯t know that a paced filled with random stuff could have so much food. Getting pulled along Lou followed the boy through some of the aisles before stopping. There in front of them was a curtain with 18 plus written on it. Seeing that the boy was pointing at it, Lou wasn¡¯t sure what he wanted.

    ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go in there!¡± the boy exclaimed as he tugged on Lou¡¯s shirt, almost causing him to trip over.

    ¡°And what is there?¡±

    ¡°Bunch of computers, books and games!¡± the boy stated, cheerfully. ¡°Come on now!¡±

    ¡°Ok!¡± Lou replied uncertainly as he allowed the boy to led him towards the curtains.

    Just before they were about to enter an old male walked out.

    ¡°Hey kids, you are not old enough to enter here!¡±

    ¡°But...but!¡± the boy stammered.

    ¡°No buts!¡± the old man stated as he led them away.

    As they walked Lou notice that the boy was looking back a few times before they turned the corner.

    ¡°Why did you want to go in there for?¡±

    ¡°My mother¡¯s necklace is located in there. I accidentally left it in there last time I went in there!¡± the boy stated, disappointed.

    ¡°Maybe I can get my father¡¯s butler to get it for you!¡± Lou offered.

    ¡°Where are your parents?¡±

    ¡°Dead. Well that was what I¡¯ve been told!¡± Lou stated with a shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not really a surprised if you knew them and their heath.

    ¡°Sorry!¡± the boy stated silently.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it!¡± Lou replied in confidence, patting the boy on his head.

    While looked at the random chip¡¯s options available, Lou started to feel hungry,

    ¡°Why do you call him your father¡¯s butler?¡±

    ¡°Oh¡± Lou replied before staying quiet for a bit, thinking. ¡°I don¡¯t know his name and just been calling him that since he begun working for my father!¡±

    ¡°Seriously!¡± the boy exclaimed, staring at Lou shocked.

    ¡°I feel embarrassed to ask!¡± Lou replied, looking away from the boy.

    Getting pulled, Lou allowed the boy to led him to the staircase. The others were still down there talking.

    ¡°I wonder what they are discussing?¡± Lou muttered under his breath.

    ¡°Follow me!¡± the boy stated as he led Lou towards the wall where there was a small vent.

    ¡°What are you planning on doing?¡± Lou asked as the boy lifted the vent open.

    ¡°Wait here!¡± the boy stated as he crawled in, the vent slamming shut behind him.

    Standing in silence Lou looked around before sitting down on the floor, leaning against the wall. Looking into the vent, the boy wasn¡¯t there. ¡®Hope he is ok and get back soon¡¯ Lou thought with a sigh. Silently humming a song to himself, the vent opened, and the boy crawled out.

    ¡°Surprised that you aren¡¯t dirty from being in there!¡±

    ¡°The vents are always kept clean by some cleaning robots!¡±

    ¡°What were you doing in there?¡±

    ¡°Ear dropping observably!¡± the boy stated as he got up. ¡°From what I gather they were talking about you. How you need to go back to a proper school and other stuff I didn¡¯t understand!¡±

    ¡°Ok so what now?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to know anything they were talking about?¡±

    ¡°Not really!¡± Lou replied as he got up and led the way to the staircase.

    Miss Tamworth was gone.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± the boy stated as he begun to pull Lou forwards.

    Grabbing onto the handrail Lou slowly followed the boy who acted as a second support. As they were halfway down, they took a break.

    ¡°Young master!¡± his father¡¯s butler exclaimed in fright. ¡°Wait there!¡±

    ¡®What¡¯ Lou thought to himself. Before Lou could think or say something, he was quickly lifted off his feet and held tightly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you are safe now!¡±

    ¡°I can walk down by myself. I¡¯m better now!¡±

    ¡°I know but please be careful!¡±

    Before Lou could respond he was sure his father¡¯s butler whisper I can¡¯t lose another one.

    ¡°You know I¡¯ll keep myself safe so make sure to take care of yourself as well!¡±

    ¡°I will, young master!¡±

    Once they reached the bottom of the staircase Lou wasn¡¯t allowed down, he didn¡¯t mind since his father¡¯s butler needed it. ¡®Later I need him to go to counselling and take some time off¡¯ Lou thought as they made their way to the van. Getting in Lou allowed him to ensure that his seat belt was on correctly.

    ¡°So here the plan. Rest once we get back because tonight is movie night!¡± Sam exclaimed loudly.

    ¡°That¡¯s sound cool!¡± Lou replied.

    ¡°It really is!¡± the boy exclaimed, excited. ¡°I can¡¯t wait!¡±

 Chapter 23

    Arriving home Lou was carried up to his room where he was left with the boy.

    ¡°Is he ok!¡± the boy asked worried.

    ¡°Who?¡± Lou asked as he sat on his bed.

    ¡°Your father¡¯s butler!¡± the boy said. ¡°Think his stress!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it!¡± Lou replied. ¡°I¡¯m going to deal with it in a bit!¡±

    ¡°How?¡± the boy asked as he went and looked out of the window.

    ¡°Since he has to listen to me, I¡¯m planning on having him take a month off and get some counselling and rest!¡±

    ¡°Are you sure that will work?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll show you!¡± Lou stated as he jumped off his bed before heading to his bedroom¡¯s door. It was locked.

    ¡°What?¡± Lou muttered to himself as he tried to open the door again, it indeed was lock.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± the boy asked confused, joining him.

    ¡°The door is locked!¡±

    ¡°Let me try!¡± the boy stated as he tried to open the door. ¡°It is locked!¡±

    Banging on the door Lou waited for a response, none came. Noticing that the boy was not beside him anymore Lou turned around to see that the boy was almost out of the widow.

    ¡°What the hell are you doing!¡± Lou exclaimed as he rushed over to the window. But he was too late. The boy was fully out and jumped. Looking out of the window Lou didn¡¯t see the boy, on the ground injured or hanging somewhere.

    ¡°Where the hell did he go?¡±

    Hearing the sound of running, Lou turned around when the door opened, and the boy was peeking inside.

    ¡°What the hell!¡±

    the boy responded by beaming before opening the door fully.

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°How did they not hear you?¡± Lou asked as the boy pulled him along.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t see them so I assume they might of went somewhere!¡±

    As they reached the staircase the boy stopped immediately, almost causing Lou to trip over him.

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    ¡°Why did you stop so suddenly?¡±

    ¡°Do you think you can go down the stairs safely?¡±

    ¡°You go down first and look around; I¡¯ll follow slowly behind you!¡±

    ¡°If you are sure¡± the boy stated as he begun making his way down.

    The boy looked up before disappearing.

    Slowly making his way down, Lou used the handrail as support to keep himself steady. Finally reaching the bottom Lou sat down breathing heavily.

    ¡°Guess I need to start exercising, might ask the doctor when I go for a checkup!¡± Lou muttered to himself, swiping the sweat off his forehead.

    Pulling himself up, Lou steadied himself as his legs shook uneasily for only a moment.

    ¡°If I take my time, I should be fine!¡± Lou muttered to himself as he begun looking around. ¡®Which was did the boy go?¡¯ Lou thought to himself as he decided to check the kitchen area. Before Lou could even move mere meters from the staircase, the boy reappeared.

    ¡°They aren¡¯t here!¡± the boy stated, sitting beside Lou. ¡°By the way, why isn¡¯t there anything here?¡±

    ¡°Not sure why, don¡¯t even know where my father¡¯s butler able to get food from!¡±

    ¡°Maybe he orders food?¡± the boy stated. ¡°Also when we see him, let¡¯s get his name!¡±

    ¡°Sure, so what now?¡±

    ¡°There is nothing to do in your room nor anywhere else in the house. Do you want to go out?¡±

    ¡°Best not since I want to go to the cinema tonight!¡±

    ¡°Want to look at the product menu to see things that you can buy for the house and mainly your room?¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll meet you back at your room once I get everything!¡± the boy stated as he got up and disappeared around a corner.

    Pulling himself to his feet, Lou turned around before slowly make his way upstairs. Reaching the top Lou leant against the rail, catching his breath before making his way into his room. Climbing onto his bed Lou laid down to rest. Opening his eyes Lou realised that he might of fallen asleep since it was dark inside. ¡®Where the boy?¡¯ Lou thought immediately as he sat up. Getting to his feet Lou carefully made his way to the light switch. Turning the lights on, Lou saw that the boy was asleep on the end of the bed and the curtains were closed. Opening the bedroom door Lou went and turn the light off, hoping to not wake the boy. Closing the door Lou slowly begun looking for a light switch along the walls, there were none. ¡®How does the lights turn on?¡¯ Lou thought as he slowly made his way to the staircase. He knew where a light switch was downstairs. Holding tightly onto the handrails Lou begun to make his way down carefully. Reaching the ground floor Lou made his way to the light switch. Turning on the light, the entrance area lit up. Checking the front door, it was locked and bolted. Moving along Lou turned on all the lights before making his way back up the stairs. Reaching the top Lou sat down, trying to control his breathing. Hearing the sound of footsteps coming towards him, Lou spung to the touch seeing that the boy was standing there.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± the boy yawned.

    ¡°Looking for the others!¡± Lou replied. ¡°They did say that we were going to the cinema tonight!¡±

    ¡°Found them?¡±

    ¡°No one is downstairs so they might be on this floor!¡± Lou stated as he got up.

    Leading the way, they checked every room only to find nothing at all. There was only silence beside them moving around.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back to bed!¡±

    ¡°Ok¡± Lou replied as they made their way back to Lou¡¯s bedroom where they climbed into the bed and fell asleep.

 Chapter 24

    Day after day passed with no one coming but food and drinks somehow appearing at the door.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to check when the bus would come!¡± the boy stated as he opened the door. ¡°You wait here!¡±

    ¡°Ok¡± Lou replied as he watch the boy leave. He wanted to go along but knew he would just cause issues. ¡®What is going on. He would never abandon me¡¯ Lou thought to himself as he sat down onto a step.

    ¡°Now what?¡±

    After an hour passed and the boy never returned, Lou got up and made his way to the kitchen. Grabbing a bag Lou stuffed it with some food, bottled water and a first aid kit. Reaching the door, Lou took one last look inside of his new home before closing the door behind him as he left. Feeling the heat against his skin Lou begun to walk, following the road. ¡®I hope the boy is alright¡¯ Lou thought to himself as he quicken his pace. After a while the pain in his chest begun to force Lou to slow down and catch his breath. Just up ahead Lou thought he saw thee figures standing around. Ignoring the pain Lou quicken his pace, the figures begun to get clearer. There was the boy, he was being held up by the cuff of his shirt, struggling.

    ¡°Fiends like you should die!¡± was the last thing Lou heard before he shoved into the one holding the boy up.

    Tripping over Lou yelled run as he slowly pulled himself up. Seeing that the boy was just sitting there with a horrified look on his face, Lou left the bag of stuff as he grabbed the boy¡¯s hand and begun running.

    ¡°What the hell are you doing!¡± the boy screamed. ¡°No one will be friendly with you if you don¡¯t stop this!¡±

    ¡°Who gives a fuck!¡± Lou yelled back as he continued to pull the boy along.

    The pain in his chest was getting worse but it was still bearable. He would rest once they were safe or find someone to help. The sound of running behind them and voices closing in made Lou realised he was slowing the boy down and could result in them both being harmed.  Letting go of the boy¡¯s hand, Lou stopped.

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    ¡°Keep on running and get help!¡±

    Turning around Lou looked at the three people running in their direction before glancing back for a second.

    ¡°I need to buy some time for the boy!¡± Lou muttered to himself as he tried to find something.

    There was nothing for Lou to use beside the pain was growing unbearable in Lou¡¯s chest. ¡®Guess I will have to make them feel pissed or something¡¯ Lou thought as he crossed his arms. It was only a moment before the people arrived. Lou was slightly surprised that all three of them stopped in front of him instead of running pass after the boy.

    ¡°Guys what do you want to do with this brat?¡± one of them asked in a chilling voice.

    Ignoring the chills running down his spine, Lou decided to try his best.

    ¡°He he what do you want to do?¡± Lou repeated. ¡°Unless you are too stupid to come up with your own ideas!¡±

    ¡°Why you!¡± the person replied,

    Noting the killing intention in their eyes Lou realised that it might be the best to run unless he wanted to be seriously injured or killed. Before Lou could move, he was lifted off the ground by the cuff of his shirt.

    ¡°Let¡¯s kill him guys, what do you think?¡±

    ¡°Ha ha why not!¡± one of the other two replied as they pulled out a large, sharp knife.

    ¡°Nah stabbing him will be too easy!¡± the third commented.

    ¡°Guess you guys are too pathic to think of other methods instead of just stabbing me!¡± Lou replied in a cocky voice that he could barely mustered as the chest pain was increasing.

    ¡®Shit if this doesn¡¯t end soon, I¡¯m going to actually fucking die¡¯ Lou realised as he tried to kick the person and pull his fingers apart, nothing worked. The next thing Lou knew he was lying roughly on the ground, breathing heavily.

    ¡°Fuk¡± Lou muttered as he struggled to gasp in some breath. ¡°Fuck.¡±

    All Lou remembered afterwards was being beaten before passing out, either from the pain from the beating or his chest pain.

 Chapter 25

    Upon waking up Lou found himself in the hospital, being held tightly by the boy. They were alone in the room.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°I was able to catch the bus coming our way with Mis Tamworth on it. When we got there, you were lying on the ground!¡± the boy cried. ¡°I thought that you was dead!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t die that easily!¡± Lou stated before he entered into a coughing fit.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t die, I¡¯ll get some help!¡± the boy exclaimed as he got off the bed and rushed outside.

    Once the coughing fit ended Lou laid down as he felt much more tired. As the door opened a doctor, nurse and the boy rushed in. As Lou was being examined, Miss Tamworth entered.

    ¡°You are going to be fine now!¡± the doctor stated before he and the nurse left the room.

    ¡°Due to the current situation, it has been decided you are going to be moved to an apartment near the school you shall be attending next year!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± the boy exclaimed, shocked. ¡°It wasn¡¯t his fault that it happened!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine!¡± Lou replied. ¡°Its for my health, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately yes until your operation gets done you need to avoid as much stress or injury as possible!¡± Miss Tamworth said sadly.

    ¡°What operation?¡± the boy asked confused.

    Looking away Lou didn¡¯t want to explain it to the boy, at least not for the time being.

    ¡°He will explain it to you when he is ready!¡±

    ¡°Fine!¡± the boy grumbled.

    ¡°So when am I being moved?¡± Lou asked, looking at Miss Tamworth.

    ¡°Once you are discharged, you will be moved!¡± Miss Tamworth stated with a sigh.

    ¡°I understand!¡± Lou replied as he looked away, not wanting to see the boy nor Miss Tamworth¡¯s faces. Lou wasn¡¯t sure if he should feel happy or sad about being moved again into an unknown place. ¡°When am I going to be discharged?¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow at the earliest or next week at the latest!¡± Miss Tamworth stated calmly. ¡°The place will already be furnished so don¡¯t worry about anything for the time being!¡±

    ¡°I understand!¡± Lou replied. ¡°Please leave!¡±

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    ¡°Come on boy, let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°No I¡¯m not leaving him alone!¡± the boy yelled, sounding like he was about to break into tears.

    ¡°He can stay!¡± Lou stated, not wanting to hurt the boy¡¯s feelings more and rather have someone with him for the moment.

    ¡°Ok!¡± Miss Tamworth stated before leaving the room, closing the door behind herself.

    Sitting up with a sigh, Lou begun to look for the remote before finding it placed on the table near the wall.

    ¡°Hey, can you grub the remote?¡±

    ¡°Ok¡± the boy stated as he went to grab it, clearly holding back tears.

    Once the boy returned and handed the remote to him. Lou patted the bed beside him before turning the television on. As Lou tried to find a suitable channel, he felt the bed move as the boy climbed up. Finding a kid show, Lou placed the remote down before patting the boy on his head.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to be alright!¡±

    Lou felt a bit relieved as the boy grabbed him tightly, crying loudly since it meant he didn¡¯t have to work out what else to say.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t die, please don¡¯t die!¡± the boy continued muttering into Lou¡¯s side.

    Holding the boy tightly, Lou patted him on the back. ¡®How do I calm someone crying¡¯ Lou thought as he struggled to come up with some ideas. Not coming up with any, Lou decided to allow the boy to exhaust himself. ¡®Think I¡¯ll ask Miss Tamworth about the boy¡¯s past¡¯ Lou thought as he begun watching the kids show. After awhile the boy finally calmed down, only for Lou to realised that the boy had fallen asleep. Trying to have the boy lie down, Lou was surprised how strong the boy¡¯s grip was despite him sleeping.

    ¡°Oh well¡± Lou muttered to himself as he returned to watching the show. ¡°Guess I got to get use to this!¡± Lou muttered silently to himself as he patted the boy on his back.

    Hearing the door open Lou saw that Miss Tamworth was standing there.

    ¡°Do you mind if you take care of the boy and his sister at your new place while I deal with some issues?¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡± Lou replied, looking at the boy. ¡°Do you know why they attacked him?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but I¡¯ll leave it to them to explain when they are ready!¡± Miss Tamworth stated. ¡°Best to get some sleep now, tomorrow is going to be busy!¡±

    ¡°Nite!¡± Lou replied as he watched Miss Tamworth turned the lights off before closing the door.

    Turning the television off Lou carefully laid down, making sure that the boy would be comfortable and covered by the blankets. Closing his eyes, Lou drifted off into an usual sleep. When the morning came Lou was awoken by the boy landing his foot onto his stomach. Resting on his elbows, Lou was surprised how the boy¡¯s grip was still as strong and he didn¡¯t let go. The door opened and in came the girl followed by Koby. The girl was wearing a white dress covered in flowers and had a butterfly clip in her hair.

    ¡°See that you are awake!¡± Koby stated. ¡°Glad you are safe now!¡±

    ¡°So no joking around now, that¡¯s a surprise!¡± Lou stated.

    ¡°I¡¯m serious, I¡¯m glad that you are doing well!¡±

    ¡°Thanks¡± Lou replied as he looked down to see the girl was looking at her brother with concern.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry he is doing well!¡±

    The girl looked at him for a moment before climbing onto a chair.

    ¡°Want me to get him down?¡± Kody asked as he stood awkwardly in the doorway.

    ¡°Think its best to wait for him to wake!¡± Lou replied. ¡°Are you doing well?¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Koby stated, looking away. ¡°I was just shocked that you know what happened!¡±

    ¡°May I come in, please?¡± Miss Tamworth stated behind Koby.

    ¡°Yes, sorry Miss Tamworth!¡±

    Once Koby came in, he was followed by Miss Tamworth and a doctor.

    ¡°Guess what, we can go to the apartment now!¡±

    ¡°Ok!¡± Lou replied as he was not sure how he should feel.

 Chapter 26

    As the van pulled up to the side of the road, Koby got out and opened the back door for everyone else. Getting out Lou looked at the apartment building in front of him. It looked much older than Lou thought possible without getting demolished. There was a large crack stretching from the roof to the floor, it was also really dirty.

    ¡°Is it even safe to live in?¡± Lou asked concerned.

    ¡°Oh yes, its up to code!¡± Miss Tamworth stated as she begun walking to the entrance.

    Feeling a hand tightened against his, Lou saw it was the boy. Allowing the boy to led him, they begun making their way in. The inside wasn¡¯t as bad as the outside, but it still wasn¡¯t good. Passing a counter, they came to an elevator. The inside wasn¡¯t big, but it was still able to fit them all in comfortably, maybe because Lou and the siblings were adults yet, so they were small. As the elevator begun to move, it crackled and wined. Making Lou feel worried that it might snap and kill them all. When the elevator finally stopped, it was on the fifth floor. The elevator¡¯s doors opened to an open area that showed a large kitchen, living room and many doors. The room looked way better than everything before, but it didn¡¯t make him feel better at all.

    ¡°So children this will be your new living quarters for the time being!¡± Miss Tamworth stated as she led them off the elevator and into the living space.

    Once the elevator¡¯s doors closed, she turned around to face them. In here hands were some papers, Lou wasn¡¯t sure she was holding them before. Being given one Lou studied it closely, it was a schedule.

    ¡°For you children to live here, you must follow the schedule!¡± Miss Tamworth stated firmly. ¡°If I hear that any of you skip school, there is going to be trouble!¡±

    ¡°Do we have our own rooms?¡± the girl asked, hiding behind Koby¡¯s legs.

    ¡°Why yes!¡± Miss Tamworth stated cheerfully. ¡°Go and pick a room, Lou will catch up in a bit!¡±

    ¡°Ok!¡± the girl stated as she took her brother¡¯s hand and pulled him along.

    Once the siblings were a good distance away, Lou felt both Koby and Miss Tamworth¡¯s eyes on him.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Lou asked, feeling concerned.

    ¡°It¡¯s going to take a week before I can find someone to take care of you and the siblings. Can I trust you to look after them till then?¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡± Lou replied without a second thought.

    ¡°Good, their school is two blocks away so you can walk them there!¡±

    Lou spent the next few minutes following Miss Tamworth around the place as she explained things. Food was already made and the laundry should be done every weekend no matter the weather.

    When Lou was finally able to see the bedrooms, the siblings had already chosen theirs and the only one left was the much smaller room. Lou wasn¡¯t happy about it but didn¡¯t bother to complain since it was usable, and he didn¡¯t think he would need a lot of space.

    ¡°Well good job children. Now you can choose what you would want in your bedrooms!¡± Miss Tamworth stated as she handed each of them a booklet.

    ¡°I¡¯ll come back in a week to pick them up and see how you would place things before buying anything!¡±

    ¡°Ok¡± Lou replied.

    ¡°Oh look at the time. Koby and I must leave now!¡± Miss Tamworth stated while she looked at her watch. ¡°By the way don¡¯t allow anyone you don¡¯t know in!¡±

    Standing near the elevator, Lou waved as the doors closed before standing in utter silence.

    ¡°So what now?¡± the girl asked, breaking the silence.

    ¡°Want something for lunch?¡± Lou asked as he made his way to the kitchen. Opening the large freezer Lou took a better look at what was available, there was a lot. Each of the frozen meal had a name and a due date written on the cardboard cover. Moving to the side Lou allowed the siblings to look and choose something for themselves. Once they have chosen something, Lou grabbed a random meal before having them all placed onto the bench. Checking how long each of the meals would take to cook, Lou chose to do the girl¡¯s one first and placed it into the microwave.

    ¡°While you guys wait for me to cook the food why not start working out what you want in your rooms since this is going to take a while!¡±

    ¡°Ok!¡± the siblings replied in union before they raced off to their new rooms. Seeing that the meal still needed to cook for a few more minutes Lou went and sat down on the couch with a sigh. He wasn¡¯t sure how long he could handle anything more, especially without his parents nor his father¡¯s butler who he could talk things over with. ¡®Oh right my parents are dead¡¯ Lou remembered. Before he could think dark thoughts, the microwave beeped that it was done. Lou met the girls at the microwave as she was holding out a microwave mitten.

    ¡°Here!¡± the girl said happily.

    ¡°Thank you!¡± Lou replied as he gently took the mitten and placed it on. Grabbing a tea towel, Lou opened the microwave and carefully took the meal out.

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    ¡°Do you want to use a bowl or this tray?¡±

    ¡°A bowl, please!¡±

    As Lou placed the hot meal down, Lou turned around to see that the girl was already holding out a bowl.

    ¡°You are quick!¡± Lou stated as he took the bowl and placed it onto the table.

    ¡°Here!¡± the girl stated cheerfully as Lou turned around to see that the girl was holding a folk, a knife and tong.

    ¡°Thank you!¡± Lou said as he took the tong and begun carefully placing the food into the bowl.

    Once everything was paced into the bowl, Lou took the folk and knife and placed them onto the bowl.

    ¡°Where do you want to eat?¡±

    ¡°In my room, please!¡±

    ¡°Ok!¡± Lou replied as he picked up the bowl and followed the girl.

    Upon entering the room Lou was slightly surprised in how big the room was but placed his focus onto the food.

    ¡°Can you place it onto the table, please!¡±

    ¡°Ok¡± Lou said as he placed the food down before realising that he hadn¡¯t asked what the girl wanted for a drink. ¡°What do you want for a drink?¡±

    ¡°Orange juice, please!¡±

    Leaving the room, Lou arrived at the fridge where he grabbed a carton of orange juice and poured some into a cup. Taking the cup to the girl¡¯s room, Lou stopped at the door.

    ¡°I can carry it in!¡± the girl stated as she stood there.

    ¡°Ok!¡± Lou replied as he carefully placed the cup into the girl¡¯s hands.

    Once the girl took the drink, she closed the door. ¡®That¡¯s odd¡¯ Lou thought as he made his way to the kitchen to make the other meals. Taking the one the boy had chosen, he placed it into the microwave.

    Settling back onto the couch, Lou waited for the food to cook before realising that he should start on deciding on what he should place in his room. Deciding on the first thing being a computer, Lou tried to check it, but a pop up appeared stating that he would need to be in his room and place it where he wanted it. ¡®Oh¡¯ Lou thought to himself as he got up and begun making his way to his room. There should be enough time left before the food would be ready, so Lou got up and begun making his way to his room. On the way, he was surprised to see the girl standing in front of him with her food.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Lou asked, confused. ¡°If you wanted to eat with your brother, I would of brought your food there!¡±

    ¡°Oh¡± the girl replied as she quickly made her way to her brother¡¯s room.

    Following the girl, Lou opened the door for her before making his way to his room. Entering the room, Lou headed to his desk where he pulled up the pad and then checked the computer. In front of him appeared a digitised version of the computer. Placing down the pad, Lou carefully placed the computer into the position he wanted before having to stop due to the microwave dinging. Moving quickly Lou left his room before stopping at the boy¡¯s room. Knocking on the door, Lou waited before entering. He saw that the girl was sharing her food with her brother.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Lou asked confused. ¡°His lunch is almost ready!¡±

    When the siblings gave Lou a scared look, he scratched his head in confusion.

    ¡°By the way, do you want your food in a bowl like your sister and what do you want for a drink?¡±

    ¡°Can I have it in a bowl and the same drink as my sister?¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡± Lou said carefully as he made his way to the kitchen where he carefully placed the boy¡¯s food into a bowl before making another cup of juice.

    Carrying both of them to the boy¡¯s room, Lou carefully pushed the boy¡¯s room door open before entering. Carefully placing the food and drink down, Lou quickly left the room. Not wanting to worry the siblings, Lou closed the door. Going back to the kitchen for the third time, Lou placed his food into the microwave before returning to his room. Picking up the pad, Lou sat down on his bed as he worked out what he wanted. In the end Lou chose a small heater, four stuff toys, some art supplies, workbooks, and some other things Lou believed were necessary. Once Lou felt satisfied, he realised that his food should of already been cooked. Heading to the kitchen Lou saw that the food didn¡¯t cook at all. Restarting the timer, nothing happened.

    ¡°Fuck¡± Lou stated to himself, realising that the microwave was broken, and he would have to cook the food another way until it could be fixed. Grabbing a tray Lou dumped his food onto it before placing it into the oven. Turning the oven on, Lou set the timer for 10 minutes before unplugging the microwave, he didn¡¯t want to risk it starting a fire in the building. Hen Sitting down Lou realised that there was nothing to do except explore the area outside, but he didn¡¯t want to do that today. ¡®Wait when do the siblings go to school¡¯ Lou realised that he didn¡¯t ask.

    Getting up Lou made his way to the boy¡¯s room. Knocking on the door, Lou decided to wait util they tell him to come in, so he waited and waited, nothing happened. Opening the door slowly Lou begun to panic when he couldn¡¯t see the siblings, quickly checking the other rooms they weren¡¯t there either.

    ¡°Shit did they get out but when?¡± Lou asked no one out loud.

    Looking for his phone, Lou realised that he didn¡¯t have it. Going back to the boy¡¯s room Lou opened the window and looked out. There was no where the siblings could climb, hang on nor land on if they decided to jump down.

    ¡°Shit shit shit!¡± Lou muttered to himself as the panic began to grow inside of him.

    His chest suddenly begun to hurt extremely bad, Lou kneeled over and collapsed in the living room from shock and unable to breath. Lifting his head up slightly Lou reached out to the elevator door, hoping it would open and someone comes to help him before the darkness enwrapped him. Waking up with a gasp Lou begun to breath heavily, he was covered in sweat. Slowly looking around him as the world spined around, it appeared the room was dark so a few hours might have passed. ¡®The kids!¡¯ Lou remembered that they were still gone. Hearing the elevator ding and the doors open to show the kids standing in there. Around them was a bunch of bags and between them was a new microwave.

    ¡°Wha the actual fuck!¡± Lou yelled at them. ¡°Don¡¯t leave this place without informing me, we don¡¯t even know if the area safe!¡±

    ¡°Sorry¡± the girl said looking down, trying to not cry.

    Before Lou could apologise for yelling at them and explain things, he was grabbed tightly by the boy.

    ¡°You are going to be ok; you are going to be ok!¡± the boy muttered as he held tightly onto Lou, making it harder to breath.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get help!¡± the girl exclaimed as the elevator¡¯s doors closed.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to be fine!¡± Lou managed to get out, trying to reassure the boy. It didn¡¯t work.

    ¡°You are lying!¡± the boy screamed before bursting into tears.

    Lou felt his eyelids grow heavy to a point he couldn¡¯t prevent them from closing. Lou drifted off to sleep to the sound of the boy crying.

 Chapter 27

    Waking up with a gasp, Lou goggly looked around himself. He saw that the girl was sleeping with her head against the side of the bed and he boy was lying on the end of the bed. In the corner of the room Lou thought he saw a figure standing there, it move.

    ¡°Good to see that you are awake, the kids were worried!¡± said a deep, rumbling voice.

    The room¡¯s door opened, flooding the room with light showing that the figure was hidden by a cloak. In the doorway appeared an old woman.

    ¡°There is nothing to worry about my dear!¡± the old lady stated in a calming voice. ¡°We are your downstairs neighbours!¡±

    ¡°We were surprised when the girl ran into use screaming and crying!¡± the cloaked figure spoke as he stayed still in the corner.

    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± the girl asked with a yawn. ¡°You are awake!¡±

    Lou watched in silent as the girl rushed to the end of the bed and begun shaking her brother awake. When the boy awoke his eyes were wide in shock as tears begun to flow. Lou watched in silence as the boy tried to give him a hug only for the figure to grab him and lift him up.

    ¡°Remember what I told you!¡± the figure said, sternly. ¡°He needs to rest and recover before you can give him a big hug since you can¡¯t really control your strength!¡±

    ¡°Ok¡± the boy said between tears and sobs as he was placed down beside his sister who gave him a big hug instead.

    ¡°Now children let¡¯s have something to eat while he recovers!¡± the old lady stated as she led the siblings out, closing the door behind her.

    ¡°You can speak?¡± the figure asked as he pulled out a bar stool from somewhere and sat down. ¡°If you can, answer some questions for me since I can¡¯t get much from the kids!¡±

    Focusing on the roof, Lou wasn¡¯t sure how he was supposed to respond nor how much he should end up telling.

    ¡°Yes¡± Lou barely got out before his throat begun hurting a lot.

    ¡°Do you want a drink of water?¡±

    Not desiring to make his throat hurt more, Lou nodded yes. As the figure got up and left the room, Lou closed his eyes trying to remember what could have caused him to end up here. The last thing Lou could remember was passing out with the boy hugging him and crying. ¡®Why did I agree to care for the siblings when I can barely care for myself¡¯ Lou thought to himself as he felt tears form, h felt like a total disappointment.

    ¡°Hay now, you are going to be ok now!¡± the figure said as he assisted Lou into a siting position. Wiping the tears away, Lou opened his eyes and took the drink. Taking a sip, Lou begun to drink greedily surprised with how thirsty he was. The figure took away the drink as Lou begun to cough before being gently patted on his back.

    ¡°There there!¡± the figure said. ¡°Until your parents come back, we will care for you!¡±

    Hearing the words parents, memories of him being with them begun to flash before his eyes. The fact that they died, and he would never see them away, Lou burst into uncontrollable tears.

    It didn¡¯t help that as the tears wracked his body, Lou¡¯s chest begun to hurt extremely bad just making everything so much worse. Soon Lou found himself struggling to breath and the panic reaching fever pitch at the thought that he might end up like them. He couldn¡¯t tell what was happening around him until a drowsy feeling overtook him, making him pass out. Waking up with a gasp Lou found himself in his room, he was all alone. Slowly climbing out of bed, Lou held onto it tightly as he waited for his legs to stabilised. Using the wall Lou was able to reach the door which he opened it a gap. The sound of voices begun to come closer, Lou was just able to make it back to bed before the door fully opened. The figure walked in, followed by the old lady.

    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°From what the children told us, you were left in charge for the week until your caretaker comes back, that¡¯s right?¡± the figure asked, not bothering to hide his concerns or worry.

    ¡°Yes¡± Lou mustered, not 100% sure how he should feel around these strangers. ¡®They did save me but that doesn¡¯t mean they don¡¯t have any bad intentions¡¯ Lou thought as he realised, he would likely not be able to protect the siblings, much less himself in his current state.

    ¡°What are you going to do to use?¡± Lou asked clearly failing to hide his suspicion as he caught a glimpse of the old lady looking hurt.

    ¡°Ha ha don¡¯t take it personal Mia!¡± the figure laughed. ¡°His smart to be concern since he knows he can¡¯t prevent anything from happening in his state.

    ¡°That¡¯s true!¡± Mia stated as she composed herself.

    ¡°Remember that I told you we will take care of you till your parents, well caretaker, comes back!¡± the figure stated. ¡°I mean it truly!¡±

    ¡°Ok¡± Lou replied, knowing he had no choice but to trust him since it would take a while for him to recover fully.

    ¡°For the time being you should rest in your bed, I¡¯ll get things for you to do while Mia prepares something good to eat!¡±

    ¡°Thanks!¡± Lou replied as he watched the figure and Mia leave the room.

    As the door swung close, an image of him being dragged by the boy towards the elevator as a fire grew around them. Shaking his head, Lou suddenly felt uneasy. ¡®What the hell was that¡¯ Lou thought. Feeling an urge to look outside, Lou carefully got out of bed and made his way to the window. Just before Lou could pull the curtains open, the door opened.

    ¡°Now, now!¡± Mia stated sternly. ¡°Get back into bed and rest now!¡±

    ¡°Sorry!¡± Lou repeated as he turned around and climbed back into bed.

    Settling down Lou allowed Mia to spoon-feed him the food before everything went dark. Waking up with a gasp Lou saw that the room was dark but the urge to look outside was growing stronger. Getting out of bed, Lou made his way to the window. Pulling the curtains open, he was shocked to see that it had been boarded up.

    ¡°When the hell did this happen?¡± Lou asked no one but himself.

    Making his way to the door, Lou carefully opened it, tying to prevent it from creaking.

    Getting out Lou tried all the doors, but they were locked. Pressing the up button on the elevator, it did nothing at all and all the windows were boarded up just like his room.

    ¡°What is going on?¡± Lou asked out loud, not caring if someone could hear him.

    Searching the kitchen Lou was surprised to find a hammer when the elevator dinged open. Keeping down low Lou carefully peeked from the side to see that the figure and Mia was standing there. Gripping the hammer hard, Lou begun running to his room, it was the only place where he could lock the door. The sound of them behind him grew louder but Lou was just able to slam the door and locked it before they begun to bang.

    ¡°Open up now!¡± screamed Mia.

    Racing to the window, it took a moment before Lou worked out how to remove the nails from the planks. Hearing a crack, Lou looked behind him to see that the door was beginning to crack. Grabbing the side of the table Lou pushed it in front of the door before putting the bed on an angle so that when they try to open the door, the side of the able would hit his bed and prevent the door from opening. Returning to the window Lou managed to get the two planks off when the door bashed against the side of the table and stopped du to the bed. There was a gap but Lou didn¡¯t want to get stuck to he begun to rip the remaining planks off as the pleading to stop begun, Lou did his best to ignore them. Once the planks were off all Lou could see in front of him was a bright white light. Taking a final look back to see that the figure was almost in, Lou jumped. Opening his eyes, Lou saw that he was lying on the floor with the boy holding tightly onto him, crying. All around them was fire and smoke, it felt extremely hot. Trying to sit up or just move a bit, Lou realised that he was couldn¡¯t really move much.

    Forcing his remaining strength into one of his arms, Lou managed to lift it ad brush the hair out of the crying boy¡¯s face.

    ¡°Run!¡± was the last word Lou could muster before darkness begun to pull him in. ¡®I hope he is able to get out of this one way or another¡¯ Lou thought as he lost the fight against the darkness. As the darkness pulled him in, Lou felt that it was like drowning. ¡®This is all my fault¡¯ Lou thought, accepting that it was true as he felt nothing, becoming nothing at all.