Chapter 25

"That was hilarious!" Chase laughed as he composed himself, wiping away a fake tear.

I chuckled at him as we walked down the hallway mindlessly. "Someone just brightened up this boring day," I mused.

"I just hope I don't get in trouble for this," he mumbled, the laughter now completely gone.

Did this guy have mood swings?

"Stop being so paranoid," I told him with an eye roll. "If someone's getting in trouble, it's me."

He kept his mouth shut and nodded slowly, walking a few steps behind me. The hallway was buzzing with chatter as we walked by. By the corner of my eye, I noticed Izzy rushing up to someone out of my field of vision. I was about to shrug it off when the familiar back of Gregory Austen walked toward her. I narrowed my eyes at this, about to go over to them, but a hand stopped me.

"Lily, please give me a chance to explain." I heard Kenneth say while holding my arm.

Just as my day was getting better.

"I don't wish to speak with either of you for a while. I'll find a place to crash the night so tell Danielle to definitely not expect me," I said, giving him a glare.

He opened his mouth to say something but decided against it as he let out a long sigh. I snatched my arm from his hold and walked away, forgetting the concerned Chase behind me.

"Is everything alright?" Chase asked while trying to keep a steady pace with me.

Before I had a chance to make a remark, my phone vibrated in my pocket and I groaned. I snatched the phone out of my pocket and rolled my eyes when I saw my mother's name flashing on the screen. The call ended by itself, but after a second, it began vibrating again. Taking a deep breath, I decided to answer the call, ready to snap at her.

"Amelia!" she screamed, making me stop dead in my tracks. It was not the type of demanding scream. It was more of a desperate, frantic one. "Amelia, please help!"

"Calm down, calm down," I said. "What's happening?"

"They found me!" she said, terrified.

A loud crash and a banging noise were heard in the background, making her yelp.

"Who found you?" I demanded, my heart rate speeding up as the crashing and banging got louder.

"Come help me!" she yelled once more, her voice wavering as she started sobbing. "They're going to kill me! I need—"

My eyes widened as another bang was heard—this one ten times louder—and my mother shrieked from the other side of the line. I was about to speak up, but my mother's frantic voice beat me to it. "Oh God, no! Please don't kill me! No! Ty—"

With that, the line went dead. I was frozen on the spot, not noticing a very concerned Chase standing ahead of me while waving his hands in front of my face. I quickly snapped out of it, my eyes widening in terror as I stared at Chase. There was only one name flashing through my mind, which completely terrified me.

Tyler.

"Amelia! What's wrong?"

"I have to go," I said and rushed off without another word.

The bell for the fourth lesson rang, but I still ran towards the school's entrance. I was suddenly snatched backward, and I didn't hesitate to turn around and throw a punch.

Chase quickly dodged the punch and stared at me wide-eyed, but what he said next surprised me, "I'll come with you."

I stared at him for a second longer than necessary, but nodded nonetheless and continued running. Once we were reaching the entrance, I noticed the security guard on his usual chair, making sure nobody left the building. He quickly stood up to stop us, but I quickly punched his nose.

If everything else I had done hasn't gotten me expelled, this certainly will. I honestly felt bad.

"Sorry, Freddy Fuzzy Fazbear!" I yelled over my shoulder, cringing slightly when he held up a hand to his bloody nose.

Once we reached the bike, I quickly threw Chase the helmet while hopping up. I brought the engine to life as I felt Chase jumping up behind me, and I didn't waste any time to speed off. His arms were quick to wrap around me as I made my way to the one place I wasn't ready to go to just yet. My heart hammered in my chest, adrenaline pumping through my veins as I neared the house with high speed.

The tires screeched as I pressed on the brakes and got off quickly, taking out the key in a rush when I was at the driveway. I rushed up the steps to the front door that was wide open, leaving Chase slightly behind. Once I entered the house, I stopped in my tracks, taking in the entire place. Shattered glass was found in every corner, the family pictures thrown on the ground. The furniture was either ripped or knocked over and the television screen was cracked, only showing static.

"What happened here?" Chase gasped from behind me.

I didn't bother answering him as I rushed to the kitchen in search of my mother. Just like the living room, the kitchen was completely trashed. Pots and pans were scattered everywhere, and food was thrown all over the floor. I sprinted toward the stairs and hurried up to the second floor. I went straight to my mother's room and looked around frantically.

My mother was nowhere in sight, but the body of my stepfather greeted me from the corner of the room. I walked cautiously toward him, in case he suddenly decided to jump up and attack me. Once I reached him, I noticed the big cut on his temple and the dried blood covering the side of his face. I pressed my fingers on top of his wrist to check his pulse, and I sucked in a deep breath when I didn't feel any.

"A-Amelia, I think I found your mother!" Chase called out from down the hallway and I snapped my head toward the sound of his voice.

I rushed out of the room and into the hallway, going straight to the bathroom where I saw Chase's shadow. He was frozen in place, dumbstruck at the sight before him. I pushed him out of the way and entered the bathroom, my eyes widening at the amount of blood that was spread on the tiles.

"Mom!" I yelled once I noticed her unconscious state lying in the bathtub. I was quick to go to her side and inspect her. Her face was all bruised up, her clothes wrinkled and torn in some parts. Her chest was rising up and down slowly but steadily, bruises in the shape of hands around her throat.

"Oh my God, who would be able to do something like this?" Chase asked rhetorically, and I gritted my teeth in anger.

"Take a guess," I spat once I noticed a bloodied napkin lying on my mother's chest. I dialed 911, speaking rapidly to the lady and telling her what happened.

I hung up and kept inspecting my mother for any other bruises when a hand stopped me.

"Amelia," my mother croaked out, coughing violently.

I immediately pressed a hand on her shoulder to prevent her from moving and hurting herself even more. "Try not to talk; from the looks of it, you have been strangled. I already called an ambulance; you're going to be alright," I assured her as tears welled up in her eyes.

Chase slowly took the napkin from her chest and held it tightly, not breaking his gaze from my mother and me.

"They're coming for you next," my mother managed to croak out. "You have to leave. Hide."

"It's alright," I assured her once more. "I promise you I'll put an end to this."

"Amelia?" Chase whispered, and I looked at him. "I think you should see this." He held the napkin toward me, and I snatched it from him.

The words were scribbled with a marker on the piece of material and I read the words.

Riddle me this. I am the product of betrayal, yet the blessing of a secret love. I am the most hidden secret, yet I'm always exposed to the open world. You know what I am, but at the same time, you don't. I am the truth that you're looking for, yet you don't seem to find. Little do you know that I've been under your nose this entire time.

What am I?

-E.C.

I crumpled the napkin between my hands and threw it inside my pocket angrily. I looked at my mother, who was out cold once again, and stood up, walking out the door. The faint sound of sirens was heard from a distance as I rushed inside my room, heading straight to the closet.

"Amelia, what are you doing?" Chase asked from behind me, but I didn't answer. Instead, I grabbed a spare duffel bag and threw it at him. I pushed my clothes aside and knocked on the wood, in search of the hollow part. Once I found it, I kicked the bottom of the wall and the slant of wood came off. I pulled it aside and pried off two more slants of wood, revealing a hidden door. I fetched for a small box inside my closet and found the key, quickly inserting it in the keyhole and turning it.

"Everything I hand you must be put inside that duffel bag. If you freak out, I will punch you," I instructed him and opened the door which made a creaking noise. I walked inside the small storage room and flicked the lights on, Chase gasping from behind me once the room was lit up. Grabbing the slants of wood, I took them inside the room as well and placed them against a wall.

"Where did you get all of these?" he asked in astonishment.

"I have my ways," I said and walked over to a rack filled with different types of guns. I instantly went for the Glock 19 9mm and tossed it toward him. I also tossed him a Sig P226, a Rugger SR9, a Beretta 92FS, and a Springfield XD.

He stared at the handguns and gulped nervously, before putting them inside the bag.

I walked toward another rack of guns—automatic ones—and looked at my options. I went for a Charlton Automatic Rifle and inspected it before handing it to him.

His eyes were about to pop out of his sockets as he stared at the weapon. I gave him a look and he blinked, before grabbing the weapon with shaky hands and putting it inside the bag as best as he could. I then grabbed an Ares-16 and placed it inside the bag myself. After that, I threw in extra ammo, a few grenades, some pocket knives, and daggers.

"We're almost done, I only need some—"

"Police! Nobody moves!" a man shouted from downstairs, and I cursed.

Chase's eyes widened and started looking around the room, panicking.

I pushed him inside the small storage room and rushed to the window, opening it wide. I heard commotion coming from the stairs, then a lot of footsteps. Grabbing the lamp from my bedside table, I smashed it to the ground before rushing back inside the closet.

"What the heck are you thinking?" Chase hissed under his breath as the footsteps got closer to the room.

"I'm keeping us hidden," I hissed back, and closed the door to the closet quietly.

"Freeze!" a man shouted as he entered the room.

I pushed Chase back inside the storage room and rummaged with the clothes as quiet as possible before closing the secret door. We both stood there silently, me leaning against the door and him standing very close to me due to the small space. I motioned for him to stay quiet, and he did so, trying to keep his breathing under control. I shut the lights off in case they decided to enter the closet and locked the door behind me.

Our breaths mingled together as we stared into each other's eyes in the darkness. It was hard to make out his face, but after a few seconds, I managed to make out his silhouette. My hands reached up to touch his jaw unconsciously, and he tensed under my touch momentarily. My fingers graced over his growing stubble mindlessly, his eyes searching mine as I did so. Something flashed in his eyes for a moment, but the darkness in the room made it hard to decipher. He opened his mouth to say something, but the sound of retreating footsteps interrupted him from doing so.

"We should get going," I whispered, retreating my hand from his face as if it was made out of fire. He blinked and nodded, looking away quickly as I stuffed some bulletproof vests inside the bag and closed it.

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[Edited: August 31st, 2020 by michh_44]

Was anyone expecting that? I gotta keep the action in this book somehow. Now things are finally starting to get serious. What shall happen next? Tell me what you think in the comments and click that star! Lots of love ♥