And then, just for a split second, he caught a glimpse of red.

A faint, almost glowing at the edges of the figure’s eyes.

Ash felt as if someone had sucked all the oxygen out of the room. He felt like he couldn’t breathe.

Ash didn’t dare turn around, his body frozen in place.

But he didn’t need to look to know who it was.

“Looks like you came, Ash.” came a voice that was too familiar.

Ash’s legs felt like they might give out from under him.

His brain screamed at him to run, but his body refused to obey.

It was like he was trapped in a nightmare, his limbs heavy, his mind fogged with terror. His mind couldn’t think of a single logical reasoning of what he, of what Lucas- was doing here.

Lucas stepped into the dim light, his face as relaxed as ever, but his eyes, those red-tinted eyes that Ash had noticed only a few nights ago- held a different story.

A look that sent chills down Ash’s spine.

‘No… no, this can’t be happening,’ Ash thought, his throat dry, his voice lost somewhere in the back of his mind.

He couldn’t move.

Couldn’t speak.

It was like someone had hit a switch, shutting down his ability to function.

Lucas tilted his head, his gaze fixed on Ash. “Cat got your tongue?” Lucas added, leaning in slightly.

Ash tried to respond, but all that came out was a strangled sound, somewhere between a gasp and a whisper.

Blake chuckled from beneath him.

Lucas’s smile widened just a fraction. “I asked you a question.”

“W-What are you…doing here?” Ash finally managed, despite the loud pounding of his heart in his ears, despite the trembling fingers, despite his shaky voice, despite his legs threatening to buckle up behind him.

Lucas chuckled, “Oh, Ash. Wake up, will ya?” He leaned closer, “I told you, didn’t I? You never notice things when they matter.”

Ash mind whirled, going back to the night, on the bus-stop, when Lucas told him,

.

.

“That’s what I like about you, Ash. You don’t notice things when it matters.”

.

.

Ash looked at Lucas, his eyes widening just a bit, ‘That’s why he told me this? He was giving me silent signals all along, and I was such a fool, I never considered him ...I never considered him to be the boss.’

Lucas then said, almost unexpectedly, “I told you to stay out of this. I told you to trust me.”

Blake nudged Ash on the shoulder, whispering in a little, “Told ya boss was angry.”

Ash’s heart pounded, his hands shook, the flashlight slipping from his grasp and falling to the ground with a loud thud.

Ash could barely process the words coming out of Lucas’s mouth. His brain felt like it was running on overdrive.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Lucas… the Boss?

No, it didn’t make any sense, did it?

The same Lucas who teased him, bickered with Jason, and ate lunch with him every day? But then there were those nights, those conversations that now seemed like warnings.

Ash’s knees felt weak, but he forced himself to stand tall. “You’re the Boss…?”

Lucas’s smile faltered, if only for a second, before it was replaced with that familiar smirk. “Bingo.”

He leaned back slightly, crossing his arms. “Took you long enough to guess, didn’t it?”

Blake snickered behind him. “Looks like the hero is out of answers, eh?”

Ash’s chest tightened.

Every part of him screamed to run, to get away from this nightmare, but his feet were glued to the ground.

He could barely hear over the rush of blood in his ears. ‘Lucas… all this time, he was right under my nose. I trusted him. I thought-’

“You should’ve stayed out of this, Ash,” Lucas’s voice was softer now, almost regretful. “I told you to trust me, but you just couldn’t let it go, could you?”

“I-” Ash’s voice cracked, and he hated how weak he sounded. “I thought I could trust you, Lucas. I thought-”

“I told you to trust me, that’s how simple it was!” Lucas cut him off, his eyes flashing with something- anger, frustration, or maybe even fear.

“I warned you, didn’t I?! I said not to get involved. I tried to keep you away from all this!”

Ash’s heart sank further.

This wasn’t just a trap. It was a betrayal, but…

Lucas’s eyes, they weren’t cold like Blake’s.

No, they held something else. Regret? Guilt?

‘Why does he look like he’s in pain?’ Ash wondered.

Blake grinned. “See, Boss here was real upset when he found out you were snooping around. But me? I loved your little love letters.”

Ash couldn’t even find it in himself to glare at Blake.

All his focus was on Lucas. “If you really didn’t want me involved... why didn’t you just tell me the truth?” Ash’s voice was barely a whisper.

“Because I….” Lucas trailed off, his eyes averting towards the ground, and then after a few brief moments of silence, he looked at Ash, and then continued, with a fierce determination in his eyes, “Look, Ash. The only thing you can do now is go. Leave this place and go home. Forget everything that happened-”

“No.” Ash said coldly, glaring at him, and Lucas flinched at the sudden change of voice, “I won’t go.” Ash fists clenched at his sides, “Not until I get answers. Not until I know why you did all this.”

“Ash,” Lucas asked once again, “Go. Leave this place. It’s better to lose your way than to lose yourself.”

“Didn’t you hear me the first time?” Ash scoffed, “I won’t go.”

Blake looked at Lucas with confused look, wondering why Lucas was giving him an offer like this, and then he remembered,

.

.

That depends entirely on how he performs. If he’s as brave as you think, perhaps I’ll have a proposition for him. And if not... well, you know how it goes.

.

.

Blake chuckled darkly, tightening the grip on Ash’s shoulder, knowing how well the Boss will act now that Ash has refused his offer.

Lucas’s expression hardened, “Guess you made your choice.”

Ash’s heart pounded. He took a cautious step back, his mind racing for an escape, any way out of this suffocating situation.

Lucas’s gaze didn’t waver. He stood tall, like a king surveying his kingdom. “I gave you a chance, Ash. And you refused it.”

Lucas raised a hand, a silent command that stopped Ash in his tracks.

Blake was standing behind Ash, his eyes gleaming. And then, with a slow, almost casual nod from Lucas, Blake’s grin widened.

“You should’ve stayed out of this,” Lucas murmured, his eyes never leaving Ash’s. “I warned you.”

Before Ash could react, he felt a sharp, blinding pain explode at the back of his head.

The world spun violently, his vision blurring as his knees buckled beneath him.

‘What... what just happened?’

There was a flash of agony, and then everything went dark. The last thing he saw was Lucas’ eyes- red eyes, that fooled him for so long.

Ash crumpled to the floor, his body limp.

‘Noah…’

The thought of his little brother flashed through his mind, so bright, so vivid, it almost hurt.

He remembered the way Noah’s eyes would light up whenever he walked through the door, the little kid running to him with that boundless energy, like Ash was his whole world. He had promised him, hadn’t he? Promised to always come home, no matter what.

But now?

Now, as the darkness closed in, as the pain throbbed at the back of his head, Ash wasn’t sure if he could keep that promise.

‘Is this it?’

He didn’t want to die here, in this old warehouse, with no one knowing where he was. A part of him wanted to fight, to stand up one more time. But his body felt heavy, too heavy.

‘I promised…’

The promise lingered in his mind. But it was slipping, slipping away like everything else. Ash’s vision dimmed, his thoughts fading to black.

Would he ever see Noah again?

Would he ever see the worried look on his mother’s face when he came home late?

Would he hear Jason’s annoying laugh during lunch?

Would he hear his dad say ‘I’m proud of you’ one more time?

Would he ever hear Lucas’ genuine giggle?

Would he ever see that cold yet concerning look in Lily’s eyes?

Or was this the end?

‘No, I can’t…’ But there was nothing left but silence, and the cold, hard truth that he might not make it out of here.

For the first time, Ash was truly scared.

Not of bullies, not of secrets, but of the one thing he couldn’t control - the possibility that he might not make it back to the people who mattered most.

And then there was nothing.