TWENTY-TWO

It loomed over Zach like a thunderous cloud. He couldn't think. He couldn't concentrate. His legs bounced; his eyes darted to the clock. The voice of his teachers droned in his ears, but they all blended into one smooth voice. Taunting, haunting words echoed in his mind, rattling through every corner. There was no moment for peace. It would break him.

It would tear him apart.

Anticipation was the worst thing ever created.

'…the beginning of a wonderful relationship.'

'It's only a few blocks from you.'

'You're on the second floor, aren't you?'

'Come alone.'

Come alone.

Alone.

"Bennet!"

Zach's head snapped up. His teacher was tapping her foot on the floor, her eyes narrowing. All the other students turned their heads back at him; their eyes stared.

"Bennet, pay attention, would you?" snapped the teacher.

Zach nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

The woman sighed, shaking her head. She continued without another word to him.

He should've stayed home.

At lunch, as he stood in line, Zach kept his head down. Whispers blended all around him. They snickered. The bags beneath his eyes ached; there were bruises there. A few girls pointed at him; he could hear their words, but he ignored them. He grabbed his food as quickly as possible.

Something light hit him in the head. A crumpled piece of paper landed on the floor. Zach glanced at it, but didn't pick it up.

"Hey, Bennet, you dropped something," said Novak with a smirk, strutting towards him.

Voices went silent. Eyes turned onto the pair of them. In the back of the cafeteria, his friends slowly stood up from their seats. Hikaru's worried expression burned. Zach turned his gaze onto Novak. The other boy smirked down at him. He motioned to the paper on the floor.

"Pick up the trash."

It didn't take a massive amount of creativity to figure out where this was going. Zach didn't have the energy to engage.

Zach stepped around the boy, ignoring him. A rough hand grabbed him by the shoulder, jerking him around. Zach's grip loosened on his tray; his lunch clattered to the floor, splattering his food all over their shoes.

"Bennet, you freak!" snapped Novak. "These are expensive!"

Zach let out a low sigh. "Well, maybe," he said in an annoyed tone. "If you didn't bother me, this wouldn't have happened. Stop bugging me, Novak."

"Or what?" demanded Novak. He leaned down, barely an inch away from Zach's face. "I know you think you're hot stuff," he whispered. "But it's your fault Rosie is gone. Tiff is a mess over missing her best friend. It's your fault."

Zach gritted his teeth; his fists shook at his sides. "It's not my fault Finley opened her mouth when she was told not to talk."

Novak grabbed him by the collar, jerking him forward. Zach's hands gripped Novak's wrist tightly; he glared back at him.

"If you weren't around, then she wouldn't be gone."

"I don't have any control over that kind of stuff, so take it up with the government," snapped Zach, jerking out of his grasp. He stumbled back, fixing his collar. "It's not our fault."

He strode away before Novak could grab him again. He didn't bother with getting another tray. He wasn't all that hungry anyway. The cafeteria broke into fervent voices. Zach threw himself at their bench, slumping his elbows onto the table and resting his face between them.

"Are you all right?" demanded Hikaru, sitting down next to him. A hand touched his back. "He didn't hurt you, right? We should wipe off your shoes."

"It doesn't matter," murmured Zach. He lifted his head. The others slowly sat back down. All eyes were on Zach.

He couldn't bear it.

His sanity was going to snap.

"Hey, I'm f—"

"If you say 'fine,' I swear I'm going to smack you," snapped Hikaru.

Zach snorted, glancing at her. The tension eased slightly in his chest. "Really?"

"Yes."

"I'm fine."

She smacked him on the arm.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

"Ow, okay, I get it," said Zach with a tired laugh, pulling away from her. "I get it. I'm not fine, all right?"

"Really?" drawled Brielle. "We had no idea."

"Could've fooled us," said Drake.

"Oh, wait: you didn't," said Sevati.

Jacob giggled.

"Are you sick?" asked Hikaru, putting a hand to Zach's forehead. It moved after a moment. "You don't seem to have a fever." She sighed, shaking her head.

"I didn't sleep last night," said Zach with a sigh. "That's it, really. I'm tired."

Hikaru bit her lower lip. "Maybe you should go home…"

"No, it's fine. I'll be okay. What's a few more hours?"

"That's like asking for trouble," said Jacob. "You never ask stuff like that." That threw the rest of them into a fit of laughter and giggles. Jacob inhaled, looking affronted. "What?" he demanded. "You see it all the time on TV and stuff. You don't make a poke at bad stuff. It always bites you in the bum!"

They didn't stop laughing. Zach smiled at Jacob. "You're right," he said with a nod. "We won't poke fate."

"Good," said Jacob with a huff, still looking a bit offended.

A wave of gratitude washed through Zach. The others were smiling again, chuckles still under their breaths. They truly were amazing.

And he couldn't be frustrated when Hikaru forced some of her food on him.

I'm doing this to protect them. I'm going to protect them.

It's going to be okay.

They're worth it.

The rest of the day went slowly. He counted the hours. He counted the minutes. He never took his eyes off the clock. As each second ticked with every click of the clock, it was a second closer to tonight.

Closer.

Closer.

So close.

----------------------------------------

That evening around seven, they ate dinner. Zach stared at his plate. As the others piled on the food, the bile rose inside Zach's throat. He swallowed.

"Aren't you hungry?" asked Sevati. "You didn't eat much at lunch."

Hikaru glanced over at him; her mouth thinned.

"I dunno," breathed Zach. "I think I feel a bit sick."

Hikaru bit her lower lip.

I'm fine.

But you're not.

You're lying to yourself.

When will you drown?

Zach stood up; his chair scrapped against the floor. Movement around the table paused.

"You know… I think I'm going to go for a walk," said Zach. "I think the fresh air will be good for me." He grabbed his jacket and threw it on. He paused at the front door. "I'll be back later," he said softly. "Don't wait up for me."

His friends exchanged looks between one with another. He ignored them. Hikaru jumped up from the table and followed after him. Zach stepped into the stairway hall. Hikaru shut the front door behind herself and gave him a long look.

"Are you sure you should go alone?" asked Hikaru. "What if you collapse? What if you don't come home tonight?"

Zach snorted. "It's not that bad," he whispered. "I'll be back home."

He won't keep me.

Right?

He wouldn't want to raise suspicion, now would he?

A strange impulse came over Zach. He grabbed Hikaru by the hand and pulled her a little closer.

"Listen to me," whispered Zach, squeezing her hand gently. "If something happens to me—" At her horrified expression, he lifted his free hand into the air. "—I'm not saying it will, all right? I'm just saying… Just in case in the future, okay? If something happens to me, protect the others. You should…"

He let out a slow exhale of breath.

"Don't let anything separate you," whispered Zach. "No matter what. Stay together."

"Zach," murmured Hikaru. "You're scaring me."

"I know, but trust me on this."

She nodded. "I promise. No matter what, we'll stick together."

Zach smiled. He pulled her closer, slipping his arms around her waist. She melted into his embrace.

I'm coming home tonight. I'll be okay.

The moment was fleeting, gone within seconds. They released one another. Zach turned away and made his way down the stairs. They seemed to echo louder than normal. At the bottom of the stairs, he glanced up.

She stood at the top, watching him.

He smiled and gave her a wave. He shut the door behind himself, slipped his hands into the pockets of his jacket, and walked along the sidewalk.

He followed the GPS

With each step, the lump in his throat grew. Whatever happened tonight, he would remain strong. He'd been through a lot already. He could endure whatever Falcon dished out at him.

His steps were monotonous. He pushed all thought into the back of his mind and focused solely on his feet. When his pocket vibrated, Zach's body gave a little start. He stopped, pulling out his phone.

He glanced up.

I'm here already?

It was barely a fifteen minute stroll.

Zach looked around, taking in the surroundings. It was a neighborhood of high quality condos. He checked the address number. Zach walked into the neighborhood, taking one of the winding sidewalks. He looked through the condo numbers, trying to find the right one. He stopped in front of the last condo near the sidewalk.

It was normal.

The man's address was surprisingly normal.

Zach slowly walked up the porch stairs, pausing in front of the door. There was a keypad next to it. Of course, a criminal could afford such a nice place. Oh, the irony of it. Here, he couldn't even afford a trip to the fricking dollar store, while this criminal could blatantly live in such an expensive area.

Geez, life wasn't fair.

Zach gritted his teeth.

He was going to enter the devil's lair.

Zach squashed the rising fear that licked his insides. He lifted his hand and knocked on the door. This was awkward. For crying out loud, he had knocked on this man's door – Falcon's front door! – as if he were visiting a good friend.

The door swung open. Zach jumped, his body jolting. No one was there. He took a step forward. He peeked inside.

Empty. The door had opened by itself…

Yeah, that wasn't creepy at all.

He took another step forward; his heart fluttered. The interior was normal. Wow, what disappointment. Falcon hadn't bothered to go full Saturday morning cartoon villain on the interior. What a missed opportunity.

As Zach took a few more steps inside, the door slammed shut behind him. He whirled around, his heart pounding against his chest. The room fell into darkness. Zach grabbed the handle, turning it back and forth, only to find it locked.

Shit!

I should've known!

Zach tried to get the door open again, but it was useless. It wouldn't budge. Panic rose and devoured his heart. His breathing hitched, the panic suffocating him. The darkness was all encompassing, drowning him within its depths.

Zach leaned his forehead against the door, feeling the cold wood press against his skin. His hands were still grasped around the door handle.

What now?

"Didn't your parents teach you not to go into a stranger's house?"

Zach's breath caught. He whirled around, his back pressing against the door. He saw a form in the darkness. That voice. Falcon. The condo had a small landing that had a single step up into a longer hallway. The man was standing on it.

There was a flick and the hallway flooded with bright light. Zach sucked in his breath, his lungs expanding as he stared into the face of the man who stood before him – no mask.

Mid to late thirties, average height, high cheekbones, prominent jaw line, black wavy hair, crystal blue eyes – all the same features of—

"Mr. Hawke?" breathed Zach; confusion bled through his tone. He stared, slow to understand. "What're you doing here? There's a criminal…"

He sucked in his breath.

"Wait… You're Falcon?" whispered Zach. Him? He'd been so kind, so warm. It didn't match. It didn't connect. Why? "You're the one who has murdered so many people? You're the criminal that has the entire country in an uproar?"

The man's lips twitched. Crystal blue eyes glinted. His lips lifted in a smirk.

"All in a day's work."