Stryke's POV

The little girl in the backseat stared at me with wide eyes. It was a little unsettling, to be honest.

I didn’t want to do this. She was Rae’s little sister! I didn’t even want to imagine the look the older sister’s face at the sight of me with these men. The small child had tangled blonde hair that shook in the slight breeze that passed through the car. I leaned against the outside shell, trying to think of anything to fill the silence, to chase away the thoughts of what might happen five hours from now.

To have Lily-Pearl alive or to find a body on the floor, which would be her fate?

I prayed that it she would make it, but to Ryder, it all depended on the ‘cooperation’ of the targets. The small child clicked her heels together a couple of times, but still had that blank look in her eyes. It was hard to get a read on what she was feeling; whether she was scared or accepting of her fate. This freaked me out a bit.

“So, do you want anything to eat?” I asked her. She nodded her head, still silent. The roar of faint traffic mingled in the background. I pulled out some chips and water. The poor girl hadn’t had much to eat in the past five days.

“Thank you.” She responded as I tossed her trash away. I was slightly taken aback by her kindness towards one of her captors.

“Y-you’re welcome.” I stuttered in shock before gaining composure. Lily-Pearl went back to clicking her heels together out of boredom. Why did the others leave me with her? Why did they leave me with the guilt?

“So do you have a family?” She questioned. I nodded, not wanting to bring up old memories. The tattoos on my arm, the lyrics seemed to burn into me.

“Do you have a sister?” She asked me curiously. I froze up. My younger sister, dead at age ten from a drunk driver.

LP looked exactly like her.

The driver hit her as she walked with a friend across the street back to our house. I was watching from the window. I saw her wave to me. I saw the car swerve down the street. I saw it fly off the road and slam right into my dear little sister, Ann.

I saw her for the last time at her funeral, four days later.

“I did.” I whispered to her. Thankfully, LP didn’t push any further. Was I really going to my sister die again?

“Oh. I have a sister.” She responded, happy to fill silence.

“I know her.” I muttered unhappily. LP didn’t seem surprised at all. She simply nodded, still accepting at the situation she was in.

“Oh yeah, you’re that boy who also likes Of Mice and Men.” She perked up a slightly bit. I heard the voices get louder from inside our safe haven bar. The guilt just grew and grew. Without warning, I swept her up in a hug, a single tear that had forgotten to run away at my younger sister’s death clung to my cheek.

“Lily-Pearl, I’m so sorry.” I whispered to her. Surprisingly, she hugged me back. I was amazed at how compassionate.

“It’s okay. You have to do this.” She whispered back.

She knew, and she understood.

Notes

Awww.... :( LP understands what he has to do....

But will Stryke do it?

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