Julie and The Phantoms(Juke)

Chapter 3

Suddenly, Luke had flickered away and his hands had come untied. Just like how Reggie had lost his shirt, Luke had gotten rid of the tape. He rubbed his wrists, free of the bonds. He found himself in the main ballroom, the one they had been in when they first came to the club. Everything was eerily quiet, and everything was perfectly straight and tidy. He traveled throughout the tables searching for Julie, his heartbeat quickening when he found no trace of her. As he was coming across one of the front tables, he stumbled on something that was laying on the floor. As he looked down, he realized it was an open box full of packaging material. Lifting his gaze from the floor, he noticed something else sticking out from underneath the table. He peered under it and found a body strewn beneath the table cloth. He didn't look like a lifer, but there was a little blood matted in his hair, showing that he had been hurt by what had knocked him out. As he shifted his gaze, he could see traces of a chair scattered on the wooden floor.

'Someone must have knocked him out with the chair. But who?'

Before he could finish his thought, a shadow appeared beside him. But before he could turn around to confront his hidden foe, he heard a voice.

"Luke? Is that you?"

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Julie couldn't remember a thing. One moment she had been with Nick in her house studying, the next she was handcuffed to a table, Caleb hovering over her. A light flashed in front of her face, and she caught a quick glimpse of Luke on some sort of screen.

'Luke. Why did Caleb have Luke? Why did he have her? What was going on?'

Before she can speak, Caleb bends down next to her, running a finger through her hair. She jolted away from his touch. This man was dangerous, creepy, and way closer than he wanted him to be.

"Oh Julie," he had whispered. "You won't know what hit you."

Letting go of her hair, he had walked away onto the stage. He placed himself at the very front of the stage, spreading his arms wide.

"I can get used to this," He chimed, lifting his fingers ever so slightly so Julie would stare up at him. She could barely move. She felt weak, like the life had been drained out of her. She looked at him, trying to mesmerize everything about him. That's what you did when you were kidnapped right? But this was different. She had been kidnapped by a dead guy. No information about him would appear in their databases because he had died years ago. They would probably think she was crazy, and she would have to go through her therapist sessions again. She shuddered at the thought.

"You know Julie," his steely voice clawing her out of her thoughts, "Luke seemed like the perfect guy. I mean, you even had a connection."

He laughed to himself.

"And, that's new. No one has ever had that happen to them. Especially with a real human. Real flesh and blood."

The way he talked made her cringe. He disgusted her. This guy was an absolute monster. Julie at him again, trying to figure a way out. A weapon or doorway so she could make her escape, even though she doubted she would even be able to stand up. But there was nothing. She was stuck.

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"Now, everybody knows it wouldn't have worked out. You're a lifer and he's a ghost. But your chemistry on stage," he made a chef's kiss with his fingers. "Top notch. I was wondering if you guys were like 'a thing'."

Julie ignored him, tears escaping her face. He was trying to get her to talk. Was he intimidating? Yes. Powerful? Yes. But a good kidnapper? No. He was pretty basic. If she even had a little energy, she might have been able to stand up, or try to get to him, but she just felt like every single source of life had been drained from her body. She felt cold, helpless, and tired. So tired.