The Strays

Chapter Two

Leo screamed in agony as Mac slashed him twice across the chest with the knife. "Seeing as I have everybody's attention, why doesn't one of you tell me where to find the person I'm looking for?"

"Up here, Miss. You found me. Congratulations." Stitch chimed in from the floor above just as Mac was about to make another cut.

"You're a hard person to get a hold of."

"My friends get a little overprotective when someone invades our home. I'm sure you understand."

"Well, you're here now, so why don't you grab what you need and we'll get going?"

"I'm not going anywhere with you until you let the others go." She calmly replied.

"You can come willingly, or I can forcefully drag you out of here."

"I'm not helping you when you're holding my friends hostage. Let them go, and then I'll do whatever you want me to."

Mac looked at the guys holding Linc and Ty. "Tie the two of them up in a shop upstairs. Make it tight, but don't kill them."

"What about Leo and Indie?" She argued, staying put as Mac's goons took Linc and Ty away.

"They're coming with us. That's not negotiable because I have an instinct that you and Indie will make a good team, but I need insurance to keep her in line. I doubt just you will be enough. Alternatively, I could kill Ty and Linc right here and send my boys to your clinic. It's an enormous building, but I'm sure they'll find it in no time. I'll give you front row seats, so you can watch as they slaughter everyone inside, then burn this building to the ground. It's your choice." She shouted up to the girl.

Stitch didn't move. "I suppose you need a better incentive." Mac sighed as she stabbed Leo in the shoulder, removing the knife and wiping it clean on his shirt before putting it away, confident she wouldn't need to use it again. "If you want to save the kid, come with me. Once you save Hatter, I'll let you treat him."

I broke free of my captors and charged at Mac, slamming my fist into her face repeatedly until she bled, then I wrapped my hands around her neck until Stitch pulled me off her. "Leo needs us. The grudge match will have to wait. There's a time to fight and a time to walk away. If we choose to take a stand, lots of people could die. Is it worth that?" She reasoned as she held me back.

"If Leo dies, I will kill every one of them, and you won't be able to stop me."

"If he dies, I will help you." She smiled as her restraint turned into a hug. "Now save your strength, please. I have a feeling this day's only going to get longer."

Mac's goons soon pulled us apart, tying our hands behind our backs as a precaution while they escorted us out of our zone.

I looked over at Stitch, who shared my concern as Leo became paler with every passing minute. He was quickly losing blood.

I turned to one goon with a stern expression. "That kid will bleed out unless someone does something. It doesn't have to be Stich or myself. We can tell you what to do. Please stop the bleeding before it kills him. That's all I ask of you."

I heard a shirt rip, and one guy beside Leo tied the fabric over the wound. "Thank you." I smiled appreciatively, and he nodded his head.

The Hellraiser gang's primary hideout, the old fairground, was our next stop. There, they had converted the restaurants into livable quarters and one of them had even become a hospital. I glanced around for Leo, but somebody had already taken him elsewhere.