Lamb To The Slaughter ✔️

21

The car ride is silent. Partly because I don't really like Liam, and the other because I can't get Atlantic out of my head. What are they doing to him? He's usually cold, so cold, but it was different this time. He was empty, more than empty, he was hallow, he was a shadow, not himself. 

"So....." Liam asks in the silence as light raindrops hit the car. "What are you going to do now?"

"Come up with something to get him back," I say. "He's still in there. Deep down. Buried in the darkness, there's a man with a heart."

I think Liam chokes on his spit. He stutters, "W-wait, what? You're still going to try and help him?"

"Yes," I say quickly. "I'm not giving up."

Maybe it was selfish. The reasons why I was doing this. I wanted him back, the boy he used to be, the boy I found happiness in. I don't even care that he hates me right now, because I know that deep down, he only hates me because he doesn't hate me.

To the world, right now, I'm dead. Not that anybody cares, there's no funeral, who would even show up? My mom, my sister, my dad? Maybe Atlantic would. Just to spit on my grave.

"So, what's your plan then?" he asks over the annoying sound of the windshield wipers.

I bite the inside of my cheek. 

"Atlantic needs to know what they're planning," I say. "They send him where the chaos is. So, I'm going to create some chaos."

"How?" he asks me, but I just smile in response. He doesn't like this and gives me a stern look. "How, Aria?"

"You'll see," I grin.

We check into a hotel. I make Liam pay and talk to everybody since he's far less likely to get recognized. The room is big, with two separate rooms, all that saving I did has become really useful. 

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

The next night, I've come up with my plan on how to get the darkness out of the shadows and out into the open. I need to talk to him, I need him to know I'm real, I need him to know that his life is in danger.

"Okay, Liam, get over here," I say. I still haven't told him what we're going to do. "Sit."

He sits down on the couch beside me. I hold my phone in my hand, ready to call.

I tell him, "We're calling in a bomb threat to the courthouse. It's massive, with three floors, I should be able to find somewhere to talk to him in there."

"I'm sorry - a fucking bomb threat?" he repeats as I dial 911. "Wait, what-"

I kick him and cut him off as the 911 operator picks up the line. She asks, "911, what is the location of your emergency?"

"The court centre," Liam says while giving me an unsure look, and I nod. "I'm...I'm going to fucking bomb the place. With fucking explosives."

"Add bitch," I mouth.

"Bitch," he says. 

I then hangup. I jump to my feet and tell him, "Okay, come on. We have to hurry, you stay downstairs and I'll go upstairs, tell me what's going on, okay?"

"Fine," he says. "Why the hell am I even doing this? I don't even like you."

"I don't like you either," I say over my shoulder with crossed arms. "But, I saved your life. So you owe me."

"Whatever," he mutters, and I smirk. 

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯