The Threat | Blackmailed (Editing. Temporary Cover)

Chapter 2

The second I walked out of the ally, someone from behind me held me tightly and covered my mouth while someone who was hiding behind the walls grabbed the pocket knife from me. Suddenly a large gang surrounded me and the male behind me stepped back a few paces.

They were all wearing dirty black clothing and reaked of alcohol and cigarette smoke. All of their voices were raspy and they were surprisingly still, not looking very drunk. One of them spoke loudly, not caring if someone heard, "Well well well. Look what we have here boys. We've found ourselves a little girl lost in the city!"

They were slowly getting closer and closer to me as I eyed the highway nearby. I could make a run for it. "What do you want?" I said with a shaky voice.

Another one of them laughed creepily, "We want a lot of things kid. Why are you walking home so late?"

His voice sounded anything but concerned. I didn't answer. That only made him mad, "Be a doll and drop your bag for me, eh?"

I finally looked at him. He had a dusty black beanie and a giant brown coat. His long beard and dull grey eyes made him look lifeless. I shook my head at him to show I wasn't going to take off my backpack when one of them held onto my arms, while another took off the backpack and searched through it. "Got a laptop, some papers, and a few hundred. This one's rich."

I fought them while they were trying to pin me down on the concrete, "Let me go you creepy old crooks! Someone, help!"

"Shut her up!" One of them said. Another guy that smelled like a weird drug covered my mouth with his hand so I couldn't scream while another one hit my leg with a crowbar, making me scream through the man's hand.

The first guy that asked me to give him my bag walked up to me angrily, looking like he was ready to kill me. I squeezed my eyes shut in horror, which only made him laugh small but hard and forcefully. "Look kid. We know who you are. Give us thirty grand a month and don't tell anyone," he smiled again, making me feel sick when I opened my eyes, before he spoke again, "or the last person your mommy and baby sissy will see is going to be me."

One of them punched me and made me fall onto the concrete hard, causing my head to open a cut and bleed. I got up slowly and looked around, watching them walk away with my bag and my knife, laughing. I limped to the bus stop and covered my open cut with my now torn hoodie.

The only thing I could think that moment was at least they didn't see my phone in my pocket. I sat down on  the bench and slowly fell asleep on a stranger next to me, as the blood was making me too weak to stay awake.

《♡》

I woke up in a hospital bed with bandages wrapped around my head and a cast on my leg. I looked around, confused, when the memories flooded back in me as fast as the speed of light.

Someone walked in, a doctor, and wrote some things down on a clipboard before saying anything, "Hello I'm doctor Robert Smith, but you can call me Robert. Your mother and sister will be here in a few minutes. While we wait I'll tell you what we know so far.

Someone called the ambulance saying that there was a teenage girl with a head injury who was laying on the bench. You fainted after what looks like either a hard fall or a hard punch - based on that bruise your cheek has there. From the head injury it looks like you have a concussion. You're going to stay home for about three weeks from school before you can come back to the hospital to get you checked again."

You shouldn't push your mind too much when doing things, and you also broke your leg from a really bad fall or hitting...whatever happened please tell me, your family, or social services so we can have more information on what's going on."

I nodded slowly before my mom and Freya walked in. Freya gasped and ran to the hospital bed, hugging me. Freya is twelve, but she acts like she's five sometimes. My mom came over and squeezed my hand softly, "Oh thank God you're okay! You've been out for two days! What happened to you, Lillian?"

"I...well," a headache quickly formed in my head while I was trying to think of how to word what happened. She kept asking me, not giving me time to think, so I panicked.

"I was walking home from my late shift and my sweater caught on something and I fell in a weird way. I fell on my head first and something big fell on my leg. I...I forgot about my backpack and tried to walk to the bus stop so I could go home and I think I fell asleep on someone."

At least the falling asleep part was true. My mother looked horrified, as if I just told her I got jumped and blackmailed - which was more of the truth than anything.

I don't usually lie to my mom, but that's what happened. And after I lie I can't tell the truth about it until years and years later when it doesn't matter. But this was a huge lie. My headache got worse when I thought about it.

《♡》

My memories of the next two weeks was fuzzy. I only remember having soup in bed and sleeping a lot. I was concerned about how I would get thirty thousand dollars, but then I remembered I could just ask for the money the first month and say I'm saving up for an expensive computer. Then say I changed my mind and used it on something like a library book signed by Rick Riordan. He's a famous author.

By the third week of rest I was completely healed in my head, but my leg wasn't even close to healing. I think I completely crushed my knee bones. Today I was going to get in a wheelchair and visit the animal shelter. Freya insisted so she could see the puppies and kittens.

《♡》

Once we got there, the entire staff was waiting to greet me and talk to me. They said they hoped I felt better soon, that I'll get a raise, and that I should catch up on school and focus more on school than on working when I come back.

We stayed in the puppy pin first, then went to the kitten pen, then I greeted all of the adult animals while everyone was talking to each other.

I smiled sadly when I was petting Spud, one of the big dogs, and thought about what I was going to do. I can't just tell someone that I'm being threatened. But I also can't just pay someone for the rest of my life.

"You alright Lily?"

I looked behind me and saw Jim standing there awkwardly, probably not knowing what to say. I cleared my throat so it didn't sound weak, "Umm...yeah I'm okay, why do you ask?"

He began to walk closer and pet Spud while he spoke, "Well first of all your eyes are very colorless, you aren't talking to anyone, your tone is weaker than usual, you're stroking the adult animals slowly, and-"

"Okay okay I get it, you can read me like a book." I had to stop him before I got too nervous about how much he really knew.

Somehow that made him smile to me, "So what's wrong? You can tell me anything. I'm your friend too, Lily."

I sighed quietly. What do I say to Jim? Should I tell him what really happened or just wait? If I do tell him, how would I say it? What kind of excuse do I have to use now? Should I even say anything? Will he figure it out before I start to talk? I was starting to get a migraine from the thoughts running through my head as I spoke, "It's okay...it's...it's nothing. Really. Thanks anyways."

He didn't say anything back so I spung my wheelchair to my mom and asked her if we can leave. We said goodbye before leaving home so I can get some rest. Soon after we got home, I layed down in my comfortable bed and drifted into a light sleep. Feeling like I could wake up at any moment.