Anchor

Chapter 9 |-| Stay

Liam

"Do you know who it is?" I question as we enter the cafeteria, my eyes fixated on Luke.
He looks at me as if I'll have a break down or something if he were to tell me whom's pain he's feeling. "Luke, who is it?" I ask, getting impatient "I can sense that you know who it is, tell me," I demand getting frustrated and I can see that his hands are shaking.
"It's Theo," he mumbles and I look at him wide eyed. "Are you sure?" I ask and he nods his head, shooting me a sympathetic look and I frown a little. "He's not dead is he?" I question and he hesitates before shaking his head and I breathe in relief before I realize that him hesitating to say no means that Theo isn't dead, but dying.
"Shit," I gasp "Where is he?" I ask "His house, I -" I don't let him finish, instead I rush past him and past Corey and Mason who are making their way to the cafeteria.

I don't care that I'm skipping class, I have to make sure Theo is alright.
He can't die.
He's my responsibility and whatever happens to him is my fault.
I feel my eyes watering as I jump over the revine, running through the preserve and towards Theo's loft.
Wiping my face, I knock on the door and when there's no response, I start to panic.
I press my ear to the door and I catch a heartbeat.
It's really slow, but I can still hear it.
I kick the door open and the smell of blood hits me like a truck and I follow the scent of blood all the way upstairs to Theo's room.
Once I get there, it feels like my heart just stopped.
With a numbing feeling, I kneel down next to his body.
Theo is full of deep scratches, running through his torso, it looks like someone tried to rip out his heart and he even has claw marks on his face.
I breathe in relief when I feel his breath and see his chest rise up and down slowly.
He passed out from blood loss and he's not healing.
I grab his hand and as the familiar black veins run up my arms, I see Theo taking a deep breath as his wounds start to heal slowly.
I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket and I grab it to see that Mason wrote a text.

Mase✌: Luke just told me what happened, did you find him?

Me: Yeah, he's in his house

Mase✌: Is he okay?

Me: He's alive, but he passed out from blood loss

Mase✌: Did you see who attacked him?

Me: No, the house was empty, except for him.
the window is broken though, so I guess they came through it.

Mase✌: Tell me when he wakes up again,
we have to figure out what is going on around Bacon Hills

Me: Yeah, talk to you later, I gotta go

Mase✌: Okay, bye.

I pocket my phone and stand up, walking towards Theo's closet to fetch him a clean shirt.

I throw said shirt on his bed, before I crouch down beside him, sitting him up and wrapping his arm around my shoulder. I can feel him shift and I look at him to see his eyes open a little "Liam?" he mumbles before I slowly lay him on the bed.
"What are you-" he stutters before passing out again.
I sigh as I sit down beside him, my back against the headboard.

I hear my name being called and I realise that I fell asleep. I wake up and look to my left to see Theo propped up on his elbows and a concerned look on his face.
"Theo are you okay?" I ask, sitting up properly and he looks down at his ripped shirt "I'll be fine," he responds, looking back up at me asking what I'm doing here.
"Luke felt your pain," I respond "And I came here as fast as I could," I explain and he shoots a quick look at his broken window before turning back to me.
"I didn't see his face," he informs "I couldn't," he stutters and I can see his eyes starting to water "It's okay Theo, we'll find him," I promise.
He looks away, wiping his eyes "Are you okay?" I ask concerned and he nods his head, putting his hand back down "Yeah," he says "It's just," he starts before taking a deep breath "The guy didn't even bother to finish me off," he informs "He knew I was dying and he thought no one would come and save me," he stutters "Well, he thought wrong," I say putting my hand on in his shoulder and he looks at me, eyes still watery.
"Thanks Liam," he says smiling a little "For saving me," he adds, trying to sit up properly and I help him with my hand on his back.
He shoots me another smile before turning his gaze away from me and pulling his shirt off.
I watch as his back muscles tense then relax again.
He groans as he tries to grab the shirt I threw on the bed, swatting my hands away as I try to get it, saying that he'll manage, so I just sit there.
Watching.
He hesitates to put the shirt on, his eyes wandering down to his bloody torso. "Maybe I should shower first," he says more to himself. "Yup, I'm gonna go shower," he informs before standing up from the bed with a groan or two.
I grab my phone to see that Mason wrote two texts.