{Xavier Carver}
Everyone left me to look after Isaiah while they tried to carry the stranger outside of the building without raising suspicion, though I'm sure nobody would care. "Hey, Isaiah, are you sure you're okay?" I asked from across the floor. His back was pressed against the wall still scratching himself. Some of the red streaks were deeper now, liquid slowly dripping out. No response. "Isaiah..." I called, "Hey, you there?", again no response. I scooted over to him and waved my hand in front of his face, "Hey, buddy, you still there?"
He blinked - finally - and the scratching slowed, barely. "Xavier..." He said as though I'd appeared out of nowhere. "Are you okay?" I asked again. "Yeah." It was a short answer, but enough for me. I placed my hand over his, he paused, finally he'd stopped. "Please stop, now." He raised his hand to his gaze, staring at his bloodied fingernails, his own blood. "Oh," He breathed, "Oh crap." The life suddenly back in his voice. He sat up to look at the carpet, seeing the blood stains. "Fuck, bro, I'm in so much trouble."
"I'm sure you're dad'll understand if we tell him the situation with the whole... Shade thing..." He glanced up at me then to the t.v, "Hey, where is that guy anyways?" The t.v was blank, just a black screen. "Huh, that's wei-"
"Fuck, my arms hurt." Lexi mumbled, pushing through the front door, the others followed after her. "Hey guys, I think it's over?" Isaiah said. "Was that a question?" Kaylen asked. "What makes you think that?" Lily shook her hands out like they were wet. "Oh yeah, look at that, the t.v's blank." Hunter pointed out.
"Sorry for the slight inconvenience," A familiar modified voice rung, "I had to take a bathroom break." The light slowly blinked back and the stupid gas mask was back on the big screen. "Would any of you like to take a bathroom break?" Shade asked nonchalantly. "What the fuck was that, bro?" Isaiah bolted to his feet. "Oh." Shade glanced around the room in search of his friend. "It's safe to assume you've done something with Jay?"
"Oh, the person you sent in here to mess with Isaiah?" Hunter questioned.
"That would be the one." Shade responded.
"God, just tell us what you want." Lexi groaned.
"So, nobody would like a bathroom break? Kaylen, dear, not even you?" Shade asked, ignoring Lexi's question. "Huh, why me?" Kaylen asked, taking a seat on the floor next to me. Shade played with some papers in front of him, "Robin," He whistled, "It's your turn." On command, a tall figure stepped out of the walk-in pantry, gun in hand. "Wren," Shade called. Another person kicked open the door, this one also holding a gun. I felt my breathing grow heavier with each new person. "Rhea, Drake, Mavis, Raven, Heron." He continued, "Phoenix, Sparrow, you know the plan." The two that walked in after the others looked different, one without a mask, the other in a chunky armored outfit.
"Yeah, we know the plan." The one in the big armor breathed out. "Alright everyone, my name is Sparrow," The unmasked one began, "This is my team and they answer to me and Phoenix over here," He pointed at the one in the armor, "Phoenix answers to me, you answer to the rest of my team, therefore you should definitely listen to me." He looked to be in his mid to late 30's and his voice was bored, like he'd been through something like this a few times. Phoenix motioned everyone behind us.
"I'm very scared of the guns right now, but I'm still asking this. What the fuck is happening?" I asked. "In all due time, kid." Phoenix responded. His voice was heavy, breathy almost like Darth Vader. "Hands up!" Sparrow announced. I glanced at my friends to see them hesitantly raising their hands. Mine went up too, then it went dark. There was a tight pressure around my wrists, slowly getting tighter, then searching. They checked my pockets and the weight of my phone was lifted out. "Ugh, that's so stupid." A new voice scoffed from behind me. The door opened and yet another voice boomed, "Move out!"
"Get going," The voice that took my phone said, pushing me forward. Behind me was the sound of muffled footsteps and quiet whimpers. "Ouch, fuck." Lily or Lexi groaned. "Yeah, yeah, whatever." The person escorting her sighed like they were just as bored as that Sparrow person. "Watch your step!" The person in the back yelled, I'll just assume that's the supervisor. "We know Mavis, we can see." Someone behind me yelled back. "Shut it Robin!" They bickered like siblings. "Up." The person with me guided. The bottom of my foot was met with a cold metal and that's when it hit me, we were already outside. We had to go down stairs, or the elevator at least, why did I not realize that? "Hey, uhm, what's your name?" I asked facing the arms that were helping me sit. "Ugh, small talk. Call me Rhea." They responded. "Uhm, hi Rhea, I'm Xavier." I had to at least try to humanize myself, whatever happens tonight I'm not dying by someone else's hand. "Hi Xavier, I don't care." Rhea huffed presumably taking a seat next to me as their voice got lower. There was a pound on the vehicle we'd gotten into, "All set!" The supervisor called. I heard a door slide, right after the engine started and we took off.
"Rhea, you have a family?" I asked.
"In a way."
"In a way," I repeated, "Listen it's just me and my mom at home, I can't leave her alone." It was a truth in a way, I'm sure she wouldn't notice if I was gone. "Don't care, I have a job to do." That was the extent of the conversation. It was quiet save for the sound of the vehicle. I was about to try to strike up another conversation with my captor, but the brakes were slammed and I fell to the right. "Ow!" Hunter yelped. "Get off my gun." The one with him said. "Ugh, my head." Hunter pushed out a reply. That was met with a sea of 'Are you okay?'s from my friends, me included. "I think I'm bleeding." Hunter groaned. "God, you're so dramatic." An unfamiliar voice stated. The door slid open again and Sparrow mumbled to everyone, "We're here, out."
"You heard the man." Rhea pushed me forward out the door. Leaves crunched beneath my feet and twigs stabbed me the entire walk. "My socks." Kaylen fake moped in the back. "Awh, it's okay." Lexi or Lily sarcastically comforted her. "Open up!" Sparrow pounded on what sounded like a door, but you never know. "Oh," Sparrow gasped, "Maybe put your helmet back on, we'll be moving on soon."
"Okay, it's so hot in there." The new person chuckled, or old person. Their voice was young, maybe Lily's age or a bit older, but definitely young. The sound of them walking away made me think it was Phoenix. "Stairs!" The supervisor called. There was a wave of quiet 'Thank you's most of them sarcastic. When we got to the bottom of the stairs I was sat down on my knees and Rhea left my side. When the shuffling of people settling died down the room was utterly silent.
"Hello," A painstakingly familiar voice greeted, "I have a feeling I've held you up long enough." There was a moment of silence again and the darkness was gone. Groaning was the only noise in the room and it came from me and my friends. The light was overwhelming. We were in the basement, Shade's basement. "Your hair looks like shit." Isaiah chuckled at me. I glanced to my right where he was sitting, "You're one to talk."
"How long are we gonna be sitting like this, my knees already hurt, I'm not used to it." Lexi complained. "I am." Isaiah said. "Excuse me!" Shade yelled in his stupid little gas mask with his stupid little voice changer. "I'm giving you the opportunity to escape here!" That did the trick, we stopped talking and turned our attention to him. "It's simple really." He nodded to one of the bird people behind us. One of them, who's uniform read Robin, took Kaylen by the arms to the corner to the left of Shade. "You'll have five minutes to discuss upstairs." Each of them grabbed one of us except the one who's uniform said Mavis, the supervisor. Robin dropped Kaylen to open a heavy door, Mavis' gun trained on Kaylen. "My offer is, you can all walk out of here, if you leave your friend here behind. Of course staying is an option, but that would rule out leaving." Shade finished his proposition. Robin threw Kaylen in the room and slammed the door on her. "I'm not leaving her!" Lexi attempted to struggle her way out, but her efforts were in vain. "A moral issue I suppose."