The figure stood over the burnt bodies, with a doting look in his eyes. He had not seen Nate in years and when he finally reached out to the little boy he used to know, he met the boy in such a state.
"Take my hand." The figure walked toward Nate, dragging the wheelchair that was used for Nate alongside him. He then stretched his hand forward and now, Nate could finally see this figure clearly. It was a man clearly in his mid-forties and he looked so kind yet the wrinkles that lined his skin and how his eyes drooped, told a story.
"Are you sure?" Nate asked weakly. The sparks on his body were still on and he had seen what happened to the officers. He didn't want to cause another man's death even though he needed help.
"Try me." The man still kept his hand forward, with a reassuring look, and a few seconds later Nate raised his hand shakily, and in the next second, the man grabbed it tightly. Immediately, the sparks on Nate's body seized and the thunder rumbling in the sky stopped.
"What… what did you do?" Nate's mouth gaped in shock as not only the sparks seized but also his weakness was gone.
"Who are you?" He looked at the man suspiciously.
However, the man only stared at Nate intensely for a moment before speaking up, "I am Lucas."He smiled proudly. "But if you want to really know who I am, we have to get out of here first."
"You mean escape?" Nate asked.
"Yes. What do you think?" In one swoop, Lucas took Nate off the floor and dropped him right on the wheelchair.
"Owww!!" Nate cried painfully, holding onto his injured legs. He glared at Lucas hatefully, "Giving me a heads up wouldn't be so bad."
"Sorry." Lucas grinned sheepishly but it was quite obvious he wasn't even sorry for what he did. "You are going to have to get used to such little pain. We wouldn't want you crying like a baby, would you?"
"What are you saying?" Nate asked, feeling like Lucas' words were vague, and at the same time, Lucas started to wheel him out of the room and he asked, "Where are you taking me?" Somehow, Nate didn't even resist being wheeled out by a total stranger and for some reason, he felt he could trust this man named Lucas.
"Home," Lucas answered with a nostalgic smile on his face. By this time, they were outside already and they were met with a vast field. The electric room was in the center of the field and Lucas' car was parked a few meters away beside two police cars. The whole place wasn't guarded and it was easy for them to walk toward the car.
At the same time, Nate still had questions, "Where is~"
"Now, no more questions, until we get out of here." Lucas cut him off and as soon as they got to the car, he opened the door to help Nate into the car.
But in the next second, the sound of guns cocking resounded in the air and bullets flew towards Lucas and Nate.
"Fuck! Those bastards are here!" Lucas cursed, as he hurriedly pushed Nate into the car. He left the wheelchair out and shut the door while he ran around the car to the driver's seat. From the corner of his eye, he saw three men in black, running toward them and shooting sporadically. Lucas recognized two of the men but this was not the time to confront them.
Bang!
A bullet went straight through the car window.
Bang!!
Another bullet was shot and it hit Lucas right in the arm as he was getting into the car. Blood spewed all over the car and Nate looked at him in horror.
"What's happening?" Nate asked, his voice frantic.
"No matter what happens, keep your head down," Lucas instructed as he started the car and swerved it around, the tires screeched as he sped out of the field. The injury on his arm didn't even stop him from driving so fast.
"Keep your head down, now!" He yelled and at the same time, a bullet went through the back window, almost blasting through Nate's head.
Nate ducked in time as Lucas sped away, however, he turned his head around to take a glimpse of the shooters and his eyes widened. The car was already far away from the shooters but Nate still couldn't keep his eyes away from them as he wondered why Nathan and Alice's father, Mr. Jones would go to such lengths to have him dead.
___
Lucas had been driving for hours and Nate had gone completely silent and slowly, the car came to a halt before a building with a helipad over it.
"Let's get down," Lucas instructed.
"No," Nate replied, his eyes turning to look at Lucas with so many questions in them.
Seeing how Nate looked at him, Lucas sighed tiredly and he rested on his seat, "Ask any questions you have. We are safe here until the helicopter arrives."
Hearing that, Nate swallowed, "Who are you?"
"Like I said, I am Lucas." Lucas answered, teasingly and then he continued, "On a deeper level, I am your father's right-hand man. And I am your mother, Genie's brother."
"What?" Nate frowned, he was displeased that this man was trying to lie to him using his father's and mother's name so carelessly. "If you were really close to them, don't you think I should have known you then? What will you gain if you lie to me?" Nate sneered.
"Nothing actually…" Nate suddenly dipped his hand into his pocket brought out a thick stack of pictures and directly threw them at Nate. "…but I will definitely save your sorry ass."
Nate gasped in shock as he went through the pictures he was shown. He went through several of them, seeing that they were very old and they were pictures he had never seen of his parents. And in all those pictures, Lucas was present, smiling with Nate's parents.
Nate's eyes watered with tears as this was the only thing that reminded him of his parents now. He couldn't even bid them farewell in their last moments. And seeing that Lucas knew his parents, he was suddenly conscious of the recent happenings.
"Do you think I killed my parents too?"
"Not exactly." Lucas shrugged. "But they died because of you."