Runaways

Light's POV

Yesterday was a complete nightmare! Running into Spot and his gang and being forced to hear Spencer’s cries in pain left me petrified. I couldn’t move a muscle and my breath was stuck in my throat. After minutes of hearing the sounds of punches coming into contact with Spencer, Terrance and David finally came to his rescue. I was relieved, but the day wouldn’t let up. Here I thought either Terrance of David would help Spencer to his feet, but to my surprise it was actually Lance himself. To be honest Lance’s actions were odd during the hell that was unfolding in front of me. He did nothing to neither hurt nor help Spencer. He just stood there looking pained to watch the fight before him. I remember when I first ran into him at the coffee store when I was on my walk with Alec, Lance’s face was scar free but now it’s just bruised up with an odd crescent moon shape scar over his right eye.  Out of all the guys in the gang he looks like hell, like he does all the dirty work or something. When I was staring at him we both made eye contact and he immediately covered his right eye, knowing full well I was looking at the mark. Behind those clouded dark eyes of his are secrets that he’s kept away, I can tell because he is at war with himself.
 
I sigh loudly to myself as sit up from my bed. Thinking over yesterday got me wondering what is really going on in Lance’s head. I wish there was a way for me to talk to him or at least find more about him. I don’t really know what kind of guy Lance really is and he can’t be as bad as everyone in this house is making him to be. I mean if he was he would not have let Alec go free that one day he and Terrance got in a tiff. The only other person besides Alec and maybe Terrance who defends Lance is Alex. I jump up off my bed and make my way to the hall to the living room where all the guys are. I formulated a plan to stop this war from even starting in this town.
 
“Hey, Alex can I speak to you?” I called out gently and motioned him with my hand. He nodded and got up from the couch and followed me into my room.
 
“What’s up bro?” Alex asked as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
 
“It’s about Lance,” I started and he looked at me with emotionless eyes.
 
“If its anything bad I don’t want to talk about it,” he snapped which made me jump slightly.
 
I shook my head, “It’s not…actually the situation we have at hand is rather confusing. Everyone out there says he’s a bad person and that Alec and I should stay away from him, but Lance’s actions don’t make sense if that’s true. He saved Alec and helped Spencer to his feet yesterday after he got beat up by those guys. Lance didn’t even lay one finger on Spencer either, he just stood there.”
 
Alex blinked a few times and then laughed out loud, but it didn’t have any real emotion in it. It was an empty laugh.
 
“Honestly, my friends piss me off,” he seethed, “I don’t know how many times I told them Lance is innocent; I knew he wouldn’t just betray us like that. We were all best friends before gang wars broke out and people started dying.”
 
“Can you tell me about your life before all the gangs started appearing?” I asked gently.
 
“Sure you deserve to know anyway,” he shrugged, “Lance should be nineteen years old now. I met him when he was only six years old and I was five at the time. I’ve known him longer than the other guys out there since Lance was disowned by his own family and they left him. I remember the day I met him, I was playing with my soccer ball and I kicked it too hard. It hit him on the back of the head and he turned around angrily and shouted, ‘Hey! Watch where you’re kicking!’  I laughed at him and apologized and that’s how we met.”
 
I chuckled a bit, “That’s cute Alex.”
 
His face turned red slightly as he rubbed the back of his head nervously, “Shut up Light, but anyways after that day he hung out at my house all the time. We were more like brother's than best friends; I've always looked up to him for guidance. He eventually told me his story about his life when were in middle school. His parents like I said disowned him and moved away, but he was supposed to be living with his aunt. My mom took care of him and basically raised him so he was like a son to her and a big brother to my little sister."
 
"By the time we were Freshmen in high school we've met the rest of the guys and their siblings. We were a big group of friends and it was like my second family. Sophomore and Junior year went by smoothly for me, but by the time I got into my Senior year about half way through it I saw Lance less and less each day. It was odd since he did live in my house and I've always wondered where he could've been if he wasn't living with me anymore. It honestly broke my heart and one day I went to go search for him. When I found him he was surrounded by a bunch of unfriendly faces...” Alex trailed off and bit his lip hard.
 
"Let me guess, Spot, Ricky and Jack were in that group?" I asked and he nodded slowly. His happy emotion in his eyes was replaced by pure hatred.
 
"Oh, but of course and their gang had at least when i saw about twenty people in it. It was scary how they looked," Alex shivered visibly and sighed.
 
"Twenty?" I questioned shockingly, "That's insane! If Spot really brought his whole gang here then we're all screwed."
 
"I know that," Alex sighed again before clearing his throat, "But anyways back to the story, when I found Lance the expression on his face was emotionless. I asked him where has he been, why haven't he come home after school, why I barely see him anymore. But he only told me he found new friends and that I should go away and stay out of his life. Those words fucking killed me." Alex teared up a little and sniffled, "After he said that he didn't even bother help stop his 'new friends' from beating me up afterwords. He fucking left me all alone a bloody mess on the ground. The last thing I saw on his face was a sad frown and him mouthing out 'I'm sorry' and after that hell broke loose in town."
 
"His actions don't make sense. He lived with you all his life and then abandons you after what twelve or thirteen years together?" I asked out loud and Alex just shrugged, "Didn't you ever think maybe he was hiding something from you, maybe those guys forced him to be hateful to you."
 
"What makes you so sure Light?" Alex wiped his eyes and glared at me.
 
"Because if I was Lance I would've done the same thing and done everything I could to tell you what’s really wrong. I've seen Spot and Ricky and Jack front and center and their actions sicken me. Spot seems like the person who would hold dirt over someone's head in order to keep them." I explained.
 
Alex blinked and stared at me for awhile, processing what I just said. I mean it probably never occurred to anyone that Lance was forced into things he didn't want to do. Alex is and probably will be the only person who will know what I discovered.
 
"If what you're saying is true," Alex quietly said, "Then tonight we're going to go find Lance and talk to him. Clear his name and free him completely." I nodded in agreement and we both decided to wait until everyone was fast asleep.
 

 
It was around three o'clock in the morning and Alex and I are out and about searching for Spot's gang hideout. We're putting our plan into motion in solving I guess you can say a mystery behind Lance's strange actions. Remembering what Alex told me overall he seems way to nice to be into killing like Spot and his friends. I told Alex that Lance's physically appearance is disturbing to me. Compared to the other guys he looks like hell; when I saw him yesterday his face had a crescent moon scar over his right eye. Alec told me one day before Spencer and I ran into Spot that Lance had his initials carved into his left arm. Alex told me that Spot does that as a gang trade mark and if there's a slash through the initials then that person is out and will be hunted down later.
 
I shivered at that thought and kind of prayed for Lance. I feel bad for the guy even if I don't know him. If we talk to him we will know the hell he's been through.  I gasped when I ran my eyes over a beaten down house that used to be one of my neighbors.
 
"What the hell?" I said to practically no one even though Alex is standing next to me.
 
"Spot and his friends took over the house, don't expect to see those people ever again Light," Alec solemnly told me and I teared up, but nodded. It's already happening; innocent bystanders are getting hurt or killed.
 
"Why can't we call the cops?" I asked.
 
"They never helped me and my family when we called them the last time, they're worthless and cowards. They took their families and ran," Alex hissed and started walking towards the old house.
 
"Oh," was all I could say since I felt bad for asking.
 
Alex and I cautiously walked up to the house and creaked the door open. Before neither of us could step inside our heads were covered with an itchy material and we were dragged inside roughly. My feet were being dragged across the wooden floor and i cried out in pain when I felt a piece of wood stab the back of my ankle.
 
"Oh, shut up." I heard a rough familiar voice.
 
I was shoved into a room along with Alex and the uncomfortable bags were ripped off our heads.
 
"Well, hello there Alex," Spot beamed with a sickening smile.
 
"Don't talk to me like we're long lost friends Spot, not after what you fucking to me mentally and to my mom and baby sister. Fuck you!" Alex shouted and quickly got to his feet.
 
"We're not here to fight!" I shouted and that froze everyone's movements, "We're here to talk."
 
"Oh, really?" Ricky questioned, "What if we don't want to?"
 
I shrugged, "Fine we'll talk to Lance then." 
 
"I'm deeply sorry but Lance is a bit under the weather shall we say," Jack laughed sinisterly.
 
"The fuck did you do to him?!" Alex protested.
 
"He was disobeying me and my orders and he had to be punished." Spot glared at him, "Sorry if we hurt your little boyfriend you faggot."
 
My eye twitched at Spot's words and I snapped, "Fuck you guys! We know what you all did to Lance to make him stay with you murderers. You have something held over his head and if he does something wrong he'll regret it. What's the point now if all his friends’ families are dead? Wasn't that the thing you held over Lance's head in order to keep him under control?" I shouted while Alex was blankly staring at me.
 
"Oh, we have a smart boy here guys," Spot claps his hands together, "Yeah we told Lance that if he ever tried anything against us we'd kill his friends and their families, well he tried five times to get back to Alex here and well five families were lost. And the best part is we made him watch us kill them all then added five tally marks to his back on his right shoulder to remind him not to fuck with us." Spot laughed out and I gagged. I wanted to throw up so badly.
 
"What the fuck?!" Alex shouted through tears, "What the fuck?" he repeated himself as he fell to his knees.
 
"To answer your question as to why we still keep him is because eventually Alex and his friends will come searching for him to either kill him or save him. Either way, they're coming to us and when they do, they're dead." Spot lowered his voice and stood over me, "And by the way you two are bait now."
 
I gasped as I felt a pair of hands pull me and a sobbing Alex away. Spot's friends tossed us into another bedroom and locked the door. I shouted and started banging on the door with tears coming down my face. I don't want anyone to die especially Spencer.
 
"Quit it," I heard a cracked voice say, "They aren't going to let you go."
 
"Lance!" Alex shouted and jumped on his old friend.
 
"Alex? What the hell are you and your friend doing here?" Lance asks shocked.
 
"We figured everything out buddy," Alec cried out, "We know why you had to leave your friends and me behind. Light said it all and Spot confirmed it for us."
 
"What are you talking about Alex?" Lance questioned.
 
"We know you didn't kill anyone Lance," I jumped in, "You're innocent and now you're bait like we are."
 
Lance nodded and understood what I meant, "So now they're using me to get to you all, right?"
 
"Yeah," Alex sniffled and hugged his friend tightly, "We need an escape," he pulled himself together and wiped his tears away.
 
"What do you think I've been trying to do for years?" Lance asked ironically, "At this point we have to wait till we know no one is in this house."
 
I nodded and sighed while finding a comfortable spot on the floor so we can all play the waiting game. This will be a long sleepless night.