The small red stamped letters written in a familiar hand cause his blood to boil within seconds while his body goes numb. "You were given a chance to take back your life. If you do not have the resolve to do so, We will be more than willing to provide you with the proper motivation. "Do not disappoint us again." With that, the note simply ends without its usual signature. Attached to the note was a small photo containing a group of unidentified men in dark suits standing in a populated area along with several others. Looking closer, Luke could see the image of Ella and Aria within the background. They were seemingly unaware of the group of men following them. A chill runs down Luke's spine as he stares into the photograph. "You bastards!" Luke Slams open the front door and rushes inside the house, calling out for Ella or Aria. But neither answer their calls. He searches around the first floor, looking for them everywhere, but nothing seems to indicate where they could be. Luke he
"Get the hell up! Why won't you move!" Luke screams at himself but his body refuses to obey him as he lays there unmoving and unmoving on the pavement while everyone else continues moving around him. He didn't know why, but It felt as though something in him snapped in that instant. Each time he attempted to stand to his feet, he could feel the sensation of a shock run through his body while making his muscles go weak and unresponsive. His mind was foggy as he stared blankly up at the sky. Everything was blurry as he struggled to focus his vision on something other than the clouds. "Wh-Why can't I move!" He whimpers out with wide eyes, unable to understand what was going on. Time passed as the busy street gradually became still before his eyes while all sound and movement within the area stopped. "Oh god...How long have I been out here? What time is it?" Luke's mind had become a mess of confusion and anxiety as he attempted to piece together what was going on. After several momen
Sitting on the side of his bed with his hands trembling within his lap while staring blankly at the floor, Luke could feel a deep pit growing inside of his stomach. It seemed as though the weight of the world rested on his shoulders at that moment. He knew there were only a few options open to him at that point. Either he could go after Ella and try to rescue her from wherever she was taken or he could fulfill the role given to him by her kidnappers. But what made things worse was that it wasn't clear which option was actually the most viable. He didn't know if he could even go after Ella considering that he still wasn't even sure where she was being held. He would have tried to get someone to help but He had the feeling that it would only make things worse. He wasn't sure to what extent they were capable of watching him. They could even be watching his every move right now. After thinking about what he would face if he were spotted by one of them, Luke could only shake his head with
Luke knew this place well. Even though he hadn't been in this very place for several years, it always felt like hell whenever he was inside. Every memory of living here came flooding back as he entered the small dimly lit room. He could hear the sounds of screaming and crying echoing throughout the rooms walls. It almost felt as though his ears had been plugged to block out the sounds of agony but now, they were back with a vengeance. Luke could feel tears streaming down his cheeks as he tried to ignore the memories trying to take hold of his mind again. The dark and gloomy atmosphere only worsened things for Luke, forcing him to squint his eyes against the harsh glare. After taking in several deep breaths, Luke finally managed to steady himself and gain control over his emotions. As his breathing slowed and his heart rate calmed down, he started to focus more on what was waiting in front of him. There was one person sitting on a chair, their arms folded across their chest and their
The sound of leaves rustling and birds chirping filled the air around Luke as his eyelids gently parted allowing light into his dark eyes. His surroundings appeared blurry at first but soon began to come into focus. He could see himself laying on his back atop the thick mattress encompassing a portion of his expansive bedroom. Rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand, he gradually begins to sit up to take in the morning light. His eyes were blank and lifeless as he stood up from the comforts of his bed and moved towards the bathroom located off to his right. He was tired beyond belief from the events that took place during his previous night. In fact, he felt as though he had been dreaming but when he attempted to recall everything that happened he could only remember small pieces of it while the rest remained lost within the darkness of his subconscious. It was as though his mind had been wiped clean, leaving nothing for him to work with as he tried to piece together what had tak
Luke pressed the intercom button again and again while waiting for anyone to come out and confront him. When none arrived, Luke stepped away from the gate and began pacing around. He figured that they were simply going to ignore him until he eventually went away. After spending some time thinking about it, he looks around the area, spotting only a few surveillance cameras mounted around the perimeter above his head. Despite their numerous numbers, they were actually quite spread out. It didn't seem like it would be hard to find a blind spot within the camera's view. walking away from the gate and out of the camera's gaze, Luke searches around for the best point of entry before settling upon a tall brick wall that stretched around the property. It looked simple enough to climb up with enough effort and there didn't seem to be anything that had vision in this area either. Luke made his way towards the wall and planted his foot on the rough indents while reaching his arm up to grab hold
With a growl, Luke slammed his palm against the steering wheel. He would need to think of a new plan if he wouldn't be able to track down Marilyn. Looking to his side and giving himself some time to think, He realized that things weren't so bad after all. He may not be able to use his original plan but an alternative idea had introduced itself to him. The loaded firearm resting beside him in his passenger seat caught his attention as if it was calling out to him. If he couldn't do things quietly, It wouldn't be too bad to have a weapon nearby to fall back on. But he was only going to use this gun as a last resort. He still had some time to put together a more refined plan, and hopefully a more effective one. Entering into his home, Luke first needed to do something about his bullet wound before he could properly consider anything else. It didn't look like it was anything too serious but it wasn't going to be comfortable walking around with a bullet lodged in his shoulder for long pe
"Ella? Luke said in confusion. "Why does that name sound so familiar?" Thinking about it made his head hurt. He could tell that it must have been someone important but he couldn't quite recall why. Although he wasn't sure who she was, He couldn't shake the feeling that there was something familiar about her. He felt as though she and him were connected by some unseen force. As he tried desperately to remember who she was, Images of a tall blonde woman flashed within his mind with blue eyes and soft features. Her hair flowed around her shoulders as her long legs were revealed by her short skirt. She had a beautiful figure, and yet her face lacked any features. Luke felt drawn to her as if there was some sort of magnetic attraction between them but he couldn't understand why. He felt like he was supposed to know this woman somehow but nothing seemed to click into place for him. "I'm sorry Ella. I just can't seem to place you." Luke shook his head and sighed before leaning forward o
The passenger side door swings open to reveal A thin passenger with long hair tied up into a ponytail. He was dressed casually in a white collared shirt and black slacks. "Welcome back brother. You made quite the entrance I must say." Jonathan said with a smile from within the vehicle. "So how was your vacation?" Luke looked at his brother with disdain, "What are you doing here!? Why did you have to show up now!?" He growls angrily. "That's a silly question. I'm just here to pick up my brother and his companion." His older brother explained, "why don't you have a seat so that we can catch up. It's about time that we have a talk." Jonathan suggests with a grin while gesturing with his hand out towards the passenger seat. "Don't get your hopes up. I wouldn't ride in the same space as you if you paid me to." Luke retorted coldly. "How about you run on home and wait for me to tear you down, just like I did with Marilyn." Luke tells him with a scowl. "I'm sorry to hear that, but I don
Luke watched on in shame at the mess taking place in front of him. The room was already cluttered as is with the bodies of the guests scattered about, but now Ella and Le were making an even bigger mess of things. And all over a single bottle of liquor. "Haha, your going to have to try harder if you want to catch me." Ella remarked as she kept away from Lee while holding on to the bottle loosely in her hands. "You think you're funny!?" Lee huffed in frustration as he attempted to tackle her but she effortlessly dodged him and quickly disappeared behind the bar. "Ha Ha Ha! Very cute Lee." She taunted him as she tipped the bottle upside down, allowing the liquid to flow down into two glasses. She handed one of them to him with an amused look before downing her own glass in an instant. "Hey! You can't just drink it like that! It's not a shot!" He said while pointing his finger accusingly at her. "Oh yeah? Well I don't have any patience today so I'm going to just drink it however I d
A week and a half passes and Luke, Ella and Lee are now able to see land. It wouldn't be long now until they were back on solid ground. "Ahhh, Doesn't it just look so nice?" Ella exclaimed joyfully while looking out the transparent plane covering their room. Her eyes were fixated on the land as if it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Luke couldn't help but laugh at her enthusiasm, but he also found it somewhat amusing seeing her this way given how much she had been through recently. "When I get back I'm going to take a nice long bath with extra bubbles and candles. Maybe even light some incense while I soak under the starry sky. Then I'll get out and dry off slowly while laying out by a pool somewhere in the desert with an ice cold beer in my hand." Ella continued on with her fantasy. "What about you half-pint? Are you going to go back to your family to tell them what happened? I'm sure that they would want to know how their youngest son almost died on his business tri
"So how long do you think it will take before we set foot on solid ground again? I'm starting to get a little nauseous." Ella said while looking down at her stomach. "Not too long I hope." Luke replied while staring ahead at the transparent plane covering the room. It's been a little over a week since we set off, so I would guess that it would take around the same time going back" He told her while scanning through different screens on the walls. "At this rate, my boredom is going to kill me before Jonathan can get the chance. I can only sit here so long without going insane." Luke complained with a groan, as he sat down in one of the seats. "I need something to read, or do... anything would be nice" Luke added as he began scanning around the room for any kind of entertainment that might be lying around. Searching the cluttered floor, Luke spotted a few different magazines that were spread open on the ground. grabbing a few of them, Luke tossed one of them over to Ella as he began
Ella follows Luke as he opens the door leading further ahead inside the ship. Covering their eyes to shield themselves from the sudden increase in brightness, The duo enter into the vessels bridge. The sun is raised high in the sky outside, and the warm air from the heat vents makes itself known throughout the ship, creating a strong contrast against the dimly lit interior of the ship. "This thing looks like it's straight out of the 2000's." Ella mumbled aloud as she followed behind Luke, staring down at the small computer consoles on the wall before them and their array of buttons and dials. Luke turned around and nodded while he scanned through the screens and monitors displayed in front of him on the wall. "I hope this isn't as complicated as it looks." He said as he reached out his hand and pressed a few buttons on the panel in front of him, causing the ship's lights to brighten up. "I guess I know what this does now. Hmmm, Let me check on some things real quick." Luke tells her
Turning his back to his sister's unmoving form, Luke walked over to where Ella stood and wrapped his arms around her. Holding her close to him as he tried desperately to hold on to what little sanity he had left. He had acted confident in the moment, but had yet to fully realize what he had just done. Once again, he had managed to find his way back to the path that his brother had set for him. He was finally beginning to take control of his life and destiny and yet, once again he found himself on the verge of losing it all. "What is wrong with me?" Luke whispers into Ella's ear while tightening their embrace. His hands shaking as he attempted to calm himself down, but the thought of what he just did continued to plague his mind and make him panic. "I killed Marilyn. I didn't just kill her, I actually strangled her with these hands. I watched her life leave her body. What the hell have I become?" Luke asks as he tries to calm down and regain his composure. Ella could feel his hands
"Is this what you call fun!" Ella said through gritted teeth as she glared at Marilyn. "Is this truly just one big game to you!" Ella shouted with rage. "You're just picking and choosing who lives and dies because you think you can! Just like those poor kids!" Ella screamed at the woman before her as she bawled her fists and raised them high. Marilyn let out a small laugh at her statement before turning her gaze down to Ella and giving her a smile that was meant to look kind and welcoming but instead gave the girl chills. "Oh, sweetheart! Don't you know that there are more important things than living or dying. Everyone here is doing their part to ensure a brighter future for everyone. Even you." She said as she stood up from her seat. "But you see, I don't have any plans for you today dear. Your time hasn't come just yet. The only one I need is my dear brother. After all, this was set up just for him." She said as she attempted to walk past Ella. But Ella's anger flared up once ag
As the screen fades to black, Luke can hear the sound of heavy machinery above him. Swimming up with his key in hand, Luke pops his head out of the water to find a thin catwalk extending from the wall opposite of the door. It continues to extend until it reaches the door, creating a path for him and Ella to stand on. Although out of reach currently, The water continued to rise which would soon allow them to reach the door if they wanted to escape. With a glance at Ella, Luke can only shake his head as he watches her playing in the water like a child. She's definitely enjoying herself way more than she should have been. Watching Luke play must have truly bored her. Once the water level was high enough, Luke grabbed hold of the catwalk's railing and pulled himself up. After taking a quick look back towards the water, Luke reached his hand out to pull Ella up from below. "Why, thank you kind sir." Ella replied sarcastically as she placed her hand in Luke's grip. The two were now sta
Pushing to finish this game in the next round, Luke raises his head and takes a deep breath, as the water was now high enough to cover his face. Turning to his side to check on Ella, Luke could see her floating away on her back while giving him a thumbs up. He could tell that she was having fun despite the obvious danger approaching. But at least this meant that she trusted him to pull through. Finishing his breath, Luke dives under to see what was happening on his screen. His starting hand turned out to be a 15 made up of a 7 and an 8. Unfortunately, though. It seemed as though player 1's turn was taking much longer than usual. The same thing happened last round, so it wasn't unusual. Luke was just in a bit of a hurry considering his circumstances. Finally taking his turn, Player 1 instantly used the cover option and ended his turn with a Hit. Putting his cards count at three and locking down anyone's ability to manipulate his cards was most likely the best alternative. With playe