Hey, guys. So, this chapter isn't quite as long as the others have been lately, but I really wanted to get something up, so I hope you don't mind, and I hope you all like it nonetheless.
"You say one word, and I hurt them. All three of them."
Kendall lay frozen, his mind having gone completely blank. He felt the panic start to take over, coursing through his body the way blood coursed through his veins. He wanted to scream, wanted to pry the hand clamped over his mouth away from his face, but he didn't. He couldn't. Not if he wanted to keep them safe.
"Now, you're gonna come with me quietly, do you hear me?"
He didn't move, his father's words not having made sense in his mind.
"I said, do you hear me?"
Another hand came to rest against his neck, squeezing mercilessly.
He nodded, knowing he had no other option.
He was pulled up into a sitting position and then hoisted to his feet. He stumbled, having lost his balance in the rush of it all, and grunted as he was pushed towards his open bedroom window.
Tears sprung to his eyes, but he didn't let them fall. He refused to cry in front of him, he refused to show weakness. This man, he had taken so much from him. Too much.
He did as he was told, following every direction, until he found himself standing in front of an old, black SUV. Behind him, his father was standing, the muzzle of the gun in his hand digging into Kendall's back. "Now, I'm going to tie you up and you will not refuse, got it?"
Kendall nodded, following the other man until they were standing in front of the van's rear compartment."
"Now, get inside."
"Umm, James?"
"Yeah?"
"The window's open..."
James' eyes followed Carlos' gaze, where sure enough, the curtains were moving slowly with the wind.
Logan and Kendall never opened their window.
It was in one swift motion that James pulled back Kendall's covers, his heart sinking when he found nothing underneath them.
"Oh no..."
He turned to Carlos, eyes glazed over with fear.
"James..."
"Call Logan."
Carlos ran out of the room without another word, his feet pounding against the wooden floor before he skidded to a stop in the kitchen, by the stove.
"Logan..."
"What is it, Carlos?" Logan didn't look up as he moved his hand to turn on the stove.
"K-Kendall's gone."
"What?" Logan's hand froze in mid-air, his eyes now locked on the terrified expression on Carlos' face. "What are you talking about?"
"Kendall... he's gone."
"Did you check the bathroom?" Logan looked panicked, but he tried to remain calm as he started the walk to his room.
"No, but the window was open."
"The window's open?"
He pushed his bedroom door open, only to find Kendall's bed completely empty. James was in the room, but he had one leg over the windowsill and was in the process of climbing out.
"James, what are you doing?!"
"What does it look like I'm doing?"
"You can't just go looking for him!"
"Then what else am I supposed to do? Stand around, while Kendall is off, who knows where? He could be with him." Bile threatened to rise up his throat at the thought. "Oh God, what if he's with him?!"
"James, get back in here."
"No."
"James!"
"No!"
"James, I swear to God."
"I should call my dad." Carlos rushed out of the room in search of his phone, not waiting for anyone to say anything in response. He was shaking from head to toe, the thought of what James had said now present in his mind. They had told Kendall he'd be safe, they told him that monster would never come anywhere near him again.
What if he had?
He made his way to his room in a daze, clutching his phone in his hand as soon as he found it laying on his desk. He took one ragged breath as he speed-dialed his dad and waited for an answer. He waited anxiously, but it rang once, twice, three times, and before he knew it, the call had gone to voicemail.
"Papi..." His voice caught in his throat, tears clouding his vision. "Please call me as soon as you get this. Kendall... he's gone. We think his d-dad might've taken him... So please just... get back to me as soon as possible." He pressed the "end call" button on his phone and locked it, before stuffing it in his pants pocket.
"Did you call your dad?" Logan asked once Carlos had entered the room.
Carlos nodded as he took a seat on Logan's bed, unable to stay standing up much longer. It felt like his legs were going to give out from underneath him. "He didn't answer, though, so I left a voicemail."
"We should call the police," James said from where he was now standing by the window, no longer trying to get out. Logan had no doubt knocked some sense into him.
"I don't know if they'd do anything, though," Logan said. "They usually wait twenty-four hours before they take action."
"We could still report it, though, couldn't we?" Carlos asked, his voice hopeful. "We could convince them to do something. Like James said, we can't just stand here and do nothing."
"Yeah, we can." Logan sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "I'll call them."
"No, I will." James took his phone from his hand before Logan could even protest. "I'd be way better at convincing them than you would."
Logan sent a glare in his direction but said nothing as he sat down by Carlos' side. He crossed his arms over his chest, his hands clamping into fists. He was so angry. He wasn't the kind of person to get angry or lose his temper, but the thought of Kendall's father taking him against his will had him seeing red.
He listened as James dialed the police's number and talked to them, his heart drumming in his chest. He was hoping they'd do something, but he doubted they would. Not yet, anyway.
"Well?" Carlos asked, once James had hung up.
James shook his head, his hands flying up to tug at his hair. "They said it's too early to tell, that Kendall could've run away, that his dad taking him was unlikely."
Carlos frowned. "They're supposed to help us."
"It's not that easy, Los." Logan sighed, rising to his feet. "Try calling your dad again. Maybe he can do something."
Carlos nodded and reached for his phone, doing as he'd been told. The hopeful look in his eyes vanished as the call went straight to voicemail again. "Damn it. What are we gonna do?"
"Wait," Logan said. "That's all we can do."
"We... we promised him!" Carlos' voice wavered as he stood as well, now face to face with Logan. "We promised him this wouldn't happen again! We lied to him, Logan!"
"We don't know where he is, Carlos. For all we know, the police could be right. He could have left on his own."
"Are you serious right now?" Carlos' voice rose with anger. "Are you serious?"
"What?"
"Kendall, leaving on his own? Leaving without telling us where he was going? You really think he would do that?"
"He could have panicked. You know how he is."
"Kendall doesn't panic."
"He does when it comes to one of us getting hurt." Logan turned to James, his eyes landing on the bruise covering his right eye. "He thinks James got hurt because of him. He might've been scared one of us would get hurt again, and decided to leave before it happened."
"He wouldn't just leave," Carlos said stubbornly. "He would've at least left a note or something."
"I'm just saying, he could have."
"And I'm saying he didn't."
"Get inside."
Kendall didn't move. He stood his ground, which he found was not a good decision, as he heard a small click, followed by the muzzle of the gun digging harder into his back. He was shaking, his breathing labored.
"Do as I say or I shoot you—" His father paused, seeing as his words had no effect on him— "along with them."
"Leave them alone." It was the first time he had spoken, but his voice was clear, not showcasing the fear he was feeling. "Don't hurt them."
"Then do as I say," his father repeated. "Get. Inside."
Kendall let out a shaky breath, forcibly moving his feet until he was sitting inside the vehicle. Once he was inside, his father grabbed a rope and tied his ankles together, followed by his wrists, and then he duct-taped his mouth shut.
Kendall didn't put up a fight, because even though he wanted to, he wasn't about to give him a reason to hurt his best friends – his brothers. He'd never forgive himself if it happened again.
He watched as the man in front of him grabbed a rag from his pocket, along with a bottle of what Kendall assumed was chloroform. His body tensed as he watched it being uncapped.
It wasn't long before the rag, which was now soaked in the liquid, was being pressed against his nose. He kicked out as he felt the drug starting to take effect, but it was useless.
Within minutes, black dots started to run around in his vision, soon enough taking over completely, until he knew nothing of the world around him.
Things are getting... worse, and though I hate to say it, they're going to continue to get even worse after this chapter. Let's just say... Kendall's disappearance will take a toll on the other boys, and Kendall is far from being safe.
Let me know what you thought, and thank you for reading. :)
~ BigTimeRush-BTR :)