Haley stared at the empty classroom around her; the loud, coherent chatter of children still not drowning out the raging storm within her head. It had been just over a week, a week, since she'd heard from Nathan. It was unlike him to not call or check in and, Haley couldn't help but worry. As his wife, it was her duty to worry. So, she called. Haley had spent her lunch break and her walks home ringing Nathan's phone continuously. Nothing. She hadn't heard a single word and it was beginning to make panic settle within her. Usually, her children could sustain her worries – even if only for a few hours – yet, today, nobody could help her. A sense of dread was looming warily upon Haley and she couldn't seem to get rid of it. It was like a suffocating blanket of smog, one that showed no signs of disappearing. It petrified Haley, the unknown, and she was finding it harder and harder to hide her fear.
"Bye, Mrs Scott." One of Haley's students, Chuck, waved goodbye as he skipped out the door, his backpack in hand, his mother's car pulled up front. He was the last of her students to leave the school premises and Haley hadn't seemed to notice the rest of her thirty-three student class disappear. Haley had grown accustomed to Chuck's complacent, alcoholic mother and she smiled at the retreating car. The poor boy had been abandoned by his father and practically forgotten by his mother. It was a simple story that broke Haley's heart. She adored children. They were so naïve and so innocent, it killed Haley to think that somebody as loving and as caring as Chuck had experienced so much. It made her admire his strength and be thankful for everything that she had: her parents, her loud siblings and, most of all, Nathan.
It was a Friday night in quaint Tree Hill and it was usually the evening that Haley and Nathan spent together: a nice dinner, a bottle of wine, a classic movie. Friday nights were comfortable, cosy nights spent indoors but, today was going to be an exception. She was going to be dining for one tonight. Haley glanced at the clock and noticed that it was inching closer and closer towards five o'clock.
However, the thought of heading home to an empty apartment was not appealing and Haley decided to stay in school. She had concluded that her bleak classroom needed a spruce. Putting her minimal artistic ability to use, Haley shuffled her tables about and rearranged all the instruments on the shelves that hung from her white-washed walls. She fussed over the trombones positions and she tuned all of her guitars. She ordered all of her posters neatly and she even sharpened her pencils to the smallest, sharpest peak. Haley had done everything imaginable in order to prevent going home. But, as darkness began to filter into the sky, Haley acknowledged the fact that it was time for her to head back to the apartment. School had served its purpose and distracted her for as long as it could have; it was now time to return back to reality.
Haley slipped into her coat, buttoning it up furiously before grabbing her things and heading out. With a small wave and hello to Andrew, the janitor, Haley headed out into the dark evening. She clutched her bag to her side tightly, trying to lock in as much warmth as she could. It was approaching winter now; late October time. The air was spine-tingling and chilly, making Haley's usually mundane task of walking home, a pain. Haley wasn't much of a fitness buff, she enjoyed the occasional kick boxing class but, those were rare, so, she liked the fact that her walk home was a way of keeping her healthy. Haley, when it was light out, enjoyed walking in the neighbourhood. She had grown up in Tree Hill and so had her seven siblings. Whenever anybody spotted her on the street they would stop and wave and say hello; it was comforting. It was comforting knowing all of her family and friends were close by.
However, alone and in the dark, Haley didn't feel as welcomed by Tree Hill as she normally did.
It made her miss Nathan even more.
People had retreated into their homes and there was no passing by cars or people in sight - just Haley and Haley alone. Haley's heavy breathing seemed to echo throughout the vast empty space. A cloud of condensation formed in front of her face, obstructing her view, every time she breathed out and, as soon as it disappeared, another was formed. The monotonous cycle continued as Haley cautiously progressed through the dark streets and towards her apartment. Due to her tainted view, Haley was unable to spot the car parked outside the apartment complex. Due to her complacent attitude towards Tree Hill being a safe place, she didn't think anything of the driver exiting the car.
Due to her kind nature, Haley didn't notice anything, until it was too late …
A perspiration dripping hand covered her mouth, silencing her screams whilst an arm wrapped around her waist, stopping her from thrashing around violently. She could feel his hot breathe at her neck; the slight whistle from his nose, the rise and fall of his chest, the hardness of his hands. Haley's eyes widened in sheer panic, her legs and arms flailing about in attempt to get the man off of her – nothing worked. Easily, the male picked Haley's petite frame up and threw her flimsily into his car. His hand let go off Haley's mouth and Haley quickly inhaled before preparing her lungs to scream. Again, it was too late. Before she could comprehend anything, gauze was placed over her mouth, a sickening stench overwhelming her senses. It was then that Haley became attentive and noticed another male in the car. He was blonde with the greenest eyes that seemed to glisten even in the darkness. His skin was pale; a set of thin red lips lifted in a smirk with a vampirism that sent Haley plummeting into an open pit of terror.
"Haley James," The blonde said her name in a sing-song manner, his voice light-hearted and high pitched. Haley was shocked, even more shocked then she already was; how did this man know who she was? Haley tried to mumble her confusion against the gauze, a disgusting smell making its descent down her throat. She coughed wrenchingly, bile churning aggressively within her stomach. "Ah, you see, it's story time, Haley James," The man leaned forward and placed a hand against Haley's shoulder. At first he caressed the material of her skin. After, he let his nails tear at the material of her coat, forcing it away from her body. Haley had no choice but to let the coat fall to the floor, leaving her in nothing but a dress. She suddenly felt exposed; naked. And, as she lifted her hands to cover her body, the male grabbed at them, tying them together with a rope that burned her skin every time she moved. She groaned in protest and her companion shunned her with a look that could kill. "You shut up and you listen." The cynicism behind the man's voice stopped Haley's protesting completely. She stopped fidgeting and she stopped trying to talk.
Hale simply nodded.
"Good girl," The male's smirk grew bigger. "Now, my name is Lucas and before I tell you my story, I need you to do me a little favour," Haley audibly gulped as the car lurched forward and into the darkness of the night. "I'm going to make a phone call and, you're going to answer. Is that okay, darling? Can you do that for me?" Haley felt sick. The urge to spew the contents of her stomach onto her lap was growing stronger and stronger.
Haley nodded again.
The man – now known as Lucas – pulled out Haley's phone from her coat pocket. His fingers tapped away at the buttons skilfully before he placed the device on speaker, a dial tone ringing throughout the empty car. Haley didn't know who Lucas had chosen to ring but, when the person fatefully answered, Haley knew instantly. Her heart seemed to lurch into her ribcage.
"Hello, Hales?" Nathan's voice sounded like it usually did, croaky and raspy and Haley felt tears pull at her eyes. Nathan was okay. He was okay. A sense of relief swarmed her chest but, realising her own circumstances, Haley's tears began to fall as tears of sadness. What if she never saw Nathan again? What if Lucas and his accomplice killed her? The endless amount of unanswered questions made Haley's head pound heavily and she rested it against the window, trying to make evident pain disappear.
"Nathan Royal Scott." Lucas mocked into the phone, his eyes not leaving Haley's. There was a large silence on the other end of the phone … seconds passed before Nathan responded. Haley's eyes narrowed into thin slits – how did Lucas know Nathan? And more importantly, what did he want from either of them?
"Who? … What?" Nathan didn't want to believe it but, he recognised the voice on the other end of the phone. He prayed to God that he didn't but, he did. Nathan – who was currently sitting at a desk – gripped the edge tightly. His fingers clawed at the wood as his breathe lodged itself dangerously in his throat. He would be able to distinguish that voice anywhere. "Lucas? Lucas, where's Haley?" Nathan kicked back his chair from beneath him and stood up, his large legs helping him pace quickly throughout the small office he currently occupied. "Luke, I'm not kidding, where's Haley?"
"Haley, sweetie-" As Lucas called Haley sweetie, Nathan growled into the phone. Lucas simply ignored him. "Why don't you say a little hello to your husband?" Lucas reached over and yanked the gauze from Haley's mouth, in time for a scream to escape Haley's lips. Her voice strained and screeched against her throat as she tried to get Nathan to understand her situation, to come to her rescue: to help her. Haley screamed and screamed and Lucas and his father just sat and listened, smirking at one another. This was exactly what they wanted … a reaction. They wanted Nathan Scott and Haley was going to help them.
"Haley, oh baby, Haley, please, please … Lucas, don't … You can't … Where-" Nathan begged, his own tears falling. This was what he had spent months trying to do; what he had spent months trying to hide. Yet, they had found her. Dan and Lucas had found Nathan's Achilles foot and they had obviously not hesitated to attack. Nathan thumped at his forehead with the back of his hand, desperately trying to let the current situation sink in. How was he meant to protect Haley from this? How was Nathan going to make this better? Because, from Lucas and Dan's perspective, Nathan couldn't and that was exactly what they wanted. "Lucas, I swear to God-" Nathan couldn't piece together a coherent sentence, all of his words completely jumbled. "Hales, Hales, calm … I need you … stay calm." Nathan's voice croaked as he envisioned Haley in pain.
"Oh but baby brother," Lucas chided at Nathan down the phone and Haley gasped audibly.
Haley thought Nathan didn't have any family. He had told her so. He had cried when he told her stories about his mother and his Uncle Cooper and how they had all died in a car crash when he was just a boy … Despite being her husband, Nathan hadn't mentioned a brother. None of Nathan's family had ended their wedding either, it had just been the James family and Nathan. "How is dear old Haley meant to relax when you've been lying to her all this time, huh?" At this point now, Haley was all shades of confused. Haley didn't know what to feel and she could literally feel the food lift from her stomach and into her throat.
"Oh, God." Haley attempted to clutch at her stomach before remembering they were tied together. The rope rubbed against her raw skin, picking at it mercilessly. Haley felt droplets of blood leak from her wrists and she groaned just in time with the vomit that spewed out of her mouth and onto her lap.
"Haley!" Nathan could hear muffled movement, wrenches of pain and shouting but none of it was legible to him down the phone. Nathan couldn't differentiate Haley's voice between the others and worry fizzled through him like a recently lit firework. His whole body exploded and Nathan was determined, more than ever, to hunt down his brother. Once and for all. "Lucas! Lucas!" Nathan yelled at his older brother, his fingers gripping the phone as if it were a lifeline. "God damn it, Luke! What the hell are you playing at?"
"I'm playing a game that you're not very good at, Nate," Lucas muttered into the phone. "It's called payback." And from there onwards, all Nathan could hear was a dead dial tone.
He had no idea where Lucas had taken Haley.