"Who are you?" Lights flashed and blurred. Someone stood over him, an alien figure staring down at him. "Who are you?" Evan slowly realised that this strange figure was talking to him. He couldn't answer. He promised not to tell. "Stay with me…" But he didn't, instead slipping back into the blurry darkness.
"Hey...Can you hear me?" Evan tried to focus. Hazy light blurred around him. "Can you hear me?" It wasn't a voice he recognised. It wasn't his mom. As he closed his eyes, he wondered where she was.
"Who are you?" The lights weren't as harsh. There was something softer in this voice, more of wonder than demanding. "Do you know it? Do you know the code?" Evan promised not to tell. "I doubt you even know what it means to me…" He shouldn't have heard that and he pretended he didn't as he fell back into the blurry darkness.
"Who is he?"
"We don't know yet. He hasn't woken up long enough to say anything. Just comes in and out."
"Does he know it? The code?"
"I told you, he hasn't been awake long enough to say anything."
"He's got nothing on him? No phone, wallet, anything?"
"Nothing."
"What if he doesn't know?"
"We'll leave that up to Tyler."
Tyler. Evan had a feeling that that was the voice who had wondered if he knew how much the code meant to him. He wondered if maybe, Tyler was the one that found him.
There was a new voice this time. At least Evan wasn't alone in the dark.
He was dreaming, something he knew he hadn't done in awhile. Evan dreamed that he stood in that warehouse, the man in the suit standing a few feet away.
"What's your name?" The man snarled.
"Why does everyone want to know my name?" Evan said for he couldn't be scared in a dream. It wasn't real. The man in the suit raised his gun and fired. Evan staggered back, his eyes wide. He looked down at the bloody hole in his chest. A flower sprouted from among the torn flesh and blood.
Evan sat up suddenly, heaving for air through lungs that burned. He let out another cry from the pain that suddenly came over him, falling back onto the warm bed. It took him a few minutes to calm his breathing, his wide eyes on the white ceiling above him. He counted to ten over and over, slowly calming his breathing.
"Four…" He stopped, the numbers of the code flashing through his mind. He promised.
Evan closed his eyes, breathing deeply. He realised that he could hear water and the sounds of young kids playing, their high-pitched voices loud in Evan's ears. Opening his eyes, Evan managed to turn his head to look around the room. The walls were painted a peachy orange colour, a couple of landscape paintings on the walls. There were two beds including his and a TV stand on the opposite wall. On the bed across from Evan were medical supplies, gauze and medicine bottles, needles and thread and a couple of clean needles.
On the bedside table was a pink vase and brightly coloured plastic flowers in it. Evan stared at the vase. He wished he was a plastic flower. Looking towards the one window, the blinds closed, Evan realised that he was in a motel.
Taking a deep breath, he managed to sit up, looking around the room. He was alone. Something told him to get out. It'd hurt like hell but he had to get out. He had to get home, find a way to call his mom and tell her that he's alive. He couldn't see a phone in the room anywhere which was odd. Someone must have taken it out.
He started to move towards the edge of the bed, almost dragging himself towards it. He stopped, heaving for air. The gauze on his ribs was tight. He managed to take another deep breath, swinging his bruised legs over the side of the bed. He found his shirt, jeans and shoes folded neatly on the other bed. It took all he had not to cry while struggling to put them on, the fabric of his black t-shirt, still bloody and covered in dust, felt heavy over his ribs. Evan didn't bother with his shoes, hardly able to pick them up before stumbling towards the door, having to stop when he reached it, taking a deep breath to calm the pain before sliding the locks out and pulling it open. Hot sunlight washed over him, fresh air filling his bruised lungs.
He was alive.
Realising that he was on the second floor of the motel, he clung to the railing with his free hand, slowly making his way along the walkway. There had to be a phone around here somewhere that he could borrow. The kids in the swimming pool in the middle of the courtyard looked like they were from out of town, a couple of adults sitting on the deck watching them. He thought about asking them if he could borrow their phone but worried that they would be frightened of him in this state.
"Hey!" A voice on the stairs startled Evan, his grip tightening on the white metal railing. A young man carrying a paper bag was hurrying up the steps, his yellow flip flops smacking against the stairs. "Hey! Stop! You'll pull your stitches." Evan stared at him as he got closer, not sure if he should try to run or not. The man reached his hand towards him as Evan let go of the railing, hurrying as fast as he could in the opposite direction. "Fuck! Come back!" Evan tried to run, his aching muscles screaming at him to stop. A hand caught Evan's arm as his legs suddenly gave out from under him. Evan clung to the arm that went around him as he fell, the air knocked from his bruised lungs. "It's okay...You're okay. I'm not gonna hurt you. I've been taking care of you. I promise I'm not going to hurt you. It's okay."
"L-Let me...Let me go...I have to get home…" Evan gasped, though he couldn't fight against the arms around him. The young man turned him around slowly, angling him towards the open motel door. Some of the parents down by the pool were looking up at them.
"You're in no state to go anywhere right now. Just walk back into the room, and I'll give you some painkillers. I got you some food too. I'll explain as much as I can." He tried to reason with Evan who after a few moments, decided that he was was right, he had no other choice right now than to listen to him. He nodded. The man smiled, bending down to pick up Evan's fallen shoes and the paper bag he had set down. As Evan staggered back into the room, he waved to the people down by the pool and quickly slipped into the room. Evan managed to sit down on the bed, trying to catch his breath. "I just got a regular burger and fries. It's not much, but it should give you some energy back. I'll get you some water." He handed the greasy bag to Evan and set the shoes down before taking a plastic cup off the TV stand and walked to the bathroom. Evan heard the tap turn on and water filling up the cup. He had no appetite. He felt sick. The man came back, handing him the cup of water. Evan took it, taking a hesitant sip. When it didn't taste wrong or burn, Evan gulped the rest of it down.
"T-Thank you…" Evan whispered, handing the cup back to the man.
"Can I ask what your name is?" Evan tensed as the young man sat on the bed, giving Evan some space. He had told that man his name; he didn't want anyone else knowing it. "My name is Craig." Evan stared at him. Craig shifted uncomfortably, looking away from the beat up kid that stared at him. "How uh...How old are you?" The man in the suit probably knew that already, it wouldn't be hard for a man like that to find information on someone.
So Evan stayed silent. The fewer people that knew about him and his life, the better he figured. That meant that they would have little to use against him if they tried asking for the code. Evan had watched enough movies that he liked to pretend that he knew what he was doing, but he had no idea. It was better to say nothing. "I'm twenty-two." Craig looked back up at Evan who looked past him to the peach coloured wall. A fan buzzed. Evan imagined himself like the plastic flowers, still and unchanging. "Why don't you get some rest? Eat if you can." Craig sighed, getting up. He walked towards the door, leaving Evan still staring at the wall.
"Seventeen." Evan suddenly said, startling Craig who turned at the door to look at him. "I'm seventeen years old."
Evan had nibbled on a few fries, his back against the peach wall as he watched the curtain billow softly on the warm breeze. The courtyard had gone silent and Evan could only hear the pool water lapping against the sides. He wasn't sure when he had fallen asleep, but when he awoke, he was laying back down, the food gone save for a cup of water on the bedside table. He could hear Craig talking.
"Yeah, he woke up. No...No, I didn't get much. He tried to run off but he's still in such bad shape, he didn't get far. Has he been reported at all? Missing or anything? He only told me how old he is...Seventeen." There was a pause. "I know. Fucked up. Okay. I know. I'll see you tomorrow." The door opened. Evan pretended to be asleep. He listened to Craig move around the room, before he slipped back into a deep sleep, wondering who was coming tomorrow.
There was a rumble. It woke Evan, who blinked a few times, trying to adjust to the sunlight that came through the window.
"Morning." Craig sat on the opposite bed, looking down at his phone. Evan struggled to sit up, looking towards the window where the rumble turned into the roar of an engine which suddenly quieted. "Tyler's here." Craig stood up, walking towards the door. "Stay here." He stepped outside. Evan watched his silhouette walk past the window and return with a second, much taller silhouette. Anxiety bubbled in Evan's chest, his breathing hitching as he listened to their quiet voices and footsteps move towards the door. He found himself curling his right hand into a fist around the blanket as the door handle turned. "Don't expect too much." Craig said as the door opened. Behind him was a tall man, dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt, a white blazer thrown over top.
The first thing Evan noticed though was his eyes. He remembered those eyes. The pig head flashed through his mind. Of course, it had been a mask, but it had been the last thing Evan saw before he thought he died. He might have trusted him a bit more if he had it. He had saved him from a grave in the middle of nowhere; where not even flowers grew.
"Hi." The tall man sat down beside Evan, giving him a small smile. "I'm Tyler. Craig told me that you woke up yesterday for the first time in awhile. I'm really glad you're awake, I was worried." Evan stared at him, waiting for him to ask for his name or the code. "Craig told me you're seventeen? Still in high school?" Evan was caught off guard. He nodded. "Grade eleven?" Again, Evan nodded. "I hated that grade. Had the most pressure." Tyler said. There was something about Tyler that convinced Evan of every word Tyler said even though it was very plausible that he was lying to him. "You are lucky to be alive. We found you out there in the desert...It was Brain's guys who left you there." Evan's brow furrowed. "He was probably wearing a suit, he always does. He's the ringleader of a bunch of guys who want to do nothing but hurt people." Tyler explained, refreshing Evan's blurry memory.
"Why?" Evan whispered, surprising both himself and Tyler who seemed to struggle to find the right words.
"Greed. Power. Maybe it's the rush of adrenaline. I can't explain it to you." Tyler shrugged.
"Who are you?" Evan asked, meeting Tyler's striking gaze. "Are you like him?" Tyler shook his head but the expression on his face didn't match his answer. He was just as bad. Evan's grip on the blanket tightened with fear.
"We don't do it because we want to...Well maybe there is some want there, but we are more of a family, one that has to support each other to survive." Tyler explained. Evan looked confused when he said the word 'we'. He should have known there would be more than just Craig and Tyler, but he hadn't wanted to accept that he had gotten involved with gangs, the ones his mom warned him about, even if it was accidental.
"You're a gang." Evan looked down at the blanket, fidgeting with the blanket. "I-I just want to go home…"
"I know. I want to take you home...But Brain won't stop until he gets that code. You won't be safe until he's dead. I'm sure you already knew that." Tyler sighed. "I'm sorry." Silence descended over the small, peach coloured motel room. The sound of pool water lapping against the sides of the pool drifted from the window. "You know I'm going to ask you for the code, and I have a feeling that you're not going to tell me. Which is okay for now...But eventually, we are going to have to know it. The more of us that know it, the less of a price there will be on your head." Evan's chest tightened. Of course, there was a price on his head, of course, he was going to be hunted like a prized deer. "The only thing I want to know right now is your name. I want to protect you. I want to keep you safe from Brain. He's a monster." Evan could have sworn there was fear in his voice.
"A monster?" Evan whispered. Tyler nodded, looking away from Evan for a few long moments. Evan met Craig's gaze, before turning back to Tyler.
"A few years ago, when I was just getting started, Brian found me. During that time, I was preparing for a job that was going to set me up for the next little while, enough money to buy a proper hideout and supplies...I had to do it or I would be nothing…"
The tall young man couldn't stop himself from looking over his shoulder at the black car that had been tailing him for several blocks. Tyler looked back, again and again, every time praying that the car would be gone every time he looked and every time, he was filled more fear when he saw it. Tyler took a deep breath, telling himself to keep walking as fast as he could, but not fast enough to draw more attention to him.
He had heard about Brian before, had heard about how terrifying he was. He owned Los Angeles, he'd kill anyone who tried to take the city from him. He would certainly kill Tyler if he got him. The car was suddenly beside Tyler and there were two men stepping out of it, approaching Tyler. He took off down the street, sprinting as fast as he could. He should have run sooner. He should have taken a taxi though it would have taken the last of his money. He should have hidden better.
Someone stepped out from an alley and suddenly tackled Tyler to the sidewalk, the skin of his elbow ripping. Blood smeared on Tyler's shirt. He struggled as he was pulled to his feet, dragged back towards the car. It was too late at night for anyone to see, for anyone to help.
"So you're Tyler...I've heard about you." An accented voice said from the dark. Tyler blinked, seeing the blond man in a suit leaning against the car. "You ran away from home after your butcher daddy threatened you with a pig head...Crazy story, Tyler. Is it true?"
"Fuck off." Tyler spat. He didn't like the idea of Brian's hands peeling apart his past. Brian smiled. Tyler thought that his teeth looked too white. "What do you want?"
"I heard that you got a big job coming up. Pretty good catch, how did you manage to get that one?" Brian asked, watching Tyler as he tried to struggle again.
"It's not your job. You have no business in it. You know how this shit works." Tyler snarled, struggling against the two men that held him back. He grit his teeth, looking at the other men that stood nearby, then to Brian, wondering if all of them would shoot if he tried to run.
"I'm the CEO, Tyler. Your job is my job." Brian smiled. "If you give it to me, I'll give you a cut of the reward." Brian liked offers. Most people had told him that if Brian wanted to make a deal, he should always say no because Brian will screw him over.
"I said fuck off." Tyler snarled. Brian clicked his tongue, moving away from the car. He glanced at one of the men that held Tyler back. Before he could react, Tyler was shoved forward against the car, his right hand pinned down the hot hood of the car. "Stop! Stop! Let go of me!" Tyler screamed, struggling against the men that pinned him down. Metal caught his eye. A hammer came down his right hand. Tyler screamed, pain shooting up his arm. "Fuck! Fuck!" Tears of pain blurred his vision.
"Now your hand is wounded, your job will be much harder now if you do it. Why not give it to me, and I'll give you a cut?" Brian was smiling. Tyler didn't have to see it to know he was baring his teeth.
"Go to hell." Tyler spat through gritted teeth.
"Break it." Brian snarled. The hammer came down on Tyler's hand for the second time, then a third. He screamed, struggling against the men weakly. One of the bones had come through the skin, blood oozing onto the hood of the expensive car. Tyler struggled to breathe, heaving for air as he looked down at his mangled hand. He was suddenly let go, his knees giving out from under him as he fell to the sidewalk, clutching his hand to his chest. "I promise Tyler, you'll get something...probably enough to pay off your hospital bill, but that's still something. This job is just too much for you." Brian pulled a handkerchief from his suit, wiping Tyler's blood off the hood of his car. "I'll see you around." With that, he had gotten into his car, the other men heading for their own cars, their watchful gaze still on Tyler who sat on the sidewalk, in pain and humiliation. He'd kill Brian even if it was the last thing he did.
"I got a cheque two weeks later...Brian was right. It was enough to pay off the bill for getting my fucking hand taken care off, but that was it. He put me back to square one. If it wasn't for…" He stopped then, looking down at his right hand, rubbing his left thumb against the top of his right hand. Evan could see the scars. Craig was looking at Tyler, a sad look in his eyes. They shared that look for a few moments. "For a few people I found, I would still be stuck out there." Tyler finally said. Evan stared at him, imagining himself as Tyler, struggling against those men and the hammer as it came down his hand. He wished that Tyler had been stronger, wished he hadn't been alone. He imagined that he had been there, fighting them off him. He imagined taking that hammer to Brian's skull just as he had taken his gun to Evan's. "I understand how scared you are. I've been that scared. Now I'm angry." Tyler said, snapping Evan back to reality. "You have no reason to be scared of me, of any of us. None of us will hurt you." They were silent again. It took Evan a few seconds to realise they were waiting for him to say something. "I guess you're still pretty shocked...I won't push you. You can talk when you're ready." Tyler smiled, getting up. He checked his phone for a second as Craig stood up, both walking towards the door.
"Are you heading back?"
"Yeah...Jonathan said something about Brian sending out patrols. He knows we found the kid." Tyler said. "I'm meeting with Lui, doing an overhead search to see if we can find some of these 'patrols'." Evan looked at the plastic flowers, feeling bad that because of him, Tyler and whoever else was a part of his gang was putting their lives on the line to protect him and whatever the numbers were that floated through his head. He bit his lip. He couldn't tell them his name. Brian knew it, and he probably knew everything about Evan just like he knew everything about Tyler. He turned back to Tyler as he opened the door, warm sunlight washing over him. He was a hero or at least, Evan thought he was one.
"Evan." He couldn't stop himself from saying it, startling Tyler and Craig. "My name is Evan." Tyler smiled.
"It's nice to meet you, Evan."
It was getting dark, the dying sunlight making the peach coloured room glow. Craig had gone out to get dinner, making Evan promise that he wouldn't go anywhere. Yet as Evan sat in bed, not bothering to watch the TV that Craig had left on, he couldn't help but think about Tyler's story and the fear in his eyes as he told it. Because of him, Evan was making him face that fear and he didn't know if Tyler was ready too. He thought about how powerful Brian was, even if it was only because he was surrounded by people who didn't mind getting their hands dirty. He couldn't let Tyler get hurt like that again because of him.
Taking a deep breath, Evan managed to push himself towards the edge of the bed. He took a few deep breaths, reaching for the bedside table to support himself. He'd find a phone and call his mom; tell her that he just had a really bad day and he ran away. Managing to stand Evan let out a cry of pain, struggling to get air into his aching lungs. His legs suddenly wobbled violently and he fell. He reached for anything to stop his fall, accidentally pushing everything off the bedside table as he fell. The pink vase shattered. Evan landed on the plastic flowers, bending their wire stems and pulled at the petals made of cheap fabric. Laying on the floor between the two beds, surrounded by pink glass and bent and broken plastic flowers, Evan started to cry. He cried for himself and the pain he was in. He cried for his mom and the worry she must feel. He cried for Tyler and the stress and fear he faced. He cried for the broken flowers.