I slowly set Calen down, making sure he's standing steadily near the wall. I feel myself practically quivering with rage as I turn to Bradley again. His eyes widen when mine shimmer blue for a moment. "Did you know this would happen?" I ask, barely keeping my voice level.
Bradley steps back, holding his hands up in a non-threatening manner. "No! I mean I knew they might try som-" he's cut off by me shoving him hard into the wall hard enough to dent it. I feel my eyes shimmer blue again as I fight to control myself.
"Did. You. Know?" I snarl, stalking closer to him.
He shakes his head frantically. "No, I swear!" he seems to calm slightly when I stop advancing toward him, though my fists are still trembling with barely contained rage. I don't even care about my house much, I have nothing of value in it, but the fact they even did this without solid evidence is a betrayal.
I stand still, my whole body tensed, until I feel hesitant fingers wrap around my forearm. I automatically jerk my arm away, immediately regretting it when Calen flinches away from me.
I coo gently and reach out, pausing when he flinches again. My fingers hover a few inches from his cheek, and only when he pushes his face forward towards them do I move again. I brush my hand over his cheek, then around to cup his neck and pull him into my embrace.
His hood has fallen off at some point, but I can't bring myself to care. I hear Bradley step away from the wall, then gasp softly when he sees Calen's ears. I wearily look up at him, feeling drained after our little spat.
"Tell anyone and you know what will happen," I say, waiting for his nod before looking back to Calen. "It's okay. We can go to my apartment in town. I'm nod angry. I'll keep you safe okay?" I whisper into Calen's ear, noting his shiver and the cute way he nods against my chest.
I pick him up from behind his knees, forcing him to wrap his legs around my waist and his arms around my neck. I let out a breath, glancing over to Bradley who is staring at my trashed house, seemingly in shock. He feels me looking and meets my gaze.
"Lance I... I really didn't think they would do this. I would've told you if I did," he sounds more serious than his usual cheerful teasing, his eyes holding mine resolutely.
I sigh and start toward my door. "I know. Come on, we'll talk somewhere else."
Before I can step out he grasps my arm to hold me back. "They're probably watching this place, meaning they know we're here. Do you have any other exits?"
I hold his gaze for a short moment, then turn on my heel and march into my kitchen. I look into the already trashed cupboard, crouching down to yank a few removable shelves out of it. I've never had to use this exit before, so I haven't really kept it open.
Once everything is out of my way I fumble for a moment as my fingers roam the corners for the inset button I know is there. Once I find and press it, the left side of the cupboard floor pops up and I grab it, hauling it out and tossing it aside with the rest of the shelves.
I set Calen aside, then peer down into the darkness. The metal ladder hasn't rusted yet, as it was built the same time as my house, three years prior. I retrieve a flashlight from one of the wrecked drawers, shining it down the hole to make sure nothing is there. It's clear, and nobody will see us leaving either.
I specifically designed this room to have a blind spot here. No matter what window you stood at, you couldn't see us right now. Whether it's cupboards next to the window, or a well-placed plant, this is a blind spot. They will assume we came here simply to not be seen, they couldn't know about the escape route.
I turn to Calen and grab one of his hands to hold in both of mine. "Follow directly behind me, okay?"
He nods a bit shakily, seeming almost dazed. I let out a breath, glancing again down into the ominous darkness. I can totally do this. No problem.
As soon as I slide through the hole and onto the ladder, I realize there's a problem. I continue down despite it though, figuring I'll think of something on the way out.
The apartment in town I mentioned, is actually my hideout. Nobody but me knows where it is, and it occurred to me that even though Calen seems really oblivious as a kitten, he couldn't miss all the stuff in my hideout.
I watch Calen climb down the ladder rather quickly, then hop easily off the last step. His ears flick nervously, and when he rests a hand over his stomach I know it's because his tail is there. I wait impatiently for Bradley, who takes a few seconds to place the cupboard floor back in place, sealing us into the dark.
I click my flashlight on, hold Calen's hand, and we set off down the tunnel. It's mostly dirt, but with reinforcement beams placed all around. I would be carrying Calen again except that I know the dirt floor has nothing he could get hurt on. I silently curse myself for not remembering to get him shoes while we were still in my house.
But where am I going to take him? I technically could take him to my hideout but there's so much evidence there. The only other place I own is in a whole different city, so that's not an option.
Calen grasps my hand a little tighter, and it takes me a moment to realize I'm shaking slightly. I decide I've done enough thinking for now, and should focus more on avoiding a panic attack. Cramped, dark spaces and I don't really agree. Thankfully the grip Calen has on my hands seems to be keeping me grounded in the here and now.
I don't know how long we've been walking in silence, but it must be a good ten minutes or more before I see the end of the tunnel. Calen and Bradley follow close behind me as I hurry to the second ladder. I can't help my eagerness to be out of this place, to escape from this constricting feeling.
I hand the flashlight to Bradley, who shines it up the ladder while I climb it. I enter a code next to the small door, shoving on it experimentally, then heaving it all the way open when I find it moves.
I inhale deeply, sighing in relief at the fresh air. I hadn't realized just how tight my chest was until now. I hurry to climb all the way out, then reach in and help Calen as he crawls out onto the grass. The tunnel exit is on the side of a smallish house I bought, then promptly rented out anonymously.
Bradley is last, and flops onto the ground while I close the door tightly again, hearing it lock behind us. Only then do I stand up and turn away from the house, looking at the empty sidewalks.
Well, they would be empty if my fellow villain Jodie wasn't standing there watching us.
YOU ARE READING
Hero & Villain
FantasyThis is a boyxboy, if you don't like it then kindly show yourself to the exit arrow. Thank you. This is a heroxvillain story. I'm bad at descriptions, so here's the prompt I got the idea from- The hero shows up at the villain's doorstep one night. T...