Project Criminal

Chapter Two | The Scarred Stranger

Chapter Two | The Scarred Stranger

Lucas lay on the bed, about ten minutes after Jackie had left. He was idly flipping through a dating app on his phone.

His mother had been insisting for a while on him finding himself a nice wife, but, since he hadn't been in a relationship since he was fifteen he was finding it a rather difficult task to do.

Plus, there was that... other reason why he didn't have a girlfriend.

Sighing, he rolled over on the bed and climbed off, pulling out his vape and walking over to the window above the sink.

Opening the window as to not fill the apartment with the smell, he took a large puff and exhaled it onto the windowsill where it quickly disappeared, the wind blowing it away.

"Adam!" He exclaimed quietly to himself, before giggling at his own joke and taking another inhale of his vape.

The two primary juices he smoked were Lavender Ever After and Red Hot Cinnamon, so that, on the off chance Jackie smelt it, it wouldn't gross her out and would comfort her instead.

While leaning out the window, he heard the police sirens moments before he saw them speed past the front of the apartment and down the street.

Curious, Lucas took another drag and leaned halfway out the window, turning his head to the right and looking down the street. Once his eyes landed on the cop cars parked outside of the gun store, he choked and started coughing on the vape smoke.

"For fuck's sake!" Lucas exclaimed loudly, turning and rushing back into the apartment, almost tripping over the rug as he reached for his jacket.

Pulling it on, he practically flew out of the apartment and down the rickety old staircase, rushing out the front door and down the street. His heart was hammering in his ears as his sneakers hit the pavement, the sirens echoing.

He came to a halt in front of the gun shop, it was getting taped off by the police, yellow caution tape securing the perimeter. He swallowed and went to push past it, but got stopped by an officer planting a firm hand on his shoulder.

"It says 'do not enter', kid," The officer scowled down at him. "That's common sense."

"...b-but my best friend was in there. She... is s-she okay...?" Lucas tried his hardest not to tear up, but his mind was whirling.

He sent Jackie to the gun shop, if she was dead it was his fault, that was the only thought in his mind at that moment. 'My best friend... dead... because of me.'

"What does she look like? I'll check the victims and see if she's there." The officer offered kindly, but Lucas tensed up at the word victims and tears rolled down his cheeks, causing the officer to frown sympathetically.

"She's tiny. Like f-five foot one, and she has long curly red hair and big eyes and glasses. She's pale and has f-freckles and wears a lot of pastels." Lucas was trying to speak clearly, trying to be calm and collected, but it was hard, he was a sensitive boy and he knew it, and right now he was too overwhelmed with emotion.

"I'll go check, okay? You just wait here." The officer placed a hand on his shoulder in a comforting manner before turning and walking into the gun store. Lucas could see him looking around on the ground, likely at bodies, before talking to another officer.

The young man stood shaking, waiting for news on his friend, his mind reeling.

The officer walked back out not even ten minutes later, but to Lucas, it felt as if he had been waiting a million years.