RED

Six

The guards push me into the armoured car. They still don't trust me. Not like Louis does. I mean, he's still not 100% sure if I am going to kill him, but he trusts me not to. I won't. The Skittles ensured that.

I watch the traffic flowing outside the window distantly. Honking horns, yelling pedestrians smoke billowing from far-off factories. The car bumps slowly through the streets, my head resting on the window.

Louis got me out in under twelve hours, which is pretty impressive. My muscles are still numb from the 'therapy'. I literally can't feel anything. It'll fade soon enough. Hopefully.

The other side of the backseat is taken up by a grey bulging duffel bag. My duffel bag. Clothes, keepsakes and some illegal stuff that Louis doesn't need to know about. Firearms, knives and Lazarus water to name a few.

Soon enough, we pull up to a dreary-looking apartment. The windows are caged (most likely to keep people out than in) but it looks like a rather nice place. A little run-down, sure, but endearing in an odd sort of way.

"Here we are Hoodie. Need any help?" Louis asks as he opens my door.

"Nah. I'll be fine." I heave my bag over my shoulder and follow him up the steps. Without staggering once, which I at least have to be a little proud of myself for. The front door creaks open to a small kitchenette with a quaint dining area. The living room sits opposite it, a large TV above the fireplace. It's a nice place, nothing as fancy as Wayne Manor, but it's nice. "Lovely setup, by the way, Louis," I say, trying to make conversation.

"Thanks, kid. Job doesn't pay too bad. Lemme show you your room."

He leads me to a door past the kitchen. The bedroom's small, with barely enough room to fit a twin bed, a dresser and a mirror. A radiator is attached to the wall in one corner. I toss my bag onto the bed before sitting down myself. It's comfortable. I smile. "Thanks, Louis. Honestly. This means so much."

He looks a little awkward standing in the doorway. He clears his throat."No problem Hoodie. You hungry?"

"I could eat. Anything is better than the food I've been having."

Louis gives me a laugh. "I'm sure it is. How do burgers sound? I can pick some up now if you want."

"If it's not too late. Oh, and before you go," I hold up my hands in front of me. "Got any handcuffs before you leave your favourite criminal home alone?"

He sorts dryly. "Really, Hoodie?"

"Yeah. So you know I won't do anything while you're gone. Like an alibi."

Louis raises an eyebrow but goes to get some restraints. I hope, for Louis's sake, that they're strong enough. He puts them on regretfully before announcing that he'll be back within the hour.

As soon as I hear the door snap shut, I set to work on getting out of the handcuffs. It isn't hard, not with a few tools I hid up my sleeves. I leave them on the bed, turning to my bag. Furiously, I start throwing clothes to the side until I find a small box. I open it and the room is immediately illuminated in a steady, green, pulsating glow.

Satisfied that it's really here, I snap the box shut. I shove my clothes back inside my bag before lumbering to the kitchen to scour the cabinets. Rummaging through the drawers, I find nothing. The storage closet's next. I expect to have the same result, but I actually do find what I'm looking for: duct tape. I snatch it off the shelf and head back to my room.

I set the box, handcuffs and duct tape before me on the bed. I won't have enough time to put either the handcuffs or duct tape on after downing the world's most expensive glow stick. I'll have about thirty seconds at most. So I'll go halfway; duct tape my ankles together, rip off another piece of duct tape and put on the handcuffs before opening the box.

The glass vial is warm in my hands. Lazarus water. Expensive, but it's worth it. Especially right now. I can't waste any more time 'getting better'. I uncap the vial with my teeth before choking the liquid down. Blindly reaching for the piece of duct tape, I secure it over my mouth. We don't want any noise complaints from the neighbours.

The water burns. It feels as if I've swallowed a mixture of fire and gasoline and it's searing my insides. I let myself scream into the tape over my mouth. It hurts, but it hurts oh so good. I can see a little clearer, hear a little sharper and the metallic pang of blood in my mouth is all the more pungent. It hurts, but all I feel is more alive.

I breathe heavily into my makeshift gag, partly from the pain and partly from the exhilaration. Everything is more clear, crisp and real, like I've been looking through a distorted lens this entire time. The reason for handcuffs? Lazarus water gives way to bloodlust, and for Louis's sake, I'd rather not go on a murderous rampage right now. And because I've only had such a small dose, I should be fine within a few hours.

I hear the front door unlocking with a click. "Hoodie?" Shoot. Louis is home. I close my eyes, hoping against hope that he won't find me. It's stupid, but childish last resorts are all I have.

He knocks on my door and upon hearing no response from me, opens it. Dammit. I flinch: it's too loud. I'm guessing he sees it, because he doesn't immediately assume I'm sleeping. "Hoodie? What's going on?"

I'm shaking at this point, fingers digging into the mattress to keep myself from making a sound. I hear footsteps, and open my eyes to find Louis looking at me. "What happened?" He sounds bewildered and concerned, which is not going to make this easy to explain to him.

His hand reaches toward my face to rip off the tape and I protest against it. But I don't think he understands that I want to keep it on. For the time being. My eyes are likely red and my teeth bloodstained. He shakes his head, sighing. "Explain."

My tongue feels like lead and I know I'll instantly regret this, but I try. "L- Louis, you- you gotta get away from m-me. Y-you don't understand. I–"

"Hoodie, slow down, did someone break in?"

I shake my head. "N-no, but you gotta get away from m-me. I-I could kill y-you right n-now."

He pulls me into a hug, surprising me. "I'm sure you could, Hoodie, I'm sure you could."