If No One Else

ᶜʰᵃᵖᵗᵉʳ ¹⁶

I pinch the bridge of my nose as I finally take my face away from the small house, then I'm pressing my feet on the gas and speeding off before my body objects to leaving.

☆

I instantly regret my decision to come help out as soon as I pull into the parking lot and spot the crowd of burly men circled around a sat Elijah.

I can hear their deep laughter from a mile away, and I know for sure that Elijah is the butt of all their jokes.

I quickly park, then get out as I huff out a sigh in irritation as I hastily make my way over to the other officers.

"Elijah, how did you... I can't even get..." one of the guys I've seen down in the station, I don't remember his name, is bent over in hysteria as he laughs so hard that his eyes are now watering.

His words turn into gibberish as he stops trying to string together a thought, and instead let's himself fall prey to the chuckling rumble in his chest.

I give the nameless man an eye roll as I press through the crowd and search for Elijah's face in the middle.

It doesn't take long to spot him out, but when I do, I barely recognize the face of the usually giggly and happy Eli.

My steps halt as I stare wide-eyed down at the lifeless-looking shell of a man. His usually tanned skin is pale, but darkened in deep purple and black bruises that cover the whole of his face and body.

His lip is swollen, which matches his left eye that is raised and shut closed with reddened skin that makes his face look all distorted.

Scratches and cuts litter his body; red raised skin and dried blood decorating around the gashes.

The irritation instantly falls from my face, and I'm hastily kneeling before him as my eyes quickly flicker around his whole face.

My finger reaches out, but I instantly pull away when I notice his sharp intake of air. "Elijah...." I whisper.

"He got beat the fuvk up—" the same man from before screams, but his words quickly die on his tongue when I snap my head towards him and shoot him a glare.

"Wh-what happened? I just saw you the other day and... you looked fine," I stare down at him, waiting for him to respond.

His only answer is a silent tear falling down his right eye— the one that's still usable— and I take that as a sign to move closer towards him.

"Talk to me," I say, but it's more of a question than a statement.

I didn't want to force him into speaking to me, especially when we haven't gotten along the best over the past few weeks.

He didn't have to see me as a friend, but he at least had to know that I would still be there for him.

"Tel-tell everyone to leave..." he sucks in another shaky breath before continuing. "except Redd."

I wordlessly nod my head, but I give Elijah a light squeeze to his shoulders in acknowledgment.

His muscles tense, and I instantly feel bad as I momentarily forget that his entire body is bruised and sore.