control - muke

Chapter 9

Days worth of planning had led up to this very moment.

The two had ensured they slept well that night, knowing they needed all the energy and strength they could get for the following week. They could only guess whether their plans would unfold as foreseen, or backfire and result in the opposite to what they intended.

So they had to prepare for any outcome.

Luke was still weak but doing much better, the doctor hadn't lied about the IV doing him the world of good and he seemed to be healing much quicker than he had anticipated. He couldn't have been more grateful for that, seeing as even a slight delay would ruin everything.

But, it was Michael who seemed reluctant to carry out their plans and leave the facility. A part of this wasn't overly surprising as he didn't know anything about life in the outside world, however Luke was confused over why he wasn't desperate to get away from the place that had brought him nothing but pain.

Michael stared up at Luke with eyes full of fear, frightened for what might occur later that day. The blond noticed this as their gazes met, pulling Michael to his chest and holding him there for reassurance. "We need to get out of here, if we stay we'll be dead in a week. You know that, right?"

Michael nodded slowly, not wanting to talk about it for any longer than necessary yet also craving the support. To him, not even murder seemed to compare to what they were going to do. Run away from the people who had already ordered Luke to be killed once and wouldn't hesitate to do it again? The people who quite clearly were more technologically advanced and skilled than two teenagers boys? Didn't seem like such a good idea.

But he trusted his new friend, and knew it was the only way for them to both make it out alive.

Luke smiled down at the younger boy, stroking his hair before climbing clumsily to his feet. He first wandered over to the wall, scraping out the numerous red pills he had been collecting from the small hole. Whilst Michael wasn't looking, he slipped them into the front pocket of his jeans, making sure his shirt hung over and covered the bulge.

Next he sat down beside the bars, wrapping his fingers around the metal and peering down the corridor. Thankfully, the one thing he was dependent on to carry out their great escape was still on the floor. When he stuck his arm beneath the cage door his fingers brushed over the key, pulling it towards himself.

All that he had to do next was unlock the door and walk out, which the two did immediately and began to make their way away from the cell they had been confined in for the past few weeks.

Michael began to consider that maybe Luke's priorities weren't quite right, as the first place they went to was the room in which the blond had almost lost his life twice. He seemed reluctant to look at the slab of metal stained with his blood, a pile of rope resting on it.

Luke began to search the room, muttering and cursing under his breath.

"Finally," he sighed loudly with relief, pulling out a dust-coated denim jacket from underneath the table. Luke brushed off the dirt and slipped his arms into it, elated by the presence of his mobile phone and a few notes of cash in the pockets.

Michael tilted his head, staring at the possessions as though they were worthless. "W-why do you n-need them?"

"I'm gonna need to make a call when we get out of here," Luke explained, reaching for Michael's hand and leading him out of the room. "The money is pretty important too, since the four of us will probably have to stay at a hotel tonight."

"The f-four of us?"

Luke smiled. "Come on, let's go find Ashton and Calum."

They walked silently through the corridor, careful not even to breathe too heavy and draw any kind of attention to themselves. Fortunately for them, the route they took didn't seem to involve passing any security cameras or guards.

Within minutes they stumbled upon the familiar room, finding it once again unlocked. Luke scoffed. "So apparently they didn't learn the first time, it's like the idiots are giving us all their secrets on a plate."

Michael considered that maybe this was deliberate and Luke was leading them into a trap, but it wouldn't make them any worse off than they were now. Not to mention the fact that the doctor still seemed oblivious to their first visit beyond the cell walls anyway.

Luke pushed open the door and ran inside, knowing that their time was running out and their chances of escaping were much slimmer than before. He switched off the machine behind the two beds, starting to remove the wires from their bodies. Eventually he took away their oxygen masks and watched impatiently as colour slowly returned to the two boys' faces.

The older one was the first to awaken, jolting upright as his eyes frantically scoured the room. A similar reaction was given by the other moments later, not knowing what the hell was going on. It was painfully obvious how frightened they were, who knew how long they'd been asleep?

"It's okay," Luke whispered, "we're gonna get you out of here but you need to trust us."

"Who are you? Where am I?" The tan boy asked, stumbling off of the bed and collapsing into Michael's arms. He began to panic, staring at Luke for him to help and get the stranger off of him, which the blond did immediately.

Luke pulled him away, holding the shaking boy tightly. "Shh, we won't hurt you Calum."

"You know my name?"

Luke sighed, nudging Calum back towards his bed and the other boy still sat fearful on his own. "Look, you probably don't remember me but I used to be friends with you both when we were younger. My name is L-"

"Luke?" Ashton questioned, eyes suddenly widening with shock at the realisation and disappointed in himself for not seeing it sooner.

The blond nodded hesitantly, fixing his gaze on the floor as now too embarrassed to look them in the eye. "I'm so sorry I didn't come back for you."

"B-but he's here n-now," Michael added, "and w-we're gonna get o-out."

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A/n: gah I'm sorry I got super stuck on this chapter, I knew exactly what I wanted to write but couldn't actually write it for some reason?

But I hope this was okay!! Next chapter should be exciting, thank you so much for reading xx