Everything Has Changed [LIAM DUNBAR] #2

Hide and Seek is a Dangerous Game

Her lip trembled but her squared her shoulders anyway and straightened her back, swallowing down the lump in her throat, and answered sharply, her voice filled with venom.

"Don't do anything, Dunbar."

She turned away from him, wiping the back of her hand across her eyes.

Turning the corner, she was engulfed into a hug full of brown curls. "I'm sorry," Hayden whispered. Aspen sniffed, squeezing her eyes shut and hugging Hayden tighter.

"How about we go get something to-"

Hayden stopped herself, lifting a hand to her nose, where Aspen had been staring with wide eyes. Her hand pulled away wet with Mercury.

"Don't tell anyone," Hayden whispered, "Y-you can't tell anyone." Aspen swallowed hard. She had stopped crying.

"I won't."

[•]

"Do you know the combination?" Aspen asked, kneeling in front of the safe that contained all of the paychecks for the Sinema employees. "12-34-56," Hayden replied. They were there to get her paycheck. Why? Because you needed money to run away.

"But that's.."

"Yeah," Hayden grinned, "Phil's an idiot."

Aspen worked on the lock until the safe slid open easily and she picked out the envelope labeled "Hayden Romero".

"My sister's going to go out of her mind worrying about me," Hayden murmured quietly. Aspen offered a sympathetic smile. "We'll come up with something to tell her."

Hayden bit her lip. "How far are we going to go?"

"Whatever's far enough, I gue-"

The clink of a bottle against the floor stopped her. Within seconds, the dagger hidden in her boot was flung across the room, embedding itself in the wooden shelf next to Liam's head.

She sighed loudly. "You followed us?" Hayden asked incredulously. Liam bit the inside of his cheek. Aspen yanked the knife out of the wood, muttering, "He's lucky I'm a poor shot."

Liam let his fingers fall from his nipped ear. "Poor?" he squeaked.

"What do you want?" Hayden asked pointedly, knowing Aspen wouldn't. Liam stood from his crouch and rubbed his ear. "Where are you guys going?"

"Somewhere far, far away from you-"

Aspen stopped herself, the lights around them flickering on and off, the projector turning on "Night of the Living Dead".

They looked around and her heart stopped. "They're here," Hayden mumbled. Aspen grabbed her wrist. "We have to go. We have to go now."

The clank of boots made the three teenagers stop short, as one of the Doctors walked in. Aspen felt a hand tighten around her own wrist pulling her down beneath the counter, Hayden following. Fortunately, the Doctor didn't seem to notice them yet.

They listened to the clunk of the boots against the floor until they stopped, dangerously close to their hiding place. She never thought that Hide and Seek could be this intense.

Suddenly, the Doctors cane swept through the bottles of alcohol on the counter, sending the shards everywhere. Liam tugged on Aspen's shoulders, pulling Hayden with her, and they crept around the bar, the shadow of the Doctor appearing in front of them.

They took off in a full force sprint across the Sinema floors, nearly stumbling into the Dread Doctor. It cornered them, swiping its cane against Liam's cheek and sending him to the floor.