"Louis hun, please don't ask questions just do as you're told" Louis mum Sophia tells him urgently as she gathers some gadgets and weapons into a backpack.
"Mum, it's the middle of the night, what's going on?" Louis asks again, trying to make sense of what's happening.
"Louis, listen to your mother, we don't have much time" Louis dad Luke tells him.
Louis is standing in front of his parents in the kitchen, in his navy blue pyjamas and white socks on his feet. The clock on the microwave reads 12:45am.
"This makes no sense, I don't understand" Louis says desperately.
"We don't have much time to explain, just know that we are sorry... and what you are going to find out, what you hear, please just understand that we love you, that everything we did was to protect you" Sophia tells him as her eyes well up.
"Mum please" Louis says as he sheds a tear, his heart is pounding so loud, he thinks it might burst out of his chest.
He was woken by hurried voices and panic, Louis made his way to the kitchen to find his parents gathering guns and equipment. He's so confused.
"Louis, take this, when you get to the neighbours, call this number and say the words exactly as they appear on this piece of paper" Luke tells him and the seriousness in his voice gets Louis listening straight away.
"What are you going to do?" Louis asks, scared out of his mind.
"There's people coming, they are nearly here, we were ambushed, they are outside right now, you need to go to the top floor, to your room and climb down the drainpipe, head to the Andersons through the back fence, don't let anyone see you Louis, go quickly and quietly" Sophia tells him hurriedly
They then hear a car door slam and Louis looks at his parents worriedly.
"Do as we've asked bud, we love you okay" Luke says as he kisses Louis on the head.
"We will always love you Louis" Sophia tells him as she too gives him one last kiss.
They hear the garden gate open
"Go" Luke commands and Louis takes the piece of paper offered, turns around and runs.
Louis heart is beating so fast, he's so scared. He reaches the second story of the house and hears the front door open, shouts and a gunshot ring out, he doesn't turn around to see what's happening though, to scared of what he might see. He makes his way as quietly as he can to his room, he opens the window and climbs down the drainpipe.
He then hears more gunshots and yelling, he runs to the back of the yard, he turns around to face the back of the house and sees his mother with a gun being held to her head. Louis then sees his dad being shot by someone, his breath hitches and he holds in his scream, he turns and he runs as fast as he can to the neighbours house.
When he gets to the house he knocks on the back door over and over but no one is home.
Louis knows the Andersons well enough to know where they hide their spare key, he finds the key to the back door under the first plant pot. He rushes to unlock the door, he moves inside and closes the door quickly, his breathing heavy.
Louis then opens the blinds slowly and checks to make sure he wasn't followed, he doesn't see anyone thankfully, so he goes to find the Andersons home phone.
Louis leaves the lights off, finds the phone in the kitchen, the moonlight creeping through the glass doors is enough to make out what's written on the piece of paper. He shakily dials the numbers. It's a 12 digit number and he hopes to god it actually works, he's never heard of a 12 digit number before.
The phone rings three times before someone picks up.
"Go ahead" A slow drawl emits.
"Umm....please help me, my parents are in trouble, I just saw my dad being shot" Louis says as he tries to stay as quiet as possible, his breathing irregular.
"Who is this and how did you get this number?" The voice asks sternly.
"My parents told me to call it, and to say ummm" Louis starts as he looks to the paper his hands trembling as he tries to make out the words in the dark.
"Operation Running Bear has been compromised, Strider is in danger" Louis says
Louis hears shuffling on the other end and a few curse words
"Who am I speaking too?" The voice then asks, it's low and gravely and sends a tingle up Louis spine.
"Um...my name is Louis and, and my parents are Sophia and Luke Schofield, they are in trouble" Louis says rushed.
"What's the address?"
"5728 Chestnut street Orange Grove" Louis says
Louis hears another voice in the background call out to someone else, relaying the information.
"How old are you Louis"
"I'm um 17" Louis says
There's a pause before he hears more background chatter
"Please tell me what's happening" Louis says desperately. He then here's a click and another voice, like he was just put on speaker phone.
"Louis?, Listen, kiddo, my name is Harry and my partner here is Scott, we have officers on the way and we will get you safe okay" Harry tells him.
"Safe from what?" Louis asks desperately as he wipes a tear away.
"Just relax for us Louis, we are here with you okay, we can talk about everything once we know you're safe with officers" Scott tells him
"I ran, do I go back to the house?" Louis asks
"No, Louis, where are you now, just tell us exactly where you are" Harry says urgently
"I'm....at the neighbours house, my parents told me to run here and use the phone" Louis says worriedly
"Were you followed"
"I don't think so" Louis says as he goes to look out the window, what he sees though, makes him gasp and his body still.
He sees a masked man outside the house, looking intently inside. Louis instantly panics
"There's.....there's.....someone with a gun outside the house, he's going to kill me" Louis says and his voice is trembling
"Louis, we have officers on their way right now, they are 7 minutes out okay" Harry tells him
"He's heading towards the house" Louis panics
"Louis, I need you to find a bathroom or a closet and hide inside until the police get there" Scott says urgently.
Louis takes a deep breath and runs up the stairs, he finds the closet in the spare room and hides underneath a bunch of clothes in the walk in wardrobe.
"Are you there Louis?"
"I'm hiding" Louis whispers
"Good boy, great job, now Harry and I are going to stay on the phone until the police get there okay.
"Okay" Louis says
"Let us know if someone enters the house Louis" Scott says and Louis can hear the worry in his voice.
Louis then hears glass breaking
"He's broken the window, he broke the window, he's inside" Louis whispers panicked.
"It's okay, stay calm, just try to relax and breathe" Harry tells him
Louis has to hold his breath when he sees a figure walk outside the room and then turn into the room he's in. The footsteps are so loud in the quiet house
The figure goes to reach out for the closet door, Louis is so scared and his hands are shaking
Louis then thankfully hears sirens, the footsteps pause, the figure curses and then leaves hurriedly.
"He's gone" Louis breathes out
Harry and Scott breathe a sigh of relief as well.
"Stay where you are until an officer comes to get you" Harry tells him.
"Okay" Louis says
Louis hears the officers enter the house and race up the stairs, he hears commotion and one officer opens the cupboard he's in and shines their flashlight in his eyes.
"Louis?" They ask.
"Yeah" Louis says relieved
"It's okay, you're safe now, let's get you downstairs" One of the officers says.
"They are here, they found me" Louis says into the phone.
"Great job, We're going to hang up now, you did a great job Louis" Louis hears on the other end of the phone.
"K,Thhhhank you for helping me" Louis says
"No problem kiddo" Harry tells him and then the line goes dead.