"I don't like this Ryder."
"Me either."
"We should have stayed with her."
"I know."
"What if she's in danger?"
"She's definitely in danger."
"Wow you just don't care about my feelings at all."
"What?"
The two men stand in the corridor to the conference room. One pacing back and forth, and the other leaning against the wall.
"Don't you—what—me Ryder."
"I will what you because I don't know why you're acting like this."
"I know you don't really care about Al."
The white haired man raises a brow.
"Really? How do you figure?"
"You really want me to spell it out for you?"
Ryder shrugs.
"If that's what it takes."
"Fine—" Caleb cracks his knuckles. "Prepare to be roasted."
The other man merely chuckles while wondering how long Caleb could keep this up. He had a tendency to play tough guy when he was actually quite soft.
"Every since we met her all you've been saying is that her only purpose was to satisfy the prince—"
Ryder purses his lips slightly.
"All that she has done since we met her was prove to us how great of a person she is. She helped us restore power to the hospital, she helped lead Klaus and her father here away from danger—hell, Ryder—she even brought us closer together."
The white haired man lets these words sink in.
"I—don't know what to say." His words are slower than usual. More calculated to avoid setting off his friend.
"Don't worry I don't need you to say anything." Caleb responds. "Do you even remember the saying if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all? Does that ring a bell?"
"Walker—"
"It's actually funny because if you knew that saying then you would never talk—like ever."
Ryder glares at the man in front of him as he walks up and looks him dead in the eye.
"If she gets hurt it's your fault." Caleb says, poking a finger in the center of Ryder's chest. "Because you always have to follow the rules like the good boy you are—"
"Caleb—"
But Caleb doesn't stop. He's fuming as he steps back from Ryder and shakes his head.
"Is this what he would want?"
Ryder's eyes glow in anger. In an instant, he has Caleb pushed against the far wall dangling by his shirt.
"Do not talk about him Walker, I mean it.
"Why not Ryder? Are you too afraid that if we finally talk about him, you'll have to accept that fact that you're a coward?"
Ryder's eyes flash red as he raises a hand from the wall and balls it into a fist. Caleb's eyes do not falter from his gaze as he can sense resolve melting away from the man before him.
"Do it." He says lowly. "Show me what kind of monster you really are."
There's a loud bang as Ryder's fist makes impact with a surface. Caleb's eyes close in reflex as he braces himself for a death blow. What is is surprised to see when he opens them, however, is Ryder with his head down on his shoulder. He follows his arms path to a large dent on the wall next to his head.
"Ryder..." Caleb whispers.
"Yes?" The response is even more faint.
"I'm sorry."
Silence.
"Me too."
"Brace yourself."
Ryder raises a brow before feeling the warm embrace of his friend.
"What are you doing?" Ryder's tone is almost amused.
"It's called a hug, genius." Caleb says. "And it's going to get really awkward really fast if you don't return it."
"I don't know about—"
"Hug me or I'll start singing."
With a scoff Ryder returns the hug and squeezes Caleb a little too tightly.
"Okay that's enough."
Ryder lets go with a laugh.
"Geez—" Caleb says. "You can't even hug right."
"I beg to differ."
"Everything you just said is wrong—"
"Shhh—" Ryder's hand flies up. His ears pick up a distressed sound. One that would most likely not be heard by a human. "Something is wrong."
Slowly, Ryder turns towards Caleb. As the two men lock gazes, something clicks in the white haired mans brain.
"Al is in danger." Is all he says before taking off towards the door.
"What?" Caleb says, but begins to run after him anyway. "What kind of danger?"
"The bad kind." Ryder rolls his eyes before trying the door. "It's locked." He can hear the struggle continue on the other side of the door. "We need a key card."
At this point, Ryder was acting on pure instinct. He felt her fear from behind the door, and it couldn't help but remind him of the fate that was met by his brother. He wasn't losing anyone else anytime soon.
Caleb thought he didn't care about the girl—but he was wrong. He did care, although he had a strange way of showing it. In an unexpected way, she had grown on him.
Caleb makes a face before reaching into his back pocket. "I think I can solve that problem."
From his pocket he retrieves Ryder's key card.
"Here you go."
Ryder smirks.
"You went into my room without my permission again?"
Caleb nods and looks away.
The white haired man laughs.
"For once Caleb, I'm glad you did."
The same strange feeling comes over him as he walks over to the door. With a hesitant look back at this friend, he raises his had to swipe the card. Before he can, however, the door slides open; revealing Cleo. Her face is plastered with a sickening smile.
"Agent Murdock, Agent Walker." With a nod, she makes her way past the two men.
Caleb makes a face at Ryder before walking past him into the room. When he gasps loudly, Ryder is not shocked, instead, he keeps his eyes locked on the woman walking away from them.
"Why are you doing this?" He says, knowing that she can hear him.
Cleo turns—black veins lay her under-eyes and her smile has grown into something much more sinister.
"It's family business." With that, she is gone.
Ryder stares after her for a moment before Caleb's yells for help shake him from his trance.
"We need help, fast!"
Alliana is lying on the ground unconscious.
"Ryder snap out of it!"
"I'm on it." He runs to the emergency phone and calls for a medic. "They'll be here in a few minutes."
"What is happening Ryder? What the hell happened to her?"
"I don't know."
"What's she planning on doing?"
"I don't know Caleb."
"Well we need to figure it out fast before someone gets hurt! Ryder? Can you hear me? Ryder!"
Suddenly Ryder is overcome by a terrible feeling of helplessness.
The kind he has only felt once before.
And all of a sudden he is brought back to that day.
The day they took his brother away from him.
The worst day of his life.
I hope this chapter wasn't too bad for my first one back.