thirty-four: bloody footprints

Zayn could sense something was wrong the moment he pulled into the driveway of his home. The front door was wide open, something that Zayn knew Louis wouldn't allow to happen. Zayn couldn't fight the sick feeling in his stomach as he climbs out of his car and walks towards the house. 

"Louis?" Zayn calls out, looking around the living room for Louis but he couldn't see him anywhere. Zayn pulls out his phone, dialing Louis' number as he walks further into the house. He frowns when he hears Louis' phone going off somewhere in the room, the sick feeling not going away as he walks towards the sound. The panic in the pit of his stomach heightens when he sees the state of the living room, one of the lamps had been knocked over and was currently shattered and Louis' phone was sitting on the ground next to it. His heart starts to race when he sees the blood laying next to it, little bloody footprints leading away from the lamp and towards the stairs

"Louis?! Nathan? Ethan?" Zayn calls out again, following after the trail of blood at a brisk pace. He can literally feel his lungs gasping for air, the fear too much as he follows the blood up the stairs and to the bedroom. What he sees there nearly causes Zayn to collapse, Nathan sitting on the floor with tears running down his cheeks as he holds Ethan's foot. Ethan is entirely calm, almost like nothing was wrong. 

"Oh my god..." Zayn manages to get out, rushing over to the twins and grabbing Ethan off the floor. Ethan lets out a gasp before looking at Zayn with wide eyes almost like he hadn't expected to see him here.  

"What happened? Where's your mother?" Zayn asks, the panic clear in his voice which wasn't helping Nathan calm down. 

"Ethan cut his foot, my fault. I look for Mummy... Did not look out for brother. He step on glass, Daddy. I so sorry." Nathan sobs out, burying his face into his hands as he cries. Zayn isn't listening though, too busy looking at Ethan's foot.

"Where's your mother, Nathan?" Zayn asks, standing up with Ethan and carrying him towards the bathroom. Nathan sniffles as he follows after him, still crying and really unable to answer. Zayn puts Ethan on the edge of the tub and grabs a wash cloth off the counter before turning on the tap. He's quick to wet the rag and dab at Ethan's foot, frowning when it continues to bleed but there didn't appear to be any glass inside the wound. Zayn reaches underneath the sink for the first aid kit, opening it up to grab some antiseptic and a bandage. Nathan is still crying uncontrollably, repeating over and over again how sorry he was as Zayn wraps up Ethan's foot. It was in that moment that Quinn starts crying from her crib and there's still no sign of Louis anywhere and Zayn's stomach was still heavy with dread. So Zayn did the only thing he could do, he called the police. 

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When Louis wakes up, the first thing he notices is how badly his head is pounding. He could swear he hear his own heart beat, a sound that was very unpleasant. At first he felt like it had all been just some bad dream, a nightmare of some sorts but when he opened his eyes he knew it was anything but that. He was in a room, equipped with a bed and a dresser and what looked to be a bathroom which was separated by just a curtain. Louis had no clue where he was or really what he was doing here, all he could remember was Liam... 

"Good, you're awake. I was getting worried there for a second." Liam's voice sounds out, causing Louis to jump and look towards the door. Liam was standing against it, his arms crossed over his chest as he gazes at Louis. Louis feeling very uncomfortable, pulls his legs up towards his chest to the best of his ability. 

"What am I doing here?" Louis croaks out, just now realizing how scratchy his throat felt. Liam makes a move away from the door causing Louis to visibly flinch as he takes a step towards him. Liam holds his hands up in surrender before pointing at the pitcher of water he'd brought into the room earlier. 

"I'm just getting you a drink." Liam assures, but it doesn't ease Louis' nerves. He continues to watch Liam wearily as he walks over to the pitcher and pours Louis a glass of water. Louis doesn't take it when Liam offers it to him for a moment, unwilling to trust Liam. 

"Look, I know you hate me and you have every right to. I've been a terrible person to you but I don't want you to die of dehydration alright? If you're not gonna drink the damn water for yourself, at least do it for those babies." Liam says, holding out the glass and Louis slowly takes it away from him. He only takes a sip before putting it back down on the dresser, clearing his throat as he looks at Liam. 

"Why did you bring me here, Liam?" Louis asks, earning a sigh from Liam as he runs a hand through his hair. 

"I didn't really have much of a choice... Trisha she uh... She's got Easton somewhere... and she told me that I had to bring you here or else she'd hurt him... and I honestly wouldn't put it past her." 

"Why do you suddenly care about Easton?" Louis asks, sitting up straighter as Liam lets out another sigh. Louis could see the worry on Liam's face, an expression Louis never thought he'd ever see again. 

"He's my son, Louis. I know I've done some really shitty stuff but I still care about my son, I'm not going to let anyone hurt him. You're a parent, Louis... You have to at least understand what it's like to do anything you have to keep your children safe..." Liam trails off and Louis wants nothing more than to laugh in Liam's face at how ridiculous he sounded. Not once in almost two years had Liam shown any type of interest in caring about Easton, this had to all be some sort of sham. 

"You're anything but a parent. You don't give one shit about your son, you never have so do everyone a favor and stop pretending like you have even a fraction of a heart. The only thing you care about is yourself, Liam." Louis practically sneers out, earning a scoff from Liam who shakes his head before he walks back to the door.

"Believe what you want, I won't try and convince you otherwise. And to answer your question as to why you're here Louis... I honestly don't know. That's probably something you should bring up with your mother in law." 

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heyyyy it hasn't been a week.

yay for connie.

anyways... so like you guys remember when I mentioned the Nathan and Ethan spin off like forever ago? I need help deciding which cover I should go with cause I still love the original but I made another one which I love as much... so that's where you come in, so cast your votes homies. also if it helps you guys picking... the guy in cover b is who will be playing Easton btw... cause the story has him in it and yeah. 

a)

b)

Dedication goes to losthoes

QOTC: do you guys believe Liam when he says he cares about what happens to Easton? 

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Connie xx