WILL POV-

The ravenette sighed, clearly annoyed by the redhead; he wanted to leave as soon as possible, but upon hearing his own stomach grumble, he realised it was best to eat before leaving. Following the pair up the stairs Mike lagged behind pulling Will to trail him; the lunch area was spacious, fitted with an entire kitchen space and a table in the middle.

The group remained silent, Mike and Will needed to sit next to each other due to the handcuffs so Lucas already knew this would not be pretty but didn't know what to say.

Max broke the uncomfortable silence by offering them food; "Help yourself!", motioning to the spread of sandwiches, chips and drinks on the table. The mechanics' store was quiet, no one ever passed by here. It was isolated from the rest of the world; almost like the perfect murder den but the small boy knew this wasn't where Mike's final destination was. This couldn't be it; the ravenette kept complaining the previous night about everyone and everything.

Will hesitated, uncertain whether he was even allowed to eat; he wouldn't put it pass Mike to starve him in a way of control. Glancing at the food, his mouth watered; he was hungry but what if the food was laced or the ravenette gets angry at him for eating? Meanwhile, Mike looked annoyed, grabbing a sandwich as he ate aggressively.

"Come on Will! Stop being dramatic!" Mike barked gesturing to the food, "Eat the goddamn food! I don't wanna hear you complain later."

The brunette flinched at the harsh words but dared not to disobey. He picked up a sandwich; his hands slightly trembling bringing the bread to his lips taking a small bite. His appetite withered after the first bite but knew all too well that refusing to listen would only cause more problems.

Max and Lucas exchanged a small glance, unsure of what to do in this situation; they couldn't help Will in any capacity. They weren't scared of Mike but had an unwritten rule of not getting involved in each other's crimes. Mike would never interfere in the crimes the pair committed, so they did the same. The smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the air but despite their efforts the atmosphere remained hostile.

Will's hands trembled slightly as he sipped coffee; his nerves getting the best of him. And in a moment of pure clumsiness, he accidently dropped the cup onto Mike's pants, scolding him.

Mike had already struggled to eat as frustration built up on his face like a keg ready to explode. He despised the handcuffs restricting his movements so the coffee dropping became the last straw.

"You fucking dickhead!" Mike growled, looking down at the stain on his pants.

The brunette remained frozen, glancing at the ravenette with sympathy and apprehension. He knew he only made the situation worse as he shook his head, fear in his eyes, "I-I'm sorry!" Will stammered by the sudden outburst. "I didn't do it on purpose."

The redhead attempted to diffuse the situation, offering, "Here! I'll help you clean that!" grabbing a napkin from the side, passing it over.

Immediately, Will grabbed the napkin, attempting to dab the pants dry but the ravenette slapped his hand away allowing anger to get the best of him; Mike reached a boiling point as the brunette didn't listen continuing to dab the pants, too scared of the consequences, and hoping by at least helping it dry, it would lessen his punishment.

The ravenette grabbed Will's shoulder, "Hello! You think this is a joke, huh?" growling as his voice laced with rage, "You keep messing things up!" he snapped, his voice bitter.

The brunette's heart raced with fear, frozen in place; he didn't understand why the ravenette was getting so aggressive over a simple accident. Feeling Mike's hand on his shoulder roughly pulling him closer, "Stop fucking with me!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," Will pleaded, his voice shaking.

But Mike wasn't interested in apologies or excuses; his temper skyrocketed, and in an instant pushed Will forcefully, causing him to stumble backwards and fall to the ground.

"Enough! I've had to deal with you for an entire night!" Mike snapped, standing over the small boy, who was now on the floor, "You should thank me for not killing you the moment I found you in that fucking car."

But the ravenette's fury seemed to consume him, ignoring Max's attempts to diffuse the situation. Instead, he kept his focus on Will sitting on the ground looking scared and vulnerable.

The brunette tried to keep his composure but could feel the panic rising within him; he knew he needed to de-escalate the confrontation before he was actually just a dead body... he couldn't think, he couldn't breathe and the handcuffs meant he couldn't run; he had never seen anyone that angry over a simple mistake; well, he had; his dad acted in exactly the same way; the last time Will had broken the clock Lonnie... wasn't so nice.

Lucas stepped forward, trying to reason with Mike. "Calm down man! He said he's sorry and he's obviously scared!"

But the ravenette wasn't interested in listening, consumed by anger and frustration, determined to take it out on Will. But before things could escalate further Max stepped into frame, grabbing firmly on Mike's arm, "That's enough!" She said stern, "You actually need to calm down!"

For a moment, it seemed like Mike might resist, and push the redhead out the way. But instead, he rolled his eyes, "Fine! You babysit him then!" he huffed, taking a key out his pocket, unlocking the cuff on his hand and clamping it on Max's. "I'm going to sleep!"

His attention turned to the brunette still on the ground, "You stay with Max!" His tone tense but not as aggressive as before, crouching down to Will's height "If you try to escape, I'll fucking kill you and your family!" his voice stern; clear this was no empty threat.

The brunette swallowed the lump in his throat, frantically nodding, relieved that Mike was going to give him some room to breathe, following him with his eyes as Mike stormed to the storeroom.

Max watched in awe, now realising she was handcuffed to this boy she virtually knew nothing about, but looking toward him, she couldn't help but feel an empathetic warmth spread through her body as she helped him up. With a small frown she asked, "Are you okay?" asking with concern evident in her voice.

Will nodded again, not sure if he could trust her; she didn't seem to care about the way Mike was acting, perhaps they were in cahoots? The events of the day definitely took a toll on his mental state as he tried to process everything. He was scared of Mike and whatever criminal activities he was a part of... but he also just wanted to be free.

Lucas walked up beside Will looking at him sympathetically. "You don't have to worry about him for a while!" he assured, "We'll make sure you're safe!"

The brunette managed a small smile grateful for their words; even if he didn't fully believe them, he felt grateful for this support; there was literally no one else he could turn to in this moment.

"Mike's a Drama Queen!" the redhead rolled her eyes seeing a small smirk on Will's face, "He hates a lot of things! And can't stand when he's wrong!"

"You shouldn't shit-talk your friends!" the athletic boy smirked,

"Let's be honest, Mike definitely shit-talks me!" Max retorted,

"Eh true!" Lucas shrugged believing the accusation.

---- 7:23 PM ----

As time passed; Max and Lucas added last minute additions to the new car, taking the time to strike up a conversation with Will who loomed over them while working due to the handcuffs bonding them together. Max did her work without interruption most of the time, trying to keep Will at ease but it was a bit uncomfortable. Having someone watching while you work was always nerve-racking.

The brunette didn't know what to say the whole time; he just kind of followed the redhead around, handing her tools whenever needed; he wasn't as scared as he was before; the duo even spoke to him every once in a while, asking him questions and general chit-chat.

"So Will!" Max began, trying to keep her tone casual baring the awkward circumstances. "How did you end up getting caught up with Mike? And why is he so angry with you all the time?" she furrowed her brows.

The brunette hesitated for a moment, unsure how much he should disclose to her but perhaps it was something about Max's demeanour or the fact he was literally tailing her for the past few hours that made him feel a bit calm. "I... I don't really know," He finally replied, "I was just in the taxi he stole and... I think I'm just his stress relief punching bag!"

The redhead frowned, clearly concerned by the answer, "That's fucked up!" she shook her head.

"You seem like such a cool person! You really shouldn't have to go through something like this!" Lucas added,

Will wanted to ask an important question but hesitated for a moment, plucking the courage. "C-can you guys let me go?" he bit his lip in anticipation.

Max and Lucas exchanged a glance, they knew they couldn't do that; they were afraid of being asked this question the whole time. "We can't do that..." Max sighed, being the bearer of bad news.

The brunette's heart sank at this revelation; they were firm on not setting him free. He understood their concerns, but the frustration of being trapped and unable to escape weighed heavy on him, he couldn't help but feel defeated and betrayed.

"But- but please!" Will furrowed his brows, begging to them. "I can't stay like this. It's unbearable, and I'm scared Mike might kill me!"

"We know it's tough," Max said sympathetically, "But please trust us, it's safer this way. Mike might be angry now, but if we let you go, he'll be enraged, and it's not something you want to find out about!"

Lucas immediately nodded in agreement, "Yeah, we've seen one of Mike's fits of rage before and... it was not pretty. We promise you don't want to be on the receiving end of that."

The brunette frowned, his eyes sinking to the ground feeling isolated and out of options. He knew they were trying to protect him but now they terrified him more; unable to shake the fear of what Mike might do to him if he continued being a prisoner; was he just going to be Mike's little pet until the ravenette got bored of him?

As the pair continued working on the car; Will stood behind Max, unable to shake the overwhelming feeling of being watched at all times. The brunette just wanted to go home and stay in his room like he would usually do; in a weird twist, he wanted to see his father. But he knew any sudden movements and Mike would pounce and show no mercy. The brunette shuddered at the thought, keeping his emotions in check; if he fell apart, it would only provoke Mike further.

"There we go!" Max marvelled at her own work patting the athletic boy on the back; the pair worked amazing as a team high-fiving.

But Will froze, his hopes of escaping dwindled. Max and Lucas stayed nearby, making sure he wouldn't dare flee. The brunette tried to remain calm, but the constant nagging fear of what Mike might do to him was a bouldering weight on his mind.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps as well as a hand grasp his shoulder. The small boy flinched, a tiny squeal escaping his lips; perhaps all this has put him on edge, but then again can you blame him? Slowly turning around, the brunette saw Mike stand tall, obviously relishing in taunting Will, but at least he had a smile this time.

The ravenette decided it was the best time to leave, fiddling with the handcuffs. Only unlocking Max's handcuffs, he pulled Will along with him to the car, placing him in the passenger's seat. Mike set him in, connecting the cuff to the car, sneering. "You better behave yourself this time!" He warned, his voice cold and menacing, "Any funny business and you'll regret it."

The small boy nodded, feeling the pure force of the threat, knowing it was best to abide by his rules for the time being and wait for the perfect moment to escape. For now, he had no choice but play the part; enduring this tense and dangerous situation.

Mike slammed the door shut waving to his friends "Good job guys!" he smirked, paying them a certain amount of money from his backpack before retreating back to the driver's seat. Will looked out the window, hearing muffled words from Max and Lucas wishing him the best.

The brunette remained silent as Mike turned the key in the ignition driving away.

Perhaps his one chance of true escape slipped his fingers... 

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2195 Words

Stay Safe <3