At the top, the hallway stretched dark and silent. Doors stood closed, hiding whatever waited behind them. That grunting sound came again, louder now, making Danny’s heart thump even harder.
Air thickened, pressing against Danny’s lungs. Time stretched, each second an eternity. His mind spiraled through possibilities, each worse than the last. His mom had fallen. Laura was hurt. Something terrible had happened and he was too late to stop it.
What if this was all some horrible misunderstanding and his mom would laugh at them for being so paranoid? Danny prayed that was the case and not something disastrous.
Isaac’s hand closed around the doorknob. He glanced back at Danny, eyes asking a silent question.
Danny nodded.
Slowly, Isaac turned the knob and pushed the door open.
Everything inside Danny turned to static.
His mom sat on the bed, hands bound behind her back with what looked like zip ties. Duct tape covered her mouth. Next to her, Laura was tied the same way, tears streaming down her face.
And standing beside them, gun pointed directly at Danny’s face, was Brad.
Time fractured.
Sound disappeared, replaced by the roar of blood in his ears. Danny’s mind went completely, utterly blank. Not a thought. Not a word. Just white noise and the sight of Brad’s handsome face smiling at him like they were old friends.
Brad looked the same. Dark hair perfectly styled, strong jaw, green eyes that had once made Danny’s stomach flutter. He wore jeans and a button-down shirt, casual and put-together, like he’d just stopped by for coffee instead of holding Danny’s family hostage.
“Hey, babe.” Brad’s voice was warm, affectionate. The same tone he’d used when things were good between them. “Missed you.”
Danny couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t move. His body had become stone, every muscle frozen in place.
“You look good,” Brad continued, his voice warm and conversational. The gun never wavered. “Hate the hair. Very punk rock.”
Laura made a desperate sound behind the tape. His mom’s eyes were wide with terror.
“What the fuck’re you doing here?” The words flew from him in a rage. This was Danny’s family. He and his mom might not get along all the time, but she was still his mother. And Laura was the sweetest person who didn’t deserve to know monsters existed, let alone be touched by one.
“We had something good, Danny.” Brad’s smile widened. “You and me. We were perfect together.”
“Perfect?” Danny’s laugh was jagged and uneven, like something had finally been set free. “You tried to kill me, you son of a bitch!”
“Look at you. Still so pathetic. You never did know how to listen.” Brad gestured with the gun like it was an extension of his hand. “I’ll admit. Things got out of control that night. Got a bit of a temper problem. But we can fix this. We can go back to how things were.”
Disbelief crashed over Danny. Brad actually believed this. He actually thought they could just pick up where they’d left off, like the scars on Danny’s back were some minor disagreement.
“Get up,” Brad ordered, motioning to his mom and Laura. “All of you. Living room. Now.”
Isaac stepped forward slightly, putting himself between Danny and the gun. “How about you put that down and we talk about this like adults?”
“How about you shut your mouth before I put a bullet in it?” Brad’s expression never changed. Still smiling. Still pleasant. Like he was discussing the weather.
Laura and his mom struggled to their feet, movements awkward with their hands bound. Brad gestured toward the door with the gun.
“Move. You two. Living room. Now.”
Isaac moved first, hands raised, backing toward the door. Danny’s legs finally unlocked, carrying him backward on autopilot. His mom and Laura stayed, following Brad’s directions because what choice did they have?
“You’re a fucking coward,” Isaac spat as they descended the stairs. “You know that, right? Completely spineless.”
“Isaac,” Danny hissed. “Don’t.”
But Isaac’s features had darkened into something Danny had never seen before. Rage, pure and focused. “You ever kill someone, Brad?” The words rolled out, low and smooth, his tone mocking. “Come on, Brad. Just you and me.”
