Kyle- A TLWG Prequel
What am I doing?My hands shake with the heavy gun pressed between them. I didn’t want this. I didn’t want any of it. I don’t care what this guy did. He doesn’t deserve this. Nobody does.“Please!” The store owner, Harold Croft, is sprawled on the ground in front of me, begging for his life. “I’ll get Jacob the money! I have a family!”He caught his son buying guns from Jacob and stopped the transaction. Pissed, Jacob has been making the man repay the money for the guns monthly. He owns a convenience store, the same one we are standing in now.Guilt washes over me as I relay the message that Jacob Reeves had ordered me to pass on. “Jacob doesn’t do extensions,” I say quietly. “You had a deal, and you’re past the deadline.”Behind me, Brad Gordon is grunting impatiently, waiting for me to pull the trigger. Daniel Reeves just watches, not saying a word. I click the safety off and steady my hands, ready to fire.“Please, no!” Croft begs.It all feels so wrong. This man is innocent. The only mistake he made was owing a debt to a madman.We have that in common.The store owner’s terrified dark eyes remind me of Jim. Jacob confronted us on the street after Jim had sold him those damn knives. They weren’t the quality that Jim had promised, and they were worth hundreds less than what Jacob had paid us. When Jacob found out, he was going to kill Jim himself, but I had offered to join up and pay off the debt instead. That horrified look in Jim’s eyes still haunts me, especially now.I can’t do it.I switch the safety back on and re-holster the gun at my side. “Get out of here.”As Croft scurries out the door as fast as he can, Brad chuckles. “You’re in deep shit, rookie.”As we’re heading out, Croft’s truck still sits parked in front of the store. He must’ve left on foot, in a hurry to get away from us. Brad smirks and goes to kneel at the driver’s seat to hotwire the car.“Come on, man,” I say.“He owes us, so this is what he gets,” Brad says. “You let him go, Willis. You don’t get a say.”“Gordon, be serious,” Daniel says, crossing his arms.“I am serious!” Brad answers.He drives the truck, taking us back to the Riot’s warehouse. When we get there, Brad starts toward Jacob’s office but Daniel stops him.“Let me deal with him,” Daniel insists. His tone is less irritated than I expect, more like someone leading a troubled kid to the principal's office. At the very least, “troubled” seems about right. Brad doesn’t argue with the boss’s son. Instead, he slumps down to the weapons room.Daniel has me wait outside Jacob’s office while he talks to his father. A few minutes go by before I hear a voice that instantly settles my nerves.“Kyle!” Kat calls from the top of the stairs. She runs up and with the touch of her skin and the feel of her lips on mine, all of my worries melt away.But those worries return just as quickly when she pulls back.“Suggs told me what happened,” she says, frowning and playing with a strand of my hair.“How the hell does Alex—” I stop myself with the obvious answer to my question. “Gordon.”Kat moves her hand from my hair to caress the side of my neck. She’s wearing her fingerless gloves, so the fabric replaces the smooth skin of her palm. A small part of my brain can’t help but be a little disappointed.“Talk to me, baby,” she says. “Tell me what happened. Your words.”“I–” Before I can continue, the door opens, and Daniel exits Jacob’s office. I start to go in, but he pulls me aside first.“I told him that Croft got away before you could get to him,” he whispers. “Brad won’t cross me. Just stick with it and you’ll be fine.”“Why would you—” I start.“Willis!” Jacob calls from inside.Daniel pats me on the shoulder and walks away, leading Kat with him. Reluctantly, I step inside the office and close the door behind me.Jacob faces the back wall. He leans against the back of his desk, studying the papers on his bulletin board.“Do you know what I don’t like, Willis?” He asks, turning his head slightly towards me. A lump forms in my throat, and I don’t answer.“I don’t like failures,” he says, “I gave you this job because it was easy. Harold Croft is hardly a threat, even to a rookie.”“He got away,” I tell him, probably just repeating exactly what Daniel had said. "He was too fast.”Jacob turns around to fully face me. He leans forward and plants both hands on the desk. “Are we gonna have a problem?” he asks, “because I would hate for you to wind up like Jim.”My stomach knots when he says that name. I dig my fingernails into my palms, keeping me grounded. There’s only one right way to answer him.“No sir,” I say. “There’s no problem.”He studies me for a moment. “Good,” he says, “get out of my sight.”Later that evening, I walk out to the old railway bridge to clear my head. The bridge is old, but it’s just enough out of the way from the warehouse that I don’t have to worry about Jacob, Brad, or anybody else. At the bridge, I sit cross-legged at the edge, looking out at the river below.I bury my face in my hands.Why did I think that I could handle this? Would things have been easier if I had just dealt with the consequences of Jim’s stupid mistake… no, my stupid mistake, instead of making a deal with the devil to try and fix it? Yeah, I’d probably be dead, but I wouldn’t be here.I hear the sound of footsteps crushing leaves into the dirt before stepping onto the old rickety bridge.“Hey,” Kat says.“Hey.”As she makes her way to my side, I stand up to meet her eyes. My hands wrap around her waist and I pull her into a hug, burying my face into her shoulder.“It’s gonna be okay,” she says, running her fingers through my hair.“I messed up,” I tell her.“Daniel took care of it,” she reminds me, whispering softly in an effort to be reassuring.“For how long?” I lift my head to face her once again. I keep one hand on her waist, while she takes the other and plants a kiss on my knuckle.“What are you so worried about?” she asks.“He’s going to kill me.”“I won’t let that happen,” she answers, like it’s that easy.For a second, I look back out at the river. I don’t even really pay attention to the view in front of me.He was an idiot, Jacob had said. He was holding you back. I took care of it.“It’s just like Jim…” I say aloud without meaning to.“No,” Kat insists, “that was different.”I sigh.Kat hesitates before continuing. “Besides, babe, I know he was your friend, but Jim was…”“Stupid,” I finish for her.She doesn’t disagree, “But you’re not.”My head sinks and I press my forehead against hers, shutting my eyes tight. A quivering sigh escapes.Kat tilts my head back up by the chin with a finger. She leans in and whispers gently in my ear. “Maybe you just need to relax,” she coaxes, her voice quietly smooth.She presses kisses to one side of my neck. She holds the other side in her hand, massaging it with her thumb. Her touch fills me with warmth. The feel of each kiss lingers on my skin. I just want to melt into her and forget all of this. With her free hand, Kat lifts up my shirt, and searches down my jeans to my—“Ahh,” I let out a ragged breath, caught desperately between wanting and holding back. “Kat, baby… not right now. Please.”She stops, crosses her arms, and looks at me with a furrowed brow. “This is really bothering you, isn’t it?”“I’m sorry,” I say, avoiding the question and feeling bad for pulling away from her.“Don’t apologize,” she says. “I just don’t get why you’re acting like this.”How could she? Jacob is her dad. He may not be “Father of the Year” from what Daniel and Kat have told me, but they have never had to worry for their lives around him. The rest of the Riot? If we’re not useful, we’re expendable.“It doesn’t matter,” I finally answer, slicking back my hair. “I’m just tired.”“Kyle…”“We should head back.”We barely say a word as we walk back to the warehouse.As always, I walk her to her room. At the door, she turns to leave, but I take hold of her hand.“Hey…”She turns around, silent. I hold her cheek in my hand and kiss her forehead.“I love you,” I tell her.For a moment, she seems unsure. But her soft smile returns as she answers, “I love you too.”
Instead of heading to my own room, I start down the stairs. I need to punch something.The downstairs training area is wide, with plenty of space for several members to come in and train at the same time. Tonight though, it’s just me and one other person. Alex Suggs is doing pull-ups on the bar against the left wall. When he spots me by the door, he stands up to greet me.“Hey,” he waves, “glad you survived talking to the boss.”“Yeah,” I chuckle, though I don’t mean to. Nothing about today is worth laughing about.As Suggs is about to get back to his sets, I stop him.“Wait, Alex,” I say, “what did Gordon tell you about today?”He winces. “He just told me that you ‘wimped out and let the bastard get away.’ His words.”I groan, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Thanks bud,” I say to him through gritted teeth.He gives me a sympathetic look before returning to his workout.
Finding one of the punching bags, I grab a nearby roll of elastic hand wrap and weave it between my fingers on each hand. My feet stiffen into position, and I start swinging. Each punch sways the bag around a little more, they’re not very good quality. The rips and tears are held together by duct tape like a lifeline. It makes them flimsy and soft. One of my hits sends it swinging further to the left than it should.“Agh!” I grunt and wipe the sweat from my forehead as I steady the punching bag. I don’t notice Daniel come in. He’s only a couple feet away from me by the time I see him.“Need some help?” he asks. Without me answering, he holds the bag steady in front of me. I keep at it for a while, throwing punch after punch, before Daniel finally acknowledges my obvious discomfort.“What’s wrong?”I ignore him and keep lunging my fists at the bag in front of him.“Did Kat give you any trouble?” he asks. “I know she can be—”“She’s not the problem,” I interrupt him, still focusing on my movement.“Ah,” Daniel says. “Is it my dad?”Suggs turns his attention to us at the mention of Jacob.I stay silent and keep punching.“Do you want to talk about it?” he asks me. When he realizes that I’m not going to break, he sighs. “Okay fine, I’ll talk. This morning I swear I saw Greg finding a hair in his omelette at breakfast, and he still ate it…”“Eww! Gross!” I snap, taking a pause from the bag. “What are you doing?”“Making conversation,” Daniel answers, plain and simple.Rolling my eyes at Kat’s younger brother, I can clearly see why she can’t stand him. I haven’t really gotten to know Daniel all that well. We’ve talked a few times, Kat and I have invited him on a few of our outings just to get a breather from Jacob, but we haven’t really spent enough time together for me to get a good look at his personality. Now I have, and it’s annoying.“No,” I start, then I lower my voice to a whisper to keep Alex, or anyone else that might be nearby, from listening, “I mean why did you lie for me?”Daniel pauses for a second, and then laughs. His smile reminds me a little of his father. It’s unsettling to say the least. “Because I saw what you did today, and that took guts,” he says.“I don’t understand,” I admit.“All I'm saying is that I get it.” He comes out from behind the punching bag to face me directly. “I'm not gonna rat you out.”“You’re not?” I ask, dumbfounded.“Um, yeah. I’m the one that just saved your ass.” He smirks as he starts towards the door. “If you need someone to talk to, you know where to find me.”“Do I? You’re not even here half the time,” I point out as he leaves.Daniel has been leaving the base for hours on end every day, apparently since the Riot first started. Not even Kat or Jacob knows where he goes, but he won’t talk about it.
The next morning, Kat sits on a bench chewing a protein bar while tying her boots. I come up from behind to sit next to her, kissing her cheek and lightly rubbing my hand against her back. She doesn’t look in my direction, focussing her gaze on the blank white wall as she ties the first shoe.“Are you still mad at me?” I ask her, though the answer is pretty clear.She takes the protein bar out of her mouth and finishes her bite. She ties the other combat boot as she talks. “I don’t know, are you still being weird?”“Hey,” I say quietly. She pulls her hand away when I reach for it, so I gently cup her face with my hands and turn it towards me.“Let me make it up to you,” I say, shooting a glance at her protein bar, “let me take you to get a real breakfast.”She smiles, and nods appreciatively.On the way out, I see Brad Gordon. He stands in the hall with a plastic bin full of supplies, glaring daggers at me.When Kat sees who I’m looking at, she scowls at him. Brad turns away immediately, not wanting to piss off Jacob’s second in command. He walks off with no further remark.Outside, Harold Croft’s truck is still parked with the other vehicles. Kat smirks, and gets in.“So we’re stealing the stolen truck?” I groan.“Yeah!” she answers a little too enthusiastically as she turns it on. “Brad is a dick, he’ll deal with it.”Laughing, I get in the driver’s seat. I take us to a small cafe in a forgotten little corner of town. The place is called Jericho’s, it’s Kat’s favorite. I tell her to order anything she wants and she smirks.“Okay, rich boy,” she teases.A nervous giggle leaves my throat. Kat is the only person that knows about my parents, so jokes like that from her shouldn’t catch me off guard as much as they do.Kat orders a bagel sandwich with egg, cheese, and bacon. I get a chocolate croissant. I know she wants a coffee, she just doesn’t want to take advantage of my money. I order two mochas before paying. Kat objects, but looks grateful nonetheless.As we sit down with our breakfast, Kat takes a bite of her sandwich, and a small piece of bacon accidentally falls into her shirt. She laughs as she takes it out. Her laugh is so light and sweet, a stark contrast to her tough exterior that others are so afraid of. That smile of hers is the light of my life. It’s impossible not to grin myself.“You’re so beautiful,” I blurt.“Shut up,” she says through a mouth full of breakfast sandwich, which makes her next words very unserious. “Don’t make me hit you.”She takes my hand in hers. There’s a look in her bright emerald eyes that makes my stomach flutter. She’s worried about me.“But seriously,” she says. “You’re sure you’re okay?”“I will be,” I assure her, trying to believe it.After breakfast, as we walk back to the truck, Kat spots something across the road that makes her groan furiously.“What the hell is my brother doing out here?!”Before I can get a word out in response, she jaywalks across the road and grabs Daniel by the shirt collar.I run to catch up.“Where have you been?” she interrogates Daniel.“Easy! Hey!” he says. “I was just running an errand for Dad!”“That’s a load of crap! Dad told me he hasn’t seen you all morning!”Daniel sneers. “Why do you even care?”Kat’s jaw drops in disbelief, her face bright red with anger.“I’m sorry that I don’t want to see our father beat the ever-loving shit out of you for bailing again!” she barks. “I’m sorry that I prefer my brother in one piece! I’m—”I put a hand on her shoulder.“Breathe, babe,” I tell her.“Shut up!” she yells, gripping my hand and yanking it away from her. She listens to me anyway, and takes a deep breath before continuing.“You’re coming home with us,” she decides, crossing her arms.“I can’t,” Daniel says, avoiding our gaze and looking out towards Milam Street, “I’m busy.”“Doing what?!”“None of your business!” he yells. Daniel’s hands dip into the pockets of his leather jacket as he starts to walk away.“Come on, man,” I say, awkwardly trying to be somewhat helpful in this Reeves sibling argument.“Whatever.” He waves us off, his back already turned. “I’ll see you at home.”“Yeah right,” Kat quips.“Come on,” I say, “let’s head back.”I drive us back to the warehouse, one hand on the wheel, the other holding Kat’s hand while she vents about Daniel.“He doesn’t talk to me, I don’t understand it!” she exclaims. “I just want to keep him out of trouble!”“I get it, baby. I do,” I say, rubbing my thumb gently across the back of her hand, “but you can’t push him. Let him come to you, that’s the only way he’ll open up.”Kat scoffs. “How do you know so much about annoying little brothers?”“Because I am one. You know that,” I say. “I’ve told you before, I was a lot like Daniel when I was his age.”“Stubborn and rude as hell?”“Yes.”My stepdad had always treated his son, my older brother, Reggie, like he could do no wrong. Granted, he got his PhD in medicine and I got busted smuggling army knives, so I guess it wasn’t completely unjustified. Regardless, even before all that, Reggie was the golden child. For me, it was better to keep to myself than to get yelled at by my stepdad whenever I did something wrong, so I had a lot of secrets. Just like Daniel.“Okay fair,” Kat says.I told Kat about my family before we had even started dating. She caught me breaking down crying outside the warehouse a little over a year ago, when I found out that my mom passed away. She had dealt with her own mother’s death in a similar way, so she listened to me tell my story while I cried into her shoulder. It was the first time that I didn’t feel so trapped by the Riot. The first time in years that it felt like my life could be different.Stopping at a red light, I turn my head to face Kat and sigh.“I hope he comes to his senses one day and lets you in,” I tell her, “and when that day comes, I’ll be right here for you.”Back inside the warehouse, I can feel the thick tension in the air. Riot members stare at me as if I had insulted each of them by name.“Willis!” Jacob yells from the top of the stairs. He stands there, arms crossed, a murderous look in his eyes.My stomach clenches when I see Brad Gordon standing behind him.“Go,” Kat says, “it’ll be okay, I’ll take care of it.”I start towards the stairs. My hands are shaking, the beating in my chest is so loud I swear everyone can hear it. When I get to the top, Jacob directs me and Brad into his office and slams the door behind us. He moves to stand behind his desk, looking even more irritated than the last time I was in here.“Tell me, Kyle,” he says, “why did Brad explain to me that you let Croft go?”I look over at Brad, who doesn’t even crack a devious little smile. He’s just as afraid of Jacob as I am. I can’t lie again, that will only make this worse.I clear the lump in my throat. “Because I did.”“That’s funny,” Jacob says, his stern composure never breaking, “why would my son tell me otherwise?”“I don’t know,” I admit.Brad, who I can tell wants this conversation to be over with so that he doesn’t have to deal with Jacob’s anger, speaks up.“Probably to keep Willis in one piece for your daughter,” he says, “they’re a thing, right?”Jacob chuckles and sits in the chair at his desk. He ignores Brad’s question and keeps his eyes on me.“Do you love my daughter, Kyle?” he asks.I’m honestly not sure what the right approach is here. I was aware that Jacob knew about me and Kat, but we haven’t had this conversation yet. Was he waiting for an opportunity like this? To use it against me?“Yes,” I answer him.“That’s good,” Jacob says, smiling, as if he isn’t thinking about all the ways he could make an example out of me. “In the Riot, you don’t just join a cause, you join a family. And because Kat loves you… well, you’re even more a part of us than most.”“I understand,” I say, keeping my head down.“Why did you let Croft go?” he asks, “I ordered you to kill him.”“I… couldn’t,” I admit, refusing to meet his eyes.“You couldn’t? Why?” he probes.
I don’t say anything at first. My hand tightens into a fist, giving me something to hold onto.“He was innocent,” I finally answer.Jacob slams his hand on the desk, making me jump.“That’s not how I put it when I gave you the assignment, was it?” His voice still calm, but edging into anger. “He owed me a debt.”“That doesn’t mean we should kill him—”“I make that call! Not you!” he snaps. “Your job is to follow orders!”This is wrong. We steal and murder for this guy, with no questions, out of nothing but fear. Nobody crosses him, and if they do… they end up like Jim. That fear is plenty enough for Jacob. He expects us to follow his every whim for the sake of “family”?No. I’m done.“Do you hear me, Willis?!” Jacob demands.“Loud and clear sir,” I answer, “I’m sorry.”“Get your sorry ass out of my office,” he orders quietly, “now.”I leave without another word.Brad follows behind me.Outside, Kat leans against the wall, waiting for me. She ignores Brad glaring at us when she takes my hand.“I’m gonna go talk to him,” she says, “it’s gonna be fine.”Before I can tell her not to bother, she kisses the back of my hand, lets go, and walks into Jacob’s office.
That evening, back at the railway bridge, I stand at the edge with my hands in my pockets, overlooking the water below. The last time I was at this bridge, I thought about how much easier things would’ve been if I had just stuck with Jacob’s consequences.Yeah, I’d probably be dead, but I wouldn’t be here.That single thought from yesterday circled my mind in an endless loop.
Is dying better than a life as Jacob’s puppet?The question haunts me, and I know the answer. Dying doesn’t scare me as much as the monster I could become on this path.My foot inches toward the edge of the bridge. Not to jump, not yet. Just to see…“Kyle!” A voice calls from behind me.Daniel stands just before the start of the bridge, watching me nervously.I step away from the edge and walk up to him.“I wasn't going to,” I say, half-lying.
Daniel doesn’t call me out. In fact, his face changes with relief.“Kat told me what happened,” he says, changing the subject, “I’m so sorry.”“I’ll deal with it,” I sigh.“It’s my fault, I underestimated Brad,” Daniel admits.I rub my eyes with my hands. “It’s not your fault that Gordon is an asshole.”“I know how hard it is to do this job,” he says, “it’s even harder to hurt people that absolutely don’t deserve it.”I remember our talk in the training room last night. He seemed to understand how I was feeling, despite being Jacob’s son. He wasn’t nearly as confused as Kat.“It’s not like I have any other options,” I say, feeling defeated.Daniel shifts in his stance on the ground, like he’s debating something huge. Finally, he speaks.“What if you did?”I stare at him, confused.“What are you talking about?”He steps closer, scanning my eyes. He’s nervous.“Do you want to leave?” he asks me.“I…I can’t, your dad will kill me,” I say, “besides, I don’t have anywhere else to go.”“Kyle, look at me,” he says, gripping my arms, “do you want a way out?”I have no idea what he’s talking about, but I can tell he’s serious. I sigh and look him in the eyes, dead serious.“Yes.”Daniel lets go of my arms, still shaking. Whatever he’s planning, he’s already anxious about telling me.“Get your things and meet me in the parking lot in thirty minutes,” he says, “I’ll take you somewhere safe.”Rushing down the hall to my room, I pass the door to Kat’s. The door is cracked open, but the light is off. Hesitant, I open the door. Kat lays asleep on her cot, her thin cotton blanket pushed to the edge, leaving her without any cover. I gently pull the blanket back over her to make her more comfortable.When I kiss her forehead, she stirs, but doesn’t wake up.“I love you baby,” I whisper. My voice cracks, and I can feel the tears start to form in my eyes. “I’m so…so sorry.”Quickly, I run to my room, grab a black laundry sack, and fit anything I can inside. Clothes, a flashlight, an extra pair of shoes…that’s all I have to pack.I meet Daniel back at the parking lot of the warehouse, where he sits in the driver’s seat of Croft’s stolen truck.“You ready?” he asks.I take one final look back at the building behind me. Not for the Riot, not for Jacob, but for Kat. Every bone in my body is telling me to go back to her before it’s too late, to lay in bed with her, hold her in my arms and just forget everything else. But I can’t. I can’t forget everything else. I won’t let Jacob pull my strings anymore.“I’m ready,” I say, turning back to Daniel.He drives us into downtown and parks across from a stretch of stores, right in front of an empty alley. I see the street sign at the end: Milam Street. This is where Daniel was going this morning.“Follow me,” Daniel says, getting out of the car.He leads me right into the dirty alley between two stores, and I frown at him.“Dude, I already did the homeless thing. If this is your idea of hiding from Jacob—”Before I can finish my sentence, a bright flash of light throws me off. When the light dies down, a red door decorated with gold paint stands in front of us.“What the hell?!”“Come on,” Daniel urges, opening the door.Inside is…a forest? Tall green trees tower above us. The night sky, no longer dulled by light pollution, is covered with millions of stars. When I look back over at Daniel, the door behind us disappears.“What is this place?” I ask him.“My real home,” he says, “let’s go, we’ve got to walk a little bit.”It’s not long into our walk before a cabin comes into view. Daniel and I head up the porch steps, my eyes wide and curious. Daniel opens the front door to the cabin, and I follow him inside. The wooden interior is rustic and cozy. It would look like a typical vacation home had I not just magically stepped through a garbage-filled alley to get here.Before I have the chance to take in more of my surroundings, a red blur rushes in front of my face and whips up to my head. A stabbing pain pokes repeatedly at the top of my head.“Ah!”“Peck! Stop it!” Daniel says, flailing his arms above my head. “He’s a friend!”The red blur stops attacking me, and flies onto Daniel’s shoulder, revealing a little red bird with silver-tipped wings.“Sorry about him,” Daniel chuckles, “he’s protective of the cabin. My first time here when I was younger, he got me so badly that I was bleeding.”“What is he?” I ask, curiously.
“Peck is the cabin’s Guardian, like me,” he answers, “but he’s kind of like the owner, where I’m just a manager.”“And his name is ‘Peck’?” I ask, raising an eyebrow at him.“Well, yeah, because…” he gestures to me, still rubbing my head with my hand, “that’s what he does. Also, I was ten, so back off.”He laughs, heading to the kitchen to get me an ice pack.I follow him.“How…how is this possible?”Daniel just shrugs. “Honestly that’s not an easy answer. My mom showed me this place before she died.”I nod solemnly. Kat has talked to me about her mom plenty of times. I remember now that she did mention Daniel’s constant disappearances starting after she died. Now I know why.“Won’t Jacob find us here?” I ask.“Nah, the entrance only opens for Guardians, and I’m the only one. That means you’ll need my help getting in and out of here. I’ll be your human house key.”“That’s fine,” I chuckle, “I’m not planning on leaving.”Daniel hands me the ice pack and frowns.“You’re not a prisoner,” he says, “you can do whatever you want.”“I’m a dead man hiding from Jacob Reeves. I can’t show my face outside again,” I point out.I rest the ice pack on my head and groan.“Why would you trust me with this?” I ask.Daniel sighs.“You’re a good guy, Kyle. I watched you put that gun away, it was amazing.” he says.I scoff. “I was a coward.”He puts a hand on my shoulder.“You were strong.”
Later, Daniel shows me to a spare bedroom. I crash on the bed almost immediately, engulfing myself in the soft blue comforter, but it takes me a while to actually fall asleep.My mind drifts to Kat. I left her. She’s going to wake up in the morning, search the entire warehouse for me, and find nothing. She’s going to be devastated.I hate that I did this to her. Just thinking about it makes my stomach twist. I know I did the right thing. I didn’t let Jacob control me, I’m finally free. But the price for that freedom was too much.My chest feels heavy with the crushing weight of regret. I never meant to hurt her, but what choice did I have?Who am I kidding? I could’ve stayed! Or brought her with me! I never should’ve just left.But would she have come? Would Kat have understood my decision? She didn’t seem to understand very well on the bridge…I roll onto my side, facing the view of the mysterious woods outside of my window. Tears start to form in my eyes as I imagine the look on Kat’s face tomorrow when I’m not there.“Kat, baby…” I let out, “I love you. I’m so sorry…”The tears fall, no matter how hard I try to hold them back.She wouldn’t have come with me, that’s just the truth. She’s held up in her father’s world. Trapped, like I was.But I made it out. And someday, Kat will too, I’ll make sure of it. Jacob won’t keep his grip on her for long.I close my eyes, trying desperately to quiet my thoughts and find sleep. Eventually, the tears run out, and I drift off.