When Lucas came to, the first thing he felt wasn't pain.
It was the smell.
Dampness. Iron. Something old… forgotten.
As if that place had been abandoned for years — but still held everything that had happened inside it.
He tried to move, but his body responded with delay. His wrists were tied behind the chair, tight enough to cut off circulation. His legs too. No space. No control.
He took a deep breath, trying to keep his head together.
— Noah… — his voice came out low, hoarse.
For a second, nothing happened.
Then, a sound.
A slight dragging.
— I'm… here… — the reply came weak, almost breaking halfway through.
Lucas turned his head with difficulty. Noah was a few meters to the left, tied the same way, his head hanging forward. There was dried blood on the side of his face.
— Are you okay? — Lucas asked, even knowing the answer didn't matter.
Noah let out a short, humorless laugh.
— Depends… is this a normal kidnapping or are we about to die?
Lucas didn't answer. Because, for the first time since everything began…
He didn't know.
Silence returned, filling the space between them, heavy, uncomfortable. But it didn't last long.
A metallic sound echoed from the other side of the room.
The door.
Both of them looked at the same time.
It opened slowly.
And he walked in.
Unhurried.
As if that place belonged to him.
As if all of that… had been planned a long time ago.
— Finally awake — he said, closing the door behind him.
His voice was calm. Stable.
Wrong.
Lucas felt his whole body lock, but kept his gaze steady.
— You did all this for what? — he asked. — To watch us suffer?
He didn't answer right away. He walked to the center of the room, looking around like someone revisiting an old place.
— Funny… — he murmured. — I remember this being smaller.
Lucas frowned.
— What are you talking about?
His gaze returned, slow.
— You really don't recognize it?
That hit differently.
Lucas looked around.
The walls.
The concrete floor.
The dark stain in the corner.
And then…
It came back.
A snap in his memory.
— No… — he whispered.
Noah lifted his head, confused.
— What?
Lucas didn't answer.
Because now he knew.
— It was here… — he said quietly.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
— Yes.
The air grew heavier.
Harder to breathe.
— We brought him here — Lucas continued, almost without realizing he was speaking out loud.
Flash.
Rain.
Shaking hands.
A body being dragged.
— You remember — he said, satisfied.
— Not everything… — Lucas replied. — But enough.
He nodded, as if that was exactly what he expected.
— Then you must also remember… — he took another step forward — …how you left me here.
Silence.
Noah looked between them, trying to understand.
— Wait… this place… was where—
— Where you decided I wasn't worth the effort — he finished.
The sentence wasn't said with anger.
It was worse.
It was said with certainty.
Lucas clenched his fists.
— We thought you were dead.
— No — he replied, simply. — You wanted to believe that.
That hit deeper than any scream.
— You don't understand… — Lucas tried.
— I understand perfectly.
Now there was something different in his voice.
Something darker.
— I understand what it's like to open your eyes… — he continued — …and not be able to move.
Noah fell completely silent.
— I understand what it's like to try to scream… and no one hears you.
One step.
Closer.
— I understand what it's like to realize… that no one came back.
Lucas looked away for a second.
And that was enough.
— Look at me — he said.
Lucas did.
— I stayed here.
Silence.
— Alone.
The weight of that dropped between them.
Too heavy to ignore.
— For hours.
Another silence.
— Maybe longer.
Lucas swallowed hard.
— And when I managed to stand up…
He stopped.
As if choosing each word.
— I wasn't the same anymore.
The air turned cold.
— What do you want? — Lucas asked, more quietly now.
This time, he answered without hesitation.
— Justice.
Noah let out a nervous laugh.
— That's not justice, man. That's madness.
He looked at Noah for the first time.
And smiled.
— It hasn't started yet.
That made Lucas's stomach turn.
— Where's Emily? — he asked suddenly.
A small silence.
Then—
— On her way.
Lucas felt his heart race.
— You're not going to—
— I don't need to do anything — he cut in. — You're going to do it for me.
— What are you talking about?
He took a step back, moving toward the door.
— You're going to destroy each other.
His hand stopped on the doorknob.
— Like you always have.
And then—
The door opened.
A figure was pushed inside.
Emily.
She stumbled, almost falling, but managed to steady herself.
Her eyes met Lucas's immediately.
— Lucas…
Her voice failed.
— It's okay — he said, even without knowing if it was true.
Behind her, the door closed again.
And he stayed there.
Watching.
Like someone who had finally started the game.
🖤 Poem — Lucas
I thought the past was buried
just another broken part of me
but ghosts don't stay forgotten
they wait… patiently
and the night we left behind
is where we're meant to be