Escaped

Chapter 13

Escaped: Chapter 13

A/N: Sorry, this one is kind of long!

I took off running.

I didn't know where I was going, I just needed to get away.

From everything. From everyone.

"Shit!" I heard someone call behind me.

Then I heard them running after me.

I didn't care. I didn't care who it was, I didn't care what happened next. I just ran.

I felt strong arms wrap around my waist, immobilizing me.

They spun me around and I saw it was Liam. I panicked.

"I'm sorry," I sobbed pushing him.

I continued flailing and saying it over and over again.

"Please, I'm sorry."

"Shh! It's okay, love. It's okay," he said pulling me into his chest.

"I'm sorry," I said again, feebly.

"Stop saying that," he said sternly. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

"You're not?" I sniffed.

He turned me so I was facing him.

"No, Charlotte. I'm not going to hurt you."

I tried to walk but my legs started wobbling so he picked me up bridal style and carried me back to the cabin.

I kept my head in his chest and he kept stroking my hair.

We walking inside and everyone turned to look at us.

Liam nodded, telling them everything was okay. Hesitantly, everyone turned back to the game. Except Eleanor.

"Is she okay?" She asked quietly.

Liam nodded again and took me down the hall to my room where he set me on my bed.

"You sent a ransom note," I mumbled.

"Yeah," he said. "We did."

He turned to leave but I grabbed his hand.

"Liam?"

"Yeah?"

"What did Louis mean when he said that I didn't know? About my dad?"

Liam sighed.

"It's complicated."

"Tell me."

He just looked at me for a second and then he sat down on the bed.

I sat up next to him.

"Listen. I'm not sure how much you know about your father-"

"I know all about my dad," I interrupted. Liam just looked at me and I shut up.

"Go on."

"When your dad is at work, he's different than the Benjamin Hale you know," he said.

I looked at him, confused, but I didn't say anything.

He continued.

"You're dad isn't exactly... Straight."

I looked at him with a horrified look on my face.

He laughed. "Not like that!"

But then he got serious again.

"I mean, he took bribes. If you had a beef with someone, they'd slip Warden Hale some cash or pass him some cigs and he'd make sure you got the chance to wail on 'em without getting interrupted."

I stared at him, in shock.

"And sometimes, if you really had a problem with them, he'd make sure they got taken care of."

I didn't have to ask what that meant.

"Well, someone had an issue with Niall's cell mate. They got some cash to your dad and he was going to take care of it. He asked Niall to do it because it'd be pretty easy for him to, you know, smother him in his sleep, or something."

I nodded.

"Well, Niall refused."

I looked up at him, confused as ever.

"Hey," he said with a chuckle. "We may have killed people but never without a reason. We don't just walk around shooting everyone dead."

I looked down at my hands.

"Oh."

"Anyways, Hale didn't like that very much. Nobody refused him. He took care of his cell mate and the next day when Niall was assigned to laundry duty, Hale locked him in there while he, and few other wardens, beat the shit out of him. He was in the infirmary for three weeks and nearly died."

Tears began to fill my eyes.

But Liam wasn't done.

"And when the wardens would get bored, he'd organize fights out in the yard, collecting the bets and-"

"Stop!" I said. Tears were pouring down my cheeks.

I buried my face into Liam's neck.

"Just stop," I sobbed.

He held me and whispered, "I'm so sorry, Char. I know you thought you knew him."

I nodded and wiped my eyes on my sleeves.

The door opened and Niall walked in.

"Hey, man," he said. "Is everything alright-"

I stood up and threw my arms around him, crying.

He slowly patted my back, looking extremely bewildered.

Liam mouthed "tell you later," over my shoulder and Niall nodded.

"It's alright, love," he told me.

But in reality, it wasn't.

My dad was this sick man whom I had never know and I was finding more comfort in One Direction than I was my own father. How was everything alright?