Just Keep Running

Chapter 16 No where left to run

TW: Mention of child death, Mention of death, death, Violence.

I felt Mom pull me behind her to try and hide me from Daniel as he was getting closer to us. When he got to us he stopped. "You know Annie, putting her behind you isn't gonna help her any." he said then looked at me then back at Mom. "Leave them alone Daniel. They have nothing to do with this." I hear Luke say. Daniel then turned around and looked at Luke with anger in his eyes. "Why the hell do you care so much Luke!? Because I'm actually related to them and I give a lot less of a damn about them then you do!" Daniel exclaimed then we heard grunting from outside the door and everyone saw Charlie walk into the doorway limping and holding his leg. "Charlie what the hell happened to you?" James said entering the apartment behind him. "Ask the kid. She's the one that did it. Oh, and Adam's dead by the way, just thought you should know." Charlie said going into the kitchen and wrapping a towel around his leg. Daniel then turned to me. "Maddie what did you do?" Daniel asked. "She doesn't have to answer you Daniel!" Mom exclaimed. "WOULD YOU SHUT THE HELL UP ANNIE!" Daniel yelled. I got pissed off. "First of all don't talk to her like that! Second yeah I killed Adam because he was being a dick you all have! And third yeah, I also stabbed Charlie." I said, sounding confident for once. I saw Luke chuckle and smile at me showing that he was proud. Daniel then walked over to me and grabbed my arm pulling me out from behind my mother. "You think you can talk to me like that?" Daniel stated, pissed off. "You know what yeah I do because you're not the boss of me so I don't have to do what you tell me to do and I never did." I responded cursing Daniel to slap me in the face hard. "I am the boss of you Maddie because I'm your father and you can't do anything about it." Daniel said to me through gritted teeth, before throwing me back to my mother and she pulled me back into her arms and hugged me. Out of the corner of my eye I see Luke slowly walking away from the group of men who were talking about what happened to Adam. "Are you okay?" Luke whispered to me when he got to us. "Yeah I'm okay for the most part." I responded even though it still hurt a lot. Luke smiles a bit then looks at Mom. "Annie are you alright?" Luke asks. "I'm more confused than anything right now. How the hell did he find us!" Mom exclaimed then whispered into Luke's ear "If something happens protect her." Luke nodded slightly. Daniel must've heard her question because he then stopped his conversation and looked at Mom while Luke was beside us. "I can tell you that Annie." Daniel cut in. "You see I never completely left, first of all I wasn't that far away I was just down the road to keep and eye on both of you and make sure that you didn't tell the cops or anyone about what I do for a job, also I knew about Maddie a long while ago just because I wasn't here physically doesn't mean I couldn't hear or see everything you were doing." He continued. "What do you want from us Daniel?" Mom asked with a harsh tone. "What I want is what I've wanted for years, maybe I want to spend time with my daughter that you've been keeping away from me her entire life, maybe I want to get back at Luke for making us lose our jobs, or maybe I want to kill you and Luke and take Maddie for myself then we could start our own gang again but this time it will be a father daughter thing and we can pass it down from generation to generation, or maybe I just want the goddamn money that I know Luke has hidden away from everyone. Or maybe I just want my old life back." He said finishing his statement. "That wasn't very specific Daniel." Charlie cut in. "Oh just shut the hell up Charlie." Daniel said then pulled a pistol out of his holster and shot Charlie in the head. Everyone just watched as Charlie's dead body hit the floor and the sound of the gunshot rang in my ears. We heard a neighbor come out of their apartment to see what all the commotion was and Daniel shot him dead too. Daniel then looked back at us unfazed by what he just did while Mom and I stood there in shock as he had now murdered someone in our kitchen and one of our neighbors. "Now that he's gone we don't have to worry about any liabilities anymore." Daniel said mostly to himself but everyone could hear him. "Except for you two." Daniel finished, then pointed a finger at Mom and I. "Daniel what the hell do you think you're doing at this rate all the cops in the city are gonna come and arrest you." Luke said, stepping out infront of Mom and I. "Well Luke in case you haven't noticed I don't care if the cops come and kill me right now because then I know that you would get arrested or killed too and Annie the same even though she technically didn't do much of anything wrong, and Maddie would probably be taken by child protective services and placed in a foster home or she would simply be taken away by one of my other buddies. It's like I said Luke I have eye's everywhere." Daniel said then the sound or police sirens came from the sound of traffic on the distant streets. "Don't do this Daniel please, you really think that what you're doing is right, don't you?" Luke said and stepped in front of Mom and I. "What I'm doing is right, Luke now get outta my way!" Daniel exclaimed as he pushed Luke harshly out of his way and grabbed Mom by the arm. "Get over here." He said as he brought her over to his side and was leading her out of the apartment. "It's okay Maddie." Mom said before she was dragged out of the apartment. "No Mom!" I yelled and started to run out after her but Luke grabbed and pulled me in for a hug. "Maddie I know it's hard but you gotta let her go okay? We'll get her back soon I promise. It'll only make it worse for you and her." Luke said calmly as the rest of the men left the apartment to try a leave before the cops came. I didn't say anything, I just sobbed silently as Luke rubbed my back in an attempt to calm me down. "What if they hurt her like they hurt me and you?" I asked looking up at Luke. He sighed and looked at me with tears in his eyes. "I-I don't know kiddo, but I know that if we leave now we can escape the cops and go and find Annie okay?" Luke said, looking down at me. "Okay." I responded, wiping my tears on the sleeve of my sweatshirt. "Alright, let's go." Luke said as we ran out of the apartment and down the street just in time for the police to come. They are going to be quite confused when they see 2 dead body's and no one there.

As Me and Luke run down the street with the very loud sound of sirens coming closer and closer trying to just follow Luke we turn down to another street we see 3 street cops coming our way. With quick thinking Luke grabs my hood and pulls it up over my head. "Don't look in their direction okay?" Luke says. "Alright." I whisper back. My heart pounding thinking back of the terrifying events of this week. As we walk past the officers one looks at me and Luke a little bit funny but I think he just brushed it off. As we walk through the streets, we are starting to gather with life as morning approaches. Luke and I secretly glancing at every person we pass by making sure that no one is a police officer or one or Daniel's associates. As soon as we make it to a part of town where we are alone I ask, "Where are we going Luke?" I say and keep walking down the street. "We are going somewhere that I should've taken you a while ago but I never thought I had to, or I wished I never would have to." He responded. "That's extremely vague." I say back, making him chuckle a bit. " You'll find out soon enough, don't worry, it's a cabin that I've had for years that I never use. I guess I just wanted to use it like a safe house if anything ever happened to me or my fam-" He started but then cut himself off and mumbled "Family." Under his breath. "What do you mean by family? I thought you didn't have one?" I ask, confused. Luke sighs and stops walking. I stopped with him. He looks at me and sighs again. "Maddie before I moved in next to you and your Mom I had a family. I had a beautiful wife, and a wonderful daughter. But at that time I was still working with your father which I now realize was the worst mistake of my life. I came home from work one day to find my wife dead in the living room and my daughter just barely alive." He sighed and wiped some tears that escaped his eyes away before continuing. "I rushed her to the hospital in hopes that they could save her but they couldn't. They tried everything but they could not save my daughter. One of the nurses that tried to help me was your mother. She seemed like the only person who really understood because at the time you were only around 2 years old." Luke said, wiping away more tears. "How old was your daughter?" I asked because I was curious. "She was 10 years old." He replied. "She told me who did it a few minutes before she died." He said. "Who did it?" I asked. "Your father. Daniel. And that son of a bitch didn't even have the guts to tell me! I had to hear it from my dying daughter!" Luke said, getting angry. "That's why I care so much about you and Annie because you both remind me of my wife and daughter and I am not gonna let the same man who killed my family kill you or Annie." He said before starting to walk again. "Come on, we have a long way to go." He said changing the subject. I just nodded and started walking again. "Just a bit farther." He said and we walked the rest of the way in silence. 

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