Leave Me Alone, Big Brothers! [BL]-Chapter 95: A Brother in the Dark

Zane felt his body tense up. He was too shocked and scared to think straight. He didn’t want his father to see him like this. He pulled Nathan past the nearest shipping container.

Lucas looked at the area where everyone had quickly fled. Several cars were still left behind. He saw that his girlfriend and friends were no longer there.

He didn’t want to cause any unnecessary trouble. It would be a waste of time if he got caugh, Alexander would certainly not be happy to receive a phone call from the police.

He ran behind the container with Zane and Nathan.

The light from the police car headlights made the atmosphere incredibly tense.

"Search every corner!" a command echoed.

Zane felt his chest pounding. He pulled Nathan into a container. Seeing Lucas following, he clicked his tongue and pulled him in as well, worried they would be spotted.

Lucas was startled to feel his body fall inside. Nathan felt his stomach tighten as the nausea grew stronger.

Zane took out his inhaler and took a deep breath.

A moment later, he felt his body being pushed against the wall of the container. "Shit!"

"Damn! I have to get out!" Lucas cursed, panicking.

The darkness made it impossible for him to think clearly. He pushed against the container door, pulling at it frantically.

"Get me out!" he shouted, his voice rising in panic.

Zane was shocked, as was Nathan. They were afraid Lucas’s voice would give them away.

"Ssshhh!" Zane whispered, pulling Lucas back.

But to his surprise, he heard Lucas groaning like a wounded animal, accompanied by panicked whimpers. His hands continued to pull at the container door, trying to open it.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" Zane snapped, but then he heard Lucas crying. He wasn’t sure in the darkness, but he clearly heard the arrogant young man sobbing.

"Please, get me out of here!" Lucas shouted, panicked.

The sound of Lucas’s nails scraping against the rusted metal walls created a piercing, hollow screech that echoed inside the box. The air was thick with the smell of old iron and stale dust.

"Salazar! Shut up! They’re going to hear us!" Zane hissed, his own breath coming in ragged hitches as he pressed his back against the vibrating metal wall.

He tried to open the container door but was shocked to find it stuck. He pulled and pushed, but it wouldn’t budge.

"Shit!" he cursed.

Meanwhile, Lucas beside him continued to push wildly.

"What’s wrong with you?!"

But Lucas was not the usual Lucas Salazar. The arrogant, untouchable Lucas Salazar had vanished, replaced by a trembling mess of a human being. His breathing came in short, jagged gasps that sounded like a dying animal. He didn’t care about the police outside anymore.

"Let me out! Please... let me out! I can’t breathe! The door... open the door!" Lucas’s voice broke, a raw, primal sob tearing from his throat.

He threw his entire body weight against the heavy container door, his hands fumbling blindly for a handle that wasn’t there. "Get me out of here! Please! I’ll be good, I promise! Just open the door!"

Nathan froze in the corner. His own nausea was forgotten, replaced by a cold wave of horror. He had never seen anyone, let alone his brother, look so utterly destroyed.

Nathan grabbed his cell phone and turned on the flashlight, illuminating the inside of the container.

Lucas frantically grabbed the phone as it was his lifeline.

Zane stood frozen in place. For the first time, he saw another side of Lucas. The young man was in tears, his hands trembling as he continued to pull and push at the door in front of him.

"Hey! Are you okay?!" Zane asked, his voice softening this time.

Lucas didn’t answer. He looked desperate, recoiling as if he’d been burned, his head thudding against the metal wall, thud, thud, thud, as he began to claw at his own throat.

Nathan moved closer, patting his brother on the shoulder. "Hey—"

Lucas clutched the cell phone tightly. He muttered incoherently and crouched in the corner near the door. "Don’t touch me! Don’t lock it! It’s too dark! It’s too dark!"

Zane stared through the gloom, his eyes wide. He fumbled for his inhaler, taking a sharp hit of medicine, his mind racing. He had spent his life hating the Salazars for their perceived perfection, but the sound coming from Lucas right now was anything but perfect. It was like the sound of a child being tortured.

"Is he... is he serious?" Zane whispered, his voice trembling with a rare flash of uncertainty. He saw Lucas sobbing and trembling, yet still clutching the phone tightly as if afraid the light would disappear.

Outside, the sweep of a high-powered flashlight cut through the thin gap in the door, casting a single, sharp line of light across the floor. For a split second, the light hit Lucas’s eyes. They were blown wide, his pupils tiny pinpricks of pure, unadulterated terror.

"Here!" Lucas shouted, banging on the door again to get attention. He didn’t care if he had to deal with the police, he had to get out immediately.

"Please, help! Don’t leave me in here. I’ll be a good boy. Please... open the door!" His voice was desperate.

Nathan felt a sharp ache in his chest when he heard his brother’s voice. He wanted to see it as something ridiculous, but seeing how Lucas was trembling, scared, and panicking, it was clear that this situation was deeply traumatic for him.

Zane looked down. He gave up this time. Perhaps it was time to finally end his father’s care. He was sure that after this, his father would never look at him the same way again.

The sound of metal creaking could be heard. Several people were talking in front of the container.

Then someone kicked the heavy door open.

The light from the police floodlights hit them like a physical blow, cold, white, and blinding. Lucas practically fell out of the container, his hands slapping against the cold, snowy ground. He didn’t run. He didn’t hide. He just stayed there on his hands and knees, sobbing and gulping down the night air as if it were oxygen after a lifetime underwater.

"OVER HERE! WE FOUND THEM!" a shout rang out.

Footsteps thundered toward them. Nathan stepped out, standing over Lucas, his eyes defiant even as the red and blue lights blurred his vision. He didn’t care that they were caught.

He seemed dazed as he reached out to embrace the limp, trembling form of Lucas.