Protection Program • Run or die

chapter 4

Andrew finished his lunch and looked down at the empty plate. He had been there now for over a day and Social Services had left just before he got his lunch. They were still trying to find out where he had come from. Andrew didn't say anything, he was still to scared to even think about going back to his Aunt and Uncles home. He had no doubt that he would be punished badly for what had happened, even though he couldn't control it.

Andrew put aside the tray and looked around the room he was in. He was still surprised to be in there, especially after the police had finished their talk with him. He thought he would be in a ward when everything was over, but that hadn't happened. Andrew was beginning to get a little bored, there was nothing for him to do, he wasn't into watching TV like a lot of teens, he preferred to read.

Andrew frowned as he heard some voices in the hallway, it wasn't often that he heard someone, mostly he just heard footsteps going to and fro outside his door. Andrew carefully got out of the bed, and went over, glad that he was no longer hooked up to an IV. He slowly opened the door and looked out. He could see a young woman talking to a man. The man turned a little and Andrew froze.

Andrew backed from the door and closed it softly as he could and then looked around his room frantically. He needed to hide, he needed to be invisible. He wished he had his cloak, but he had no idea how to unshrink his trunk that was in his pocket. His wand was safely tucked away with his clothes in the little bedside table. He went over and changed into them. He made his bed up to make it look like he was sleeping. He would have no choice but to make a run for it, and he needed to delay the man as much as he could to have a head start.

The door to the room opened and the man walked in. Andrew watched and waited for the best time and as soon as the man was near the bed. Andrew made his move he slipped from the table and out of the still open door and began to run from the room. He went up stairs and through corridors. Not caring where he went as long as he could hide and get away from the man that was after him. Andrew couldn't go no further after a while, his body protesting each and every movement. He slipped into one of the room, looking like a classroom. He chose one of the desks at the back and ducked under it and settled down, pulling the stools in front of him so he could remain hidden.

It was an hour later that the door to the room opened and someone walked in. Andrew froze once again and moved a little, knocking into one of the stools.

"Hello," came a friendly voice as it called out. Footsteps neared where Andrew was hiding and a friendly face came into view, "What are you doing here?" he said with a shake of his head, moving the stools out of the way and getting a look at the teen, "I think you need to go back to your room, you don't look well. I'll call someone to come and get you, just tell me your name."

"No, please no, I can't. If I go there then he'll find me, he'll kill me, I know he will. He did it to the others as well," Andrew said as he shook his head, begging the man not to call anyone to come and get him.

"It's all right, no one will get you," he said, "I'm Mike, and you are?" he asked.

"I'm Andrew, but please don't," he said as he began to explain what had happened, going through what he had seen in the alley, to the fact that he saw the man in the hospital and that he was looking for him, "I need to find them, to tell them that I saw him again," he finished softly.

"Who is it you want to talk to?" Mike asked, wondering if there was someone that he would be able to contact to come and see the child to help him.

"Erick and Ana, I talked with them, and they came with me here. Then I talked to the Detective man, Jacob I think?" he said as he tried to remember if he got the name right.

Mike nodded, "all right then, I'll see about trying to get in touch with them, since I know who they all are," he told him a smile on his face, "now why don't you come and sit down for a while."

Andrew went with him over to his desk and sat down. He was about to say something when he heard a noise from outside of the room. The door to the next room opened and they could hear someone walking out. Andrew's instincts told him that it was the man, and he learned to trust them over the years. He looked around for somewhere to hide. Mike moved and let him hide under his desk, since there was a back to it so no one could look, and it reached the floor so there would be no way to tell that someone was under there.

Mike sat back down and pulled out some of his work and started it, making sure that it looked like he had been there for a while. The door to the next room opened and closed and then his opened. A tall man walked in and smiled to Mike.

"Hi, have you seen a kid, black hair, rather messy," he said as he recalled the picture that the nurse had showed him, "My little brother has run off from his room again, wondering if he came to hide here?"

"I'm sorry but I haven't. I've been in here for most of the day and the door was locked before I got here," he said with a small smile.

"I'll just have a look around if you don't mind," the man nodded and quickly looked around the room and then left with a, "thanks for letting me look," tossed over his shoulder.

Mike waited until he couldn't hear the man before he moved and let Andrew out. He pulled out his phone and tried to call Erick and Ana, but didn't get any answer. He sighed and then called Lestrade, telling him that he should come to his classroom. It was twenty minutes before Jacob walked through the doors and was told what had happened. Mike checked Andrew over once more saying that he was all right to go, just to make sure to feed him.

Jacob took Andrew from Bart's, not signing him out, as he didn't want a trail left behind that someone could trace. He had no clue as to what he should do, Andrew was a witness, and it looked like the killer knew about him thanks to someone leaking that there was one to the papers that morning. Jacob arrived at New Scotland Yard and led Andrew to his office.

"I have no idea what I should do, social services need to be told," he said to the teen as he sat down at his desk.

"Don't, I'm all right to sleep here, please," he said with an earnest look on his face.

Jacob sighed, "fine, I'll have something ordered in for us to eat, since I have a few things to finish before I can go home. I have a sofa that you can use I suppose, for the night at least."

Andrew smiled to him and nodded, "thank you sir," he told him, grateful that he would be somewhat safe that night.

Jacob smiled back to him and ordered them something to eat, and he went and got it, leaving Andrew in the office. They ate and Andrew settled down on the sofa, he fell into an uneasy sleep. Lestrade sat at his desk watching him as he began to do a little paper work himself. There was a lot of it, and some for the case that Andrew was involved with. He would need to see if he could get the CCTV footage from the hospital and see if they could find the killer on it, get a picture circulated out there and hope someone would be able to recognise him.

He yawned as he carried on working, he was making good head way and promised himself that if he finished his next report he would reward himself with a hot cup of coffee and a couple of biscuits. He didn't realise that his body was slowly slowing down. His eyes closed and his head fell against his desk as he slept there once more. The two of them were ignorant to the world around them as they slept.