BURIED IN THE BLOODLINE

Chapter 2

Louis pov

My breath caught in my throat, my hands trembling violently. *No, no, no.* I’d killed him. He was going to die, and I was going to prison.

I watched Zayn land at the bottom of the staircase, his leg twisted at an unnatural angle as blood pooled on the hard floor. I scrambled down the steps to his side, met instantly by his wide, horrified eyes.

“Zayn, stay with me, please!” I sobbed, my hands hovering over him, terrified to touch him. “Don’t close your eyes—I did this for us!”

“Why—why?” His voice cracked, weak and raw with betrayal. “I trusted you...”

Those words shattered whatever was left of me.

“I’m sorry, please,” I pleaded through blinding tears. “Just stay awake. Look at me!”

Fumbling with my phone, I dialed 911 with slick, bloody fingers.

“911, what is your emergency?”

“It’s my friend!” I choked out, the words tumbling over each other. “He fell down the stairs—there’s so much blood! He’s not moving right, please hurry!”

“Sir, take a deep breath. I need your address.”

I blurted out the address, then panicked. I dashed upstairs, shoved a few random clothes into a bag, and bolted back down. I crouched near him, counting his shallow breaths until the faint wail of sirens cut through the night. Heart pounding, I slipped out through the back window and ran, the cold air burning my lungs.

From the shadows down the street, I watched the paramedics load him onto a stretcher while officers started cordoning off the area. Then I saw my brother Bryan pull up, his face set in a cold, terrifying mask. I couldn’t stay. If I stayed, everyone I loved would get dragged down with me. Sick with guilt, I turned away, my chest aching for the friend I had just destroyed.

I stumbled into a dark alley, too consumed by my own nightmare to notice the shadows closing in around me. By the time the hair on the back of my neck stood up, it was too late. A sudden wave of freezing air hit me—followed by a brutal blow to the back of my head.

I stared blindly into the dark as my knees buckled, and everything went black.

**Zayn’s POV**

My eyelids felt like lead. Voices floated around me—muffled, far away, calling my name. I tried to move my fingers, but my arms felt weighed down by cement.

*Ping. Ping. Ping.*

Where was I?

“He’s coming round,” a voice said sharply as a blinding beam of light flashed across my eyes. “Zayn, can you hear me? Follow my light if you can.”

I rolled my eyes away from the glare, groaning. A sharp prick in my arm sent a cold wave through my veins, and the world dissolved back into dark.

When I woke again, harsh afternoon light poured through the blinds. Figures stood gathered around the foot of the bed: my mother, her eyes swollen and red; my father, holding her tightly; Bryan; Jake; and Louis’s parents.

“What happened at the house?” Bryan demanded, stepping forward. His voice wasn’t soft—it was tight, sharp, dropping into that commanding edge he used when he was losing control.

“Bryan, back off,” his mother warned softly, catching his sleeve. “Look at him, he barely knows where he is.”

“I don’t care, Mom! Louis hasn’t answered his phone since yesterday!” Bryan snapped, his voice cracking with strain. “I need to know what happened!”

*Louis.*

The name hit me like a slap. The fog in my brain cleared instantly, replaced by a sudden, violent heat.

“He pushed me,” I rasped. Then, louder, tearing my dry throat: “He pushed me down the stairs!”

The room went dead silent. The air vanished from the space between us.

Louis’s mother took a slow step forward, her lower lip trembling. “Zayn... sweetie, what are you saying? He’s your best friend. Why would he ever—”

“I know it’s hard, but think carefully,” Bryan interrupted, stepping closer, his voice dropping into an unnatural, forced calm. “Zayn... tell me exactly what happened.”

I took a shaky breath, forcing the pieces together. “He texted me. Told me to come over at eight. When I got there, he was acting twitchy... weird. He said he had a surprise for me. He told me to close my eyes, blindfolded me... and then he shoved me.”

The memory of air rushing past me—the sickening crack—flooded back. I reached down under the blanket to feel my legs, but my hands couldn't find them. I pressed down harder. Nothing.

“Mom?” Panic spiked in my chest as I looked at her. “Mom, why can’t I feel my legs?”

She bit her lip and turned her head away, a fresh wave of tears spilling over. I turned to my dad. Then to Bryan. No one would look at me.

“Answer me!” I screamed, my voice breaking. “Why can’t I feel my f*****g legs?!”

My mother let out a strangled sob. Dad swallowed hard, his eyes bloodshot as he stepped up to the edge of the bed.

“Son...” Dad whispered, his voice shaking so badly he could barely get the words out. “The fall... it broke your spine. The doctor says... you won’t be able to walk again.”

I gripped the metal bedrails so hard my knuckles turned white. “You’re lying. Stop lying to me! I was walking fine yesterday! What do you mean I’m never going to walk again?!”

I shook my head, a harsh, panicked laugh ripping out of my throat. “This is a joke, right? Is this a sick joke? Tell me you're joking!”

The laugh turned into an ugly, breathless sob. I thrashing against the mattress, pulling at the IV lines as my chest clamped shut. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't breathe.

“Get the nurse!” Dad yelled, reaching out to pin my shoulders down. “Get the doctor in here now!”

I kept fighting, kicking blindly with my upper body, screaming until my vision went spotty. Then came the cold sting in my neck. The room tilted sideways, the shouting faded to a low hum, and the darkness pulled me back down.

As my mind slipped away, one single thought burned through the haze:

*You’re dead to me, Louis. I swear to God, I will make you pay for this.*