Loyal Lies

The gentle hum of the car had lulled me to sleep until my head bumped against the window.

"Ouch!"

"I apologize for waking you, milady," Silas's voice was unusually tense. "I need you to do something for me."

"W-what is it?" 

"Please make sure your seatbelt is secure and hold on tight. We're about to have a bumpy ride." 

That's when I realized the car was moving faster than usual.

The sound of a bullet hitting the glass made my heart stop. The bulletproof window held firm, but that's when reality struck me.

Three black sedans were chasing us, and two men leaned out of their windows with guns pointed at us.

"Silas?" My hands trembled as I gripped the seat. "What's happening?"

"Please stay calm, milady." I expected an explanation but his response only made me feel more confused.

"Are you for real?! How could I possibly stay calm when there are people with guns chasing us?" 

It felt like we were in some sort of Fast and Furious movie, racing for our lives. My heart was pounding so hard I could barely breathe. Every turn, every second, felt like we were about to crash or get shot. I couldn't even make sense of it all!

Then I saw Silas pressed a button on the steering wheel. A phone dial tone filled the car. "This is Silas Sinclair. Code Red. Sector 7. Requesting immediate backup."

Another shot rang out that made me screamed. Then in one fluid motion, Silas rolled down his window and pulled out a gun. A real gun. With his eyes still on the road, he fired once. The lead car's tire exploded and It spun out of control.

But the chaos didn't stop. Two cars remained, one pulling up on the left and the other on the right. They were boxing us in and forcing us away from the main roads toward the industrial district.

The cold reality hit me when more cars appeared ahead of us. Silas had to brake hard.

Oh God. We're fucking surrounded and there's nowhere to run.

Men got out from their vehicles. They're carrying guns, baseball bats, and knives glinting in the streetlights.

I glanced at Silas to see any reaction, but the calmness in his expression only made everything feel worse. It was like he knew exactly how this was going to play out.

"Milady," Silas's voice was low but deadly serious. "When I exit this car, I want you to close your eyes. No matter what you hear, no matter what happens, do not open them. And do not leave this car. Do you understand?"

"Are you out of your mind?" The words tumbled out before I could stop them. "There's too many of them, Silas!" 

I know that it's his job to protect me. But for some reason, I don't want him to throw his life away. Not for me.

"Milady–"

"Don't go, please." I grabbed his arm. My fingers dug into his skin, desperate and clinging. "They'll kill you."

For the first time, I saw something in his eyes I'd never seen before. A hardness. A dangerous glint that seemed completely at odds with the gentle butler I knew. "I need you to trust me, Aurora."

It was the first time Silas had called me by my name. It should've made my heart flutter. It should've made me smile. But all I felt was fear.

What followed was the longest minutes of my life. I squeezed my eyes shut as Silas's door opened and closed. I started hearing Gunshots, grunts, the sickening crunch of bones, and bodies hitting metal. Something slammed against the car that made me jumped. I pressed my hands over my ears, but I could still hear it all. The violence. The fighting.

"Please... please be safe." My tears started falling with the thought that Silas was out there alone. Fighting for me. 

After what felt like an eternity, everything went silent. A deafening silence that made my ears ring. My heart pounded so hard I could hear it in my ears. I was too scared to open my eyes, afraid of what I might see. The silence stretched on until I heard a familiar voice.

"Little one?"

I slowly opened my eyes, unsure if I was hearing things. But no, grandfather is really here.

"Please open the door, dear."

The moment I stepped out, he pulled me into a tight embrace. His arms trembled as he held me.

"Oh, thank God. My poor girl." His voice cracked with relief. I could feel his fear in every word.

Everything felt surreal. Like I was walking through a nightmare. My grandfather's men moved around us in a blur, efficiently cleaning up the scene. Bodies lay scattered on the ground, and none of them moving. My mind couldn't process what had happened. The night had started so normally. How did we end up here?

Then I saw Silas. He's standing a few feet away from me. I could see the blood staining his pristine suit and cuts marking his face. He stared at me with unfamiliar eyes. They're dark and distant.

I wanted to run to him, to make sure he was okay but something held me back. The gentle butler I knew seemed to have vanished, replaced by someone I didn't recognize at all.

I looked at the bodies being carried away. Ten armed men. Had Silas really taken them all down by himself? The thought seemed impossible.

My eyes drifted back to Silas. Had Grandfather hired him knowing what he was capable of? Had every cup of tea he'd served, every door he'd opened, every gentle smile been a cover for this darkness? A butler who could turn a street into a massacre site in minutes.