┏━━━━━❂❂━━━━━┓

┗━━━━━❂❂━━━━━┛

✧.* C H A P T E R     S I X *.✧

"...I'll take you somewhere safe..."

┏━━━━━❂❂━━━━━┓

TW - THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS GRAPHIC DEPICTIONS OF BODY GORE

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

After what felt like an eternity of introductions, wherein Lloyd finally learnt the name of Lyra, he left after his phone buzzed and he excused himself. Apparently 'Ninja business' calls at all times of the day.

Misako left shortly after as well, promising to explain more to the still shocked and confused young mother. She had apologized profusely, claiming no ill intent to her weekly visits but rather a coincidence that this place just so happened to be her favorite joint that sells green tea. That and as the older woman knew Skylor, it was always a welcomed environment for her to regular.

Skylor also apologized for not telling Lyra at the time that she knew about Lloyd, but, like how the Green Ninja had asked the young mother to keep his secret identity a secret, so did the responsibly of that fall on Skylor. Lyra made it clear she wasn't mad about the withholding of this information, understanding the risks it could bring the young mangers way.

She was just extremely tired after everything that had happened over the last 24 hours.

After the closing of the restaurant, Skylor booked both Lyra and Atlas a taxi, claiming she was in no way allowing the young mother and son to walk home alone again – not after yesterday's events. Lyra tried to prevent it, but in all honesty, she wasn't in the mood to walk back either, nor did she have the energy to fight it. And after promising to pay her friend back (and Skylor venomously denying it) she and Alas collapsed into the yellow automatic taxi.

The young boy was also tired, but not for the same reasons as his mother. After spending a few hours playing Minecraft, he had grown bored and asked Skylor if there was something he could do, to which she offered up a broom as a joke. Atlas, however, not understanding the anecdote and very eager to help out, took the brush and swept until his arms ached.

Lyra even had to wake the boy upon reaching their home.

But that was when something odd struck the young woman. Despite the restaurant being busy, not a single call was made to the phone all day, no one making a booking or calling to complain, and most startling of all, no screaming roommates demanding to know about the bloody mess in their living room. Lyra knew the older woman must have been home at least once in the span of the day, and it was simply impossible to miss the giant red stain over every item of furniture possible. And it wasn't like her roommate to not complain at the younger woman, she made it into a sport really. Anything she could find, Lyra's roommate would take the opportunity to yell and berate the young mother. At least this mistake, Lyra almost felt deserving of a yelling.

However, for this reason and this alone, she hesitated to enter her building.

The cold night air blew her hair upwards and following the strands, she glanced up to her window. The light was on. Someone was home, but then why hadn't her roommate taken the opportunity to yell at her down the phone? It was so out of character that Lyra suddenly felt uneasy about entering her apartment.

But when AJ shivered in the autumn wind, she bit the bullet and headed inwards. Past the once again snoozing security guard and up the urine smelling stairs, all the way until the third floor came into view.

Lyra could see the note she had left on the door was gone.

That made her feel even more apprehensive.

In fact, she felt so concerned as to what was behind that door, that she had Atlas sit in the corridor a few meters away, the green mask still clutched in his hands. She figured that she would go in first do a once over of the room then usher her son through into their shared room with the mask on to conceal his eyes from the sight. She just had to do a reccy of the place beforehand. It would sooth her worried and anxieties.

After sending one last look at Atlas who happily played with the green mask in his hands, Lyra placed her key in the lock and cautiously opened the door. Every light in the room was on, even the one above the hob on the extractor fan. This was her second clue that something was off. Her roommate was a stickler for conserving energy and money, using this as an excuse to yell at both Lyra and Atlas when they left one on by accident.

Lyra took one last look towards Atlas before walking into the apartment. The large red stains were still the first thing her eyes were drawn to, a frustrated frown appearing on her face at the sight. But she quickly forgot about that as she stepped further in.

Everything seemed okay, but the nagging feeling in her chest didn't let up for a second, even after she had done a once over of the bathroom and her room. Checking the closets and under the bed, but nothing was amiss.

She now stood back in front of the blood stains in the middle of the living room/ kitchen space. She sighed and went over to the front door, about to allow Atlas to enter when another thought struck her.

She hadn't checked her roommate's room.

It was made abundantly clear from the get-go that neither she nor Atlas were ever permitted to enter her room under any circumstances, and Lyra had upheld her promise not to do so. She hadn't even seen inside the room, hadn't seen the color or layout, or even if it was bigger than her own. This was just out of respect for privacy and as far as Lyra was concerned, her roommate hadn't entered her room either. But now things were different.

It was clear someone had been in their apartment since she had left for work. The lights being on was the main give away, and the fact that if it was her roommate then she would have either gotten an angry call at Chen's or she would have stormed out of her room upon hearing Lyra get back. But as neither had happened, Lyra took it upon herself to investigate.

And besides, there was no way she was letting Atlas inside this apartment until she had checked every nook and cranny.

Lyra changed directions from the front door, back to the small hallway that contained both doors to the bedrooms and toilet. Her hand hovered over the handle, slightly panicked that if her roommate was indeed in there (while highly improbable) she would no doubt be kicked out. But after a second of hyping herself up, Lyra put pressure on the handle until the door slowly opened.

It was dark inside, but with no angry roommate charging out or yelling, it was clear she wasn't in there. Lyra took a step into the room, her hand feeling for a light switch but coming up empty handed. She sighed, walking back into the kitchen to grab a torch and re-entering the room.

At first the torch didn't work. Lyra had to stifle a groan, but after whacking it against her palm a few times, the beam of light suddenly shot out.

Every ounce of oxygen in Lyra lungs left her body.

The beam of light landed directly on her roommate's bed. A slumped form sat resting against the headboard, hands ties to the posts in tight circulation-cutting knots. It was her roommate – or at least what was left of her. She was nude, clothes tossed on the bed next to her. Her mouth had been extended at the sides, deep gashes like the joker from batman leaving streaks of dried blood trailing from the wounds. Nostrils split, hair pulled out, teeth missing. She had no feet; they were cut off down to the bone and tied around her neck with a piece of string like some offering.

She was dead. No doubt there.

Lyra's eyes trailed above the head board. Written in the red blood from her roommate read the words 'There was never enough time in this universe for a life born to time'. The same words that had been left in a note taped to her blanket the day she had been discarded at the orphanage.

She whimpered, dropping the torch as she stumbled back only to bump into a solid form standing behind her. The young woman whipped around, eyes wide and frightened as she faltered away from the form, her foot catching the torch and causing her to fall. Her ankle screamed in pain, but she wasn't focusing on that – instead she tried to crawl away from the person stood behind her.

Tears streamed from her eyes as the person crouched down in front of her, grabbing a hold of her wrists and forcing her eyes to meet his. Lyra saw the green first, the brilliant shade that washed away the darkness. The torch had somehow managed to land facing him, illuminating his face in the yellow glow.

Lloyd.

In the moment, Lyra didn't care that she didn't know anything about this man, she didn't care that they had only met 24 hours ago or that he was the cities savior and she didn't think twice about throwing her arms around his neck crying deeply into his shoulder as his stiff frame awkwardly tried to comfort her.

"You're okay." He whispered, not entirely sure how to ease this mother's trauma.

Lyra wept for ages. The fear and stress, not to mention that horror of the image of her roommate causing some deep emotions to bubble away at her exterior. She needed support and Lloyd just so happened to be the person closest. It also didn't hurt that he was the Green Ninja and could very easily protect herself and Atlas if anyone still lurked in the shadows of this room.

She didn't think as the reason for Lloyd's weird appearance at her house, that thought would come later when she had calmed down. For now, she was just thankful to have someone to hold her – albeit cumbersomely.

The young woman was never close with her roommate, far from it in fact, but it still affected her greatly at the sight of her mangled body. She was a human, maybe not a nice one, but no one deserved the fate she was given. Not even bullies.

"Come on," Lloyd mumbled after a beat, "I'll take you somewhere safe."

Lyra hadn't the strength to decline. Nor the energy to ask where because truthfully she didn't care. She felt utterly frozen, a shell of her former self. An imposter.

Until reality hit and her priorities snapped into focus, "Where's Atlas?" She demanded through sniffles as they exited the apartment to find the hallway empty.

Lloyd, who Lyra noted was in his ninja getup – bar the green hood that was push behind his head (A spare one?) placed a hand on her upper back guiding her forward, "He's safe, don't worry. Nya has him."

"Who?"

"A friend. I'll take you to see him now."

Lyra found herself trusting his words. He just radiated the stuff like a boy's locker room on a summer day.

She hadn't a clue as to where they were going. But again, she didn't care.

Her first priority was Atlas, and if Lloyd was taking her there, then she would follow him just about anywhere.