Chapter 183: You don’t know who you’re dealing with
"Go!" Roland said, calmly to Steven, holding the struggling man to the wall. "We’ll handle them!"
Even if he sounded calm, Roland was furious. How dare they lay their filthy hands on Olivia?
Steven didn’t hesitate. He bolted after the fading scent of the smoke, his body blurring as he sprinted past terrified families and down the winding avenues of Disneyland.
The park was alive with beauty, with lanterns strung overhead, lights glittering on rides, and cheerful music still playing faintly from a distant carousel.
This was the happiness of those who had not experienced the devastation yet.
And to Steven, it was a nightmare.
With every turn he made, every scent he caught seemed to vanish into the sea of bodies, food scent, and other things that could mask the scent of the one he was chasing. The mixing scent distorted his direction and before long, he lost them.
Down at the crossroads ahead, that swelled with people, laughter, and chatter, masking any trail he might have followed.
He stopped dead in the middle of it, his chest heaving loudly and strongly as he looked around with his wild eyes.
There was no trace of them left. He turned and turned and turned and everything seemed to be a nightmare taunting him. This happy land...
And then, his rage exploded.
With a heinous growl, Steven slammed his foot into the pavement. The ground cracked under the force and the people; families nearby shrieking at the sudden quake.
’What’s going on?’ they wondered.
’Did he just break the pavement with a kick?’
’Is he mad?’
They were talking here and there not knowing what this man was going through.
His clenched fists trembled and his aura was thick with murderous intent.
"They dared..." he hissed, trembling with his chest tightening up by the second. "They dared to touch my son?!" He roared.
Back at the scene, the two captured men sneered despite being restrained. It was as if they knew they would get caught and had no fears, despite their sins. Their smugness remained in place.
"You don’t know who you’re dealing with," one of them jeered. "We’re not saying a word without our lawyer anyway, haha."
Was this a joke to them? They just stole their kids and they were talking about lawyers?
Michael and Noah exchanged a glance, their fury barely staying in place.
Noah stepped closer, his presence shifting and the air thickening. His dark eyes immediately turned into molten gold. It glowed but it wasn’t beautiful to these guys. It was like seeing into hell.
The dark shadow that lurked around these eyes was going to deal with them.
The prisoners faltered, their grins wavering as primal fear prickled their skin.
"Your lawyer?" Noah’s voice was deep and resonant, carrying the weight of a father at the verge of committing murder. "You took my daughter for the little games. Let me tell you." He leaned in. "Where you’re going, you’re not going to need a lawyer. I’ll tear the answers from your throats if I must."
The men’s in shaking smugness began to crack, sweat beads rolling down their faces. And it was at this point that they realized they weren’t facing ’normal parents’.
Noah decided to take matters into his own hands. If he had to rip them apart to hear what they were taking their kids to, then he would do so, openly, in fact.
But before Noah could continue, heavy footsteps thundered back. Steven reappeared, his face twisted in rage, eyes burning with a madness that only a parent robbed of his child could wear.
He didn’t speak. He simply grabbed one man by the collar and yanked him into the air as if he weighed nothing.
"Where is my son?!" Steven roared, his voice barely staying underneath his breath.
He was holding back. Only once. He would give them only one chance to speak.
But this man didn’t take the chance and instead of speaking, his lips crinkled, as if trying to mock Stevens’ pain and desperation.
"I see," Steven said, and the next thing, his fist crashed into the man’s face with bone-rattling force. Blood sprayed, and the captive choked on the blood he was meant to puke out.
Steven was out for blood.
"Now will you answer me?" Steven asked, shaking him violently, and his voice breaking between rage and despair. "Where did you take him?!"
The man only coughed and spat blood. Even as he had witnessed the first punch, he couldn’t bring himself to speak.
’Is this strength something a human can possess?’ he wondered, his face throbbing with pain. He couldn’t move his lips to talk even if he wanted to.
But Steven took this as his disobedience to cooperate and his grip tightened. He clenched his knuckles till they turned red, his next punch already trembling in the air.
Noah and Michael stood back, waiting to get results. It didn’t matter what methods they used or if others who saw them thought of them as monsters... People like them, who take other people’s kids, can’t be called humans after all.
So, they would treat them as such.
This... this was war.
Meanwhile, the sound of muffled carnival music seeped faintly through the canvas walls of the circus booth, cheerful and bright.
The circus was going on without a hitch and the people watching the animals juggle and the acrobats fly praised the performance, not knowing what was behind those red curtains.
The heavy air that came from, not performance animals, but children.
More than two dozen children lay in a cramped iron cage, their small bodies slumped against one another, breathing slowly and shallowly.
Most were still unconscious, lulled by whatever drug had been in the food they ate, while others who awoke, muffled tears echoing in that quiet space.
A thick blanket was thrown haphazardly over the bars to keep them hidden from curious eyes who would sneak backstage to see the animals.
But even then, there were guards stationed around, so no one would be recklessly allowed in anyway.
Josh stirred first. His small fingers twitched against the cold metal floor, and a groan escaped his throat.
Slowly, his eyelashes parted to see the darkness and children sprawled around him. His mind felt hazy, due to the drug but not so much. Maybe because he didn’t eat the entire hot dog, which of course, was behind the sudden drowsiness.
But then, his hazy mind immediately cleared up and he sat up with effort.
He looked around, saw the crying children, who seemed to have been the first batch and had woken up first, and then the ones who were still unconscious.
Fear gripped him almost instantly. His first instinct was to curl in on himself and stay quiet. Maybe this was a nightmare he would wake up from.
His body trembled. He was scared. Why was he in this scary place alone?
But then he saw her.
Olivia was among those sprawled on the floor just inches away, her hands tied clumsily in front of her.
She, who was always jumping around, looked so still that it made Josh’s chest ache.
His throat tightened and he bit his lip, tears welling in his eyes before he even realized it.
"O... Olivia..." he whispered shakily, inching toward her. His hands trembled as he shook her shoulder lightly. "Wake up. Please wake up." He sniffed.
It didn’t take long before she reacted.
Her eyelids fluttered, and then she groaned, wriggling as though she were shaking off a nap.
Slowly, she blinked her eyes till she was awake and the daze cleared from her bright eyes as soon as she saw Josh’s teary face hovering over her.
"Josh?" she called, a little too loud but he immediately shushed her.
"Shhhh." He said, which confused her, and he looked around to make sure no one was coming after them. And luckily, there was no one.
"What’s going on?" She asked, whispering this time. Then she saw the cage, the children, the ropes on her wrists. Her eyes widened. "What is this?"
Josh’s lips quivered.
"I... I don’t know." He said, accompanied by shaking his head. "I woke up and... And we were here." His voice broke, his tears finally slipping down his chubby cheeks. "I was scared you wouldn’t wake up."
Olivia blinked at him, then, despite her hands being bound, she pushed herself up into a sitting position, scooting closer until her forehead gently touched his and smiled.
It was a brave little smile that steadied even though her heart was racing and she did not fully understand the situation.
"Hey. Don’t cry, Josh," she said softly. "You’re not alone. I’m here."
He sniffled, looking at her. He was still trembling. This was the first time he was going through something like this, and he was sure it was her first time too, so how... How was she so calm after waking up?
"And you know what?" she added, her voice firmer now after taking a deep breath. She spoke loud enough that a few of the other children heard it and stirred. "Our parents are going to come for us. I know they will. They’re probably on their way right now."
Her confidence knew no bounds, and it looked like she didn’t know what fear was.
Josh stared at her. How could she be so brave? He... He wished he were half as brave as she was.
He looked at his trembling hands. He wanted to be strong too.
