~song of the day~

Gray's POV

FCA-3158

FCA-3158

FCA-3158

My days in the cagers have taught me one thing and one thing only. The importance of plate numbers. It didn't matter if the person you were searching for wasn't the owner of the car. That's why most people choose to use boats as a means of escape. The moment one gets spotted in a car, they are dead meat to the Cagers. And right now, whoever was behind the wheels of that car was sure not to see tomorrow's daylight.

I adjust my grip around Kelch's shoulder. Like the residual vibrations you get from plucking the strings of an acoustic guitar, Kelch's body shakes with the same frequency. Her hands, stained dark red with Zyair's blood, clutches onto his left hand. There's a nurse on the other side of his body, administering first aid to him.

My eyes trail over Zyair's unconscious body; his jeans were torn and slashed apart in different areas, and it wasn't in a fashionable way. There's a large opening of skin at the top of his knee- white with red patches scattered all over it. A clear liquid spills down from it and onto the bed. His face is barely recognizable, battered, and covered with blood and dirt from grazing the asphalt road. I squeeze my eyes shut and rest my head with a sigh.

Everything was my fault. I knew how dangerous the Cagers were more than anyone else, yet I let my friends get involved.

Stupid.

I am nothing but a burden to the people I love. I was putting them all in danger by staying around them. I knew it, but I ignored it.

Kelch's small cold hands squeeze mine tightly. "It's not your fault," her voice is low, but I hear her clearly. She places a kiss on my fingertips.

A tear falls from my eyes, and I don't bother to wipe them away. I don't open my eyes either, the sight of her sympathetic face would break me. So I remain silent.

It doesn't take long for us to get to the hospital. Or maybe it did. I couldn't really tell. My mind was far away, churning with thoughts of their own. The hospital staff meets us outside, and chaos follows as Zyair is rushed into the hospital with multiple staff next to him.

Kelch runs with the nurses, and I watch them disappear into the building. My legs remain stuck on the sidewalk, refusing to budge regardless of how hard my brain pushes me. I stare at the gravel below me while guilt engulfed every part of my being.

Unable to bring myself to watch Zyair in pain, I turn and walk away.

The accident scene was a few blocks from the hospital. I find my car, enter and drive away. I was in the middle of my directionless ride when I get a call from an unknown number.

I don't say a word, picking my breath as I await a speech from the other end.

"There are a lot of things you don't know," the person begins. "And a lot of things you don't want to know. If you continue to fight against us, a lot more of your equally stupid friends will die. Zyair? was just the highlight."

I couldn't recognize the voice. He or She must have used a voice-changing app because it sounded like a robot was speaking.

"You call through a private ID, change your voice, and you expect me to take you seriously?"

"I'm just trying to help you."

"Okay." And with that, I end the call.

Although I ended the call, I still couldn't help but wonder what that call meant? I couldn't decipher the emotion behind the voice, which only made me harder for me to discern their words.

Maybe I had been going too easy on them. I had been playing by the rule. The Cagers never played by the rules. They were defiance, themselves.

My mind continues in it's constant battle as I drive around town, thinking of ways to defeat The Cagers. But I knew one couldn't defeat a gang without the help of another gang. That's just how it's been.

It's a cycle you can't escape until death. A cycle I was determined to escape.

An idea suddenly pops in my head, and I bring the car to a screeching halt. I rummage through the car drawers in search of a note with a number.I find it in the blink of an eye. My fingers linger on the white paper card, and the black ink-printed number stares back at me.

The word "Kayden" boldly written in Jay's sloppy handwriting almost brings tears to my eyes. I copy the number to my phone screen before dialing it.

Kayden was Jay's brother. I didn't know whether they were related by blood or not, but I knew Kayden was part of the reason Jay stuck with The Cagers. He needed to make enough money to send Kay to college and pay for all their expenses. He had taken on the role of a parent for not only Kayden but also himself at a very young age.

And I took everything away from him.

A few months ago, Jay had given me Kayden's number. He made me promise to only reach out during emergencies because he didn't want Kayden dragged into the ruthless world of the Cagers. I take a deep breath as I wait for Kayden to pick.

"Kayden, here. How may I help you?" He picks up at the fifth ring.

"Hello, my name is Gray. I'm a friend of Jay's."

He instantly becomes so silent, misleading me into thinking the call had ended. When I try putting the phone down, I see he's still on the line.

"Hello?" I repeat, slowly.

"Sorry. Sorry. Did you say, Jay? Is he okay? I haven't heard from him in a while."

My breath hitches in my throat. He didn't know. "No. I don't know if he's alive or not. But there's a probability he isn't."

Hearing myself say that out loud compelled me to come to terms with reality and the fact that Jay could be dead.

"I'm sorry. Who is this again?"

"Gray. Gray Stone."

I hear Kay swallow hard and take a deep breath. "I've heard about you from Jay. H-he's really fond of you."

He speaks in a low, soft voice that reminded me very much of Jay. And that absolutely crushed me.

I burst into tears.

Ever since the incident with Jay, I never brought myself to think about him and what he might have gone through. I deluded myself into thinking that everything would be fine because he was Jay.

But it wasn't fine. I shouldn't have let it go. Jay would never have left me alone. Even If he did leave me alone, he would always come back no matter what.

I couldn't do the same for him. No, I could have gone back. But I didn't.

"I-IT-IT's a-ll my fault, " I manage to say. My chest fills up with air, and I find myself drowning in my breath.

I should have gone back for him. I shouldn't have assumed he could take care of himself.

He acted tough. Even though I noticed the slight fear in his eyes, I dismissed it. He deserved better. He deserves better.

"Gray? Gray!" Kay's voice comes as an intervention, sweeping me from my internal panic.

I try to grab my phone, but my hands are too shaky to get a proper grasp. 

"Where are you?" He asks sternly.

I open my mouth to reply, but no words come out. My eyes sting from my tears, and I push my hair away from my face.

"Take a deep breath, Gray. Nothing is your fault. Just tell me where you're at, and I can come to find you."

"I don't know. Don't come to find me. They come for everyone I know," I reply. The image of Zyair on the cold ground with his blood staining the ground flashes before my eyes. Zyair had been my best friend since the fourth grade. He was everything to me. And now, he might be nothing but a memory to others because of me.

Everything is my fault.

"Just stay where you are, Gray," Kay replies.

I had nowhere to go. I couldn't go back home, not with my mum and siblings still in that house. Kelch was in danger too. I was putting everyone in danger. I couldn't do that anymore. I couldn't let anyone else get hurt while fighting my battles for me.

I had to do this on my own.

~~~~~~~~~~

What seems like moments later, I hear a knock on my car window. A dark-skinned guy with his hair in twists was wearing a suit and waving his phone in my face. He gestures towards my phone in the passenger seat. I turn to see the number calling before turning back to him.

I open my car door and allow Kayden in.

"How did you find me?" I ask, resting on the steering wheel.

"I work for the NCIS. Tracking is pretty easy," he scrunches his nose with a small smile. "I'm a very busy man, so let's cut to the chase. Why did you call me?"

My mind is blank as I face him, assessing the seriousness in his face. At this point, I wouldn't mind going to find Mr. Russo and apologizing. All I wanted was for my family and friends to be safe.

"Don't tell me you're thinking of giving up already?" Kayden frowns. "Not when you've come this far and sacrificed so much. You knew what you were up against, right?"

"Yes! I did sacrifice a lot! But all for what! Jay may be dead! One of my best friends is on bad terms with his father and may not graduate this year! Another one is in a fucking coma! All this happened, but I didn't achieve anything! Everything is still the same as it was!"

"You know, it's not the same as it was," Kay chuckles, shaking his head. " You've rattled them. Can't you see? They are going above and beyond to get you. They are doing sloppy works trying to get a bunch of teenagers. You've shifted their dynamic. Russo certainly doesn't work like this."

He was right. Russo doesn't. The cagers never went for teenage students. They didn't do things like spreading rumors and hit and runs. Then it hits me. This whole time I thought I was against the Cagers, but I wasn't.

This was all Luca. His sloppy rumors, notes, and attempts were just him using the men at Cagers to get what he wanted. A work I knew his father would disapprove of.

"Can you find someone for me?" I ask.

After what happened to Zyair. I was certain Luca would have gone into hiding.

"I found you," Kayden snorts proudly.

"That was pretty easy to do." I retort.

"Who do you need me to find?"

"Luca Russo."

"A teenage boy? Can't you do that on your own?" Kayden raises an eyebrow.

"How do you know so much about the Cagers?"

"We've been trying to get our hands on Russo for so long. We know all of him and his family. His son is Luca Russo."

"What else do you know about him?"

"Private documents. Can't spill."

"Come on, Kay. Lives are in danger here. I need to know more about my enemy."

"We know he has a daughter too."

I roll my eyes. "Even I know that."

"His daughter is in America."

"She is?" I raise a brow. "What does she look like?"

"I don't know. There are a lot of unanswered questions about the Russos and the Cagers gang. We've been gathering information for years, but we don't seem to have any lead."

"Is there anything else I should know? Is there someone in power helping him?"

Kayden thinks for a while, stroking his chin. "We do suspect he has a partner. A lot of information about his whereabouts don't match."

"How about I get you your lead?"

"And how would you do that?" Kayden's brows arch.

"Get me Luca Russo, first."

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QOTD- how is your mental health currently?

>>tbh, school is after my life.