Work Text
A loud, high-pitched, bloodcurdling scream pierces through the darkness and into Reece's deep sleep. He knows whose voice it is, and only too well."Leila?"What follows the scream sends chills down his spine as if the previous one hadn't yet."Daddy, help me!!!"He jumps into sudden wakefulness, a shaking, nervous one, but with anger and determination."Leila!"He hurriedly fumbles for a weapon in the dark. Too bad he doesn't have a gun. He never knew he'd someday need it. He can't rely solely on his rugby playing skills, like tackling for instance—for all he knows, whoever is holding Leila hostage might be a bigger bloke with a weapon or two.He swears under his hitching breaths."You bloody fucking cunt, don't you fucking hurt my daughter or I'll fucking kill you!"Reece's tears well up, blurring his vision. He harshly brushes them off with his forearm."I'm coming for you, Leila!"He rushes towards Leila's room and swings the door open so abruptly that he almost tears it off its hinges.Her room is empty. The sheets are a little crumpled in the middle of her bed where she lay before whoever bastard it is took her. Her comforter is awkwardly folded at the foot of her bed.Her screams sound like they're coming from somewhere else in the house.Reece marches downstairs and almost slips running towards the kitchen. The very first thing he gets a hold of is the knife block.The chef's knife is missing.Just you wait, you sick fuck.Reece grabs the smaller utility knife and a torch from the cabinets under the countertop.Leila's cry is now more urgent and shrill."GET YOUR BLOODY HANDS OFF MY DAUGHTER!" he growls sprinting towards the backyard, the volume of Leila's shrieks growing louder along the way.He halts upon reaching the sliding glass doors that open to the backyard.On the other side, illuminated by the dim lights of the back porch, is a thin, pale girl who looks like she's in her early teens wearing a Brisbane Broncos jersey that's one or two sizes too large for her, her dark hair in two pigtails, and her teeth in braces showing through her sinister grin. She is squatting behind Leila and holding her with one arm wrapped around the little girl's shoulders while she holds the chef's knife's blade against Leila's throat. Leila's face is red and tear-streaked, and she is screaming and struggling in vain in the teenage girl's unflinching embrace.Suddenly, Reece cannot move. He can only stand agape in horror, amid his daughter's desperate pleas for help and the stranger's wicked giggle...