Darkness Descends

Mrs. Birch stepped forward, her voice shaking with emotion as she tried to reason with Judd. "This is wrong, Judd," she said, her eyes filled with concern. "Andrew is so much younger than you. He's just a teenager, and you're... you're an adult. You can't feel this way about him. It's not right." Judd's expression didn't change, his eyes still blazing with fury and possessiveness. He didn't seem to care that Andrew was young, or that their age difference made his feelings for him twisted and wrong. "Age doesn't matter," he spat, his voice cold and menacing. "What matters is that Andrew is mine, and I won't let anyone take him from me." Andrew felt a wave of fear wash over him as Judd's words hung in the air. He couldn't believe that Judd was actually saying these things, that he was willing to admit to having feelings for him that were so wrong and twisted. He looked at Nick, who was still clinging to the side of the pool, his eyes wide with fear. Mrs. Birch tried again to reach Judd, to make him see sense. "Judd, think about what you're saying," she pleaded. "You're scaring us all, and you're not making any sense. Andrew is a person, not a possession. He has his own feelings and his own life, and you can't just claim him as your own." But Judd just laughed again, a cold, mirthless sound. "You don't understand," he said, his eyes glinting with a sinister light. "You don't understand what it means to love someone, to want to keep them safe and with you. And I will do whatever it takes to make that happen." As Judd's words hung in the air, Andrew felt a sense of dread wash over him. He knew that they were in grave danger, and he didn't know how they were going to get out of this situation alive. He looked at Nick, who was staring at him with a mixture of fear and concern. Nick mouthed something to him, but Andrew couldn't quite make out the words. He leaned in, his heart pounding in his chest. "What?" he whispered. Nick's voice was barely audible. "We have to get out of here," he said. "We have to get away from him." Andrew nodded, his mind racing. He knew that Nick was right. They had to get out of there, and fast. But as he looked at Judd, he knew that it wouldn't be easy. Judd was angry and possessive, and he would do anything to keep Andrew with him.