The Downfall

Chapter eight: Not enough time.

I entered the house. The time must have been around 4:00am.
I could hear my father from a distance, in his office, talking on the phone. Or rather, arguing.
What was he doing up at this time?
I approached to hear him better, but he didn't realise I was there.
The door of his office was quite open so I was able to see him.

"Are you threatening me?"
...
"I'm asking you again.. Are you threatening me?" He was sitting on his chair which was facing the fireplace.

Who is he talking to? Who is threatening him?

Suddenly he stood up and said angrily.

"You'll get me the money, I'll give you what you want and don't you dare take me again... Do you understand?"
He was shouting so loud, I had never heard him so angry before.
"If you dare come near my daughters again..."
...
"I don't care!"
...
"Are you listening to what I'm saying?! If you come near my daughters again... I'll kill you with my own hands.. I have the money to destroy you and everything you've ever love."
Who had approached us?
"Sunday at 4:30 before sunrise." He hang up and he threw his wine into the fireplace.

Where's he going at 4:30?

"Dad?" I opened the door slowly.
"Mi hija?! Why weren't you picking up your phone?" He said worried.
"My friend had an accident and we took him to the hospital. Im sorry.." I said.
"I was worried me, don't do it again and you could've at least told me. You're lucky I trust you."
"Alright dad. Goodnight.." I said and I turned to leave but I stopped.
"Dad, who were you talking to.. In the phone?" I asked.
"Nobody Icelyn, I'm just taking care of business, now go to bed."

{-}

We were outside the sheriff's house. We thought it would do him good to visit him. He had lost his wife due to cancer and now his son had been murdered. He was alone.
We knocked on the door.
"What do you guys want?" He asked us somewhat aggressively.
"Can we come in?" Theo asked.
He looked at us for a moment.
"Come in." He said and opened the door wide.
We stepped inside. The first thing I noticed were the steps that were right in front of the entrance.
If you watched closely enough you could see the door to Marcus' bedroom.

"Sit down, kids, don't stand." The sheriff suggested.
"Leo?" He asked us.
We looked at each other for a moment.
What could we say to him? That he tried to kill himself because of his son's murder?

"He couldn't make it." Mia said, saving us all.
"Mr. George, we are very sorry." Said Peter.
"It's best not to talk about it." He said with a blank look. No emotion expressed on his face.
Stephanie suddenly started to cry.
"Forgive me for a second..." She got up from her seat and headed towards the bathroom.
"What's wrong with her?" Sebastian asked everyone's thoughts aloud.
"Seems reasonable to me..." He replied.
"Sure it is...it was just too sudden." Levi continued.
"She was the last one to see him before he was murdered."
"The last? But they live in completely opposite directions so how..." I wondered.
"They thought it was fun and attractive to have a good time in the woods near the river. The adrenaline turned them on as Stephanie said."
"Steph with Marcus?" Jun asked in surprise.
"Why does it seem so strange to you. Didn't you know?"
"Know what?" I asked.
I could have sworn Stephanie and Marcus hated each other by their behaviour.

"Marcus and Stephanie have been together since second grade. They've been inseparable ever since. She loved him and still does very much. He had hurt her several times but she stayed with him. The only thing she cared was what they had been through, she just wanted to have dinner with us. I'm glad my wife got to see them together." He was starting to get dumbfounded, as were we.

"I'm glad my son lived to meet such a golden child like Stephanie. Most of all I'm glad she was the one Marcus saw last...I prefer it that way...As much as it hurts me, I'm miserable Steph on the other hand gave him a wonderful smile. They were really in love."
His tears flowed ceaselessly and his voice unsteady.
"How we hadn't realized it for four years now..." Mia complained.
"We were so in love we were afraid. We preferred to show everyone that we hated each other." Replied Stephanie who was just standing in front of us white as a sheet of paper.

"That's why he never got any girl as we kept telling him.." Peter continued.
"Because, he already had one." Sebastian finished.
"Mr. George... Could I see Marcus' room?" She asked hesitantly.
"Of course.." He answered her.
She quickly run up the stairs.
"Go with her. She won't handle it."
Then we ran upstairs.

She opened the door she stood still for a moment, then collapsed and before she fell down Theo caught her.
As soon as we got close to her we understood why Mr. George told us she couldn't handle it.
On top of Marcus' desk was a beautiful ring and on his bed were hundreds of pictures of them.
Stephanie walked over to the ring.
"My boy..." She sniffed with a smile and put it on.

"I left everything as I found it. He didn't like me messing with things." Said Mr. George who was now with us.
"Was he going to ask her to marry him at 16? But why?" Sebastian wondered.
There was silence for a few seconds.
"Because... we had our worst fight..." She gathered all the photos in her hands.
"I wanted to get away from this shitty town. He refused to follow me. Not that I asked him to, that's probably what he was more pissed about. Because he was waiting for me to tell him to follow me." She sat on his bed looking at their pictures one by one.

"We were going to break up...I wanted to be a doctor and he didn't even know if he was going to graduate. That day he told me that I would most likely not even be what I wanted to be and I replied that at least I would have tried for something besides having wasted three and a half years in a meaningless relationship. I directly apologized to him but it was too late, the damage was already done.." The photos in her hands were shaking. Mr. George sat down next to her and held her in his arms. She could barely hold back her tears.

How much pain she had been holding in these last two days and we had no idea. We had no idea how much it really hurt her.
"It's my fault he died! If I had insisted on leaving none of this would have happened!" She cried.

{-}

"Thanks a lot for the visit guys. You made me feel for a while that I'm not alone in this.."
We waved goodbye and left.

                      October 27th, 2019
                                    20:04

It wasn't too late, I was going to walk home.
As I was walking a red junky car was driving next to me at slow speed. I looked and it was Levi. I started walking faster.
Then he sped up too. I stopped and he stopped too. He rolled down the window.

"What do you want?" I asked him.
"Get in." He said imperiously.
First he was telling me he didn't want us to have any contact and then he wanted me to get in his car?

"You are out of your mind." I kept walking more angrily this time.
He got out of the car slamming the door behind him hard and walked over to me.
"Come here!" He yelled and I continued walking.
He picked me up against my will and started walking me towards the car.
"What are you doing!" I shouted in bewilderment.
I was moving and hitting him like crazy trying to get away.
"Shut up." He said calmly.
"I'll scream for help if you don't put me down!" I threatened him.
"Do it." He challenged me.
"Help!" I screamed but it was too late because he put me inside the car.

Then he got in.
I had time to get out but I didn't.
He looked at me critically and waved me off with his eyes.
"What?" I asked him.
He furrowed her eyebrows and said possessively.
"Seatbelt."
Was he kidding me?
"No." I went to get out, but the door was locked.
"Put your seatbelt on." He said aggressively.
"Let me go." I ordered him.
"Put your fucking seatbelt on!" He yelled at me and grabbed the seatbelt and put it on me.
I was speechless.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" I asked him now angry.
"I just realized we don't have much time." He said seriously.
"What do you mean?" I asked him again but this time nervous.