Save You Tonight // one direction short story

Chapter 8- Plot Twist [Part 1]

*LOUIS' POV*

It was the day of Ariana's so-called "execution". I think the power this man has has gotten a little too much to his head to be calling it something so formal. It's the 21st century, not medieval times. 

When we were woken up this morning at dawn, Ariana had already been taken from the house and to the FBI. We didn't even get to say goodbye to her. She was family now, we had agreed on it, and as if this wasn't painful enough we couldn't even give her our farewell. Damn this fucking terrorist. 

All of our belongings in the house had also been removed, and thankfully Niko was still home to explain to us that there's a new plan to get us into this real safe house. It didn't cheer us up when we realized this plan wouldn't involve Ariana. It can't, for in a few hours, she'll be dead.

The boys and I all packed into the kitchen, which has a perfect view through the little window on the door of the ceremony outside being held in the dining hall. Remember those agents who were teaming up with Niko and Ariana to defeat the terrorist? Well, right now they're  pretending to be kitchen staff and they're protecting us while we're in here. Not bad, eh? I mean, we obviously couldn't stand out there with everyone else who came to watch because we'd be killed in a heart beat.

Speaking of the people watching, I was disgusted with almost all of them. I mean there were some who were timid and steady, but the others were excited for the "show" that was about to put on. Some people even paid to be here. What kind of sick world do we live in now?

An aisle cut the people into two halves on each side. All the lads were all very tense, including me- especially me. If she didn’t pretend to be me, she would never have fought and killed that guy, and she wouldn’t be here right now, living the last moments of her life. I could hear faint but rapid whispers seeping through the crack in the doors from everyone, but no one inside the kitchen said a word. We all had too much respect for Ariana, and I think if I opened my mouth to talk I would’ve vomited.

 The whispering came to an immediate halt when the terrorists, who we learned was titled 'The Chief' by his following, walked in. We had never seen him before. He was tall with black hair and a short black mustache and beard combo, and his eyes were beady. He wore black pants with a sleek black zip up jacket that had a collar that hid his neck. He was also holding a platinum cane, not because he needed it, but to show off his power, his ego.

My attention was then drawn to the end of the aisle opposite The Chief. Ariana was standing proud in her grey tracksuit that resembled the chief’s. An agent with us told us that it was uniform to wear this in front of The Chief as a sign of respect, but for her it was because she basically had no choice. She had zero respect for this man, and she would flaunt that if she could. She looked fearless, like usual, but I was still surprised. I thought that the last moments of her life would be an acceptable time to be afraid, but she showed no sign of fear. Only strength. Niko stood proudly behind behind her, both of his hands on each shoulder. A voice boomed from behind The Chief.

“The accused.”

This invited her to come forward, but before she did, Niko whispered something into her ear that made her smirk, followed by a nod. I wonder what that was about…

When she reached the platform the chief stood on, she only just stood at his feet in front of him. She just continued to stare forward, not making any eye contact.

“Look at me.” The Chief demanded calmly. Ariana just simply shook her head.

“No?” He asked, obviously amused. “Dear, you do realize that I have more power than you could ever wish to possess, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do realize that.” She replied plainly, still refusing to make eye contact.

“And that I can perform whatever form of torture on you before your final breath?” He said maliciously.

“Yes.” She answered even more plain, like she didn’t care. Not a single quiver, crack, or hesitation in her voice.

“Then... look at me.” He said, expecting her to obey. 

“No.” She stated with a strong voice. I was surprised; I even expected her to obey him this time.

The Chief’s face went from an amused smirk to a disgusted look of hatred. His eyes were now slits and were blazing into the top of her head as she continued to look forward. He gave a look to his guards on each side who went around the platform and up to Ariana. They lifted her by her forearms onto the stage in front of him.

“Remove her of her jacket.” He said.

The guards took off her jacket to try and strip her of the respect and dignity that she had. Now she stood on stage in front of him, in just pants and her black sports bra underneath, also uniform. Then all of a sudden another pair of guards appeared from the shadows holding whips and stood on the ground behind Ariana. I saw Harry tense up next to me, and I did so as well. I turned back to look at Liam diagonally behind me and saw his fearful eyes glued to the stage. He was tense as well, his fists clenched. I returned my attention to the stage at The Chief’s words.

“Now I give you one more chance to obey my commands.” He said, frustration appearing in his tone. Ariana’s next answered surprised us all.

 “I do not obey anyone that I don’t respect.” She said flat out, still looking forward. Not only my jaw, but everyone's jaws dropped to the floor.

I saw The Chief begin to shake in frustration and his hands clench into tight fists. He gave the guards with the whips a deathly stare, which was their cue. One of them lashed their whip onto Ariana’s back, leaving a long bloody gash going across it. I felt Zayn’s fingers digging into my shoulder from behind me.  Ariana flinched and winced, but continued to look forward, not giving up. The second guard lashed his whip as well, leaving an identical gash going through it. Together, the gashes made one big bloody X tearing through her skin on her back.

“Kill her.” The chief growled, before walking off stage into the darkness, revealing a bloody table behind him and a man with a long, sharp sword. One bulky guard lifted Ariana, who didn’t resist, and laid her down on the table. I remember Ariana telling me about this man's new "tradition" when it comes to killing criminals. He was basing it on Aztec sacrifices, by laying down the victim on a table and stabbing their heart with a sacred sword. Later, the person’s heart would be ripped out and burned as a sign of disrespect and the body would be left to rot without a heart. Unable to let this happen to her, I began to move forward angrily to protest, pushing my hands against the doors, but the rest of the lads stopped me.  I felt tears begin to form in my eyes. This was really it. Ariana was going to die. Not just die- get brutally murdered.

The man lifted his sword above her preparing to plunge it into her chest, and she barely even moved. She was a fighter, a fearless warrior, and that’s how she was planning to die I guess. Harry turned his head away, unable to look at the sight in front of him. Zayn’s hand was digging into my shoulder so tightly that I thought it was going to bleed. I held Zayn’s hand and shifted closer to Harry. I saw Liam sling an arm around Niall’s shoulder, and Niall put his hand on Zayn’s arm. We all braced ourselves for the horror that was about to happen in front of us…

DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNN! CLIFFHANGERRRRR! I've always wanted to leave someone with a cliffhanger, and I finally got the perfect moment! I was literally gonna keep writing, but then I was like "you know, how good would it be if I just stopped this right now?" mwahahahahahahaha. 

Part 2 will be posted tomorrow! ;) xx