"At the end of the world
Or the last thing I see "
Song: The Ghost Of You - My chemical Romance
This is a triple update - READ 79 first if you haven't already.
WARNING:
VIOLENCE.
****
Harry P.O.V:
9pm.
I'm standing in front of that large iron door, with no clue what I'll find on the other side.
I'm here exactly when David told me to be, and I parked around the corner, making sure the men across the road weren't paying attention to me as I walked past the bakery and around to my old metal staircase; then around the back to the doors that led down to the basement.
There was a large food delivery truck parked near the stairs, it was empty, but it wasn't unusual. I'd seen food delivery trucks there all the time dropping off stock for the bakery.
The cement was cold underneath my aching feet, and the dampness was all I could smell as I heard the water drip from the pipes around me.
The chain I used to normally keep the entrance to the basement was unlocked, and I'm still wondering how the fuck David even knew about this place.
The only ones that knew it existed, were Jimmy, Steve, Abby and Rob.
The only answer I came up with is that David's been having me watched and someone saw me going in here one night.
Granted, I've come back here this past year a fair few times but it hasn't been for the same reason that I used to.
Not once did I ever think that I'd be coming back here for this though.
My hand lifts, and I bang my fist against the door and shout, "I'm here. Open the fucking door."
It's soundproof through the heavy metal door and thick cement walls, so I can't hear anything inside but I hear the door unlock from the inside and creak open a fraction.
There's no other movement, and I'm not wasting my fucking time as I shove the door open and step into the doorway.
That same fucking song is playing and my eyes adjust to the red light filling my vision.
I look around to see Andy standing back near David aiming a gun at me. And David is standing next to Abby who is sitting on the ground.
She's drenched and so are her clothes, while she's hugging her knees next to where Ludo is chained to one of the pipes and David has a gun pressed to her head.
Her wrists are bound but not her ankles.
As soon as Ludo sees me he starts whining and pulling against his short chain to try and get to me; he can barely move with how short the chain is.
I swallow as my chin shakes when Abby looks up at me, and see all the cuts and bruises on her face.
It genuinely looks like they've broken her, her eyes are so sad and terrified.
She's barely recognisable. Not outwardly, but it's her spirit that looks shattered.
There's no warmth there.
Only fear.
"Abby... Baby I'm so sorry" I say to her taking a step forward, "it's okay, I'm here now, I'm gonna get you both out of here—"
I want to hug her, pull her in my arms and comfort her and take all the pain away from her — I don't know what else to say to her but David stops me in my tracks by pressing the gun harder against her head.
"Uh-uh. I don't think so. Stop right there and lock the door behind you."
I grind my teeth, struggling to control wanting to attack both of them.
My feet step in further as I grab the door and close it, locking it behind me.
There's one thing in here that I notice, that was not in here before. It's a small old box TV that has a VCR attached sitting on my workbench near my VHS camera.
The fuck is that doing in here? It's not mine.
"I'm here now. I've got no weapons. So you've got what you want — let Abby and Ludo go."
My eyes are glaring at David, and I know there's little chance of him listening but I at least have to try.
David scoffs, with a look like he thinks what I've said is cute.
"Harry, boy, you're smarter than that. I've barely started getting what I want," David then nods towards the same chair I've sat so many other men in, "Andy ties him up — go on Harry. Take a seat."
I exhale a slow breath through my nose, hearing Ludo's whimpering because he can't get over to me and say through my teeth, "Can I at least check on Abby first? I'll let you do whatever you want with me — just let me make sure she's okay."
David looks amused, shaking his head, "You really think I'd let you do that?"
He then grabs Abby by the hair, tugging her head back and making her cry out and shoves the barrel of his gun in her mouth.
It physically hurts to not run over to her, Andy still has his gun aimed at me, and I snap at David, "I said I'd do what you want, leave her the fuck alone."
"So, sit down," David replies with a warning look.
Abby's exhausted, watery eyes are looking over at me as I see tears slip from them and I clench my fists before walking over to the chair I've kept down here that's bolted to the ground and sitting in it.
Fuck it reminds me of my father making me sit in that chair in his basement as a kid, before he'd torture me.
"Now take that gun out of her fucking mouth," i say in a low voice, not taking my eyes off of Abby.
There is no doubt in my mind that he'd kill Abby if I tested him, even if it's not part of his plan — he'd rather prove a point.
"Tie his hands," David ignores me and talks to Andy instead, and like the obedient spineless runt he is; he obeys without question.
The smug prick is fucking gloating over this.
"I guess I'm the one that gets to tie you to a chair now, hey Harry?" Andy taunts as he walks over to me, lowering his gun to stick it into his waistband.
"Yeah and you're as fucking high as I used to be, aren't you a fuckin hero right now Mr. 'drug free'?" I mutter, watching him grab some very thick, heavy duty zip ties, and walk towards me, "honestly you're just copying me at this point. It's embarrassing."
Andy's lip twitches, giving me a hateful look, as he starts to restrain my wrists against each arm of the chair. He used three on each wrist.
Worried I'd break them? You spineless little prick.
"You don't know the first fuckin thing about me," Andy snaps, standing straight to look down at me, "I'm nothing like you."
I look up at him under my brows, "yeah I know. Which is why Abby left you. I bet you can't stand the fact you're nothing like me, huh?"
Andy narrows his eyes, "real fucking smart ass aren't you?"
"It's one of my better qualities." I throw back, "I appreciate you noticing."
Andy clenches his fist and connects it hard against my cheek, and it flings my face to the side.
"You really need to learn when to shut the fuck up," he snaps, and I look back to him; not even looking phased by his punch.
Abby cries out over him hitting me, but it's muffled from the gun still in her mouth and my gaze goes to her and my expression goes from cold and furious to riddled with guilt.
Ludo is also staring at me, and I can see his body trembling while he makes small whimpers and that kills me even more.
I may not care what happens to me but I know it hurts Abby to see it.
So instead of responding to Andy, I hang my head and keep my mouth shut.
"I'm disappointed Harry," David mocks me, slowly pulling the gun from Abby's mouth and lets go of her hair, "I expected more of a fight from you. Maybe I underestimated just how much control these idiots you care about have over you."
He then scoffs, with distaste heavy in his voice, "it's actually quite pathetic."
I press my lips hard together and dig my fingers into the wood on the end of my arms of the chair, to stop myself snapping at him.
"How the fuck did you even get in here?" I ask instead, hoping to distract him so he leaves Abby alone , "I checked here earlier and had men watching this place."
David smirks, and points to the door, "Did you see the delivery truck outside? It's a useful hiding spot. No one pays attention to them driving around and they also don't think twice about them turning up at somewhere like a bakery."
My eyes lower as I curse myself in my head.
So that's where he's been hiding her since they left maurines? The back of a fucking delivery truck? No wonder we couldn't find the slimy prick.
It wasn't here when I came here this afternoon.
"I really did expect so much more from you Harry. This is a bit of a let down. After what we watched what you do on those tapes of yours," he adds and it makes my eyes snap up to his "it's disappointing seeing you so... weak. It's so embarrassing."
David notices the panic on my face, and a slow smile pulls on his lips as he gestures his gun to the tv behind me and I look over my shoulder before looking back at him.
"We had a little movie night," he says, looking down to Abby and then back to me, "I wanted to show Abby the man she's marrying. What he does down here with his hobby."
David then gestures to my crates I'd kept my tapes in, since I moved them down here when I took them out of bookshelves at my old apartment.
"It was helpful too, that you had them so organised — separated yours from your fathers," he laughs, and points at me, "really saved me some time finding the right one to play."
My heart has fallen into my stomach, and I can't even look at Abby because I'm too scared of the look on her face when I ask, "you... you showed her one of my tapes?"
David grins, "yes I did. Unfortunately I didn't have any popcorn, but we made due. What's wrong Harry? Did you not want sweet Abby seeing that? What you're really like?"
I honestly didn't think my heart could shatter more than it already had but I was wrong.
My face drops as I hang my head again, and it starts to sink in that Abby's seen the one thing I never wanted her to.
"Oh c'mon now, don't be like that," David tutts, "you should be proud Harry — honestly I was impressed. You're inventive with torture I'll give you that."
Abby watched me murder someone.
She watched me down here spitefully torturing someone before I drowned them.
She watched me act like my father.
Maybe it's better if I do die tonight, because she's never going to fucking look at me the same.
I get she was aware of what I did — but that's very different to watching me do it.
Most people eat meat, aware that the animal was killed. But that's not the same as physically watching the animal get a bolt into their brain, strung up, having its throat slit while it's bled out and then seeing it get dismembered.
Knowing and seeing are always very different. It's why it's always scared me with her.
"What's the matter Harry?" Andy sneers, tugging my head up by my hair in Abby's direction but I still won't look at her and look at him instead, "I thought Abby wanted someone like you? Why would it matter if she saw the shit you've been doing?"
Andy then leans closer, "You forget I was with her for two years. I know the type of person she is — and I know for a fact if she had seen this twisted shit she would have never wanted someone like you."
"But now she knows," he says, letting go of my hair and sounding self righteous, "she saw it for herself."
My head lowers again as that sick feeling comes back into my stomach, as it sinks in that all of my worst fears have come true.
Now I'm wondering if the fear on her face when I walked in was directed at me.
"I saw her face as she watched it," Andy continues to twist the figurative knife in my chest that I wish was a real one at this point, "and I'll tell you what, she knew exactly what she was watching. A sick fucking monster. Not someone she loves. She was terrified of you."
I close my eyes, swallowing the lump in my throat, before slowly looking up to Andy under my brows.
As devastated as I am... I'm more angry that they made her sit through that, knowing how much it would've hurt her.
"Call me a monster all you want — I'm not the one that beat Abby or fucking drowned her. If I'm a monster than what the fuck does that make you?"
"None of it would have happened if it weren't for you," Andy snaps, and I seriously don't know if it's the drugs that have made him this delusional or if he's more mental than I am, "it's your fault this happened to her. It's your fault all of this is happening."
He really has to blame everyone but himself, doesn't he?
Abby has been so quiet, and when I get the guts to finally look at her it kills seeing her sitting there, bloodied and bruised, wrists bound, with silent tears pouring from eyes as she stares at me.
Maybe it's all in my head, but the way she's looking at me feels different now.
She'd look at me like I was her safe place, the comfort she'd want to run to but all I can see is pain and fear.
I'll never forgive myself for letting this happen to her.
I've got no idea what to say to her. I want to try and comfort or reassure her but I don't want to say something to upset her more if I'm scaring her.
All I can think of is that I wanted David and Andy's attention focused on me, not her or Ludo.
"And what exactly is happening here?" I ask, letting my gaze go to David who is watching with that same egotistical expression that lives on his face, "what's your plan with all of this? What the fuck do you even want? If you want me. You've got me. So what now?"
"My plan?" David purses his lips with a thoughtful tilt of his head, "we'll get to that later. But what do I want? Well right now I want to enjoy seeing you suffer — it brings back memories doesn't it?"
David gestures around the basement, "I mean honestly bravo Harry. This is a spitting image of your fathers basement, it was almost too good to be true when I found it."
He then looks at him, with a dry laugh and shakes his head, "You are seriously fucked up, do you realise that?"
My eyes narrow as I say through my teeth, "And who fucked me up this badly, huh?"
I raise my voice, letting the anger come out, "Who is the reason I'm like this?"
Then I look at Andy, "Do you think I'm full of shit now? I fucking told you what he convinced my father to do to me. Those crates of tapes that aren't mine? They're my fathers. Watch those. — and that's the fucking reason I made the ones that I did."
Andy's expression falters slightly as he looks over to the crates and then back to me, but then he shrugs, "You're still a psycho. I'm sure your father had his reasons. Judging by how you turned out I'd say you deserved it."
"Don't you dare say that to him," Abby's scratchy voice snaps at Andy and both of us look at her.
It surprises me. I didn't expect her to defend me after what she saw.
She coughs, over how raw her voice is and it makes me chest fucking ache.
"How are you still defending him?" Andy argues with her in disbelief, holding his arms out.
Abby's exhausted eyes glare at Andy, "because what happened to him was not his fault."
Then she looks at David and you can hear the absolute hatred in her voice, something I'm not used to hearing from her at all.
"It's his fault."
"I think you give me too much credit Abby," David says in a condescending voice; loosening his tie a bit around his neck.
He points around the basement, "this was all Harry," then he points to my crate of tapes, "so were those. This place is his doing, not mine. If I didn't hate the little prick so much I'd be impressed."
"How did you find this place?" I interrupt, glancing at Abby before focusing on David and trying to get their attention off of her and back to me.
"How did you find out about my tapes?"
David looks at me,and slips his hand into his pocket of his dress pants with a crooked smile, "Well, I've known for a long time — why do you think I left you that blank tape with those smashed butterflies of yours?"
... You're fucking shitting me.
He's known since then?
"You see," he explains, with a gloating tone, "I knew that Abby used to hang out at that tattoo studio. Thanks to Andy, I knew that little blonde friend of Abbys went there a lot and her boyfriend worked there — then lo and behold I found out you lived across the road."
David takes a step towards me, looking pleased with himself, "see, I like to keep an eye on people — and find out as much as I can about them. So after some digging around about that studio I met Mick. To my absolute pleasant surprise he hates you almost as much as I do."
He looks around the basement, "I'd had Mick and some of his other guys watching you, and your apartment for months. One night he saw you go around the back of the bakery and found your little hiding spot. I had a locksmith make me a spare key... then I came down here and paid a visit while you were at Abby's apartment. I saw your whole set up and your VHS camera."
David points to the bathtub and then my VHS recorder, "As soon as I saw all of this I knew you were up to something naughty. But even I was shocked when I saw what you'd really been doing."
" I was biding my time, being patient," he adds, seeming proud of himself, "waiting and watching. I paid another visit down here after you moved and saw your tapes. I borrowed one, to watch, and then put it back so you weren't suspicious if you noticed it missing."
He shrugs, then breathes out a slow chuckle, "frankly at first I thought you were making some kind of creepy sex tapes but oh how wrong I was."
David leans down so his face is more level with mine, "You really did make this so easy for me Harry."
"Sounds to me like you ran and hid like a fucking coward."
"No Harry," David lectures, raising his brows, "unlike you, I don't let my emotions control how I react. I wasn't hiding — I was waiting."
"Waiting for what?" I reply with a hard look, "and waiting where, exactly?"
David stands straight, and looks over to Abby and Ludo then back to me, "waiting until you had everything you wanted so I could smash it in front of you. I wanted to see you happy, just so I could be the one to take it all away."
He scratches at his chin, "I mean what good is it trying to hurt someone that doesn't care about anything? There's no fun in that."
"As for where?" He adds, strolling around me in the chair, "various places. I told you I had connections. I have plenty of people willing to hide me. I'd have to say staying with Abby's boss — or visiting her mother for a while, were my favourite. The trick was to never stay in one place."
David then looks at Abby, "Who do you think brought her to that coffee shop Abby? Did you know I was there that day? Blending in. I watched the whole thing."
David's eyes go to me as he stands in front of me again, "I was even at the Zoo for your birthday Harry — that was very touching. Abby's boss was nice enough to let me know the plans you had."
My jaw clenches, as David continues to brag. It's like he's excited to gloat about all of this.
Talking like he's this evil fucking genius and is admiring himself.
"Why are you doing all of this?" Abby's shaky voice speaks up, she sounds so tired but so full of anger, "all of this just because you hate him? You're the one that sounds pathetic."
I look at Abby in worry and silently beg her with my expression not to speak. I don't want David focused on her.
"Why?" David looks at Abby, then turns and walks over to her; leaning down to grab her chin and force her face up to look at him.
"Because your arrogant fucking boyfriend decided to fuck with me," he says with spite seeping into his tone, "he started this when he pulled that stunt with Andy and tried to embarrass me. If he had of minded his fucking business we wouldn't be here."
"I didn't care what some low life junkie, criminal with his whore house of a club was doing. He was sending his own life down the toilet all on his own. He was in the past. Where he should have stayed," he adds, and he starts to sound angry,
"I was busy running my business but he had to go and cause trouble, threaten everything I'd built — all over some stupid little whore like you. If I were Andy, I would've beaten you far worse for the way you humiliated him."
Abby's breathing gets heavier, as she glares at him, and then my stomach drops when I watch her spit in David's face.
David doesn't flinch, and stares at Abby as he lets go of hair chin and pulls a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe his face.
After he places the cloth back in his pocket, he grabs her hair and slams her head back against the cement wall behind her and then cracks the back of his hand as hard as he can across her face.
"Get the fuck away from her," I scream at him, struggling against the restraints on my wrist and feel the plastic cut into my skin from how hard I'm pulling.
"Awe did that upset you Harry?" David pouts at me, standing up away from Abby and she holds her bound wrists up to press her hands to face with a pained cry.
Everything in me wants to tear his fucking head off right now.
I look over to Andy, "You say love her? Look at her. How the fuck can you let this happen to her if you love her."
There is not a single part of me convinced that he loves her, but I'm hoping to tap into whatever fucked obsession he has with her. To get some microscopic sympathy so that she's left alone and it's all focused on me.
Andy looks over at Abby, and he has sweat on his forehead,and his hair is drenched from it.
"I do love her," he states, sounding irritated that I said that to him, "I do love you Abby," he repeats to her and looks more frustrated.
Abby won't look at him, and she's cradling her head as I notice that there's blood on her hands. That's how hard David hit her fucking head against the wall.
It doesn't matter how much agony I'm in seeing her like this, or Ludo with how terrified he looks — all that matters is that I do whatever I can to keep David's attention and get him to leave them alone.
"That's why I came to your work that day. To warn you. Why I came to the cafe with your mother. I was trying to stop this happening to you. You didn't listen to me, you brought this on yourself — I was the one trying to help you," he says to her, and I have to turn my face away to hide when I mouth 'he's so full of shit' to myself.
"So prove it," I say to Andy with a hard stare, "leave her alone. Pay attention to me. Don't you think she's been through enough?"
"Hardly," David scoffs, staring at Andy and I before glancing at Abby with a distasteful expression, "I have no idea why you gave a shit about her, Andy. She proved to you, time and time again she was a useless whore that had no respect for you."
I grind my teeth, digging my nails into the arms of the chair and the rage in my body feels like it's boiling my blood.
"But you can't expect much else from a woman," David adds, with his lip twitching in disgust, "if you let them forget their place — that's what happens."
His eyes go to me. "So you have to remind them where they belong. Put them back in their place. Just like your mother, hm Harry? She's a good example of that. Ended up where she belonged. Dead in a fucking alley."
I ignore David, and speak to Andy instead, raising my brows, "I'm a liar huh? You still think I'm lying about what David did to my mother? You still think it's me that killed your mother?"
"Now don't go twisting things Harry," David interrupts, and looks at Andy, "his mother was killed by some homeless man during a mugging. He's in prison for it right now."
"Yeah because you and my father framed him," I snap, and then tilt my head, "because you and my father are cowards. You couldn't even do it yourself. To me, that's weak."
"Weak?" David's expression becomes angry, and he steps towards me.
He stops in front of me, but a slow smile pulls on his thin lips as he raises his voice, "Abby dear, was it weak when I shot my dear old sister in the forehead in front of you?"
My stomach twists and I look over to Abby and watch her face screw up in pain before she hangs her head.
...He made her watch. He made her watch Maurine get murdered.
I suspected that but I was praying I was wrong, but knowing it's true has me closing my eyes to hide their watering.
Fuck it was bad enough finding Maurines body, it's bad enough that she's dead... I can't imagine watching him kill her.
"Speaking of my sister," David taunts me, strolling back over to stand near my table where I keep my CD plays, and VHS camera, "she was a fun little chess piece in all of this. Starting with those pictures I made her take — I knew she'd tell you about it. She's so predictable. So is James. I knew he'd try and help her."
His fucking name is Jimmy. Stop calling him that.
My brows crease, "if you knew she'd tell me about the photos then why make her take them?"
David holds his hands at his sides, still holding his gun in a 'ta-da' motion.
"It was all part of the plan," he says with a sick smile, "you've all done exactly what I wanted you to. I've played you all like the fools you are."
My eyes squint, "what are you talking about?"
"You know this as well as I do Harry, you should've known better," he replies, and starts to walk back over towards Abby, "you can manipulate people to do anything you want, without them even realising. Use them like puppets. All you have to do..."
He crouches down in front of Abby but looks over to me, "is figure out what they care about. Find that weak spot..."
David's hand then grabs Abby around her throat and pushes her back against the wall, strangling her as she gasps for air, "and apply a bit of pressure to it."
Abby tries to hit at his arm and claw at his hand around her neck but with her wrists bound it barely does anything and I start thrashing in the chair trying to get out of it.
Ludo starts barking and screeching again, choking himself on his collar trying to get over to Abby but his chain is too short and I scream at David.
"Let her go," I'm not scared of begging, or sounding weak I don't care, "please, stop fucking hurting her. Just tell me what you want."
"Ludo," I try to get his attention to stop his barking, but he's still whining trying to get to Abby, "Ludo, boy, quiet, it's okay. Please be quiet."
I'm so fucking scared David will hurt him as well.
I feel so helpless.
David waits a few moments, before grinning and lets her go.
"Oh I know you'll do exactly what I want. I've never worried about that, wanna know why?"
In an attempt to get him away from Abby, I play along and mutter, "why?"
David comes back to stand in front of me and leans down, "because you showed me."
He tilts his with his satisfied expression growing.
The tone of his voice is calm but sadistic.
"You gave it all away, the day you turned up to my office after I went to Abby's work."
My expression only deepens into a hard frown as my jaw tightens and David continues.
"I went to her work to see how you'd react, and you gave me all I needed to know. You showed me how much you care."
As he notices me becoming more irritated, it's entertaining him.
"It's the same way I used Mick as a test, to see how you'd react to someone threatening her. I paid him to do that. To see how easily you'd snap and let your emotions get the best of you."
David scoffs out a laugh, shaking his head.
"And well... you nearly killed him. Exactly like I thought you would."
It's all hitting me that this entire time... I've done exactly what he wanted. I've played into all of it. We all have.
I'd had brief fears of that but now as he's talking it's all flashing in front of me and I feel sick.
Maurine warned us that all of this was a game but I had my head too far up my ass consumed with finding and killing him.
David gives me a mocking pout, "Oh don't look so surprised. Abby played her part too. This wouldn't work if she didn't care either."
He looks over his shoulder at Abby, who is staring at us still catching her breath and holding where he'd gripped her neck, "It's why I smashed your butterflies. I needed to see her reaction. And not to brag but it played out just like I thought it would."
His eyes come back to mine, and his face drops into a menacing cold look.
"See that pathetic empathy, that useless conscience you people have — it makes you weak," he presses his finger against my forehead to shove my head back, before he stands straight, "you may have fooled everyone else into thinking you don't have those things, and you're this vicious murderer but not me. I'm the one with the power here. You're still the same scared little boy you've always been."
I'm done listening to this wrinkly fat fuck talk.
I've had enough of this shit. I can't let him go near Abby again.
"Okay, you've got all the power," I say through my teeth, and my voice strains, "so fucking do something with it. You wanna torture me? Hurt me? Give me some medicine? Fucking do it then."
If I have the slightest chance of getting Abby out of here, I need to be untied from this chair.
I need both David's attention focused on me, not Abby or Ludo. Not like they were when i got here when he had a gun aimed at her.
I need to get him to drown me.
Or at least untie me because that's what they think they're gonna do to me.
And I may die trying to kill both of those fuckers but I will sure as hell make sure Abby and Ludo get out.
"Well it's not as fun if you want me to do it," David mocks me with a fake huff, but then he looks at the bathtub and back to me, "but I tell you, killing you in that bathtub is something I've been looking forward to. Finally finish what your father started."
David pauses, furrowing his brows with a thoughtful look and then points at me.
"It's actually kind of poetic when you think about it. Very full circle."
"Well? Go on then?" I dare him, with my breathing getting heavier and the muscles in my body staring as I tie against my restraints, "I won't fight it."
David clicks his tongue, "What's the rush? We've got plenty of time," he then glances at Andy who has been watching everything with darting eyes and jittery hands. Sweat is even soaking his dress shirt now, "I think Andy has a score to settle with you before I kill you."
Andy is either coming down from something, or taken a lot of something.
Can't stomach doing this shit sober hey Andy?
I can relate. I was off my fucking face most times I was in this basement too.
Well... except for the times I came back these last few months.
"Do whatever you want," I tell him, with my voice sharp.
I raise my brows, and don't take my eyes off of him, "I won't fight anything you do to me... I have one condition though."
David laughs, "you're not really in a position to bargain with me Harry but sure, humour me, what's your condition?"
Figure out something they care about, is what David said.
So that's what I'm doing.
"Abby and Ludo live," I say, then I lift my chin, "you wanted my father's money didn't you? Well I left everything I own to Abby, in my will. You can kill me, but everything goes to her. If you want it, she stays alive."
This perks Davids attention, and he squints at me, "I'd assumed you'd pissed all of that money away by now."
I shake my head,"Nope. One hundred and fifty, million dollars. Plus my assets."
My eyes dart to Abby briefly, and all I can see on her face is silent shock as her mouth drops.
I've never told her exactly how much money I have or how much I'm worth. It's not something I like talking about.
... To be fair she never really asked me either.
I can tell I have Davids full attention now, so I continue, praying this works.
It takes everything in me not to vomit with my next sentence, I could barely keep a straight face when I spoke.
"She marries Andy — that money goes to him, which means it goes to your company."
"What?" Abby shouts but her voice cracks, "No. Harry what are you doing-"
My eyes go to her with a warning look, "Yes Abby. Be quiet."
I look back at David, who is staring at me with his gaze narrowed as if he's thinking over what I'm telling him.
"You both get what you want," I say, swallowing so I don't gag when I say, "I'll be dead. You get my money and Andy gets Abby. Without me around there's nothing stopping him being with her."
I can't look at Andy when I'm saying this shit. Even the thought of him with Abby is rising bile in my throat, I may actually choke on it if I have to see his face.
"What makes you think I wouldn't kill her after I get that money?" David questions, sounding more curious than suspicious.
"Because you know as well as I do how suspicious it'll look if she dies once you get that money."
I raise a brow to further my point.
"And we both know Abby's mother will cause hell for you if that happened, especially with Abby having all of that money."
Even after what Andy did to Abby, I think we all know she'd forget it for money.
I continue to explain, hoping it's working, "You wouldn't be able to cover that up, even if it was an accident. It's too suspicious and you know it."
I lean forward in the chair, tilting my head.
"First your wife is dead and then Andy's wife, after you get all that money? You're not that stupid."
Please let this fucking work, is all i think as I continue to talk.
David looks like he's considering it, but then waves his hand in Abby's direction, "And why do you think Abby would agree to any of this? She's not exactly cooperative."
I swallow, taking a breath and closing my eyes before I exhale and open them and my chest aches as I speak.
"Because... she's knows what you're capable of. And as long as she marries Andy and stays with him — you are going to promise not to hurt Jimmy, Steve, Levi or Rob. You leave them alone."
My gaze lowers as I look at David under my brows, and shrug a shoulder.
"Like you said.... It's all about what they care about."
"Hm," Davids mouth dips down at the corners, "as much as I hate to admit it — you've made some good points."
David then gestures at Andy, "Very well. Abby can live. Now hurry up Andy, and get on with it."
My shoulders slump in relief that he's bought it.
But I know what's coming next is bad.
I can take it, whatever Andy does.
It's Abby that I'm worried about, I don't want her watching.
Andy walks over to me, and sniffs as he rubs under his nose, but doesn't stop and passes me to go to my old' work table'.
It's hot in this basement and sweat is starting to bead on my bare chest and my forehead, and when Andy comes back over to me he's holding a plastic bag and switchblade in one hand.
"Go on Andy, just like we discussed," David encourages him, "teach him a lesson for what he did to you. Prove you're a man."
Andy is sweating bullets, and I glare at him, not showing any emotion on my face.
It's obvious David is forcing Andy to do this, to prove himself. Andy doesn't have the stomach for this sort of shit, he's too much of a bitch.
Regardless, I think his anger and hatred for me is going to get him through it.
"Yeah, go on Andy," I taunt him, "or are scared?'
"I'm not fucking scared of you." He snaps at me, "you're getting what you deserve."
The corner of my mouth pulls up in a mocking smile, "you look scared to me. Pussy."
Andy grits his teeth, and he grabs the switchblade in his other hand; with a furious grunt in his throat and next thing I know he slams the blade down.
He impales the knife into my forearm, sending it straight through it until the tip of the blade imbeds in the arm of the chair underneath it.
I didn't feel it at first because it happened so fast but within seconds the searing pain shot up my arm to the rest of my body.
I bite my teeth hard together to not make any noise, with all of my muscles tensing in my body as sharp quick breaths heave out of my nose.
If I learnt not to make any noise with he shit my father did to me, Andy is going to have to try harder than this.
I can feel the warm blood start to trickle from my arm, and glance down to my arm before looking back at Andy.
I'm doing my best to hide the pain and not give him the satisfaction of a reaction but it's hearing Abby cry that's really fucking with me.
"Please don't do this," Abby tries to beg, "I'll go with Andy, I'll do whatever you want — please don't hurt him. Please stop."
Abby's pleading feels worse than the fucking knife jammed into my arm, and I look at her to see her watching me with a gut wrenching anguish on her face.
She's in so much pain.
She's so scared.
David scoffs, walking over to Abby, leaning down to grab her by the jaw and keeps her looking at me.
"If you don't shut up, it'll only get worse," he threatens her, "you're going to do what I want regardless. Now be quiet or I'll cut your damn tongue out."
"Abby... it's okay," I try to reassure her even though I know it's fucking useless, "I can take-"
My words get cut off by Andy's fist connecting with my jaw, whipping my face sideways.
"Shut the fuck up," he spits at me, but then he looks at Abby and raises his voice, "would you have begged Harry to stop when he was doing this shit to me? Beating the fuck out of me? No, now you can watch it happen to him."
I hear Abby let out a sob, but Andy's fist connects with my face again, hitting my mouth and it has me spitting out blood as my head drops forward.
"You still hit like a grandma," I mutter, letting myself go numb and feeling those same sensations wash over me that I had when I was kid and my father would do this shit, "if you're gonna torture someone at least do it properly."
Blood is dripping from my mouth, and my hair is stuck to my sweaty forehead as I lift my bloodshot angry eyes to his.
Andy's eyes narrow, and his hand wraps around the handle of the knife he stabbed into my arm as he starts to twist it.
My eyes squeeze shut over the burning, sharp pain that shreds my nerves and I nearly crack my teeth from how hard I bite them together to not make any noise.
"How about that huh? How's that feel?" Andy scowls, lowering his face down to mine and I hold my breath trying not to react, but he lets the knife go and I exhale heavily.
When I don't reply, Andy clenches his fist and this time it slams hard against my cheek.
"Not fun getting tied to a chair and having the shit beat out of you, is it, Harry?"
He doesn't let me reply because he's punching me again, and repeats it several more times until I can't hold my head up; and I have blood dripping from my nose and blood pouring faster from my mouth and trickling down my neck to my chest.
I feel dizzy, and my face is throbbing but Andy grabs me by the hair and rips my face back to look at him.
"Who's the little bitch now, Harry, huh?"
My breathing is ragged, and my mouth slowly pulls into a wide toothy grin as I struggle my words out.
"The one I'm looking at right now."
"Are you gonna keep letting him get away with speaking to you that way, Andrew?" David scolds Andy, sounding like he's becoming fed up, "quit fuck around and do something about it."
Abby's cries are still all I can hear, and I'm trying to fuck with Andy to get him to hurry this the fuck up and not drag it out.
"No, I'm gonna shut him up," Andy mutters, and you can see the shame on his face over David criticising him.
If i didn't hate this fucker as much as I hate David I'd almost... almost pity him. Because I saw David do the same to Jimmy and my father did the same to me.
Nothing was ever good enough.
The difference is, Andy wants to be like David. He wants to impress him.
Andy lets go of my hair, and moves to stand behind me.
I'm wondering what he's doing, but then my vision is blurred by plastic as he slips a bag over my head and pulls it back against my face.
I was already out of breath, and the sensation of trying to suck air in but only getting plastic sucked into my mouth instead, no oxygen triggers something in me.
I've gotten better with bodies of water, and bathtubs, even being under water but someone suffocating me, not letting me get any air explodes a terror in me.
Strangling me would be different, but there's something about this that has sparked a dormant terror in me.
I can't breathe.
I struggle against the chair, with my heart hammering into panic and I hear the muffled sound of Abby's screaming.
My lugs constrict as they fail to get any air, and then Andy loosens the bag and removes it from my head.
My body is shaking as I gasp, and I'm so fucking angry at myself that I'm reacting this way. That I let him see any fear from me.
I've barely caught my breath before Andy does it again, longer this time and I thrash around in the chair.
I keep telling myself to hold still but my body wont let me.
When he removes the bag again, I'm sucking as much air in as I can, and I hear Abby scream a terrified cry.
"Andy! please fucking stop it. Please stop doing that to him. Please. Stop."
Andy laughs at how distraught Abby sounds, and I'm worried David is going to hurt her so I look at her.
David is standing next to her, and Abby tries to get on her knees where she's sat and tries to move towards me even though it's useless but David shoves her back down.
"Abby — Abby baby," my voice is hoarse and shaken, and how terrified she looks guts me, "I need you to listen to me, okay?"
Abby shakes her head, and tries to plead with Andy again, "please. That's enough. Please stop doing that to him."
"Little mouse, look at me," I get her attention, and my eyes are watering as I say to her, "it's okay. I want you to close your eyes."
David isn't intervening, only watching us, and Abby shakes her head again, choking on her words, "Harry, please, I don't want him to-"
If she keeps going Davids going to hurt her.
I cut her off, and I try to put as much love in my voice as I can.
"I need you to do what I say," my lip trembles, and I try to get her to do what i would do when I was stuck in this basement as a kid, "close your eyes for me, okay? Pretend you're anywhere else but here. I'll be alright. Just close your eyes."
"Harry..." she tries to beg me, looking helpless as she starts to sob harder.
I don't want her watching this shit.
I can't physically get her out of here right now, but she can go somewhere else in her mind. Just like I used to.
"Do it for me, please?" I say to her, and my voice breaks but I try to sound composed, "Go on, little mouse. Close your eyes. Think about anywhere else — pretend you're at the aquarium, anywhere. Close your eyes."
I'm begging her at this point, and when Abby realises the desperation on my face, she's apprehensive but I watch her eyes slowly drift close.
For a split second, I'm relieved but then David tangles his fingers in her hair and yanks it to make her cry out before he snaps at her, "watch him."
My heart drops but Andy is pulling the bag over my head again and suffocating me.
It goes on like that, while I listen to Abby scream and my body reacts like I'm seven years old again, shaking and struggling while I can't breathe.
Andy keeps repeating it, only letting me get a few gasps of air in before he's doing it again and it wasn't until I nearly fell unconscious that he finally stopped.
All I can keep thinking is that soon they'll be untying me and taking me over to that bath tub.
I just have to hold out until then.
It'll be over soon.
All I need to do is hold them off long enough for Abby to get Ludo and run.
I'll throw her my phone in my pocket and she can run, call Jimmy. She can get away.
I just need to make sure she locks the door from the outside after she gets out.
There's a beam you can put in front of the door from the outside.
It has a seperate lock for the outside. A deadbolt.
It keeps people in.
It doesn't matter what happens after when I'm left in here with them. As long as she gets away with Ludo.
As I'm still groggy and catching my breath, I hear David's voice.
"You asked about my plan Harry — would you like to finally know what it is?"
I struggle to lift my head, and my eyes are heavy as I look over to him and mutter, "What? Drowning me? Quit being a coward and get it over with."
David bellows out a loud laugh and it makes me brows crease, and Andy moves backwards away from me standing a few feet from David.
I watch David stand in front of Abby and Ludo, and my heart plummets into my stomach as he aims his gun at Abby's head.
"No you get to pick which one I shoot first."
The air sounds like it's been kicked out of me as my eyes dart between Ludo, Abby and David.
"W- what?"
"You get to pick," David repeats, then aiming his gun towards Ludo and Abby is staring at me with petrified eyes, "I'm going to kill both of them. You just get to pick the order."
"So," he cocks his head, "which one goes first?"
I start shaking my head and my voice raises with panic, "No - no you fucking agreed that they'd live — the money, you were meant to fucking kill me."
David stares at me like I'm an idiot and laughs again, "Do you really think I'd do that? I don't want the money Harry. I don't need it — it was supposed to mine but you fucked that up like you do with everything else. No, now I'm protecting my fucking money — I can make one hundred and fifty million in my sleep. This is happening because you threatened that."
I pull at my restraints and curse at the pain in my arms hat still has a fucking knife imbedded in it.
"Okay so fucking kill me then? Not them!"
David scolds me by clicking his tongue, shaking his head with a patronising look.
"No then my plan doesn't work — you see I know about the investigation that cop friend Steve of yours started," and then he smirks, "he'll be dealt with after I'm done here. I just wanted to give James a bit more false hope."
"What fucking plan are you on about? How does killing Abby and Ludo solve anything?" I spit back at him, feeling my heart race in my chest.
There's nothing I can do if I can't get out of this fucking chair, and I can't break these restraints around my wrists. There's too many and they're too thick.
"Well before I get that investigation buried, and the information he was going to leak," David explains, looking amused by how distraught I look, "I need a story to distract people. Something to take attention off of me."
I'm still not understanding but David holds his hand arm, moving it across the air like he's painting a headline.
"It'll be all anyone can talk about. I'm sure they'll even make one of those docu series or a movie about it."
"About what?" I yell at him, "what the fuck are you on about?"
David acts like it should be obvious, gasping, "About the crazed serial killer, Harry, with his slaughter tapes. How he finally snapped and killed his fiancé, and their dog after he went on a killing spree."
My heart stops dead in my chest as I murder, "what are you-"
David holds his hand up like he's explaining a theatrical tale, "A poor sweet girl from the country moves to the city, and while she's with her boyfriend she meets this charming man that seduces her — manipulates her into leavening her boyfriend."
I'm frozen, trying to take in what he's saying, as David continues, "but this man isn't what he seems. He has a big secret. She doesn't know he's a psychopath that murders people on tapes he keeps like trophies."
"Over time it unravels," David says, feigning shock, "and the girl learns about his secret. Her ex boyfriend, Andy here, tries to protect her — he even tries to warn her that this man was dangerous but the guy beat him. And hospitalised him to keep him quiet."
I'm starting to feel sick again, "This poor scared girl tries to leave, and go back to Andy. Get away from the monster — but he finds out and oh then he really loses it."
"He kills Andy's mother, to get back at him and then in his psychotic rage he burns down his own club, he even kills the poor girl's boss, and he kills Andy's aunt, Maurine, that Abby was close with. He really is a sadistic son of a bitch."
A slow smile spreads on David's face, "because if he couldn't have her, no one could. So he kidnaps her, brings her to this basement with their pet dog and shoots them both."
David then gives me a mocking look of sadness, "And then he gets in that bathtub and shoots himself. It's tragic, honestly."
I swallow down the bile in my throat as I say through my teeth, "no one is going to believe that shit. You can't pin all of that on me."
David snorts, "oh yes I can. Who wouldn't believe it when they see your tapes? You'll be the new Jeffrey Daimler or John Wayne Gacy."
"No," I shake my head, "no no people know the truth about you. Who you've worked with—"
"What? Mick and his men?" David raises a brow, "Those men from my company? You already took care of that for me Harry. Thank you for killing them by the way, it saved me a lot of hassle."
I start shaking my head faster as my voice shakes, "no, no even Abby's mum, she won't go along with it. She heard what Andy did to Abby. She knows I wouldn't hurt Abby."
David rolls his eyes.
"When she finds out about those tapes? Trust me she's going to believe you killed her daughter. She already thinks you're a deranged criminal that brainwashed her."
"Tell me Harry did you smash up your house before you left? Smashed up your home before killing your girlfriend?" David questions, but he gets my answer from the look on my face and grins.
"See," he grins,"you're so predictable. You played your part perfectly."
"No" I say in panic, "Jimmy won't let that happen. And all of our guys know what happened with Mick — you won't get away with that shit. The cops know I didn't kill Maurine-"
"Do they though Harry?" David taunts, "and who are they going to believe huh? You think people are going to believe these heinous criminals? You think they'll believe a murderer's best friend? And as for the cops — you really think they'll defend you? You think they want the public knowing they had a serial killer running around under their noses for years?"
He then holds up his gun to show me, "especially when they find the murder weapon that killed Andy's mother, Abby's boss, Maurine, Abby, the dog and you with your body?"
My heartbeat is ringing in my eyes, as my breathing gets heavier and I snap at him, "you won't get away with this shit."
"Oh yes I will," David corrects with a smug smirk, "everyone will be too focused on this shocking Melbourne VHS Killer to worry about me, "you see the thing about people Harry is they don't want the truth."
He lowers his eyes at me, "they want an interesting story."
"You can make me the bad guy in your story all you want Harry, but there's something you forget," he adds, then looks down his nose at me.
"This is the real world, and in the real world — the bad guy wins."
"Now," he turns his attention back to Abby and points the gun at her head, "hurry up and pick one I'm getting impatient. The dog or the girl?"
Ludo is huddled near the pipe looking at me shakes, and Abby is staring at me with her face screwed up in pain, terrified and helpless with tears running down her face.
"I'm not fucking choosing," I yell at him, "just fucking kill me. You can say Andy got Abby away from me. You don't have to kill them."
David ignores me, "Choose Harry."
My face whips to Andy, who is looking at the ground and I realise he's going to let this happen.
It dawns on me in that very second the reality of it.
David really is going to kill them.
He's going to shoot both of them in front of me.
That's what was going to happen all along.
This was always how it was going to end.
I use all of my strength, screaming in the back of my throat as I try to break my arms free but it only rips at my skin.
"Choose Harry," David repeats, and I yell at him.
"I won't do it, I'm not going to o let you fucking kill them."
"Pick one," he finally yells back at me, and I scream "No" back at him.
My scared eyes go to Abby, and she's frozen there, there's nothing she can do.
If she moves Davids going to kill her.
He's already proved he's not fucking around with this with Maurine.
My eyes are burning as tears fill them, and I can't hide how terrified I am.
It's agony not being able to get to Abby, and there's a million things I want to say to her but they won't come out.
"Fine," David snaps, "if you won't choose I will."
"David, please, I'm fucking begging you please don't," I yell at him with my voice raw as he starts to move his gun back and forth between Abby and Ludo.
He ignores me again and instead starts going in a sing song voice, "eeny..." aiming his gun at Ludo, "meenie," then back to Abby.
He's treating this like a fun game.
Abby looks like she's accepted it and it's ripping my fucking heart out and her voice trembles, as she looks at me and whispers, "I love you."
"Miney.." David sings, aiming his gun at Ludo, and I scream a sob as I beg with everything I have.
"Fuck David just listen me, you don't have to kill them, please. Please don't fucking do this."
"Harry," Abby's shaky voice has me looking at her, and her chin shakes, "Harry it's okay. I'm okay."
Why the fuck does that sound like she's saying goodbye to me?
"No Abby— no I can't lose you," I beg you, then I yell at David as I thrash in the seat "David don't do this."
Abby sucks in a shaky breath as David aims the gun back at her, and I see her mouth "I love you so much," again and a terrified cry rips out of me.
David looks at me, and puts his finger over the trigger.
"Moe — Say goodbye Harry."
My eyes squeeze shut as I scream, it's a blood curdling scream full of again as I beg him again, "Stop!"
But the entire world stops with the next sound I hear.
My entire body jolts as it echoes in my ears and then I'm paralysed by realisation.
It was a gunshot.
He shot her.
****
Honestly I didn't even want to use a gif for this chapter but this is sums it all up:
*****
I hated writing this and it's the hardest thing I've ever written. Please kill me. I hate it here.
See you in chapter 81.
*Too upset for bum pats*