George and Julie arrived at Demon's Rocks and pulled the boat up the small cove to the top of the beach. They looked around and there was Roland at the top of a cliff
''Up here, come on'' he said to them
They rushed up the cliff and there was Roland waiting
''I bet you're surprised to see me again aren't you Georgina?''
George pretended like he didn't already know about this ''Yeah what a shock, and what do you want then Roland?''
''I want to make you suffer of course'' he said with a wicked laugh and pointed a gun at George ''Don't worry I won't use the gun on you, it's just protection so that you won't try anything I'm glad that wretched dog isn't here or I'd have shot it. come with me I have something to show you''
George and Julie followed Roland along the clifftop, George was terrified that Roland might have killed the others already and that he was going to show them three bodies. But to George's relief, the others were still alive. However, to his horror, they were also tied up and lying right at the edge of a clifftop, just one shove and they would go over the edge. Or if part of the cliff fell away they could go down with it too, they were so near the edge their feet were almost hanging over the edge, it was very dangerous
''I will give them a push and they will fall and drown in the water'' Roland said with a grin ''they are tied and can't swim, the water will take them away forever and you will get to watch it and you cannot do a thing to save them. I'll let you live but you will have a life of pain. I mean, after all, you already lost Liam and Julie told me about Timmy being put down...and I know about that terrible boy Ryan and his stupid father killing Dick. Of course, I was very pleased about it but what a shame I couldn't kill him myself! Still, at least now I can kill Julian and Jake! Then I'll find Quentin and kill him too and Anne and Fanny will be mine again!''
''And you're killing Chloe for the fun of it are you?'' George asked calmly. He wanted to run and push Roland over the cliff but he knew one step towards him would be too dangerous but Julie had the gun that Roland didn't know about and all George could do was hope that Julie would not let him down
''I feel sorry for poor Chloe of course'' Roland said sadly ''she just did not know that marrying Julian would be so deadly. But yes I have to kill her too, the more deaths you have to live with the better ''
''Roland you are a very sick man'' George said ''You are really very ill indeed''
Julie walked over and stood next to Roland
''Roland is great'' Julie said and gave him a kiss ''He is my hero, he told me all about you George, you thief you stole everything from me, my identity and everything, I should have been George not you!''
George's heart sank, it seemed Julie had lied and deceived him and was still under Roland's spell and Julie had the other gun. George felt sheer panic and despair now, there would be nothing he could do to save the others now
Roland looked so smug and arrogant
''Let's push the others over the edge together'' Julie said gleefully ''I'll enjoy this!''
''I am proud of you Julie'' Roland said with a smile ''I taught you well and you have been a great pupil''
''Well you have been an awesome teacher, I should be calling you Sir Roland! That's how magnificent you are Sir Roland!''
''Sir Roland? Oh yes, I like that, I like that a lot, I am Sir Roland!''
Oh this really was the limit, George felt like throwing up by now
''More like scum Roland'' he said bitterly
''Oh Georgina, as much as I hate you I do admire your spirit and your courage to keep mouthing off even when I have beaten you so strongly'' Roland said ''You do have guts I'll give you that, but you picked the wrong opponent when you picked me''
''Oh come on Sir Roland, let's not waste any more time talking let's get on and kill these three creatures!'' Julie cried ''we need to move closer to the edge of the cliff, let's be very careful that we don't fall over ourselves!''
Roland walked and bent down to start pushing Julian over the cliff. Julian was tied and gagged as were the other three but he looked terrified and was trying to scream through his gag. George watched with despair
''You're a complete beast Roland and you used me and brainwashed me'' Julie said suddenly while standing behind Roland while he was bending down to push Julian over the cliff
Julie gave Roland one hard push and he fell to his death, screaming as he fell
Julie stood at the edge and stared down at the body, it was lying on the rocks below and then a huge wave swept over it and when the wave went out again the body of Roland was gone
''Goodbye Roland'' Julie said and turned to face George
''He wasn't as clever as he thought he was. He thought I was still on his side but I was tricking him that's all'' Julie said calmly and George was stunned and relieved
''You had me fooled for a moment too'' George replied ''I thought you were going to help him and when you called him Sir Roland I was ready to throw up and throw myself over the cliff in despair''
''I guess I laid it on a bit thick but Roland has the biggest ego I know so he loved it when people praised him and massaged his ego''
The others were waiting patiently to be untied and George and Julie rushed to ungag and untie them
George hugged Julian and Jake and wept ''I am so happy to see you alive'' he told them and then remembered poor Chloe and hugged her too ''And it's great to see you too Chloe, you must think you married into a very strange and crazy family!''
''Julian told me everything about it while we were being kept prisoner in a cave here, everything that Roland did'' Chloe said ''You're not crazy but you suffered because of a crazy man like him. At least he can't hurt anyone again now''
Julie was standing there quiet and uncomfortable knowing the part she had played in it. George looked at her and for a moment they didn't know what to say to each other
''George I'm truly very sorry'' Julie said ''I understand if you hate me''
''I don't hate you'' George said ''I hate Roland but not you, I understand that you are just one of his victims too and in the end, you knew it was wrong and you helped save the others''
''But I am weak and pathetic'' Julie said
''No, you're not''
''Oh, I am. I'm so tired now...I'm tired of trying to succeed and be happy and always failing, tired of fighting to get through another day, tired of losing all the time, tired of having to smile and pretend I'm ok when I'm not. I'm so tired''
Julie stepped closer to the edge of the cliff ''Maybe the best thing to do is go over the side too and join Roland in the ocean!''
''Don't be silly Julie'' George said ''You don't want to do that''
''I'm a murderer now. I'll go to prison again and I'll be in a male prison all over again and it will be hell. I can't face prison again''
''Nobody needs to know that you killed Roland, there are only us who saw it and we keep it to ourselves''
Julie shook her head and looked sadly at George ''I appreciate that but the past always catches up with us eventually you know. Maybe we could keep it to ourselves and I wouldn't go back to prison but I'd have to live with it anyway. No one else would know but I'd always know. I'm too tired to keep battling on and I'm already haunted enough by demons from my past without having, even more, to live with. Roland is physically dead but he will live on in my mind and i can't deal with it''
And Julie was gone, in the blink of an eye, she disappeared over the side of the cliff. George and the others watched in horror as she jumped off the cliff. There was nothing they could have done, it happened so quickly. George looked down to the rocks below but the body was already gone, swept into the waves.
''Poor woman I can tell she was very troubled and unhappy in life'' Chloe said at last ''Who knows maybe, at last, she's found some peace? We always fear death but maybe when it comes it is really a relief and an escape from the suffering and pain that life in this world can bring us''
''I hope so'' George said sadly ''It would be nice, wouldn't it...to escape and have peace I mean''
''Let's get off this island'' Jake said ''it's time to go its freaking me out here''
None of the others wanted to argue, they were all as keen as Jake was to get off the island. They rushed back to their boat and rowed back to the shore
When they got there they felt so exhausted they had to sit on the beach for a while and rest. They looked out at demon's rocks, dark and forboding out in the ocean
''Let's go back to the cottage and pack and leave now'' Julian said ''I just want to go home now, to be honest''
''Yes I think we all do'' George said, feeling very tired now
''What shall we do about Roland and Julie?'' Jake wondered ''I mean, they are both dead, should we report it to the police or something?''
''No point really'' George said ''No one will miss either of them...I don't care about Roland being forgotten but it is sad that Julie had no one in this world who cared about her. She wasn't a bad person just a very lonely, lost, and confused one. She was vulnerable and easy prey for a predator like Roland. Some people can't do life, they can't cope with it, she was one of them''
They made their way back to the cottage
''Is it true that Julie's aunt owns this cottage?'' Jake said
''No that's a lie too'' Julian told them all ''when Roland and Julie took me to demon's rocks they told me that the cottage is just a rental cottage, Roland rented it to use as a base to get us all here. Julie didn't even have an aunt or family who cared about her. Her parents were long dead and most of her living family disowned her because they didn't accept her being a woman''
''It's as I said already she was truly alone in this world and now she will be forgotten'' George said
''Well I doubt any of us will forget her'' Julian said ''She gave us a wonderful gift when she got rid of Roland for good. This time at least we know he can never come back and hurt us again ever''
They packed and left Demon's rocks. None of them ever wanted to return here again. The drive home felt like it took a very long time, and all of them were eager to get home and sleep. At last, they got back. Julian and Chloe went to their home and George and Jake to theirs
George opened the door to get inside and the first thing that hit him was the absence of Timmy. He would always run to the door to greet him every time he came home and now he wasn't there anymore
''I've never felt so glad to be home in all my life'' Jake said ''I thought I was going to die on that island''
They hugged each other
''I'm so so happy to have you back Jake'' George said ''I couldn't have handled it if I had lost you and Julian after already losing Liam, Dick, and Timmy''