Darren slows the car down to a stop in front of the red light. The road is deserted, not a single car is around. Darren looks at Dia and he can still see fear and hesitation in his eyes.
"Are you sure about this?" Darren asks.
Dia spots the police car hidden very well in the darkness. He looks out at the sidewalk .
"Make sure you're hidden and trust that I'll be right back." Dia says.
Darren nods slowly. Dia puts his hand on his lap and smiles weakly before opening the door and stepping into the night air. He walks slowly down the same route he walked all those months ago when his mothers car stopped at the same red light Darren did. Back then his leg hurt just as much as it does now as he limps foward.
"Tori. You're here right?" He asks walking under the streetlights weak glow.
Tori materializes next to him and they walk side by side. Her hair and part of her face covered in blood.
"Yeah. I'm here." She says.
Tori looks around confused as they walk. But as they reach the court she realises where they are.
"The basketball court." She says as Dias feet fall on it's concrete floor. "Dia we've been here a thousand times there's nothing here." She says.
"Twice. We've been here exactly twice since I woke up from my coma." As he speaks Dias eyes look around the puzzle forming in his head "The first time was the first time I was near this place since you died. The second was when I was high on LSD."
"What does that have to do with anything?" Tori asks.
Dia looks at her.
"Tori you're the personification of my subconscious. Both times that I came here you lead me here. Like you were trying to tell me something, to tell me that I was missing something." He says.
Tori blinks hard.
"This is our last chance to find out what it is. Before my body begins to fall apart completely and before Henry goes to jail." Dia points at the court. "So tell me Tori. What the hell is missing."
"I-I don't know." She stutters.
Dia takes a step towards her and points more furiously.
"WHAT IS MISSING TORI!" He yells.
Tori flinches and walks towards the edge of the court and reaches out as if expecting to touch something. Her eyes widen as she realises and they say it together.
"A fence."
"There was a fence here." Dia says the memory is foggy and unclear but he is beginning to see it.
"So where is it?" Tori says and they run to the edge and look along the floor.
Dia reaches down and touches a deep hole that could have only been made by support beams. There's more of them in equal intervals stretching all around the courts perimeter. As Dia gets to his feet the memory clears up bit by bit and then all at once.
"I remember" he says to Tori.
..................
"THEY'RE GOING TO KILL US. GET OUT OF THE FUCKING CAR NOW!!" Tori yells.
Tori grabs Dia by the hand and they race out of the car. They run down the sidewalk trying to escape. They don't know where they are going but panic is pulling them foward. Behind them they can hear the two of them getting closer. After running for so long they make it to a basketball court, boxed in by the fence they try to turn around but Henry steps out of the shadows and glares at them.
............
Dia looks over and he can see the way Henry looked at them. He had humour in his eyes. But behind him the other boy also emerged and in his eyes Dia remembers only hate.
"They cornered us here." Dia says pointing at where the fence should be. "You scratched him."
...........
Toris nails rip a small gash in the boys neck and a line of blood spills onto the edge of the court and splatters all over the fence.
..........
Dia looks down at where the blood would be but all he finds is a chunk of the courts floor missing as if someone came and broke the piece off.
"They got rid of it and the fence because it had evidence on it." Tori says next to him.
"They made you kneel over there and put the gun in your hands." Dia says turning around.
..........
Dia watches with tears burning his eyes as Tori holds the gun in her hands. Her bracelet jingles as her hands tremble. The other boy leans next to her and wispers for her to shoot. The gun goes off the bullet aimed at nothing.
"Good." The boy says and waves Henry over.
Henry puts his fingers against Toris mouth a pill in his hand.
"Open." He says.
Slowly Tori opens her mouth and he watches her swallow the pill. He then walks over to Dia and does the same.
"Open" he says.
..............
"They made us swallow the acid so the autopsy would say were high." Dia says.
He can see Tori on her knees with the gun in her mouth.
"Then they made you kill yourself."
...............
Henry pushes Dia to his feet close enough to Tori to see the fear that's eating away at her. Her hands shake as she puts the gun in her mouth. Henry smiles and looks up the other boy.
"Okay we can go now." He says walking towards him.
The other boy grabs Henrys arm stopping him in his tracks.
"It's not over yet." He says coldly.
Henrys smile dies as he realises how serious the boy is being.
"It's over they're afraid. We can go now they won't say anything." He says.
The boy pushes Henry back towards Dia who's still on his knees his teary eyes looking at Tori. The two of them nod at one other as if to try and convince each other and themselves that it will be okay.
.............
Dia gets on his knees the same way he was that night and looks over as Tori materializes on her knees across from him the gun in her mouth dressed in the same pink outfit.
............
"Do it Tori. End it all right now. No more suffering,no more bad days....just peace,silence. If you do it I'll let Dia go and I won't report your father." The other boy wispers in Toris ear.
Dia tries to tell her not to do it but he's throat is too dry to speak. Tori looks him in the eye and Dia knows that she plans on doing it. He finds his voice a painful sensation taring through his throat as he speaks.
"NO! TORI PLEASE NO DON'T DO IT....DON'T DO IT TORI PLEASE"
Despite his pleading Tori smiles faintly and pulls the trigger. A terrible sound rocks the air and her blood splatters on Dias face. He cries out like an animal grief gripping his heart. But just as Tori is about to fall over the other boy lifts another gun aiming it at Dias head and fires.
.............
After that Dia remembers nothing, but just as he gets to his feet Andrew steps onto the court and Dia remembers his face perfectly.
"Hey, you said you wanted to meet up?" Andrew says.
Dias entire body goes cold as he realises.
"It was you." He says.
Andrew tries to look confused but Dia can see the truth in his eyes. The more he looks at Andrews face the clearer that night becomes.
"You were there that night. You made Tori shoot herself. Then you-you shot me." Dia says stepping back in fear.
Andrew moves towards him.
"Dia I know you're confused right now but it's okay." He says.
All at once the other memories flood into Dias brain so fast it hurts. Tori telling him about how Andrew Hale talked to her the entire time during study hall the first time they met. The day she told him about their first date at the aquarium on the phone as she walked home when it was over.
"The aquarium. You took her there for a picnic in front of the tanks. You laid a blanket and kissed her in the glow of the lights from the tank and Tori thought it was the most romantic thing ever." As he speaks Dia remembers the jellyfish bouncing around when Andrew took him there.
He continues walking backwards his head thumping as the rest of the memories form.
"You took her to the mountains" Dia remembers how Tori had appeared and pointed at Andrews name on the wall saying 'no' " and showed her the waterfall that you said had water so blue it reminded you of her eyes."
Tori words the day Dia had his episode at school ring in his head. 'He said my eyes remind him of the water'
"It was you this whole time. Everything you did with her you did with me. You were the one who hurt her, who made her cut herself for your amusement not Henry." Dia says.
The fear that Dia saw in Henrys eyes was not brought by the thought of going to prison, it was because of Andrew...it's always been Andrew. Andrew closes the space between them quickly and pulls out a shiny black gun.
"I knew you remember when you said we should meet here." He says angrily. "I wish you had just kept your fucking mouth shut."
The Andrew who's talking now does not resemble the one Dia thought he knew. His eyes hold an insane look that makes Dia want to run from him and never stop. But his legs would never allow him to get far. Andrew points the gun at his head.
"Why? Why did you do it?" Dia asks beginning to cry.
"Because it was so easy. I didn't even have to try with Tori. I showed her an once of affection and she threw herself at me. But after talking to you about me and how I wanted to keep our relationship a secret she tried to break up with me. But by that time I already knew about her dads nefarious dealings."
As Andrew talks he pushes the gun against Dias forehead. The force on Dias already aching head is enough to force tears out of his eyes.
"So to punish her I made her my toy. She would bleed when I said she would and she would like it. But once again she told you about it and I knew I couldn't keep playing with her anymore. So I needed her to keep her mouth shut for good, but I also needed you gone aswell. So I threw a party and forced Tori to come. I knew she would bring you, you were her other half."
Dia can feel Andrews breath on his face as he talks. It makes him feel sick.
"So when you both left for the diner my brother and I followed you. I knew about her stupid folder long before she knew I did. But when she saw it in the car she took you and you both ran off. I was supposed to orchestrate your murder suicide at a place you both went to a lot. Like the docs or Toris house. But this place was perfect too. Far enough away from people that any gunshot fired out here would be completely ignored."
Andrew smiles and spins on the spot filled with pride.
"You were meant to die together like your pathetic little Instagram post said. But surprise surprise once again you ruined my plans and survived. I had done everything right, cleaned up the crime scene, created the perfect story. The two depressed best friends who believed death was the best way to escape their pathetic existence after drugs and alcohol just weren't enough anymore. But I knew that if you woke up you would ruin everything I spent so long building. So I went to the hospital to finish you off. But when I looked down at you laying in that bed alone trapped between life and death."
Andrew rubs his lips against Dias face and wispers in his ear.
"I felt pity. You were already broken, almost as much as Tori. But now you would wake up in a world without her and you would be so much worse than you were before. So when I heard about ypur amnesia I knew you would be searching for someone to fill the void Tori left behind. So I showed up at your house, I was sexy and sweet and I listened to all your shit so you trusted me. You loved me and I trapped you the same way I did her. But even then you still kept me at a distance. You were keeping secrets. I needed a way to keep tabs on you, so I got my idiot brother to befriend your idiot brother and have sex with you.
"I told him to follow you that day I left you at the docks and give you a ride home. I sent him to you at the party and planted the box of evidence in his room for Nico to find. Then you all did the work for me and now he's off to jail." He smiles at Dia "and the only person who knows I did it is standing here alone with me."
"Your own brother, why? He helped you kill Tori?" Dia asks.
"He was getting weak. He said he wanted to tell the truth. That's the thing about murder, anyone can do it but very few can live with it."
Dia is not afraid. His body is shivering and his eyes are full of tears but he is not afraid.
"So you framed him so he would take the the fall instead." He says.
Andrew runs his free hand across Dias chin and kisses him softly.
"I never wanted that. But I knew you were getting too close to the truth you're need for answers growing too fast and I had to give you something." He says.
Henry, Dia can still hear the way his voice sounded when he told him that it was over. Anger. It grows inside Dia like a flood wave. He looks at Andrew. He's holding the gun to Dias head in a way that leaves him exposed, not because he's stupid. But because he doesn't believe Dia has it in him to do anything.
"You're a monster." He wispers.
Dia slams his fist into Andrews stomach so hard he folds over like a lawn chair. Seizing his opportunity Dia grabs the gun from Andrews hands and points it at his head. He holds it the way Andrew did, with both hands firmly grasping it. Getting his balance back Andrew laughs when he sees the gun in Dias hands.
"What will you do now Dia? Shoot me?" He holds his arms out. "You don't have it in you to do it."
Dia fires the gun before he even notices that he did. Andrew cries out in pain griping his bleeding leg where the bullet struck him. He grunts and breathes heavily about to speak again. But Dia aims the gun at his other leg and fires again. As Andrew falls on his back the blood seeping through his jeans creating a puddle on the floor Dia is amazed by how easy that was.
He looks at the gun in his hands and then down at Andrew. When the gun was in his hands Andrew was the one with all the power and Dia was at his mercy, but now the tables have turned and Dia has no mercy to give. He steps over Andrews legs and stands above him pointing the gun at him again.
"You think I need you to tell me that I'm broken?" He says a terribly cold calmness falling over him. "I set Gales car on fire, I bet Tori told you about that..."
"Get off me you crazy bitch" Andrew says through quickened breaths.
Dia puts a bullet in his right arm and he screams again.
"Interrupting someone when they're speaking is rude." He says softly. "As I was saying I burned Gale car. But what I never told anyone not even Tori is all the dreams I had after that night. I dreamed that Gale was trapped inside the car as it went up in flames. I would hear her scream, watch her struggle to escape and smell the air as her flesh sizzled."
Andrews blood begins to spread over more of the floor. He is trying to hide how much pain he's in with hate filled looks but Dia can see through it.
"The worst part is I enjoyed seeing her that way, watching her suffer for all the pain she caused me. It made me feel calm and powerful." Dia leans closer to Andrew. "Just like I do now."
A chill runs up his back as Tori appears and wispers in his ear.
"Kill him. It would be so easy. No one is around and no one would suspect you. You can barley even walk much less wrestle a gun from his hands." She says.
Dia looks down at him and remembers the tears Tori shed in the bathroom the night she died. The way her body trembled and shook from just the thought of what Andrew would make her do. He imagines her now tears in her eyes with a razor blade slicing through her skin while Andrew sat there watching.
"You tortured her, made her feel useless and pathetic. You scared her so much that she chose to put a bullet in her head than risk another day as your toy."
Dia steps on Andrews throat and puts pressure on his windpipe.
"Do you fear me now, the same way she feared you? Do you submit to my mercy as she did yours? Are you my toy now Andrew?" He wispers.
Dias finger creeps towards the trigger once more. He can feel it even now, the power he has over Andrew. Below his heel Dia can feel his body trembling in fear and his heart racing.
"It would be so easy" Him and Tori say in unison.
"My life is already over. My body will soon fall apart and I will have nothing. No Tori, no future, no hope. But if I kill you then I would have one thing. Revenge. For everything you put us through and think one thing is better than nothing." Dia says.
All the pretence Andrew has been holding on to begins to crumble. Tears spill down his face and he begins to sob. Dia removes his foot and Andrews painful breaths echo in the darkness. Tori is still there standing next to Dia and for a moment they watch him cry. Watch him fall apart, watch fear turn him into a slobbering sobbing fool. They watch him the way they did Toris mother the day she died, silently without moving.
Dia looks over at Tori. His best friend, the only person in the world who knows him for who he really is. The person he told all his secrets to, the person he spend hours talking to while he styled her hair and they watched TV together. The person who held him on the days when the bullying was so bad it puahed Dia towards a dark edge he was ready to jump off. The same person he lost in this very spot where Andrew lays bleeding.
"But if I do this I ruin everything. I make this your legacy. I make violence our legacy." He looks down at Andrew. "If I do this I'm no better than he is."
Dia pulls the gun back and steps past Andrew. His footseps echo in the darkness as he walks off the court, he drops the gun on the floor and pulls out his phone with the recording he made of their entire conversation. He steps into the empty street and walks over to police car. officer Mphile and opens the door and meets him halfway. Dia hands him the phone.
"Is it done?" He asks.
"He confessed to everything and then I shot him three times. Twice in each leg and once in his arm." Dia says.
Mphile looks at him and Dia knows that he should look guilty. But all he feels is calm and at peace for the first time since all of this stuff with Tori started. Mphile takes the phone.
"If what you said is true, I won't be able to protect you." He says.
"I don't care about that anymore." Dia says.
He walks over and sits on a bench on the side of the road and watches as Mphile and three other officers run towards the basketball court. The ambulance arrived a few minutes after they found Andrew and the gun. He was barely alive when they wheeled him into it and drove off. After that Dia had to stand up and put his hands behind his back so they could put handcuffs on him and read him his rights.
He was driven to the police station in the backseat. While he sat there he began to cry softly. Not for Andrew or even for Tori this time but for himself. He cried because it was over and because he was finally at peace