A/N: I know I never add these at the beginning of the chapters but for this one I felt it was necessary.
First off, the guy in the picture is (if you guessed correctly based on the last chapter) Tyler.
Also, this chapter feels much longer to me than all the others before it, so I hope that's okay, mostly because we're nearing the end.
I said I would be uploading on Fridays but I start school up again tomorrow and decided that what better way to start the new semester than spending my last day of break writing a new chapter. So you're getting an early update, also so I can focus completely on school the first week back and not fail you by possibly not giving you a chapter due to being busy. Kinda owe you for the whole losing the last chapter and then having to figure out a way to put it back up and all that too.
I'm thinking of making the last chapters just as long as this one if I am able to do so. I can't promise anything but I will sure try.
But anyway! On with the chapter, since there's gonna be another one of these at the end of the chapter. Enjoy!
OH! And before I forget I'm not sure if a trigger warning is necessary but it's just in case. ♥️
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Zayn woke up gasping for air, after freezing cold water had been thrown on his face. "Listen, Zayn. As much as I hate saying this, I kinda need you alive. And for that, I'm gonna have to treat that nasty infection starting in your thigh."
Zayn looked down at his thigh, tried moving it but the pain was unbearable since the wound hadn't been treated at all it was now infected and would only get worse.
"Don't you worry, I'm not gonna cut off your leg or anything" Tyler chuckled as he looked at Zayn, "I'm not that crazy"
"Yeah right" Ethan muttered, Zayn glancing glanced to his right.
Tyler followed his gaze and smirked, "Who's talking Zayn?"
Zayn turned to face him but said nothing, simply stared at him until Tyler got tired of looking at him and walked towards a table on the other side of the room.
Zayn's mouth was dry, he hadn't eaten or had anything to drink and he felt incredibly weak, the wound wasn't helping either.
"You- you never told me why you did what you did" Zayn whispered as he closed his eyes and laid his head back against the post.
"Ah yes, actually you would know the reason if you had been at my trial five years ago, but because you refused to be at attendance I guess I'll have to tell you now" Tyler walked back with a syringe in his hand, crouching down to be at Zayn's eye level once he was in front of him.
"You didn't deserve to leave so soon" He began as he leaned over and stuck the needle near Zayn's wound making him wince, "You weren't there for even six months, and you were being released with flying colors. And I didn't think that was fair at all, there were patients there that had been there for years and weren't going to be released any time soon. I just wanted you to stay longer so you knew what it truly felt to be alone in a hospital with no one who cared or loved you"
He finished giving Zayn the dose of what Zayn could only imagine was either an anesthetic or an antibiotic, and got up to walk back to the table.
"From the second I saw you, I knew you were the type of person to always get what you wanted, to have always had a happy and fullfilling life, and I didn't really like you for it. I made it my mission to make sure you stayed there as long as possible."
Zayn opened his eyes and noticed Ethan and Liam staring at him then over at Tyler, "Of course I ever imagined you would get released so soon. If I had known, I would have started giving you the wrong medication from the beginning instead of your last day."
Ethan turned to look at Zayn, who mouthed out a 'help me', but what could he do? He didn't exist.
"And the thing is, it would have worked fine. You know if it hadn't been for that rat of a little girl that witnessed everything." Tyler walked back over to Zayn, once again crouching down to his eye level.
"You deserved to be miserable there, I'm pretty sure your entire life you've gotten nothing but happiness and being let go that easily, well, that just wasn't fair for the rest of the patients."
"You had no right to do that to me" Zayn said just above a whisper, Tyler rolling his eyes.
"Yeah well, you got away with it at the end. Which is why we're here today." Tyler shrugged, "There's so much more you probably want to know, but I'll have to tell you the rest after your little surgery here"
Tyler placed a breathing mask over Zayn's nose and mouth, one that Zayn hadn't realized he had. Before he could react in the slightest, Zayn fell into a deep sleep.
"Sleep tight, Zayn"
"Liam? Hey" Liam shook his head and looked up, Noah was standing in front of him, frowning at him.
"Sorry, what did you say?"
Noah rolled his eyes and sat next to Liam, "I said, how are you feeling today"
"Oh. I'm doing okay, except I can't help it but I have this strange feeling something isn't right"
Noah looked at him confused, "What do you mean? Like health wise or?"
"No, no. Like, something isn't okay, not with me though, it's like I have a feeling something bad happened but I don't know what"
"You mean with Zayn?"
Liam kept quiet, to be honest, he hadn't related the strange feeling with Zayn, it hadn't crossed his mind that maybe something had happened to Zayn and that's why he felt as though something was wrong.
"I- I don't know.."
"I'm sure he's fine, Liam. You're probably just uneasy with the whole trying to get better quickly thing. I would be too if I were you, but I've been here for five years, which is something you're trying to cramp up into like five months or so"
"You're probably right, I just, really want to leave this place, you know?" Liam said turning to look at Noah, who chuckled.
"Yes Liam, I know. I've been wanting to leave since I got here."
"Right, sorry." He sighed, "I forget you've been here awhile."
"It's okay, I used to hate it here at first, even though I really needed the help, but after awhile I got used to it, it became like a home to me since I'm cared for and helped in every way possible to be okay to be on my own again"
"Well if it isn't dumb and dumber" They turned around to see Damien walking towards them, Noah rolled his eyes and looked away.
"What do you want Damien?" Liam asked not really in the mood to deal with him.
"You mean, other than your husband?" Damien laughed, watching as Liam shook his head and looked away.
"After what happened, I don't think he'd want you, and I have to be there to mend his broken heart"
"Will you shut the fuck up?" Noah said turning to look at Damien, "Do you not get that you're not wanted here and we don't want to deal with you and anything you have to say?"
"I'd watch my tone if I were you, wouldn't want the big bad men coming and dragging you off to dismember you like they did those kids now do we?"
Liam stood up quickly and got face to face with Damien, "What did you just say?"
"What? You thought it wasn't going to get around what happened to those poor kids because of you two?" Damien said, smirking at Liam and glancing over at Noah.
Noah looked away, with tear filled eyes, basically satisfying Damien.
"First off all, those kids had names. Fernie, Vic and TJ. Second, we weren't the ones who hurt them and took away their lives, we were just in much danger as they were. I escaped to try to get help for them and Noah fought as much as he could to try to save them." Liam began, his voice low and angry.
Damien rolled his eyes and looked away, seeming bored, "And lastly, why don't you call up that girlfriend of yours? I'm sure she'd love to put you in your place like all those times before. I'm sure she misses that."
Damien quickly turned to Liam, eyes wide. "What? You thought it wasn't going to get around what happened between you and your girlfriend?"
"Weren't much of a man back then, huh?"
Noah looked at the two, Liam looked completely satisfied with himself while Damien looked like he could break down crying any second.
"You wouldn't know what's it like to be in a toxic and abusive relationship. You will never understand what I went through, and what I constantly have to live with because of it. You've been with the same person for practically ten years and he's been nothing but good to you." Damien spoke out after a minute of silence, his voice cracking every few words. "From what I've learned he's the best thing that's ever happened to you but you're too stupid to even realize that. He waited for you while you were missing and did everything in his power to try to keep it together. He ended up here because of how broken he was with you gone. And after the past few years, he was willing to be here once again just to be close to you, and you were too blind to see he was only being a good husband! Because instead you saw him as a burden!"
Liam stared at Damien not knowing what to say because he was caught off guard.
"So excuse me for wanting someone like your husband, or your husband in general, but I've never known what it's like to have someone who loves you as much as Zayn loves you. Zayn was nothing but good to everyone here, including me even though he didn't like me much, I could tell. So yes, I wanted to try to make him mine but deep down I knew it would never happened because he only has eyes for you. And yet, you drove him off. Maybe I don't deserve someone like Zayn in my life, but at this point, neither do you."
Damien walked away, leaving Liam speechless. He looked over at Noah who was staring at him already.
"I'm happy you stood up for yourself and thankful you stood up for me, but that was a low blow, Liam." Noah stood up and looked at him disappointed, "Never use someone's mental, physical or emotional problems against them. Especially when they're trying to get away from them." He sighed and turned around to walk away.
Liam sat back down, placing his hands over his face and resting his elbows on this knees. Noah had every right to feel disappointed in him, because in that moment Liam was disappointed in himself too.
When Zayn woke up, the room was much darker than it was the first time he had woken up that day, or rather when he got woken up by water that he could only imagine came from the artic.
"You're awake." Zayn looked around but he couldn't see anyone. Then he noticed something.
He was no longer tied to the post.
"I'm not that heartless, you know." Zayn squinted his eyes to try to see in the dark, since his eyes were still adjusting.
Tyler walked over from the corner of the room, hands folded over his chest. "Could've fooled me." Zayn whispered once he was close enough.
"The only reason I untied you was because you're too weak to fight back or even try to hurt me. Plus, you wouldn't be able to stand up after the surgery I performed."
"You cut off my leg?!" Zayn tried yelling, but it came out as more of a croak due to his mouth and throat being so dry.
"Of course not, you imbecile." Tyler said rolling his eyes, "I cleaned up your wound, injected antibiotics in it and then stitched it up. Standing up or even trying to walk would hurt like hell since it went untreated for so long."
"Oh." Zayn said looking down at his bandaged leg then back at Tyler. "I don't know whether to say thanks or not, since you're the reason I got it in the first place."
"If you had just listened to me and not try to fight me as we went out the window you wouldn't have gotten the wound." Tyler said before crouching down next to Zayn and placing Zayn's left arm over his shoulder and placing his right arm around Zayn's waist.
"Now for the love of god, help me, I'm not going to do all the work myself."
Zayn stared at Tyler as he helped Zayn up, Zayn pushing himself up as best as he could while holding on him.
"Don't make me regret this" Tyler simply said as he helped Zayn out of the room, and down a hallway. Zayn wincing every other step trying his hardest not to step to much with his left leg. Tyler held him up and despite what he said, he basically was doing all the work.
They made into what Zayn assumed was meant to be a dining room but it was just a small squared table with two chairs on opposite ends. Tyler helped Zayn sit in one of them before walking into another room.
Zayn looked around the room, but it was extremely simple. No pictures, decorations, and it seemed as though it's been unoccupied for years. It was more of a cabin really.
Tyler walked back in, with a plate and glass in hand, placing them both in front of Zayn, who looked at him confused.
"Like I said, I need you alive and that can't happen if you're practically starving to death. So eat up."
Zayn didn't say anything, he looked down at the plate in front of him and it was a simple turkey and cheese sandwich and a glass of what looked like orange juice.
"I know you don't eat pork, so giving you ham would just be rude." Tyler said as he stared at Zayn.
"Oh but kidnapping me and having me hostage isn't?" Zayn said earning a sigh from Tyler.
"Shut up and eat." Tyler walked away and into another room, in the opposite side of where Zayn guesses the kitchen was.
As much as he hated not wanting to eat anything Tyler had to offer him, it'd been days since he last ate and really, he was starving.
He took his time, taking small bites and chewing slowly to not make himself feel sick for eating too fast.
"Tyler? You said you'd tell me the rest after the surgery." Zayn spoke out, not turning around to check if Tyler had heard him or was nearby.
"Tell me this, Zayn. Did little miss Ruby also see your hallucinations?" Tyler sounded clear yet distant.
"I thought she did but when I went to go see her about the letter I received that supposedly came from her she said she couldn't explain it and that she didn't remember whether or not she truly did see hallucinations" Zayn explained, trailing off at the end.
Tyler didn't replied, leaving Zayn deep in thought.
"You sent that letter." Zayn stated turning around to look at the doorway waiting for Tyler to appear.
A minute later, Tyler appeared and leaned against the doorway looking over at Zayn.
"I did."
"Why?" Zayn frowned, he needed answers and he truly hoped Tyler would give them to him.
Tyler walked over and sat on the other chair, Zayn turning to face him.
"I already told you why I did what I did while in the hospital. Then, once I was sentenced to four years in jail, I decided that trying to get any type of revenge on you was stupid." He stopped to look at Zayn for a few seconds before continuing, "A couple months later, I got a letter from my mother. She was incredibly disappointed in me and what I had done, and swore to never speak to me again, which is why the letter was a huge surprise."
Zayn listened to him, not wanting to interrupt, Tyler was being so open about everything there was no way he was going to ruin it.
"The letter said that my little brother had been found." Tyler stated leaning back against the chair, crossing his arms over his chest. "My little brother's body had been found to be exact."
"My little brother had been kidnapped during a vacation my parents and him took. The kid had always been full of life, one of the happiest kids you'd ever meet. My parents world came crumbling down when my brother was taken from them. They did everything they possibly could to try and find my brother. Constantly checking with the authorities to see if they had any type of lead."
Tyler looked away, seemed as though he was going to cry but held it together. "My brother was found almost seven months after he was kidnapped. His body dismembered in a ditch. Reading that in a letter sent to me in jail was the worst thing in the world. I never got to see my little brother again."
Zayn looked away from him, down to the table. He couldn't help but feel sorry for Tyler but he didn't know what that had anything to do with him.
"Once I go out, I made it my life's goal to find whoever was responsible for it. I couldn't ask my parents because they disowned me, and there was no way they were going to tell me. So I did my research, because apparently that case wasn't exactly public records. I came to find out that along with my little brother, two other boys had been killed as well. And who knows how many more before that, but I also found out that two people had survived."
Realization dawned on Zayn and he turned to look at Tyler, scared and worried. "Ah, catching up are we? Those two survivors were a 14 year old boy named Noah, and an 18 year old named Liam. From what I was able to gather, Noah said that they began killing the kids when they discovered Liam had escaped and they refused to tell them where he went. As punishment and encouragement they began killing them one by one, in hopes of them finally reveling where Liam had gone."
"Noah said he fought as much as he could to keep those kids safe, offering himself as sacrifice instead all three times but was ignored because they knew taking the others would only hurt Noah and possibly make him cooperate. My brother was the last one they took, using him for his intended purpose, before the police were finally able to catch them and send them to prison for everything they did."
"Fernie.." Zayn whispered with tears in his eyes.
Tyler looked at him, heartbroken and angry at the same time. "Fernie. My little brother."
"Tyler.. I'm-"
"If Liam hadn't escaped my brother would still be alive. I then researched a Liam Payne." He laughed coldly, "And what was my surprise? He was your husband. It was as if life was giving me a second chance to ruin your life. Despite making the decision to not try anything against you, I wasn't going to let my brother's death go unpunished."
Zayn was crying, shaking his head as Tyler continued talking, "I sent you that letter in hopes of driving you away from your home to go in and take your husband. I wanted to avenge my brother's death by taking your husband life as well. But you didn't leave, you stayed and you seemed fine. Until, one day, you both left. Vanished."
Zayn looked at Tyler, tears running down his face, there was no emotion on Tyler's face. Nothing.
"I befriended that cute brunette friend of yours, do you know she doesn't know how to keep a secret? Or talk normally for that matter? Always yelling into her phone while taking a call. I learned from her that both you and your husband where back in the states. I was pretty surprised she didn't know who I was, a little clueless that one. So I waited, and soon enough, you were back, without your husband. My initial plan wasn't to take you, but it was better than my first plan."
Tyler stood up and moved to stand behind Zayn, leaning down so he could speak directly into Zayn's ear. "I wanted your husband to suffer and have the same fate my brother did, but then it occurred to me. There was another way to make him suffer and make it worth my wild, having him spend a life time without the love of his life was just too perfect. Which is why I took you instead."
Zayn took a deep shaky breath before turning to look at Tyler, who smirked at him. "And now you know everything, Zayn. Any questions?"
"What are you going to do to me? You said you needed me alive.."
"I do, for now. I'm going to give you the same fate my brother received. I'm going to keep you captive, and then one day, a completely random day, I'm going to take you out into the woods, and dismember you. Then leave your body in a ditch for anyone to find. Simple."
"Then what? Once I'm dead what are you going to do?"
"Nothing. Your husband will be heartbroken for the rest of his life the same way I am about losing my brother. Suffering in silence and wishing he could turn back time and change the past. You'll be dead, he'll be dead inside and I'll go on living my life as if nothing ever happened, satisfied that I was able to do something about losing Fernie."
"Liam only wanted to save them! He cared for those kids, including Fernie! He wouldn't have escaped if he thought they would be harmed in any way!" Zayn cried out, choking on a sob.
"Fernie was only 11! He was a child! And Liam left them all there to die!" Tyler screamed, finally crying. "Fernie had so much to live for and such a bright future ahead of him but thanks to Liam that never happened and never will!"
"Don't do this... Fernie wouldn't want you to do this" Zayn cried out, making Tyler punch him in the jaw.
"You didn't know Fernie. Don't talk as if you knew him or know what he would have or wouldn't have wanted. Your days are numbered, Zayn. Deal with it."
Tyler walked away, leaving Zayn crying and holding his jaw. He couldn't believe that he was going to die and over something neither Zayn or Liam had any control over. They were paying for something they didn't do, and the worst part was that Liam would have to live with the guilt of not only leaving the kids behind, resulting in their deaths but also the guilt of Zayn's death. Zayn couldn't let that happen, but what could he do?
He was a dead man.
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Okay! I really do hope you enjoyed it, feedback is always accepted don't forget.
And if you've forgotten what Chris/Ethan looks like his picture is on Chapter Fourteen of A Year Without You 😬
This week's shoutout goes to: idkwhattosayfuck ♥️
This really wasn't much of an author's note since I basically said everything I needed to say at the beginning. My bad.
Love you !
Georgina x