Darkness was all Louis could see. It was clear that he had a bandage wrapped around his head to block his vision but the fact that he didn't know where he was startled him the most. His wrists felt tight as he tried to move his arms, revealing that he was tied behind his back by what felt like the fabric of a rope.
He was in a chair that seemed to be surrounded by nothing as he felt around him with his feet. "Hello?" He called out, his throat tightening at the sound of silence.
Why would Harry do this? He questioned, his body beginning to shake because all he could think about was how he was drugged and brought somewhere he didn't know.
He remembers the last time he saw the curly haired man and how much of a mess that was. But he was minding his own business. There would be no reason why Harry would want to take him away.
And how could he bring Anne into this?
"Is a-anyone th-there?" He stuttered, beads of sweat forming on his forehead as he moved his head in numerous directions, trying to find the sound of something. Anything.
"That has to be the most emotion I have heard from you in what feels like forever." A voice muttered, causing the smaller man to flinch and clench his jaw because it appears that the person was in front of him but he couldn't tell how close they were.
"What do you mean?" He spat, his words laced with anger because this had to be the worst predicament he could be in.
There was a soft chuckle from the person, along with a soft suck of the teeth as if he were 'tsking' the man.
"Listen," Louis bargained, "I-I have money. I could get you whatever you want as long as you let me go."
His voice was desperate, the fear finally settling in his bones. The blindfold alone made him feel horrible because of how it reminded him of Liam and his abuse.
"I know for a fact you don't have money." The person joked, a light laugh leaving their lips. "You have a menial job that barely pays your rent."
The captured man furrowed his eyebrows at this, his head shaking slightly because he was beginning to recognize the voice that was keeping him company.
It almost made his blood run cold.
"Did you finally decide to kill me after all this time?" He dared to ask, hoping that the person in front of him was the one he was thinking of. All he could imagine was his death at the hands of the red eyed man. Whether it be a stabbing, being choked, or even shot.
But he knew that Harry didn't enjoy guns. Especially after what he went through.
The sudden light sound of shuffling and footsteps coming in his direction made him nervous. His palms sweating terribly as the blindfold was lifted from his eyes to reveal an empty warehouse that had rather large windows near the wall in order to allow sunshine into the dull brick room.
A single chair was placed across from him and in the far corner was a table that held materials that Louis could not clearly see but it was obvious that they were metal from the light reflecting on the blades.
He knew that his former lover was standing behind him instead of where he was just moments before. All he had to do was turn his neck and see his broad frame and piercing red eyes. But he couldn't find the energy to do so.
"Not yet." His deep voice rumbled, his figure finally coming into the man's eyesight when he stepped out from behind him and made his way to the chair that was a solid twenty feet away from Louis'.
The smaller man frowned as he scanned him from head to toe to see that he was dressed in his usual t-shirt and jeans combo but his hair was pulled back into a small bun, showing his entire face.
The fear that was in Louis was gradually decreasing as he saw how sensitive and soft the once hard man appeared. His dark circles were horrendous, while his eyes and lips were puffy. He was the definition of a hot mess because no matter how distraught he looked, he was still beautiful.
"I thought you said you would kill me the next time you saw me."
All Harry could do as a response was shrug his shoulders and lean back into his seat, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked almost too comfortable. Maybe because he still had control of the situation.
Louis shook his head in disbelief because it amazed him how this killer of a man was so calm. After everything he had done.
As much as he wanted to feel at ease, the thought of what he had done to Catherine was still in his mind.
It made him angry.
Livid even.
"Well," he sarcastically hummed as he tilted his head to look in any direction but the brunette. "You can let me go now. I get what you are trying to do but it isn't going to work."
"What am I trying to do?" Harry purred, his head turning sideways as if he was confused even though he was simply playing dumb.
"I'm not playing these fucking guessing games with you."
Harry's eyebrows rose quickly at his comment, a smile spreading on his face.
"It makes me sick that you could just sit there and smile after everything you have done." Louis seethed, glaring at the man he once loved with pure hatred in his eyes. His face read disgust while his hands were clenched in tight white-knuckled fists.
That just made the taller man laugh.
"My god, have you changed." He sighed, wiping away fake tears as he slumped in his seat further before straightening in his seat out of habit.
"You hurt my friend, threaten me, and kidnap me." Louis breathed, his face feeling hot as the anger boiling inside him. "You expect me to be sweet and loving to you after that?"
"First of all, that bitch hurt me first." Harry stated, his eyes intensely staring so that the man knew he was being entirely serious.
"How? When all she did was talk to you, and then she was coming back with bruises on her wrist."
The curly haired man scoffed at that, standing in his seat because the usual pain in his side was beginning to occur. It was indescribable the pain he was feeling, almost as if he was repeatedly being stabbed in that one damn spot.
He took several deep breaths to calm himself down but nothing seemed to be working. All he could do was look at his ex-lover who was genuinely confused.
"She never told you." He whispered when the realization had set in that Louis had been in the dark about the whole thing from the start.
He didn't actually know why Catherine and him were in this feud.
"Told me what." Louis groaned, his head rolling backwards in annoyance. He was tired of all the fucking riddles.
Harry bit his tongue. He wanted to tell the man. He truly did but at this point...it would look like a false story. Something that he simply made up in order for Louis to see things differently.
They weren't in a place where Louis would listen.
The brunette swallowed awkwardly, standing from his seat so that he could turn his back towards his captive as he rubbed at his face tirelessly. His fingers were shaking terribly as he pulled them from his face, his ruby orbs focusing on the ring he had gotten from the man himself on his left ring finger.
"What the hell are you even talking about?"
At this moment, Harry had two choices. To take a risk and explain what exactly happened between him and Catherine, or to make up a story so that he would drop it.
He wanted to make the choice that would be best for the man that he still loved because that was the adult thing to do. But he honestly didn't know if he was in a good place to be doing this.
"Don't you find it strange that they never found who shot me?" His deep voice blurted out before his conscious could stop him. He turned to see the man's reaction and it was exactly what he had expected. Confusion.
"What?" Louis' soft voice whispered, his eyebrows knitted together as his grey eyes burned at the man.
"The case just froze." Harry said, his voice emotionless. "I went to the hospital and that was the end of it. The police never came to follow up. It was like it never happened."
The two of them had gone silent for a second. Harry had sat down in his seat so that he could watch as Louis' grey eyes went to the floor, flickering in numerous directions.
One moment, it looked like the smaller man had finally cracked the code and understood what was happening and then the next he had a look of annoyance as he finally made eye contact with the curly haired killer.
"Are you saying that Catherine shot you?" He seethed, a vein in his neck throbbing from the anger settling in him. "Harry, if that is what you are saying, then that has to be the worst fucking excuse."
The taller man's breath was caught in his throat. He knew this was how he was going to react. Yet he still tried anyways.
"Riddle me this then, why would she offer to help me when you got shot, hm? Why would she become my best friend if she was the one who hurt you?"
Harry bit his shaking lip as he turned away from him, his fingers going to squeeze at the bridge of his nose to stop himself from crying.
He could have sworn that this was what he felt like when he was telling him about the sexual abuse he had endured. Yet, this time, Louis wasn't accepting and ready to be there for him.
Now he was calling him crazy.
"Tell me!" Louis screamed, his voice making the bigger man jump in his seat. His voice was so loud that it had echoed around the warehouse, making a group of perching birds fly away into the bright blue sky.
"I'm trying to figure that out myself." Harry admitted, his fingers going to pull at his bottom lip. "The only thing I can think of is that she did it so that I would be alone. No one there to stop me."
The smaller man scoffed at that, rolling his eyes. "You can't be serious." He chuckled.
The taller man clenched his jaw but still continued to think about it because now that he was connecting dots... she seemed to be awfully fascinated in his curse.
"Why am I even listening to this." The grey eyed man groaned, shifting in his seat before aggressively jumping in his place. It was clear that he was beginning to lose patience.
"She wanted me to keep killing..." Harry trailed off, obviously too busy with his thoughts to pay attention to the restless man. "Would she want me to get caught?" He questioned, not sure if he meant it rhetorically or not.
"You're basically about to get caught." Louis sighed, shaking his head as he thought back to that newspaper article he saw. "The police are looking into the mysterious 'lagoon killer'."
Harry cringed at the name he had been given, his nose scrunching upward in disgust. "Jesus. They must have found the bodies." He breathed, calmly stroking his chin as he tried to think of a new place to dump his victims.
While he was thinking, Louis had taken this chance to risk it all and ask him. The worst that could happen is that he gets told 'no' or he gets hit. Nothing new.
At first he had opened his mouth to speak, closing it just a second after from nervousness. Then, all of a sudden, he blurted out: "Is that where Liam is?"
The taller man's jaw clenched tightly as his nostrils flared. His red orbs glared at the wall ahead of him before gradually meeting the smaller man who was now afraid for his life.
For some reason, in that instance, he could really see the killer in the man he once loved. He looked dangerous. Like a caged animal that was tired of being confined. He would probably attack anything that crossed his path now.
"Are you insinuating that I killed Liam."
"It wouldn't be a shock." Louis stated, looking deeply into the man's eyes with pure curiosity. "He hurt me for years and then after what he did to you....he really fucked you up."
Harry closed his eyes for a moment as a sly tear slid down the side of his face. It was more stress crying than anything because this last plan to get Louis back, went completely different in his head.
"When did you kill him?" He pushed, shifting his wrists that were beginning to grow numb in their restrains.
"I-" the red eyed man started, pausing because his throat had felt ridiculously tight. "I didn't."
The captive tilted his head in a scolding manner because he knew the man was lying. All he needed to hear was the truth.
Not that it would change anything. He was still done with Harry and after this, he would do everything he could to remove him from his life.
"The man who kills in order to survive, didn't kill the man that broke him down physically, emotionally, and mentally?"
"Exactly." He seethed through clenched teeth. A look of pure hatred in his face as he had his internal battle on whether to release the man or keep him.
"I'm not stupid." Louis exhaled, shaking his head disappointedly.
Harry took a deep breath before his phone had began to ring, alerting him that his new job required his attention and that he had to be there immediately.
"I have to go." He snapped, shoving his phone into his pocket as he got ready to leave.
"Oh, now you have to go." Louis chuckled, his face showing fake shock before he was sucking his teeth and looking down at the ground instead of the man.
The brunette wanted to stay but he was needed at work and it was clear that they weren't going anywhere with the conversation.
"Zayn is coming so you aren't going to be alone." His deep voice rumbled as he took a quick look at their surroundings just before turning his back to Louis. "I truly hope you reach inside yourself and try to fight this because this is not a good look for you."
And with that, he sauntered out of the warehouse and out to the parking lot where he shared a quick look with Zayn, who was passing him by to start his shift.