. *. ~. *Without pain, we'd have nothing. *. ~. *
~~~
Not a lovely name for a chapter I know, but it fit the best. Polite warning that this chapter is pretty dark.
Any of my future TLS readers: you've seen worse lmao.
Love ya <3 ~ Owl
~~~
-Darryl's POV-
My head spins as I return to consciousness. Or at least I think I do, the world is still black when I open my eyes. I take in the familiar scent of my own bedroom, I mustn't have been taken anywhere. My hands are clasped together, and I discover they're tied up with rope as I try to pry them apart.
I've been kidnapped.
Again.
I really need to stop getting kidnapped.
Either that or the author needs to be a little more creative with how these things happen...
The door swings open, I can tell it does by the creaking sound. I've never been more thankful for those damaged doors than now. They give me some sense of what's going on at least.
"Oh you're awake. That wasn't long." The voice is unmistakable, I've heard it so many times before I know for certain who it is.
Zelkam.
I remember the encounter in the halls Zak and I had with him last week. Zak's confidence is what managed to get Zelkam to back down. I decide to try this myself, as I can't exactly punch him like Zak did then.
"A little patronising to your own self esteem to knock me unconscious like that don't you think Zelk? You could beat me in a fair fight y'know" I say, painting on a smirk like the one Zak always uses in these situations. I don't know how he does it, I'm literally terrified.
My answer is a sharp pain to my cheek. I cry out, feeling what must be blood run from where Zelk struck. "I'd not be so cocky, you are the one who's tied up..." Zelk snorts. "That's probably your little boyfriend's fault you've gained that confidence against me. Oh don't worry, he'll be here soon."
My stomach drops, a sickening feeling rising through me. Zak's coming here? Now?
The fabric is removed from over my eyes with a tug, revealing the room I'm in to be my own bedroom. I catch my reflection in the mirror behind Zelk, who's stood on the opposite side of the room, facing me with a smirk.
My left cheek is bleeding in a steady steam down my face, dripping onto my hoodie. I'm tied to my desk chair, my wrists knotted together behind the backrest. There's a kitchen knife resting on the desk behind Zelk, blood dripping from the blade. That must've been what he cut me with.
"Wh-what d-do y-you mean Zak's on his way?" I ask nervously, trying to take control over my trembling voice. That evil smirk widens to a grin. "I sent him a message to come over here ten minutes ago, so he should be on his way now..." I clench my teeth, glaring at Zelk in anger. "You leave Zak out of whatever the hell this is!" I spit.
My phone buzzes in the corner, just once. It's on the desk next to the knife, so I can't see it. Zelk glances over at the screen, picking it up and showing it to me. "Looks like that's not happening." I read the phone screen held in front of me:
~ 6 unread messages ~
Zak ❤️
Darryl?
3:30 am
Darryl what's going on?
3:30 am
Zelk wants to meet me at yours
3:31 am
Are you ok?!
3:31 am
Darryl?
3:32 am
The last message is what worries me the most.
Zak ❤️
Hang in there, I'm coming.
3:34 am
Zelk pulls the screen away from me, casting my phone aside with no care. "Besides, my battle isn't with you Darryl, it's with Zak. You're just the bait." Zelk sits in one of my kitchen chairs he must've brought in, swinging on it as he watches my face contort in anger.
"It's helpful that Zak has feelings for you. I was starting to run out of fuel to use against him when he declared everything to everyone, but now there's you." He brings his face closer to mine, arching his brows in a more mocking way as he narrows his eyes.
"Shame. You've always been the nerd in the background haven't you? But you just had to fall for the boy half the school has always dreamt of having..." Zelk bites his bottom lip in what looks like disgust.
"And somehow, he fell for you. You reached out to him, couldn't help yourself to be more than just his tutor. Now look where he's gotten you, nothing but problems since he came into your life."
Its all true, except the last part. Sure Zak's brought some challenges with him, but I've never had so much excitement than in the past 3 weeks I've known him.
Although I could do perfectly fine without the regular kidnapping...
Zelk brought up something I have noticed though. Popular girls now acknowledge me, but for all the wrong reasons. They look at me in anger, then smile at Zak.
It's as if to say 'how come you get him and not us? What do you have that we don't?'
I'm left wondering that too. Zak effectively has the pick of the school, but he fell in love with me. Me of all people.
Why?
I snap out of my thoughts as I'm hit in the side of the head. I bite my lip, drawing blood as I attempt to strangle my yell. "Need me to repeat myself?" Zelk spits. I'm not given a chance to answer.
"I said Zak will be here soon, and you are going to shut up while we have our little chat. You're merely the hostage to get him to cooperate, so you better hope he does."
Zelk picks up the knife, running a finger along the edge of the blade.
He's crazy. Crazy.
He takes the knife with him as he walks around me, stopping behind the chair. He starts fiddling with the restraints, and for a split second, a ray of hope shines that he might undo them.
That ray of hope is soon shut out as I feel the knife blade dig into my wrists.
I scream, unable to hold it in. My vision blurs, turning the world into a blur of colours. The restraints are undone, but I'm in too much pain to react quick enough. Zelk shoves me forward and I crash to the floor, slamming into the carpet below me.
All I can see is the knife before I black out, my blood dripping from the blade.
~~~
-Zak's POV-
The silhouette of Northbrookes Academy appears as I turn another corner. There's nobody around at this hour to witness my panic as I sprint through the streets, but I couldn't care about that now. I sent Darryl a few messages, with no answer each time.
This only throws me into a further panic as I enter the school sight, sprinting towards the student accommodation. My vision is blurring at the edges, threatening to disappear at any second. I feel so lightheaded that I worry I might faint any second.
I dash up three flights of stairs, making it to Darryl's apartment and banging on the door before deciding to let myself in. "Darryl? Darryl what's going on?" I yell as I fumble with my key, unlocking the door. I yank the handle down and run inside, slamming the door behind me.
The scene I'm met with is one I'd think of only finding in my nightmares.
Zelk is stood in the centre of the room, arms folded over his chest and a maniacal grin on his face. At his feet is Darryl, blood running down his face and hands as he's sprawled out unconsciously across the carpet.
I clasp my hands over my mouth, suffocating my scream as I stare between Darryl and the monster above him. Darryl stirs, eyes fluttering open slightly as he looks at me in fear.
I lunge straight at Zelk, anger burning through my blood as I send him crashing to the floor. He grabs my hoodie, pulling me to the floor below him by my still exposed wrists. I didn't give Vincent a chance to bandage them.
I scream, pulling them out of his grasp and landing a punch against his jaw. I'm waiting for someone to come crashing down the halls and bang on the door because of all the noise, then realise that literally everyone is at Dave's.
My anger burns into rage as I punch him again, knocking him further away from the bloody body laying beside me. I'm not even sure if he's moving.
Zelk and I continue to punch and kick each other, scrambling around on the floor as Darryl fights to stay conscious. Zelk pins me against the floor by my wrists, pressing his nails in to stop me from fighting. The pain is near blinding.
My head is spinning, and I can't tell what's going on. The world seems to spin, colours merging in my vision as I try to see straight.
You thought you could fight me..." Zelk drawls, spitting blood on the floor beside us. I struggle against his restraint, causing him to dig his nails in further. I clench my teeth, scrunching my eyes as a scream escapes my throat.
Zelk gasps, and I manage to hold open my eyes to see why. Darryl is stood over him, holding a bloody knife to his throat. His eyes are pure fire, green embers suffocating the monster.
"Now you get the fuck away from my boyfriend, or you're going to regret it."
~~~
-Darryl's POV-
I hold the knife barely an inch away from Zelk's throat as he stares at me in horror. "You heard me" I yell. "Let go of him and move away."
I watch Zelk release his hold on Zak, backing up into the corner of the room as I follow him with the knife to his throat. The door bursts open not a second later, revealing Callahan. "Got your message I- what the fuck is going on?!" he screams, taking in the scene he's walked into. "Over here" I beckon. "And bring that rope with you."
Callahan picks up the rope lying on the floor, the same one I was tied up with a few minutes ago. He brings it over to me as I threaten Zelk, making him let us tie him up. He obliged, probably something to do with the knife I'm still holding.
Callahan ties Zelk up as I hold the knife. There was excess lying around incase Zelk needed more, so we tie him up completely. Satisfied he's no longer able to move, I set the knife on the table out of his reach. "So then..." I spit. "What're we doing about this Zelk?"
"What the-how did you get here? I made sure nobody was around!" Zelk gasps in shock.
It's my turn to smirk. "Oh that? When you two were fighting, I texted Callahan to get over here. You left my phone on the table, bit silly of you to leave me without restraints in reach of my phone." Zelk's face contorts in frustration, probably at himself for being so stupid.
I look over at Callahan. "Guess we call the police and wait?" He nods at me, a small smile on his face barely visible through the shock. "Guess so. I'll stay here with him, you can sort yourself and him out" he signals to Zak.
Zak.
I rush over to him, still sprawled out on the floor in the same position Zelk was holding him down. It's then that I notice his wrists are completely exposed, no bandages in sight. He ought to still be covering them until they heal up properly.
The damage caused is so much that I debate asking Callahan to call an ambulance along with the police. But that would be an awful idea, considering they'd ask questions about both mine and Zak's scars, which wouldn't be good for either of us.
I scoop Zak up into my arms, carrying him bridal-style to my room. It's already destroyed from the blood spilt earlier.
I lay Zak down on my bed, pulling out a first aid kit and throwing the contents onto my desk. My thoughts run wild at what just happened.
Why did Zelk want Zak here? What was he planning?
He used a knife.
He's crazy, absolutely crazy.
Surely he saw this coming?
My thoughts are interrupted as I hear rustling behind me. I turn around to see Zak, lifting his hands up and gawking at them in horror. That look doesn't leave his face when he sees me. My wrists are pretty destroyed, bleeding out everywhere along with my lip. My cheek seems to be the worst injury, cut pretty deep.
Zak's state is worse. He's covered in bruises from fighting Zelk, blood running from his also split lip. His wrists are the worst, old scars scraped open all over both sides.
He stares at me for a few seconds, blinking rapidly as he tries to focus his probably still wobbly vision. "What the fuck did you just do?" he chokes, looking around the room. "Where's Zelk? What's going on?"
He sits up in a blind panic, clutching his head and swaying. I rush towards him, laying a hand on his chest and gently pushing him so he lays down again. "Lay down, you need to. I'll be back in a sec ok?"
I look out of my room, poking my head around the door to see what's going on. Callahan has his phone pressed to his ear, still sat watching Zelk, who he seems to have gagged. He looks up at me, giving me a thumbs up before returning his attention to Zelk.
A strangled scream comes from behind me, and I turn to see Zak with a hoodie sleeve in his mouth, biting down on it. The first aid kit is lying open on the side still, so I pull out some painkillers. "Here" I say weakly, placing them in the younger boy's hand. "Not sure how much they'll do, but they should help a little."
Taking some more for myself, I sit on the edge of the bed beside Zak, who's also sitting despite what I told him. He leans against me instantly, wrapping his arms around my waist. I try to smile, wincing slightly as I bite back another round of my own pain.
"I'm sorry..." Zak mumbles. "I didn't know what to do, and my anger took over and I- I-..."
"Ssh, it's ok" I tell him, running a hand through his hair. It's still covered in blood, but we both are. "The police are on their way, Zelk's tied up next door with Callahan."
Zak looks relieved, his muscles relaxing as he stares off into the distance. "Good." He looks up at me. "That was actually terrifying to watch, and I wasn't even the one being threatened." We both laugh a little, a pleasant sound in the near silent atmosphere surrounding us.
"That and I've never heard to swear before, which was terrifying in itself." The heat rises to my cheeks. "Yeah... forget you ever heard that. I was just so angry I couldn't stop myself."
He laughs a little, stopping quickly to bite back another wave of pain. Tears well up in my eyes, which I'm unable to hide before Zak notices them. "Awh, it's ok" he whispers to me, turning my head so that I face him.
He wipes a few tears away with his fingers, and I grab onto one of his hands. I hold onto it, watching as a few stray tears fall from my face. Zak rests a hand on my cheek, lifting my head and softly kissing me. I try to lose myself in that moment, returning the kiss as I wrap my spare arm around his waist.
No more panicking. Zelk's contained, we're free of him at last.
It's over now.