Law returned to the inside of the emergency waiting room, glancing back once more at Lexi, still standing outside to compose herself. A feminine sigh made him glance back, watching as Brittany finished signing all the hospital papers. She leaned her head against an elbow on the counter.
"This stuff doesn't even try to make you feel better about the situation." Her tired eyes met his for a brief moment, turning away to stare at the floor. She dropped the pen back onto the counter and thanked Amanda, the receptionist, before rising and grabbing her purse.
"I'm starving, but I don't really think anyone has an appetite for anything right now." Brittany muttered, hearing her stomach gurgle once more. Placing a hand on the offending area of her body, she sat, Law doing the same right beside her.
"Most people don't after losing a loved one." Law agreed, leaning back into his chair and staring up at the ceiling. It was sectioned off into identical square panels, strange white dotted patterns adorning the underside. But these random patterns and dots gave him something to focus on while they waited for Lexi to come back inside.
"You know, normal Brittany would be flirting up a storm right now with you," She admitted, a wry grin on her face, "but I think I would just come across as insensitive, given where we are." She finished with a mutter, trying to lighten the mood just a little. Law graced her with an amused smirk, but they both returned to silence again.
The soft waiting room music continued to play, and Law lost himself to the quiet lyrics of whatever song it was.
"…why do you call her Lexi-ya?" Brittany inquired, gaining his attention once more. He shrugged.
"It's customary in my…country." He lied, hoping she wouldn't question it too much. Thankfully this answer seemed to satisfy her, and she returned to looking through her purse. Unknown objects clinked and clanked together from within the bag's depths. Law could only wonder what sort of items this young woman held within it, though he'd rather not find out.
"Oh, I still have Lexi's keys in here." Brittany pulled out a keyring, the contents jangling together as the keys fell back into place. "Well, I should probably drive us home anyways. I don't think she's really in any…condition…to…" Law looked up as the woman's sentence got slower and slower, her train of thought coming to a complete stop. She was staring off past him, towards the parking lot, frowning deeply.
Following her gaze, Law gazed out of the glass double doors and over to the two people standing outside. Lexi was still there, but with her was an unrecognizable pale-skinned man, with dark brown hair, holding some sort of metal object, the end bent at a 90 degree angle.
He appeared to be gesturing behind him, talking to Lexi. The brunette then appeared to become surprised or angry at something he'd said, and she clenched her fists. Then, he began walking the other direction, and she followed. Law's first thought was that maybe she knew him, maybe he was a friend of hers she'd never talked about. Maybe from college. Brittany, however, stood up and slowly walked to the door.
"Do you recognize him?" Law asked then, a sudden uneasy feeling building in his chest. Immediately, Brittany grabbed her stuff and began rushing out the door.
"No. I don't know who he is." She answered worriedly, Law trailing behind her. "Lexi!" She yelled, hoping to stop whatever she feared was about to happen. Of course, she could be completely wrong and panicking for no reason, but that didn't stop her heart from racing in her chest. Parked cars passed them by as they hurried to spot where the two had gone.
Finally rounding the corner, Law and Brittany paused a moment, watching as the unknown man threw an unconscious Lexi into the back of a red sedan, though it was difficult to distinguish in the dark, closing the trunk loudly.
"LEX!" Brittany panicked, running full sprint towards the man. Her chest was seizing up, but she felt all this newfound energy coursing through her body, intent on getting back her friend who was suddenly in danger. Law, his reflexes just as quick, caught up to her easily, quickly gaining since he was much faster. His years of training and instinct far surpassed that of Brittany's ability.
He heard the familiar sound of the vehicle being started, and before he could even reach the car, the man was peeling away from the curb, tires squealing loudly. Brittany ran ahead a few more feet, staring at the quickly escaping car.
"Oh my god, LEXI!" Brittany called again in vain, trying to memorize the license plate on the car. She got down the first two digits or so, but the car was gone before she caught the rest. Tears beginning to pool in her eyes, she sobbed a little. "I'm calling the cops!" Brittany cried, pulling out her phone, but Law halted her wrist tightly.
"We have a better chance of finding her if we follow him ourselves. But we have to leave now." His commanding voice explained, and she hesitantly agreed that he was right. While her first thought was that they had to call the cops as soon as possible, if there was a chance they could find the bastard themselves and possibly stop any initial harm from coming to her friend, that was most important. Or, at the very least, would be able to find where they were taking her and give the police a suitable address. Any rational thought was quickly being overtaken with afterimages of Lexi being unceremoniously dumped into the back of that car. Her anger was beginning to grow as well. And that was all the motivation she needed.
Putting her phone away, she scrambled back to the truck and piled in with Law, slamming the doors closed and turning the engine as fast as was humanly possible. Not bothering to put on seatbelt or any other safety precaution. She shoved it into drive and stomped the gas pedal, the truck rocketing forward in pursuit of the red sedan.
He laughed loudly, glee bubbling up as he turned a corner. Oh, this was so much fun! He'd never felt so alive! All that practice, it felt nothing like the real thing. Those other women had come much too easily, much too quick. Yes, he found he enjoyed a real challenge. Biding his time, lying in wait. How dramatic!
Grin still in place, he slowed calmly at the stop sign, knowing that drawing too much attention may get him pulled over by an unexpected police car. No, that would certainly ruin things. The streets weren't busy at this time of night, but you never knew when a stray patrolman might be cruising the back roads, watching for those teens trying to drag race.
Hearing the sound of an approaching vehicle behind his, he glanced at the rearview mirror, spotting the familiar shape of Lexi's old truck turn the corner he had just been at without bothering to stop. He grinned more, shutting off his headlights and pressing on the gas pedal, the engine whirring louder and higher pitcher as it picked up speed.
Yes, the thrill of the chase was much more exciting.
Brittany didn't say much as she drove, her headlights illuminating the road in front of them. Law, on the other hand, glanced at either side, since her focus was what was in front. If there was any chance that he'd pulled off to the side, Law would see it and alert Brittany.
The truck bumped and rattled much more when Brittany drove it, though considering the situation, this didn't surprise him. Still, it was a little nauseating to be shaken around in the contraption. He had to pinch the bridge of his nose to help clear it.
"There!" She shouted suddenly, pointing in front of her at the red sedan turning left towards the highway. She picked up speed, approaching the turn as the other car seemed to realize they were there and hit the gas as well. Seeing no other cars nearby, and perhaps a bit more aggressively than she'd intended, she practically drifted around the corner in pursuit, somehow managing not to flip the truck on its side.
Law narrowed his eyes, hand clenching into a fist. If only he'd had his powers, catching up to this man would be so easy.
As time went on, the sedan still managed to pull further and further ahead in the quickly darkening evening. They never got close enough to read the rest of the license plate, nor did it seem they had any true destination in mind. They simply continued on in a straight line on the highway. Law discovered that he was despising Lexi's world more and more by the minute.
"Can't you go any faster?" He quipped, sparing a glance at the black-haired woman. She gritted her teeth, foot all the way to the floor.
"I'm trying! This old thing doesn't go any faster, dammit!" Fingers wrapped around the steering wheel in a death grip, the landscape passing them by in a blur, Brittany squinted into the night, all of a sudden not quite sure where the car they were chasing was located. "Do you see it?"
Law scanned the road ahead but was unable to make out the distinguishing shadow of the red vehicle. Her headlights only reached so far, and past that point it was increasingly difficult to see anything at all. With a deep sigh, he shook his head, frustrated that they'd lost it in the ever-growing darkness. "He's gone."
"Dammit!" Brittany shouted, slamming the palm of her hand into the middle of the steering wheel. Something loud honked briefly. Gradually, Brittany eased her foot off of the accelerator, coming to the conclusion that no matter how long they drove, the mystery man was long gone.
"We should return to the house." Law gritted, his whole body tense. Whoever this man was, he gave a silent promise that he wouldn't hold back for anyone's sake, already conjuring up the sort of punishment he would bestow upon him. A slow and agonizing, cruel sort of death.
"No, we should call the police now. We lost him, we have no idea where he is." Brittany once again suggested, reaching over to her bag to grab her phone. As before, Law gripped her wrist that reached for it, stopping her from proceeding.
"We can't do that." Instantly, her worried gaze turned to one of anger and bewilderment. Slowing the truck to a halt so she wouldn't accidentally crash into anything she, put it in park.
"What the hell are you saying? The police will be able to find her! I don't know how things work in your country but here in America the police have all the authority to-"
"We will not be calling the police." He repeated, squeezing her hand until it was too painful for Brittany to keep hold of the phone, and she dropped it with a cry back into her purse. Before her other hand could try reaching for it, Law snatched the bag out of her reach and dropped it into the backseat.
"LAW!" She yelled, trying to lunge for it. She was pushed back in her seat, feeling the hand grasp tightly around her neck. "What-?" She started, but only managed a choked sound afterwards.
The man brought his face close to hers, his eyes narrowed. Wide eyes taking in her appearance, she was suddenly afraid not only for her friend's but her own personal safety as well. That sadistic smirk that Brittany had always found so sexy was suddenly changed into a tight line, his eyes betraying his intent to harm her if necessary.
"Calling these policemen will put myself and my men into danger, and that is something that I won't allow, regardless of their possible usefulness. Is that understood, Brittany-ya?" That honeyed, all-too-sweet tone with which he spoke her name was frightening. Seeing her struggle to breathe, he loosened his hand around her neck, and she frantically nodded that she understood. Satisfied that he'd gotten his point across, he pulled back and sat comfortably in his seat once more.
"Now, go back to the house. There's something I need to get, and the others can join us in our search."
"What…" Brittany coughed a few times, finding her voice again. He didn't miss the final glance at the backseat, as if debating if there was any possible way to reach her bag without him knowing. "What more can we possibly do? We have no idea where they are and how are we supposed to apprehend a murderer? We. Are. Unarmed." She tried reiterating, still looking at him fearfully and as though he had a second head.
He sighed, resting his head against the headrest but glad that she was finally turning the truck around to head back home. It seemed Brittany would be questioning a lot of things unless he explained them to her thoroughly, which would only make things harder.
Considering the item he was going to retrieve from the house and the until-then-unknown member of his crew that Brittany hadn't met yet, who would be extremely important in trying to find their missing brunette, he decided that the total truth may be best in this scenario. Regardless of how she handled the information or how she looked at him afterwards.
"There is something that you must know about myself and my men." Law said finally, staring out of the front windshield into the darkness. "I'm only going to explain this once, so listen well."
Confident that he had lost his pursuers, he drove further down the highway until he reached an unmarked dirt road branching off to the side. An old, wooden sign declared it as 'Fisherman's Hollow.' Slowing, he turned down the dusty road in the dark, familiar enough with its bends and rocks poking out in the middle to not need his headlights to navigate.
Trees quickly surrounded the road on either side, the path zigzagging deeper into the shadowy forest. It took several minutes, since he was forced to reduce his speed to under 20 miles an hour traversing the path, but eventually the trees thinned until they reached a clearing, a wooden house standing in its center.
He pulled his car to a stop in front of the front porch, seeing as there was no defined driveway or garage to park in. Turning off the car, he opened the door and slowly made his way to the trunk.
He'd accidentally left the tire iron back at the hospital, but it was of no matter. While his favorite knife had been left inside the house, he always carried his small pocket knife with him, and promptly pulled it out from his pocket. He didn't expect to need it at the moment, but one never knew how long a person would stay unconscious from a blow to the head. He didn't want any surprises or setbacks this far into his plan.
Turning the key to the trunk, he swiftly opened the lid and brandished the knife threateningly, but it turned out to be in vain, since Lexi was still very much dead to the world from her head injury. Grinning, he pocketed the knife once more and bent over to pick up her body. Hefting her dead weight bridal style, he closed the trunk with his foot, walking over to the front door of the house. The lights to the foyer and living room were still on, as he saw through the windows.
He managed to twist the knob while still maintaining his grip on Lexi, and let the door swing open with a loud creak, stepping inside to the cold interior. The sickly sweet and pungently sour smell of cocaine filled the house, and assaulted his nose as soon as he crossed the threshold. Scowling, he closed the door behind him with his foot, peering into the living room.
Spotting his passed-out mother, the thin lines of unsnorted coke still on the coffee table, he scoffed disgustingly at the sight of her spread haphazardly across the couch cushions. He couldn't tell if she was even dead or not. Nor did he really. Disregarding her existence, he continued further into the house, passing into the kitchen and over to the opposite hallway leading to the laundry room. There was a door there, and he strugglingly turned the knob, swinging the door open without a sound.
Below was a set of steep, concrete stairs, leading into the darkness of the basement. Pulling the string to the lightbulb directly above the first few steps, it illuminated enough of the space to step down into the room beneath.
Feeling that familiar sense of calm and excitement whenever he entered his workspace, he walked to the bottom of the stairs, wandering over to the old wooden chair set in the middle of the concrete floor. He inspected it critically, deciding that from its repeated use it was getting worn and a little rickety. Shaking his head, he carefully set her down to sit in it. No matter. This would be the last use of it anyways.
Her head slumped forward onto her chest, and he moved her arms to wrap around the back of the chair, picking up the shackles from the floor to chain them together. Then, satisfied they were tight enough, he moved to chain her legs down as well.
Stepping backwards to look at his handiwork, he chuckled aloud, fingers tingling at the prospect of what he had in mind. Then, he had another thought. Oh, he almost forgot the best part! Running to the table, he searched through his various tools and grabbed the roll of duct tape, tearing off a piece with his teeth. Returning to her side, he placed the strip carefully over her mouth, giving it one final pat to make sure it stuck.
Returning to the door, he locked it from that side, sliding the thick metal tumbler over so it couldn't be opened. He didn't want his cracked-out mother accidentally waking up and interrupting his business. Then, he went back down where she was chained.
He paced the floor for a few moments, hoping she'd wake up right then, but it seemed he'd hit her a little harder than he'd wanted to, seeing as she didn't wake up still. With a pleasant sigh, he grabbed another chair from the corner and brought it to face his newest and final victim. Sitting, he hunched over, his fingers steepled.
Taking the time to memorize her face, his eyes grazed over every inch of her figure; eyes closed, breasts pushed out due to the way he'd shackled her, chest rising and falling evenly with every breath, pale skin peeking out of the space between her shirt and jeans. He couldn't wait to get started.
But first, she had to be awake. So he could enjoy those delicious sounds of terror and pain, torn from her pretty little mouth by his own hands. Unable to help himself, he giggled.
"Wake up, my dear." He whispered, patiently waiting for the time her eyes opened.
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