User blog:LVCh0rd/Halloween Special - Love You to Death



=Story: Love You to Death= =Starring: Cecilia & Nathaniel= =Date: ''Monday, October 31st. Halloween. 5:08 PM.''=

Another strange letter arrives at her door. She doesn’t know who is sending them, or how they got her address, but she adds it to the pile of other letters she’s received. For the course of six months, Cecilia Bolton had gotten a love letter every single week. At first, she didn’t think of telling anyone about them, as she was used to receiving fan mail, and the letters seemed harmless, but after the third month, they started to get weird, speaking as if she had met the person behind the letters. Every letter ended with “Love, J”, but she never got to know who ‘J’ was. After five months, J, the character from the letters, started becoming more and more obsessive, telling her how much they loved her and how they couldn’t wait for them to be united. She put out a tweet asking who J might be, but never got an answer. Directly, that is. Because after that, the letters stopped coming for a few weeks… Until today. October 31st. She opens the letter and goes straight to the end of it. “Love, your J”. She scrunches up the paper and throws it into the garbage bin. If only she had taken a look at the content of the letter…

It’s the 31st of October, Halloween, and as tradition dictates, Cecilia has a bash to attend. It usually wouldn’t make any difference, just another party, but this year a Halloween bash couldn’t have come at a better time. She loves the feeling of the holiday, and with her problems with Andrés, and Emmanuel barely around to distract her, she can think of fewer things she’d love more than to go to a party. Shitty people - but quality music, quality food and, most importantly, quality liquor. She admires her costume one more time. Her pick is to go as a phoenix-like creature. It looks like the Swan Lake costume, except that it’s bright orange, yellow and red. She also has cool neon fiery contact lenses. She checks her phone to make sure that her glam team is on their way to take care of her. After no response, she decides to go outside and look. Maybe they’re on their way up. As soon as the girl gets to the bottom floor, she runs into Nathaniel Rowland, which seems to be turning into a habit. As usual, he is very cordial, and she is very… Amusing. He accompanies her outside, telling her about his plans for the night, and asking about hers.

— So, big plans tonight, huh? — Nathaniel asks.

— The usual, partying and drinking. You know me. — He nods. — Except that I’ll be doing it in a room full of pretentious people who are competing to be better monsters than the monsters next to them.

— Been there, done that. — He says. They stand in front of the building. The streets are roaring and there are a lot of people walking by.

— Are you going out with Sydney today?

— I’m afraid not. We’re not exactly on the best terms right now.

— Oh? I’m sorry to hear that. What did you do? — She asks, incisively.

— Hey! What makes you think I did anything? — He says, trying to sound offended, but failing to contain a smile.

— Because you’re the guy… — She walks around him, nudging his back as she does. — And guys always find a way to mess up, even when they couldn’t possibly.

He turns his head to follow her. — That’s not true. It’s complicated, with her.

— That’s understood.

— It’s not like that. — He defends. — She has her way of dealing with people, but she’s not a bad person.

Suddenly, a rude woman, walking past them in a rush, bumps against Cecilia, sending her over Nathaniel’s chest. He pulls her towards him, trying to catch her.

— I’m so sorry! — Cecilia says.

— Are you alright?

— Yeah, I’m fine. It was just that rude, ugly woman, who needs to learn how to walk looking up, not into her phone.

— Oh, crap! I forgot my phone upstairs. Thank you for reminding me. — Nathaniel says.

— Sure… You’re… Welcome?

— Hey, have a good time tonight, okay?

— Thank you! You too, wherever you’re going.

She goes back to her apartment and shortly after, her team is there to start their work. Like magic, but with lots of hard work, they leave her looking flawless. Perfect makeup, perfect outfit, and the amazing illusion of actually being on fire. Now, all she needs is her car. She gets an alarm on her phone that says her car is waiting for her, so she heads down, and when she comes out the building, a man in a suit holds the door open for her, helping her get inside with her elaborate dress. Everything is going perfectly. The driver doesn’t talk much. In fact, he barely speaks all the way, just responds to her occasional questions. If she’s having a good day. He hopes she enjoys her evening. But nothing more. She thanks the gods above when the car finally stops rolling and he lets her know that they’ve arrived at their destination. And once more, he opens the door for her and helps her come out of the car in one piece. She thanks him and looks around. It takes her a moment to realize her surroundings. They are at a deserted place, with very poor lighting. Honestly, it looks abandoned, but she chooses to trust her driver’s words when he says that they are at the exact address he was given. “It must be an underground party,” she tells him, and he nods. He follows her to the door, assisting her, and when she gets in, he closes the door for her.

Cecilia turns around to find an empty space, with no lights at all. Clearly, that isn’t where she is supposed to be. And she even attempts to go back out and yell at her driver, but she finds the door bolted shut. No amount of force seems to open even a crack, so she starts banging on the metal door. She bangs and bangs, shouting for the driver, until a voice calls out from behind her. Once again, she turns around, and finds her driver standing there, in front of her. She can’t really see all that much, but it’s his voice.

— Together at last, my love. — The man says from the shadows.

— What is this? It’s a prank, isn’t it? — The girl says. — Who put you up to this? Emmanuel? I’m gonna kill him! — The man doesn’t say anything in response, so she continues. “Very funny. But I really need to get going. I actually do have a place to be at. “

— I believe that you are exactly where you’re supposed to be, my love. — The man says again, slowly walking in her direction. It’s unnerving, to say the least, but she tries to remain calm.

— Listen, I got the joke. Now get me the hell out of here, pal!

— You don’t know who I am? Have you any idea, my dear? — The mysterious driver asks. His voice sends shivers down Cecilia’s spine. Maybe this isn’t a joke. She turns around and bangs on the door again.

— Hello?! Is there anyone out there?! Get me out of here!

— I couldn’t have anyone spoiling our night, my sweet, so I made sure to bring us to a quiet and secluded location, to give us privacy. — He is now standing less than a few feet away, and the light from a window illuminates him.

— The only thing I’m going to give you is a kick to the crotch, if you don’t stop this! — She shouts. — Who are you? Why are you doing this? Is it money?

— I don’t want your money.

— Then what do you want?

— I want you.

Cecilia feels like a bucketful of ice courses through her veins. Never in her life did she expect to be kidnapped by a psychopath. He touches her face, gently caressing her cheek. She recoils at his touch, too afraid to make any harsh move. He, at last, gets off of her and starts walking away. She doesn’t ask much after that. Just watches, as he turns on some lights inside the place. Now, with the lights turned on, she can see a few things around the room. A table, with candles and food on it; a bed. And in a corner of the room, a chair; but not just any ordinary chair... a chair with a person tied down to it. She can’t see who it is, because the hostage is facing down, bent in an uncomfortable position. He must have drugged them. The place smells wet and damp. She could have sworn she even saw rats crawling in a corner. Who could this deranged person be? And why would they have kidnapped her and somebody else?

— Who are you? — She asks, cautiously.

— I’m the one who loves you the most. — He answers.

— And what would thy name be, o amorous one?

— Sarcastic… I find it amusing. Are you sure that you don’t even have a clue?

— Gimme one, then.

— Should I write you a letter?

— A letter? J… You’re J!

— Precisely. — He says. — I expected you to recognize me as soon as we met.

— How could I recognize someone I’ve never seen?

— We share a bond beyond what is seen. You know that.

— And how do we, exactly? — This makes the man laugh.

— You know, you don’t have to hide here. There isn’t anyone watching us; you don’t have to pretend.

— Pretend? I’m not pretending anything. You’re the one pretending that we share an imaginary bond.

— I understand you, my love. I know this isn’t easy for you. It isn’t easy for me either. But we’ll get to be together soon. I’m gonna set us free, just like you wanted me to.

Cecilia is utterly confused by his words, but her attention is stolen by the shuffling of the tied up person. They move their head slowly, as if it weighted a ton, and try to make sense of their surroundings as well. Thirty seconds later, they are thrashing around, their muffled screams choked by a gag. It alarms Cecilia, and she starts to become increasingly nervous. She watches the figure fight in their seat, and the man notices it too.

— I see that our guest has awakened. — The men mumbles.

— Who is that person? What did you do to them? You’re not gonna get away with this! — Cecilia shouts.

The man grabs a light, walks up to the person, and points it at them. Then, he removes the gag from their mouth. Cecilia is horrified to learn that it is none other than Nathaniel sitting on the chair. He looks in her direction, his expression lost and fuzzy, but he can tell that it’s her.

— Get-get out… Get out-out of here! — Nathaniel struggles to say. Cecilia wants to run to him, but she is afraid the man will hurt Nathaniel. Instead, she runs around the room, looking for a way out, and shouts as she does, but everything seems to be closed, and there is no way out.

— Somebody help us! Somebody help!

— That’s not gonna work… — The man says. — As for you…

He turns to Nathaniel and hits him over the head, earning a painful growl from the man.

“You don’t get to stay between us anymore!”

— There is no ‘us’… — Nathaniel coughs, still groggy. — She doesn’t want you.

— You don’t know what you’re talking about! — He hits Nathaniel again, in the stomach. — You’re not gonna find a way out like that, dear.

— You’re insane! You have to let us out! — Cecilia says. The man juts after her. She runs, but he catches up and holds her, despite her attempts to fight him off. — Let me go, you monster!

— Why are you doing this, huh?! — He asks. A bit aggravated. — Is it because of him? You don’t have to pretend you like him anymore. He won’t be a problem for much longer.

— I don’t know what you’re talking about! — She protests.

— You love me! — He slams her against the wall.

— I don’t! You made that up.

— Yes, you do! You said it. You said it to me and you know it! — He says, pulling a chair and tying Cecilia to it, next to Nathaniel. — All those times… All the messages you sent me... The song!

— I never sent you any message-ow! — She cries when he tightens the knot. — Look around you! You’re tying me up to a chair…

— You’re just nervous. Nervous that the day has finally come. You’ve been pretending for so long… I can understand you. But it’s okay, you don’t have to be afraid anymore. It’s like you said in your song: there’s no limits when it comes to love. Let me fix us our dinner and then you're gonna come to your senses.

Under the precarious lighting, and with the aid of some candles that the man starts to light up, Cecilia can finally see his face clearly. He is tall and muscular, and has big, scary blue eyes. His head is shaved and he has a scar on the left side of his head that resembles a spiral. — ''He’s insane. He won’t listen to reason.'' — Nathaniel whispers to her. There’s a line of bloody saliva dripping from his lips, shimmering in the faint light. — Do you have any idea who he is?

— No! He posed as my driver.

— He did the same to me. — He must have planned this day ahead.

— It’s times like these when I miss having an entourage. — She comments, which makes Nathaniel laugh and cough at the same time.

— ''There’s a phone in the inside pocket of my jacket. If you can get to it, we could call 9-1-1.''

— How am I supposed to do that? — She asks, half dismissing it, half interested.

— ''I don’t know. Get him to trust you.''  —  She doesn’t have much time to think, so she decides to get him to talk.

— What’s the bed for? — She asks out loud. The man looks back at her, and then back at the food.

— I’m gonna set us a lovely dinner, and then, we’re gonna be together, as lovers should. — The answer twists up Cecilia’s stomach, and she can feel an acid taste in her mouth, but she swallows it down as best as she can and continues.

— What about him? Will he be watching?

— I don’t mind. — The man says. — I have to confess, and I hope you forgive me for it, that I sort of want him to see us. To know that you’re mine. To see that I have what he can’t ever have.

“Get to the table,” Nathaniel whispers.

— J, I want to apologize. — She says. The guy’s face lights up.

— You don’t have to apologize, baby. I understand you. And, please, call me Justin.

— Justin… I do. I have to apologize. Sorry I’m such a coward, that I couldn’t admit our love. I don’t deserve you. — She laments.

— Shh, shh. Don’t say that. Don’t say that, no. — He says, holding her face in his hands. — Nobody deserves me more than you. I love you. — He kisses her on the lips. Cecilia feels disgusted, and she just wants to shout. She starts to cry. The gesture angers Nathaniel and he starts to thrash again, but Cecilia touches him behind her back, signaling for him to calm down. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying,” Justin asks. Cecilia couldn’t hold her tears, but she has to cover up.

— I’m sorry. It’s just that… I’ve been waiting for this moment for so long and… — The man shows her a crooked smile.

— Come on! Let me get you out of that chair. Let’s have our romantic dinner. — He says.

The two have dinner, even though Cecilia can barely keep the food down, and has no hunger at all. But it works. The man is again under her spell. He goes on and on about their connection, about the messages they supposedly exchange, which she finds out that were nothing but general tweets and videos she posted, which the man believed to be hidden messages of love and responses to his letters. He also tells her that he had been following her for a while, and that he saw her walking out with Nathaniel before, and kissing earlier that day. It wasn’t really a kiss, the rude lady pushed her, but she wasn’t going to argue that with him. Instead, she just pretends that it was beyond dreadful to have to fake liking someone she despised. Showing her accentuated disregard for Nathaniel makes the man happy, so he suggests that they have dessert. That is the first time Cecilia learns that there is a kitchen in the back of the place. "There must be other rooms. How is he hiding them?", she asks herself. The girl ceases the opportunity when he goes to the back and runs to untie Nathaniel, but the knot is too tight and she has to grab a knife. Carefully, she starts cutting away the rope, which is very thick and hard to scrape. She can hear the man whistle from somewhere in the back, as sweat drips from her forehead. She manages to free her partner, at last, and the pair start looking for Nathaniel’s phone. Under the table, Nathaniel finds a bag full of cash, and next to it, his jacket. They get it, but before they can call the number, Justin stands behind them. He drops the plates on the floor, grabbing their attention.

— What are you doing? — Justin asks. Cecilia and Nathaniel start to back away, as Justin runs towards them. Nathaniel grabs a plate and throws it at Justin, which makes him stop and look away.

— Run! Go! — Nathaniel shouts. They run around the table and see a light coming from somewhere in the shadows. — That must be the kitchen! We can find a way out there!

The door was barricaded and the kidnapper had covered the windows with something. "That explains why it was so dark and empty!", Cecilai thinks. The two pull down the barricade and jump into the kitchen, as Justin chases them. There isn't much light in there either, but it's birghter than outside. There's a bunch of things from the dinner on top of a counter. Nathaniel and Cecilia find a place to hide from the crazy man. Outside, they hear a loud thud and shuffling, then hear him speaking.

— No point in running, my love! I’ll find you. I’ll always find you. — Cecilia covers her mouth, trying to muffle the sound of her breathing and her cries. — Come out, come out! The man tosses things around, yelling for them to come out. The two hostages try to see him from their hiding place. Cecilia holds the phone, and she dials 9-1-1.

— We can’t… We can't... We can’t say anything… — Cecilia whispers. Her breath is heavy.

— We don’t have to. — Nathaniel responds. — All we need is for them to hear ‘him’ and trace the call.

— And how do you know that? — She asks. The man throws pans around the room and breaks glass, which makes her jump. Nathaniel looks over his shoulder one more time, and sees the man getting closer. — I don’t wanna die.

— You will not die tonight.

With a shout, Nathaniel jumps out and attacks Justin. The two struggle, and Cecilia gets up and grabs a pan. She goes for Justin as well and hits him with the pan, which knocks him down. They run for the door, but Justin has barricaded it with the table. Luckily, they notice another door, and realize it leads deeper into the place, so it’s the only place they have to go, leaving a weakened Justin on the floor. Nathaniel pushes against the door and they run through the place, looking for a way to escape, but it only seems to get them deeper and deeper inside, like a maze. The space looks like an abandoned facility, and isn't so destroyed as the outside.

— Hello! Hello, can you hear me?! — Cecilia shouts into the phone, looking back all the time. — Yes! It’s an emergency! My name is Cecilia Bolton and we’re being chased by a maniac. They stop and she tries to hear what the woman on the line is saying. “I don’t know where we are! It's an abandoned place. Like, like... a hospital or something. It’s me and my friend and…”

— Tell her they can trace the call! — Nathaniel says.

— He, um, he says that you can trace the call. Hurry up, please!

Suddenly, they hear a thud, and Justin looks at them from the end of the hallway. He has a gun in his hand and he points it at them. Nathaniel notices it first, and before he can shoot them, he pushes Cecilia into a room and locks the door behind him. They step back and listen to the footsteps, as he approaches, one by one.

— Did they trace the call? — Nathaniel asks.

— What?! — She asks.

— The call! Did the police trace the call? — Confused, Cecilia starts to cry harder.

— I don’t know… I dropped the phone outside. — She regrets. Outside the door, the footsteps stop.

— Sorry, but she can’t talk right now. She’ll have to call you back. — They hear Justin say from behind the door. He starts banging on the door. — I’m. Coming!

— What do we do now?! — She asks.

— I don’t know. — Nathaniel says. — Let’s just hope it was enough time for them to find us.

Two gunshots echo through the room, and leave a huge hole on the door. The noise makes Cecilia scream and grab onto Nathaniel. The two fall to the floor. Through the hole on the door, they see Justin, with a sickly grin outside.

— Heeeeeeere’s Justin! — He says, and then proceeds to kick the, now, broken down door.

The man breaks into the room and points the gun at them. He stares at them, defying them. Nathaniel sees the way Cecilia shivers and decides to give her a fighting chance, so he dashes forward and throws himself at Justin. The man shoots at him, but loses balance when the other hits him and the two fall to the ground. The gun falls to the left, while Cecilia stays in the corner, shivering. While they struggle, she sees the gun and tries to run for it, but Justin pushes Nathaniel off, who is now bleeding from a bullet wound, and goes after the girl. The sirens from the police can be heard outside. She isn’t able to grab the gun and, instead, he grabs her. He pulls her back and throws her around, as she fights and kicks to get free, and he grabs the gun. On the floor, Nathaniel struggles to stand up and help, so he just shouts for Justin to leave her alone. Cecilia claws at Justin’s face and scratches his eye, which makes him yelp in pain. With one hand he covers his eyes and with the other he pushes her down forcefully. She falls to the ground, as the man stumbles back, disoriented. Seeing his state, Nathaniel puts his leg out, to trip Justin. The man falls on his back and growls again. Cecilia gets up and pulls out the knife she used to cut Nathaniel’s rope and jumps on top of Justin, carving it right into his heart. She holds the knife down and then lets it go, also letting out a scream as she does. The man struggles to breathe and looks deeply into her yes, his pupils darting around, until the light is out and he dies. She runs to Nathaniel and sees that the bullet has hurt his right arm. He wraps his left arm around her and the two wait for the police to find them. Moments later, they come crashing down.

[…]

— Yes. We got him. — A woman in a pantsuit says into a phone. When her call is done, she walks up to Cecilia, who is sitting next to Nathaniel. He is lying down, with his arm bandaged up. — Are you okay to talk now, ma’am?

— I don’t think I’ll ever be okay again. Who was he? — Cecilia asks.

— His name was Justin Edward Manson. He was a former agent of the FBI. — The woman says. — I’m captain Jessica Dawson, also with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Do you have any idea why he targeted you?

— No! He was crazy. He thought I was in love with him.

— Mister Manson suffered from a psychotic delusion called Erotomania. The condition causes the person to believe the object of their affection is in love with them, often being someone of higher social status, such as a celebrity… Such as you. He was a very troubled man, which is why he got kicked out of the force, before he could harm anyone. Sadly, we didn't realize it sooner.

— What happens now? — Nathaniel asks, with some struggle.

— Well, first, we’re gonna get her safe home. You’re going to a hospital. Then, we’re gonna worry about the other things Justin did.

— Other things? — Cecilia asks. — And why is it so dark outside?

— Yes. You weren’t his only mischief tonight. This blackout, for instance. It’s because of him. But it's not all bad. If it wasn't for it, we would have never been able to find you. He was using a frequency generator to jam our signal. — The captain says.

A man walks up to the captain and tells her about two people being trapped inside an old factory just a couple of blocks away from them. From what he tells here, Justin is also involved in it.

— Well, I need to make a phone call. It appears they've found the place where Manson was hiding the equipment he stole from the agency. If you need anything, please let us know. And, um, ma’am… You’re gonna be alright. — Captain Dawson leaves the two and Cecilia lets out the breath she’d been holding all night.

— It’s okay now. — Nathaniel says. — He’s gone.

— I know. I killed him.

— You were defending yourself.

— That doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.

— It happened, but you didn’t want it to. That’s what counts. Besides, you saved my life.

— Ha, you’re the one who jumped in front of a bullet to save me. — She says, pointing at his arm.

— Oh, this boring thing? It was nothing! — Nathaniel says, smiling. The two end the night laughing.