***Keep your thoughts***
I was on my way to catch a train back to Fitchburg, when someone gripped me and placed a sack over my head.
I didn't see who it was but I could tell that I was going down danger lane, because next I saw myself was in a place I couldn't recognize-and that was after I woke up.
"Wh-where am I?" I looked drowsily, a faint image grinning widely at me. "H-how am I here? What did I do?"
"You're in a warehouse," a hoarse voice came. "No one will ever be able to find you here." he said.
I tried to know who it was. The voice sounded really familiar, and wasn't any different from-
"James!" I gasped. "I-I thought you were dead?"
He cackled and moved away from me. "I'm alive, baby!"
I sweated profusely, heart beating at the thought of what he was going to do to me-revenge-slow, steady voices echoed in my head.
"What do you want from me? Why did you bring me here?"
He made an all-familiar sound with his mouth, the ticking noise making me want to punch him.
"You ask too many questions, mi Amor," he crouched and raised my chin. "My! I never thought I'd see this pretty face of yours again."
"Get your hands off me, you bastard!"
A slap I didn't expect to get, came on me, and sent me seeing stars-all of different colours.
"You've really got some nerves... Parker!" he snarled.
"Go to hell!" I spat in his face.
He bit his bottom lip, in a way to hold in his anger, and wiped his face with the handkerchief in his hand.
"You're lucky I'm in a good mood today," he said with a snort, motioning to a guy with a bad hair-do, whom I presumed was his partner.
He whispered something to him, and he nodded in agreement, clutching his gun as he walked to the other end of the large tin-roofed warehouse.
It was not quite long before some men came moving in, another bound with chains, staggering toward us as they pushed and kicked him.
"Ph-Philip?" I couldn't believe it. It was no other person than him. "You animal! Why do you have Philip?"
"Tri... cia,"
I looked in pity, hearing him call my name. "Philip. Philiip-James, let Philip go. He hasn't done anything!" I tried to release my hand from the hurting ropes. Why is James doing this? Philip's never done anything to him.
"Awe. Such charming lovebirds you two are," he chuckled maniacally.
And I fumed. "I curse the day I met you!"
He smiled with one hand placed on his chest. "So sweet," he said.
The men pushed Philip and he came falling.
"Watch it, assholes!"
One of them gave me a vicious snort.
"Whoo-hoo. Hope I'm not too late?"
I raised my head on recognizing the voice. "You've got to be kidding me!"
"My, my, my. Who do we have here?"
I gasped in shock. "Daphne?!"
She laughed aloud. "That's my name, baby!"
I couldn't believe what a monster she was. She's been working with James all this time and had made us believe she was innocent and good. "You backstabber!"
"Enough!" James barked. "Don't you ever get tired of talking?"
I still didn't believe he was the one doing this to me. All his words about loving me... were all lies. I wished I could turn back time and rewind everything, so I wouldn't have to meet him-but it was too late-it was too late to do so. But what I couldn't understand, was why Philip had to be brought into this, and why he had to suffer for something he knew nothing about. He looked miserable; I couldn't help but feel guilty about being the cause of all that he was going through at that time. If I had only listened to dad! I thought bitterly. If I had only stayed away from James... I sobbed painfully, remembering the time warnings came my way.
"Awe. Look who was acting tough before,"
A look of pure hatred flashed across my face as I looked up to see Daphne staring down on me. "You will regret this, I promise!"
"Oh, I'm not scared," she laughed at my words.
"I trusted you! I loved you like a sister! Never for once did I treat you any different..."
"Oh. You should know the people you move with, darling," she smiled and caressed my cheek. "I've always had my eyes on you right from the day you moved to Campbell," she said. "I've always been one step ahead of you. And I've done a whole lot of things, just so you'd be out of our lives!" she brought her lips to my ear and whispered, "I killed Chelsea-"
My eyes grew wide. "Wh-what?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Oh My God! Y-you killed her?"
"I hired a hitman, yes! But it was me all along!"
"What's been you?" Philip's faint voice interrupted. "What-what are you two talking about?"
"You killed Chelsea-" I thought aloud. "You killed her!"
"She did!" James affirmed with an annoying laugh.
"How could you? How could you do such a thing?!"
"She was getting in my way!"
"In your way?" Philip asked, "In your way, Daphne?" he repeated with a place of her name. "Chelsea loved you, Daphne. She took you like her own sister. How could you have done such dreadful thing?"
"Oh, you expected me to stand and watch while she strengthened your love between you and Tricia? Is that what you expected of me, MacKenny?!"
"This is all because of..."
"YOU!" she added, "I am desperate for you, Philip!"
"O... kay! Can we skip the whole sentimental part and cut to the chase?"
Our eyes moved to James as he broke in. I was still badly shaken from the confession Daphne had made-Chelsea would have still been alive if it weren't for her.
"How could you, Daphne? How could you?" I could only mutter.
"Things were going really well for us until you came into our lives-" she pulled out a gun.[b] "Now you're going to pay!"
I shut my eyes as she placed the gun to my head.
Forgive me, Lord. Forgive me for all I've done-I said my last prayer, ready to be welcomed into death's embrace.
"No! No, don't do it! Daphne!"
The gun made a click and got pulled away. "Ha-ha ha! You really should have seen your face,"
No bullet, I heaved a sigh of relief, realizing the gun had no bullets in it.
James was also laughing with her-the boisterous laugh his lips gave out-almost making me want to slam his face on the wall. Argh! This rope! I yelled in my head, wriggling my wrists.
"Does it hurt, honey?" James made to touch me.
And Philip shot him a glare. "Don't touch her!"
He got enraged and faced Philip, punching him real hard in the face.
"James!" I yelled his name, wanting to stop him from hitting Philip any further, as he stopped and kicked me in the stomach.
"Ah!" I groaned and fell to the floor, everything going blurry for a second.
☆ LUCILLE ☆
I paced back and forth, anxiously waiting for Tricia to call. She ought to be in school by now. What's keeping her from calling?
"Lucille,"
I turned around at the call, my eyes meeting Patrick's. "Patrick, I can't stop worrying. Tricia should have called by now if she was in school. She doesn't miss it."
He sighed. "Maybe you should give her some time,"
"You think she's still mad?"
He chuckled. "No way! After what I saw today, I doubt." His voice sounded assuring.
But what I couldn't understand... was why she couldn't place a call through...
~
I know mum would be really worried, knowing I hadn't called her. Why did this have to happen?
"Thinking, are you?" James's voice jolted me back.
"Mind your own business!"
I could tell he was having fun seeing us suffer. We could make no movement; we couldn't touch each other or even talk. I so wanted to tell Philip how sorry I was, and wanted to clear things up with him... in case this was going to be our last.
And as though being locked up in that awful place wasn't enough, Daphne had to make stupid hums, which was so getting on my nerves.
Why did they have to leave her in charge? I thought to myself, rolling my eyes at her, then at the five men that paraded the grounds like circus elephants with no use. Their presence was starting to kill me, making me wish they had blindfolded me instead, so I wouldn't see a thing.
The rope was starting to sting where it was placed, making me remember it was still there, coupled with the burning sensation it brought on my red, swollen wrists, which was a call that it shouldn't be there.
"Daphne. Hey, Daphne-" I summoned up courage to call, ready to bear the circumstances.
"What is it?"
"I... I just wanted you to help me loosen this a bit," I said, turning a little so she could see.
"Is that so?" she asked softly.
And I nodded, though not falling for her soft side.
"You should bear it then," she spoke nonchalantly, like I thought she would.
What was I thinking? Daphne's really gone, I sulked at the thought that my best friend was no longer who we knew her as. Can love really change someone this fast? How could she let it? I asked questions I knew were never going to be answered.
"Daphne..."
"Can you just shut it?!"
"Why didn't you tell me you were in love with Philip?" I ignored her and went on. "You should have told me, Daph, and not had to go down this path." I didn't want to believe that she was gone. "Daphne, I know you're still in there. You may have committed a great crime, but... but I still won't give up on you."
"You don't know me!"
"You're right. I may not know you that well, but I'm not giving up on you." I sniffed, remembering the first day we met-the first time I had felt happy knowing I made another friend. How would I have known that she'd turn out this way?
"Trish?"
Her soft call made me remember how she used to call me.
"Philip. Oh, Trish. I'm so sorry. I'm really sorry, you guys-" she moved towards me and stooped to hug me.
"Sorry?" Philip finally spoke. "You're sorry?"
She chuckled to my surprise and tugged my thick hair. "I'm not sorry!"
I cried in pain as she pulled it hard. "D-Daphne. Daphne, stop!"
"I'll never be sorry, Tricia. Yes! You made me this way! You got me treading this path! And yeah, you wanna know why you lost your pregnancy?"
I froze. "What did you say?"
"Ha-ha. You didn't know?"
My heart sank into my stomach. "Y-you knew?"
"You were always sick, always down with fever, puking and getting the whole place messed up..."
I really was at that time. But I never knew it was something serious until the day of-
"My God! T-those pills. You gave me those pills!" I recalled-I remembered her giving me some pills she said were going to relieve me-and that was before I ate the leftover sandwich-but why? Why would she do such a thing?
"Yes, Tricia! Those pills were meant to kill you and your baby." she spat heartlessly. "I just needed two to do the trick... and you believing that I really cared!"
"Oh My Goodness! You were the reason why I lost my baby?"
"You were pregnant?" Philip turned to me. "Y-you were pregnant, Tricia?"
I had already forgotten that he was there. "Ph-Phi..."
"Why don't you tell lover boy the truth and quit deceiving him?!"
"Phil, I...I..."
"You were pregnant?!"
"Just not pregnant, sweetheart! This girl has been deceiving you all this time!"
"P-Phil, it's not it at all. Daphne, why are you doing this? Why can't you just stop?"
"You should thank your stars the doctors were able to save you! I also unplugged the machine when you were unconscious in the hospital!" she confessed
"What?!" Philip and I exclaimed.
I didn't know what she was talking about, but how could her conscience let her do all that? I was so fed up hearing her confess, that I wished the ground will just open up and take me with it.
"I did it all, Tricia. Now you are going to die knowing what a terrible friend you had..."
"I won't let you win!" I countered. "You have done enough!" I spoke without fear. "I am ready to fight, Daphne Martinez. And I am not scared of you!" I could feel my blood boiling, with all the anger bursting free. I wanted to get back at her for everything; I so wanted her to feel all that I felt hearing her vomit the atrocities she had committed. My child never did anything to her. Chelsea was too innocent to die. "This fight is not over, Daphne!"
"It will be... when everywhere bursts into flames,"
I was taken aback. Was she really going to plant a bomb in the warehouse?
"It's a good thing I found James,"
"No one asked!" I cut her short, not wanting to listen.
"Uh. Well, I don't care," she shrugged and sat on the metal chair beside, getting her legs crossed. "We met in a bar, you know. Mm. Such an enticing moment we had." she licked her lips, and I felt disgusted.
She slept with him? God!
"So why are you telling us?" Philip asked her.
And she creased her brows. "Don't you wanna hear how it went?"
"Pass!" we both said.
James walked in, getting our butts glued, half scared, half curious.
What are in the bags? Are there bombs in it? I was curious to know, but I couldn't ask.
And just as if he had known what I was thinking, he brought out the package and showed it to us.
"You like?"
We had no energy to talk, as our lips made no movement.
"It's time!" he gestured to his men, as tears welled up in my eyes.
So this really is our end?
"Oh, don't worry, honey. Hell ain't bad!" she said in a mocking tone, laughing at the same time. "Oh, and do send your greetings to Satan. Oh, how I love the taste of revenge." she moaned, tasting her lips once again.
I looked at Philip and he looked at me. We were going to die, the thought I couldn't bear. "Philip, I'm so sorry. I'm really sorry-" I got hooked, the words I tried to say finding it hard to come out.
"I forgive you. I forgive you, Tricia."
I cried even more. Philip wouldn't have been here if it wasn't for me. I was reaping the seed that I had sown. And now, the poor soul was paying for it with me.
"Wait. I thought you were gonna set him free?" Daphne's voice came again.
"Free... you say?"
"You tricked me!"
"Oh, you're not the first, baby girl."
"You lunatic..."
"Hey-hey!" James pulled out his gun and pointed it at her. "Another movement and you're dead! I take no shit from peeps like you. You want something, I give it to you. You wanted this! So take it-or have your head blown. You fucking understand?!"
"This was your plan all along? You knew Philip was going to die..."
"Oh, and I fooled you really well, chica. Mm-hmm-hmm."
"But we had a deal..."
"Deals are shit, bitch! Now rot in hell!" he fired straight at her, sending her to the deep end right before our eyes.
"Oh No!" I buried my face in palms, the sight one I didn't want to see. He killed her. James killed her!
"Now where were we?"
I looked up again and he flashed me a billion dollar smile-OR WICKED!
"No answer? Hm?"
I shook with fear, totally shaken to the core. James gave signals to his men and they came walking towards us, one grabbing my hand.
"James! James, let her go! You don't wanna do this," I could hear Philip's voice as he pleaded for my release. All his pleas fell on deaf ears as they placed the bomb on me, not leaving Philip out. I couldn't help but think about the things I had done-the way I had treated mum-and also Patrick. I was going to die without seeing them for the last time; without telling them how sorry I was for not treating them any better. I was going to die without saying goodbye...
"Boss. It's all set,"
James's sinister laugh cut through. "Very good." he nodded twice, holding an object up, as he asked.
"You see this?
We knew what it was. It was going to send the bomb ticking in any minute.
"I am going to press this button -" he brought his thumb closer. "And when I do, the whole place is going to go-" he made a poofing gesture. "Okay. Well, it'll tickle first, then you guys will go "Kaboom" with it. Get it?"
"You're a madman!" cursed Philip-whose eyes were burning with rage.
"Curse you, sucker!" returned James, a maniacal laugh accompanying it.
"James. James, don't do this!"
"Goodbye, Parker!" he pressed the button, and the bomb began ticking.
We were left alone-to suffer with no offence committed-how cruel this world.
"I'm sorry, Philip," I said once more. "All this wouldn't have happened if you hadn't met me." I sobbed, wishing to give him one last hug.
He smiled up at me. "There's no need for that, Trish, he said. "I've forgiven you long before now." He bowed his head-a sign that showed that he had given up.
The bomb was still ticking, it wouldn't be long before the whole place burst into flames.
"I love you, Philip. I love you very much,"
The sound of footsteps came, alerting us that someone was coming.
"I'm setting you free," a girl emerged. "You guys need not suffer for something you know nothing about. My conscience won't take it."
I wondered how she knew that we were there... and who she was. She cut me loose and took out a key to release Philip-not before she got me fully free. "Go! You must hurry!"
"B-but I can't leave him. Philip!"
"Listen to her, Trish. I'll follow behind,"
I had full faith in him-giving one last look, I hurried out...
~
"Where's Ashton?" one of the men asked. "I thought we told her to stay on guard?"
James gritted. "I thought everyone was outside. You!" he pointed to one. "Go get her!"
"But boss..."
"Got any problem? Huh?"
The guy in the rugged outfit replied, "No, boss," he tried not to look.
The warehouse would burst into flames with Ashton still there, James realized -that's if she was anywhere near.
"I'll do it-" he volunteered and hurried back to the place.
He couldn't believe it when he saw no one but Ashton. "Where are the prisoners?" he made his way angrily towards her. "How could you let them go?"
The time has come... your time has come!
A faint smile eluded her lips, and James's eyes went to the timer. "You're wrong!" he pulled his gun on her and left her lying in a pool of blood.
There was still time, he thought to himself. He could make it out alive if only he-
~
"Philip!" I watched from a distance as the warehouse got completely blown up.
Philip should have been here by now. Why isn't he here?
The leaves rustled, making my heart skip. "Philip?"
I drew closer, as a tall figure staggered out, completely worn out. "Philip!" It was him. Oh, Philip!" I rushed into his arms, hugging him tightly. "You're alive. You're alive!"
Yes, we lived! We were survivors. James was out of our lives for good-and was where he wouldn't be bothering us... ever again!
☆~☆~☆
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