Chapter 42nd

"Please…" the cop pleaded. We were now tactically placed, one across from the other, with Chris standing triumphant between us, turning to whomever demanded his attention.

"Please… let us go! You… you don't have to…"

Chris listened patiently as the cop tried to gather his own speech.

"…you don't have to kill us, man…" he cried "…let us go, you'll have plenty of time to run."

I knew it would be coming, I watched it uncomfortably, knowing it would be so: Chris laughed a long, wicked laugh:

"You'd both want that, wouldn't you? But that's not how tonight is going to end, I'm afraid. You're a little late for the show, and pardon me for not bringing you up to speed… the little lady here might spontaneously die if I told. But suffice it to say, this is no chance encounter: We've been looking forward to this, and there's no stopping now. Not that you'd understand it – the ties that bind us…" he laughed meanly at me "…what with you crashing the party and all… But if you stay awake long enough, you just might guess…"

His words… the more Chris spoke - the more he skirted around the truth and the more his eyes turned, teasingly, my way, threatening a suggestion - the more my heart galloped, and seemed almost ready to stop.

"Let him go!" I cried desperately, eager to interrupt his speech. "Please. We don't need him… L-like you said… he knows nothing… it… it's nothing to do with him."

My weak, half-hearted plead was answered by a mere disdainful gaze, before Chris turned back to the cop:

"There is a plan…" he continued, ignoring me "There's been one for a while now, but I can accommodate for this new turn of events. I'll just decide some of it as I go. For example, I'll have to decide if I'll let you sit there and watch as I have my way with the girl, or if I'll bleed you out and have her watch it, just to see how brave she can be then! Maybe I'll just do both… I'm sure that after a while, I can get her to truly envy you!"

"Please…" the cop dropped his head and cried.

"You think you can get away with this?!" I chimed in, desperate enough to try a different approach "…with getting a cop involved?! You can kill us five times, and you're still a wanted man!"

Chris turned, the amusement in his face disguised under the shadowy basement.

"Don't worry about me, Abby: you won't be around to mourn!"

"I won't morn you!" I scowled and instinctively pulled at the rope binding my hands, dreaming I could bring them down and try to strike him with the aggression that grew in my chest "I'll laugh in your grave!"

"And I think you're just setting yourself up for disappointment… again!" Chris chuckled serenely.

"You think?! You just kidnapped a cop! The entire police squad will be looking for him in no time!"

"Y-you can still run! There's still time…" the cop interfered. Chris ignored him – his eyes set into mine, his feet bringing him closer managed to awaken the coward in me again. But I resisted its pull.

"…you don't know that." He cocked a smile.

"Don't I?" I faked a laugh, much to his fashion "Just you wait, then! I'm sure it's a matter of minutes!"

"I guess I'll have to be very quick about this, then!" Chris smiled his smug smile, pulling a small knife from his back and scraping its tip against my abdomen. I gulped, I shivered, anticipating the pain… but that, too, I swallowed.

"NO! wait! She's… she's wrong!!" the cop despaired "There's time… there's plenty of time! They're – there's no one looking for me! And I can make sure there's no one looking for you, either…. Just… just let me go. Let us go!"

"He probably has a police car parked somewhere around here. What will happen when people realize it hasn't moved?!"

"That should take some time, no?"

"I wouldn't bet on it." I pursed my lips to fake a smile.

Chris surprised me by advancing and grabbing me by the hair. He pulled my head back, pulling my face up to him. I winced and scowled.

"Ouch! I-" I couldn't move. My arms were bound, my feet barely touching the ground, balance eluding me as I nearly dangled from the ceiling. Plead was all I could do, and all my nature now demanded of me. But I wouldn't. I squeezed my lips quite shut, so that they'd say nothing coward again!

"I'll take my chances…" Chris spoke softly, watching me squirm, running the blade he held across my face. The cold, sharp touch threatening to draw blood made me stiff… but determined, I struggled to smile through the pain he inflicted, only so I could aggravate him further!

"Too bad…" I gushed out, my facial muscles tense with fear "…too bad you won't have all that time you thought you'd have, huh? To break me…"

Chris stared quietly, motionless into my eyes for the length of a second, second in which I assume he went very close to just stabbing me and being done with it. Instead, he tossed my head back violently, letting me go. I panted, more scared than hurt.

"Not so amused now…" I pursued through my haggard, hysterical breath "…not so confident! I bet you don't even feel like screwing me anym-!!"

A slap silenced me, flinging my head to the side. It started burning… shame and pain made me quiet.

"No… don't hurt her…" the cop spoke faintly, nearly passing out "…don't hurt the girl!"

"You two have met, haven't you?" Chris sighed his annoyance away and turned to walk towards the cop. "Yes… I can see you have! You exchanged more than just a set of pre-formatted questions, too!" he reasoned, putting things together as he paced slowly about "I'm going to assume you had something to do with her bringing home alcohol the other day!"

The cop's eyes darted towards me with an air of shock, giving it away. Chris chuckled.

"Ah, you did! I wondered how that came to happen… would never have guessed a cop, the very embodiment of law and order, would have something to do with that, but here we are! Perhaps we are not that different after all, you and I, though we stand at polar opposites…" Chris mocked, finally crouching down to level with the cop once again. "Do you have the hots for her?"

As the cop lay tied and helpless under Chris's growing shadow, he squirmed, scared… his eyes learning to seek me at every turn, learning that I was Chris's main interest, and the one way to divert his attention from himself.

"Ohh… I see!" Chris amused himself with the realization as he stood back up "She hasn't told you, has she?"

The cop's puzzled expression yielded him a heartfelt laugh.

"She hasn't told you she's not old enough to be buying beer…. Not old enough to be flirting with grownups?"

A familiar frown of repulsion curled the cop's face, as if he understood it before Chris could announce it:

"She's 14!!"