Chapter 3 – Eyes on me
Fi stared at the contents in Michael's refrigerator. Her right hand holding the door open, lost in her thoughts, in a daze. Fi just stood there, frozen. She had been standing there for almost ten minutes unaware. Blinking, Fi shook her head and realised. Shutting the refrigerator's door. She moved from it and started towards the second floor where Sam was making his way down the stairs. He too, lost in his own thoughts, expressing a very sad look... Fi stopped him and gave him a kind look.
"Hey, Fi... Anything?"
Sam asked, wishing they had any new information or reply from the bloodthirsty sociopath. They knew so little, it almost killed him. Left in the dark, He knew something was seriously wrong and he couldn't do anything about it.
Fi shook her head slowly and stopped, dropping her shoulders with a loud sigh...
Her hands behind her back, she slowly brought out her .45 that Michael was going to give her, placed firmly in her hands, wrapping her fingers around it tightly. Holding it, she looked down at it and exhaled gently. A gasp of appreciation towards the piece of weaponry in her hands.. for more than one reason.
"... This is killing me, Fi!..."
Sam moved pass her and threw his arms about, frustrated and upset. He couldn't stand it one bit. The struggle attacked his throat and chest, giving him the thick and rough feeling of fear and sorrow. Usually, Sam would keep it together but being blind to what was happening as well as waiting aggravated him more than he knew. His ears listening and in alert of any message tone...or call for that matter, he and Fi wanted proof Michael was alive, now...
How long did it have to take for them to send a picture of him awake? Or a phone call with him present? It annoyed him...
Fi kept in her feelings and watched Sam, uncertain on what to say, she knew nothing she or even he could say would ease their stress levels...
Fi hesitated on every word she wanted to say to Sam, trying her best to figure out what she wanted to say, she folded her arms across her chest and stood in silence. Sam restlessly attempted to open up a bottle of beer but failed, shaking his head as he didn't want it.. He furiously threw the bottle at the nearest wall, smashing it.
Fi jumped as the sounds of the bottle collided with the wall, scattering all over the place. She looked to Sam, distraught and almost broken...
"Sam..."
She started before her cell phone alerted her of a message. She instantly checked it, her hands shaking. Sam rushed up to be beside her, peering in on her cell.
"It's an incoming media message"
Sam stated as his eyes narrowed on her cell, staring at the little download icon that appeared. Waiting for it to finalise, it was beyond frustrating..
"A Video...of Michael?"
Fi managed to let out as she too watched it frantically...
"Looks like it, Fi... judging by the size of the file..."
Sam could hear the concern and fear strike Fi's words.. He too was afraid of what exactly this file would expose to them, Sam clenched his hands into a fist...
They almost didn't want to see what was on it, but they knew they had to if they were to ever find Michael...
"It's finished, Sam..."
Fi looked to him, watching him and awaiting his response. He gave her a fearful look before looking back at the phone...
"Bring it up here, we'll watch it on my laptop..."
He explained, really he just wanted to buy some time.. for himself. He was full of fear, petrified of the unknown. He couldn't shake the image of Michael being dead on the video document.. It sent shivers down his body as he thought of it...
Reaching Sam's laptop, plugging Fi's cell back into the usb port. Sam let Fi sit down, he stood behind her and braced himself as he and Fi loaded up the content...
"Action!"
The voice shouted aloud, they could hear him. An unidentified accent struck their ears, it was as if there was three accents combined.. She watched as Michael was in focus, on his knees. Sam swallowed the large lump from his throat as he tried to keep watch...It was like watching a terrorists' hostage recording..
The first thing Sam noticed was that Michael was practically free, his hands and ankles were unbound and able to block an incoming hit, it eased him...
Watching the front man give Michael a piece of paper and steps back out of sight. The only source of light was shining down on Michael, it was all they could see. He was the centre of attention..
Michael was silent, looking at the paper in his hands. His eyes looked to the front man and back to the recording camera. Deep in thought... Michael looked back to the front man, studying him..
"Get on with it, Westen. Say aloud what is on that piece of paper..."
He shouted out to him, getting impatient and frustrated so easily.
Michael ignored him. Causing Fi and Sam to panic.
"C'mon Mikey... "
Sam shouted, sweating as he watched. He was shaking, scared of witnessing a brutal beating to someone he deeply cared about, practically his brother..
Sam brushed his hair back with his hands, trying to contain himself for Fi's sake...
Fi just sat there and held her hands before her mouth, she too was shaking and fearing the worst as Michael was so silent...
"You don't want your girl to see you get beaten, do you?"
The front man screamed, he was itching and starting to spit and throw things around...irritated and ready to hit something...
Michael's eyes darted to the camera's lens, a small smirk crossed his lips..
Sam jumped..
"Mikey's got a plan!"
Sam jumped and clapped.
"Atta boy, Brother!"
Excited to see that very same smirk Michael would give him if he were onto something or had a devious plan in thought...It made Sam cry of happiness.
Fi turned to Sam, uncertain he was right. Turning back to see the Front man come into view.
Fi felt her stomach turn, her heart hammered..
"Sam..."
She alerted Sam instantly, Sam looked down to see the front man grab a hold of Michael's hair at the front, pulling it. His right hand in view, wearing his thick leather gloves, he clenched his fist. Michael let the paper's fall from his hands as his hair and head is pulled up, roughly.
Fi and Sam stared at Michael before the man's fist is smashed into his cheek... They could hear the crack of what seemed to me Michael's jaw..
"Awe... Mike...That's not a plan!"
Sam shouted and he cringed and turned his head, Fi did the same and tried to understand why Michael was so silent, why he didn't read off the piece of paper... Why did he let them abuse him...Why, he wanted them to see? She couldn't gather any of it...
Another punch to Michael's head, the front man let's go of Michael's hair as his fist collides with the side of Michael's head, causing Michael to loose balance and fall to his side. Michael let out a cry of agony as he hit the floor, coughing... he suddenly stopped, Michael pulled his arms out and pulled the front man's legs forwards, causing him to fall backwards...
"Mike!"
Sam shouted as he knew that was a mistake...
As their leader fell with a loud grunt, two of his men rushed out and restrained Michael. Pulling him up to hit feet, one of them kicked him in the back, almost hitting his spine. Michael dropped back to his knees as his leg's collapsed from the pressure and impact on his back...
The front man growled and stumbled as his other man helped him up, getting himself back on his own two feet. He turned to Michael and struck him in the stomach again... Spitting at Michael, he turned to the camera, gesturing his camera man to pan up to his face...
The camera is swiftly moved up to expose the man in charge, but he wore a black porcelain mask to hide his identity...
"you have proof he's alive... we'll keep in touch, Fiona"
The Camera cuts off, leaving Sam and Fi lost...
All Sam could think of was Michael's little smirk...It was almost mind blowing as to why he did it...
Sam rubbed his forehead and started to think hard...
"Fi, replay it..."
Sam started, his mind already kicking in..
Fi turned to look at him, wondering why on earth he'd want to see any of that again..
"there's a reason Mike smirked, Fi..."
She sighed deeply and pulled the play bar back to where Michael was given the piece of paper. They watched closely and intensely...
Sam's eyes glued on everything and anything that could have stood out, something Michael had wanted either of them to see...
"There, pause it Fi!"
Sam shouted over her as he pointed to the front man's arm as his fist approached Michael's cheek...
Sam had pointed out something..
"He has a tattoo...that's what Michael wanted us to see? He took another beating just to show us a damn tattoo?"
Fi growled as she stared at the screen, her eyes narrowing on the tattoo. She soon saw what Sam did... It's unique markings and symbols...
"Yeah, Fi... that's what Mikey was showing us!... That's it, Brother!..."
Sam smiled and pulled Fi back from the laptop and chimed in, taking a screen capture of the frame and enlarging it. Using the latest digital enhancing software, Sam went to work on clearing the tattoo and making it easier and more distinct to determine what the ink represented or illustrated...
Fi moved from the chair and let Sam do his work, watching as she could see the mere improvements as Sam got to work on all the sharpness and edges. Working on it.. she was amused at how well Sam was on his laptop...
"I'll need one of my buddies to take a look at this and make it more clear.. but we're getting somewhere Fi!.. you be on the lookout for anything in the background, noises... anything!"
Sam was decisive and certain he was on something. Although the camera image wasn't the best, it was greatly grainy and pixelated he was still pleased with his results so far, his motives and commitment to find Michael grew stronger..
Fi watched Sam rush down the stairs and out the door, leaving her to watch the clip again for any more clues in the surroundings...
"I can't believe I have to watch this again..."
Fi mumbled to herself as she hit the play button. She cleared her throat and sighed deeply...Her hand holding her .45. She could only think of the last thing she said to him.. she insisted that he bring it to her... He did...She could only hope that those words weren't the last words she'll ever say to him...
Michael was now fortunate with light above him, as they all removed themselves from the scene. Leaving him there, his hands grasped the paper he dropped earlier.
Now, leaning against the back wall...
Drops of blood fell on the creased paper as he started read it. He stopped and placed his palm on his new fresh wound, as he looked down... The blood fell from the wound that the front man had just inflicted on him.. He held his palm on it, pressing down hard he continued to read the note..
He could only see one thing that stood out, he felt that he shouldn't continue to read the rest...
His eyes narrowed on the first two letters... the name, Fi.
His fingers kept a hold of the paper as he sat there, his knees bent. He sat the paper on his right knee and started to read the rest.
It wasn't long before Michael knew what this was all about, why it was happening and what they wanted. Who they wanted. It wasn't going to happen, they weren't going to get what they wanted.. no matter what, he would stop them getting their hand's on the one thing they wanted, craved...Even if it was the death of him, This man, Blaine wasn't getting his hands on the only thing he'd bleed for...He was not even going to get a glimpse of it, Michael was now committed to keep him from achieving his goal... even if it meant not ever seeing the daylight again. Blaine was not getting, Fi...
Author's Note:
Thank you so much for your reviews guys! I hope this is going somewhere, please keep up the reviews! Let me know what you think, like etc. The reviews excite me to write faster and update sooner. Hope you enjoy and want more!