Here it is. Finally. Sorry it took a few days. It isn't as good as the first time, I don't think. And not as long. But I hope you enjoy it, I worked super hard in my attempt to do just as well as the first time. I apologize for the delayz!!!! Love you guys for the reviews. Thanks x 100000000000!!!!!!!!!! You all deserve your own Henrys or Sullys. Whichever you like better. ;)
"Sully!?" I shouted so loud that the two men in the room turned to look at me like I was some kind of lunatic. I would have laughed had I not been so speechless. Here I was, in a room with a murderer and supposed dead man and they were currently looking at me like I was the crazy one. Me, the crazy one. Right. Sully, though. Sully was supposed to be dead. I had seen him... Hm. Well, I hadn't actually seen him killed. But what was I supposed to think? When your serial killer now-husband tells you that you can be "all alone", I don't think it would be too hard to pick up on the general idea. But here was Sully, not a scratch on him as he stood next to the window, that same cocky smile on his face as the last time I'd seen him.
"Henry..." I started, but he had eyes only for his best friend right now. And, you know what? There was laughter in those eyes. He, unlike myself, didn't seem the least bit surprised to have one of his murder victims sitting in the same room as us. In fact, the more I watched Henry's casual movements, the more at-ease with the situation I became.
'No Abby,' I warned myself, taking a step back and refocusing on Sully, 'This isn't normal,' I tightened my grip on the shard of glass in my hand, so hard that the side against my palm popped on both sides, leaving what was sure to be a small cut. I couldn't feel it, though, all I could feel now was worry. What for, though? Who to be concerned for... It was hard to pick out who was the real victim out of the three of us. I winced, a pained breath making it's way out my lips. I had foolishly forgotten about the glass that my hand squeezed tighter and tighter with each passing second. The edge of the glass now shone red as the blood that had spilled over the side of the clear surface.
Henry rounded on me in a second, "What happened? Are you okay?"
Too afraid to speak, I took a second step back, knocking over the side-table, one of the only not upturned objects in the room, "Huh," was all I was able to get out in my sharp exhale, the piece of the broken window falling to the floor with the blood muffling the crash in a sickening way that made my stomach turn. Sully watched on with an almost ease as Henry tried to console me, placing his hands on my shoulders and talking slowly, as if to a pre-schooler. His efforts were in vain, though, I heard none of it. All I could focus on was the smirking man in the doorway. My husband's best man. One of my closest friends. I was unsure of what to make of him, now. And it was funny how a survival I should have rejoiced in had, instead, turned my whole world upside-down, and not in a good way.
"How-how are you a-alive?" I stuttered out, clinging to the couch with both hands, staining the pillows with a red that spread in a big wet mess over the design.
Henry sighed, "Can we please help that hand before we talk about this?" He asked, turning to the kitchen and pulling out a towel. When he made a move toward me, I jumped back, my grip tightening on the single thing I could trust. The furniture, more specifically the couch. Funny what a good twenty murders can do to a person...
"Tell me," I demanded, forcing the courage I, in the current situation, lacked, into my voice.
"Abby, I'm not going to hurt you. Just let me see your hand first," He was just as stubborn as I was, pulling me forward by my arm and wrapping my bloodied hand in a dishtowel before letting me resume my spot. I felt somewhat relieved to know that Henry wasn't going to hurt me. I let him reach for my hand as I listened, doing my best not to interrupt so that I might grasp the little, if any, sanity of the story that was, I hoped, about to be explained.
As it happened, I didn't stay silent for nothing.
"When Wakefield came up to me a while ago, bent on having you killed, I knew I wouldn't be able to do it," Henry started, eyes focused on me and only me while Sully watched from a spot a bit closer to us, but still far enough for me to feel safe, "He told me I'd have to kill you to make me whole and to right the wrongs of the past. I saw opportunity in his plan, if I could only twist it so it flipped, leaving you as the only one alive," He looked down at me with a growing sentiment of love and self-pride as the story progressed, "I knew I'd need someone else to help. Someone who didn't want to have me kill the girl I loved. So, naturally, I turned to Sully."
Sully perked up on hearing his name, "That's me."
I stifled a laugh and waited to hear more, patiently reserving my thoughts for when sense was brought into this whole mess.
Henry, never to disappoint, continued, "He was perfect for the job. He had all the qualities I'd need if I was going to pull this off," He grinned lopsidedly at me, "You know... He's loyal, takes directions easily, isn't all that bright, can handle a gun pretty well and already owed me for a few favors, back in college."
Sully nodded with each quality listed, chuckling at a few. I hated to admit it, but this was actually starting to fit together in a sick sort of demented way.
"Don't forget the charm," The blonde haired man added.
Henry chuckled, "What charm?"
Sully rolled his eyes, "C'mon, man, without such a devilish charm, I would have been an easy suspect."
Once again, I resisted the temptation to laugh. These boys were just too damned close to me for me to ever hate them.
"What about you dying though?" I spoke up for the first time since the recount started, voicing the question I still had yet to find an answer for. It had seemed something impossible to pull off, as I'd suspected Wakefield would have at the very least wanted to see Sully's body, cold and lifeless as his other victims.
Henry cracked a smile at this, "Ketchup."
Sully's expression matched that of his friend, "Schoolboy trick."
Only they could pull of an absolutely revolting mass killing-spree using high school tricks. I can't say I had expected any more of them, though.
"Okay, fine," I sighed, relaxing more into Henry's arms, "So, where will you be staying, then?"
Sully grinned sheepishly and it didn't take a genius to find out where this was headed, "Oh no," I said, eyes widening as I began to shake my head, "No, no, no, no."
"C'mon, Abbs," Henry pleaded, and, in that moment, he was an eight year old begging for a sleep-over, "Please... He's part of the reason your still alive."
Sully, still in the corner, jutted out his lower lip and widened his eyes, masking his cocky attitude with his famous puppy dog pout that had made girls swoon back in high school. This wasn't high school, though, and what Henry had failed to mention was that he, himself, was part of the reason that I could have been dead. But, I wasn't. And I had them to thank for that.
"Fine."
"Seriously?" Sully bounced right back up, eyes and mouth going back to normal, "For real, Abby?"
I laughed, "As long as you never make that face again," I compromised, "And you have to clean up this mess. It looks like you took an axe to the place."
"Being stealthy is harder than it looks," He said solemnly.
"You aren't supposed to see people who are being stealthy," I told him, crossing my arms while Henry laughed at the exchange of our odd, friendly banter. That was how Sully and I bonded, though. He'd be stupid and I'd correct him, then he'd be a jerk and I'd hit him. But deep-down, we were still like brother and sister, me being the older, of course.
"Umm... Do you guys mind if I add just one more person to this happy group?" Sully asked out of no where, trying to charm his way into bringing what I guessed to be some other unknown survivor into our house.
"Who is it?" I asked tiredly, getting slightly annoyed with the day's surplus of surprises.
"Muffin, of course."
Oh. I just rolled my eyes while Henry let out a humorous whoop and told him to bring her in so they could get settled in my old room, as we had taken over my parents'. Sully grinned and reached his arm out the window, pulling a large, inflatable blonde girl in a red bikini through a broken pane.
"Isn't she lovely?" He teased and I felt like high-school again, the three of us joking and laughing like we'd never grown up and didn't plan on it any time soon.
I looked at the toy boy-men in front of me, a teasing smile spreading up to the top-half of my face, "So, what to do now...?"
They both shrugged. Anything, I guess.
"Well, let's see," I slouched back into the couch, Henry's arm still wrapped tight around my waist, "Any other survivors I should know about first?"
Henry looked at me, not saying anything. Several emotions flitted through his eyes, only three I recognized, fear, shame and pain. The fourth I discerned as I deep, burning hate, though I couldn't figure out for what this newfound detestation was for.
"Who is it?" I pressed, eager to know which one of my friends had lived.
I sensed the clench of his teeth, watched as his eyes narrowed and heard as he opened his mouth, said the name that made my sides hurt and felt the betrayal and utter confusion as to why this of all things, had been kept from me in some sort of elaborate lie he'd weaved up out of my all too believing mind.
"Jimmy."
I felt a surge of panic, replaced by utter bewilderment and finally an emptiness that hurt more than the other two put together, "Where is he?"
"Abby, I don't quite feel comfortable with you going to see-"
"Where is he?" I asked again, nearly yelling this time.
Henry, maintaining his calm and collected manner, stood up, pulling me with him, and brought me into a kiss that, as always, left me speechless. I couldn't deny it, it was a good way to shut someone up when he was so hung over on explaining himself. Which he always was.
Great, I get just a bunch of "fun" surprises today, huh. I'd have to remind him later exactly how much I hated being surprised.
"I hate Jimmy."
"Please, elaborate," I spoke the words so cold that my tongue felt coated with ice, so biting and harsh that Henry flinched while Sully ran upstairs, muttering something about 'couple spat' and slamming his door behind him.
He sighed, "One day, when I'd gone to the Cannery for a drink, I found Jimmy at one of the pool tables, yelling about about how he was going to break your heart. He had a whole plan, he was going to 'nail you', be the perfect gentleman, have you fall madly in love with him and then tell you how much he hated you, how much he never wanted to see your sorry face in this town again," Henry looked so overcome with anger, he shook as he spoke and his lip curled up in a snarl as he said the last part, "He told you that when he saw you, all those feelings went away, didn't he? That he was overcome with love and couldn't bear to hurt you?"
I nodded, close to tears. Henry would always be my one true love, but Jimmy had been close to my heart, all the same.
"I knew it... I'd heard the speech, you know. The whole bar did. Such bull. I almost killed him there. It would have been easy, with a broken bottle or a kitchen knife," The sick gleam was back in his eye as he thought of ways to kill the man who'd wronged me, the man I'd thought I'd loved not too long ago, "But I wanted to save him. For the end. See, he's Wakefield's accomplice. Or so the rest of the world will think."
I couldn't be mad at Henry anymore. I just couldn't. Not when he had such proof of his story. I'll admit, he was a bit overdramatic with his plan, but that was how he was, and I loved him for it. I brought his face close to mine, kissing him with as much forgiveness as I could put into the crushing of my lips against his. Relief showed in his face when he pulled away, only to bring be close to him again in a comforting hug.
"Where is he?" I asked a third time, voice and mind taking on a whole new tone. This time I wasn't aiming to help the man I'd loved. No, I thought, as watery-flames licked at my tear ducts, leaving a burning path down my cheeks. I was going to kill him.
Ooh! Abby's taking after her boyfriend here. Will she actually be able to do it, though? She isn't exactly the murdering TYPE. You'll see in Chappie 4!!! Love you guys, still. Tell me what you think and I'll keep writing. That's how things work. haha :D
