CHAPTER FOUR
Time had passed incredibly quickly. In a blink of an eye, the trip to London was over, my break from work was over, seasons passed, and suddenly, we were approaching the fifth year since Holden went missing. As usual, John was a complete wreck. He had holed himself in his room at my place and refused to get out.
He only ever appeared for meals. Even then, it was sparse. IN a short amount of time, he had lost a significant amount of weight.
"Come on, this isn't helping anyone!" I had given up on banging on the door and was now sitting with my back against it. "You think I don't blame myself for what happened? But what good does it do us to linger on the 'what ifs?' Locking ourselves away from the world doesn't do anything! Come out, John!"
I didn't know when, but the tears had poured down my face as I tried my hardest to push away my own demons. Did he know that every night, I wanted to do the same? But I couldn't. There were others who depended on me. I had to stay strong to make sure that the consequence of what I had done wasn't going to affect anyone else.
I waited an hour longer for any sort of response before taking my master key and going in. "Oh, no… No, John!" I knelt beside his collapsed form. A trail of red travelled from the bathroom to where he laid, motionless.
Why hadn't I done this earlier? "You can't do this to me! I can't have anyone else's blood on my hands!" How could he do this to me?
"Wake up!" Is hook him before taking my trembling fingers to his neck, trying got feel for a pulse. Something thudded against my skin, but I couldn't tell if that was a park of life or just my own racing heart. "Please…"
By the time the ambulance came, the EMTs had to peel me away from him. I didn't want to let go of the older brother who was everything to me. He had been the one to set me straight and back on the right path. I had to do the same for him.
Waiting in the emergency room was torturous. They wouldn't tell me if he was going to be alright. All I knew was that he lost a lot of blood. Otherwise, I was left to fret in the waiting room with silence as my only companion.
The hours ticked by slowly. I kept checking my phone, wondering how much longer it was going to be before they were going to relieve me of the agony.
For the first time in my life, I prayed to God for his safety. I was doing this for me. I didn't care if he wanted to end his own life. I didn't care if living on only meant bringing him more pain. I could help him with that. I knew I could. I just needed more time.
"Miss Lowe?"
I immediately jolted to my feet at the sight of the nurse who gave me a gentle smile. 'You may see your brother, now."
My feet took me swiftly into his room. The heart monitor beeped rhythmically, reassuring me that he was still alive. I suppressed a sob and ran my hand through his hair.
"Madison?" he groaned, turning his head towards me. "Where am I?"
"Y-You don't remember?" I whispered, wondering if he was playing with me. I went through Hell and back because of what he had done and he didn't even remember doing it?
He tried to shake his head, but stopped as he winced in pain. "Did I drink too much? I wasn't driving, was I? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I gritted my teeth; a glare appeared on my face. "And no, you weren't – to any of that. You know what you did? You tried to take your own life, leaving me alone in this fuckin' world!"
My shaking hands hastily wiped away the unending supply of tears. 'How could you do that to me? Don't I mean anything to you?"
"Madison…" He looked guiltily back at me. "I don't really remember much of that, but I never meant to hurt you. I'll get help. I promise."
Indeed, John found himself a therapist. He attended the sessions regularly and went through all the exercises. After several months, I could really see a difference in him.
"John, I told you I was going to be late coming home." I rolled my eyes when he called me.
"I know. I just wanted to make sure that you're alright," he said. There was something strange in his voice, but I couldn't quite decipher what it was. "I'll have dinner ready for you when you get home."
Everything seemed to be normal, again, other than the fact that he and his wife were still at odds. Poor Scarlett was the only innocent victim in the situation. She barely saw her father and whenever he was in the house, arguments were bound to break out.
I rented Alex's treatment of John. He didn't deserve all the extra guilt from her. He had done his best following the tragedy. There was simply nothing more he could do.
When I returned home, he was sitting in the living room with the news channel on. That was so typical of him. Even off duty, he was immersing himself with all the crimes of the world.
"Dinner is in the fridge. You just have to reheat it." His eyes never left the television screen as he spoke.
For the next few days, everything seemed fine. It wasn't until he suddenly went missing for twenty-four hours did my fears arisen. I called him again and again. This time, he didn't pick up. He always answered my calls. I even called Alex who had no idea where he was. While she was in mid-rant, I hung up on her. This wasn't the time to tell me all of his flaws.
I went to Andy who shook his head, but promised to gather up a search team if he was still missing by nightfall. With a grateful smile, I went back home to rifle through his things, hoping that I could find a clue of where he could've gone to.
His desk was a mess of papers regarding a new case he was working on. The images were gruesome. A couple was nailed together in a bed. There was no doubt that the female was dead, but the man's eyes were still sparked with horror.
Quickly scanning the profiles, I noted that this was found at the Hotel Cortez. The name was familiar, but I couldn't quite remember where I had heard it before. It was like a word just at the tip of my tongue, nagging and infuriating, but completely out of reach.
Going through a few more things, I came to the conclusion that the Hotel was going to be my best bet. I quickly looked up the address and went on my way.
When I entered the lobby, I noticed that the reception desk was empty. I hit the bell, impatiently. If John wasn't here, then I was just wasting my time.
"Coming! Coming!" the grumble came.
A grey-haired woman came out of the back room and raised an eyebrow at me. "A-are you here for a room? We're – "
"I'm looking for my brother. His name is John Lowe and he might be here investigating a murder." I watched as she sighed.
"Do you have I.D.?"
I took out my driver's license and placed it on the table.
She gave it a quick glance as if it was just formality before informing me of the direction to the bar. I could still feel her eyes on me as I left, racing down the hall and spotting his head of dark hair. "John!"
He turned, startled, and looked at me with tired eyes.
I stomped towards him, snatching the glass that was held against his lips and drained the content before he could. "What the Hell were you thinking? You disappeared without a note, a call… I tired phoning you all day and you never picked up. I even phoned her. For fuck's sake, do you know how worried I was?!" Angry tears had sprung out and I was vaguely aware of the bartender filling the glass, again.
I finished that, too, allowing the vodka to fuel my rage. "You can't keep doing this to me! I-I'm so scared that one day, I'll find you dead in some fuckin' storm drain a-and then… w- what am I going to do?"
He pulled me down into his arms and whispered his apologies into my ears. All I could do was cling on to him as if I was a young girl again, hoping that her older brother could ward away all the monsters.
John ended up taking me upstairs to where he was staying. The place was an absolute mess. How could there be so much junk accumulated in five days?
I angrily cleaned up the room, while he protested the entire time. By the time I was done, I could actually see the floor. "Well? Are you going to tell me why you're suddenly here in this old place?"
He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I had to get away. This case, whatever it is, could be dangerous. I've been getting those anonymous tips regarding a string of murders. I don't want to end up getting Alex and Scarlett involved. I don't want to end up getting you involved. You shouldn't be here. It's not safe. Go back, Madison. Seeing you hurt, or worse, is the last thing I want."
I glared at him. "There's something more. Why this place? Why are you staying here where people have just been brutally murdered?"
"Did you go through my files, again? I told you not to – "
"I wouldn't have had to if you didn't spontaneously disappear into thin air!" I argued. "Now, tell me. Why here?"
He looked down. His shoulders dropped and he finally caved in. "I saw him here, Madison. I saw Holden."
At the sound of his name, I froze. "He can't be here, John. There's no way. It's been fiveyears. Did he look any different from before?" I suspected that he must've had too much to drink and hallucinated the blonde boy.
He shook his head.
"Then it can't be Holden!" I told him. "It's been five years. There's no way he'll still look the same. You were probably dreaming or the stress is getting to you."
"I don't know… Maybe I'm just losing my mind, but I feel as if this place can finally give me the answers that I need," he said.
Perhaps he was right. There was something about this place. I didn't know what it was, but it felt as if I was walking through a recurring dream.
In the end, I decided to stay for the night. I hadn't brought any extra clothes, so I shed my coat and sweater before getting comfortable in my tank top. The jeans were a little uncomfortable, but there was nothing I could do about it, now.
At least it was nice and toasty with him beside me. Generally, I was a frozen popsicle in my own bed.
"Don't hog the blankets, this time," he grumbled before switching off the lights.
I smiled beneath the covers, remembering the times when we used to share a bed as a child. I always ended up with the entire thing wrapped around me, while he tried in vain to even claim a small corner for himself. I missed those times when we could be as carefree as we wanted.
"Good night, John."
"Good night."
…
John found it difficult to fall asleep. This in itself wasn't unusual, but the cause was a little more perplexing. He found his thoughts constantly switching over to the person beside him.
His body was reacting in a way that didn't make sense and he couldn't find the reason why. It was something completely unnatural. Even in his teenage years, he rarely lost control of his body to his more carnal desires.
He turned his body, staring at the back of her head. Her hair had fanned out everywhere, tickling his nose, but he left it there. She smelled nice, like raspberry and vanilla.
His eyes closed and he tried again to fall asleep. No, this didn't feel right. Something about this arrangement was very wrong. He shifted again until he was pressed against her. His right arm draped over her waist, while his left was tucked beneath the pillow.
There, that was better.
In a few minutes, he was fast asleep.
"John," her voice called out to him.
He didn't want to wake up, yet. It was too comfortable here. He wasn't ready to face the world, again.
"John, wake up." This time, his eyes snapped open when he felt her lips on his neck, nibbling and sucking a groan out of him. "Are you awake, yet?
He pulled her closer, feeling his entire body awaken at the feel of her soft form lying sensually on top of him. 'I like this wake up call," he chuckled, finally opening his eyes to find her smiling back at him.
She hummed, running her fingers through his messy hair. Her won fell like a curtain around them, forming a barrier to cut off the rest of the world. "Let's stay here all day."
It wasn't a request. He had no problem with this. No part of him wanted to leave here.
Instead of providing a verbal response, he began to tug away all the fabric that kept her from him. It wasn't long before they were both bare. Their lips moved in perfect harmony s he flipped them both over.
She wrapped her legs around him, grinning against his mouth before she broke away with a cry when he thrust into her. Her walls clenched tightly around him, threatening to push him over the edge.
Gritting his teeth, he froze, willing himself to last, but she had different plans.
She rolled back on top and began to ride him in a pace that made it impossible for him to breathe. His body was in full control, instinctively meeting her every bounce. Her cries filled the room, slowly consuming him until the man was gone, leaving only the beast behind and the beast didn't like to be on the bottom.
He easily flipped her over, pounding into her until she was screaming his name; her walls milking him, beckoning him to come with her, but he wasn't done, yet.
Again and again, she came for him.
"John! John! I-I can't - !" Her eyes were clenched shut, fighting another convulsion that racked through her body.
He smirked against the crook of her neck, loving how quickly her heart was racing for him.
His eyes flickered to the figure that was smiling finally down at them. The dark orbs glinted into the dim room.
He wanted to snarl at him, to tell the other man to back off, but right at that moment, his body finally conceded to the pleasure that he was trying to keep at bay.
His member jerked inside her once, twice, and then, he collapsed on top of her, breathing heavily.
"That's it," the other man cooed, hovering over them.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Wow! You guys are amazing! Thank you for all the reviews! You don't know how happy they made me, especially since I've been sick all week. I hope the rest of the chapters will warrant just a great of a reception!
Also, has anyone noticed that this story seem to disappear every once in a while on the FF: AHS page? It's pretty funny since this story is called Vacant, but I was wondering if it's just happening to me.
And thank you, masquerade04, for telling me about mixing James with Edward there. Oops!
Thank you Mystery Angle, HellToTheNo123, masquerade04, Perpetually Clueless, TheImpossibleGirl321, HerOverYonder, EvilDreams101, guests (anonymouscsifan, Guest, Guest) for reviewing!
Mystery Angle: Thank you so much! You were right!
HellToTheNo123: I hope you liked this chapter!
masquerade04: Thanks for pointing that out to me. It's been changed, now!
Perpetually Clueless: Updated! Hope you liked it!
anonymouscsifan: James is so fun to write… Not a lot of him, yet, but it'll get there. I'm also madly typing up the chapter for Crimson Peak. It's currently at 11k and my fingers hurt, but I'm hoping to have it posted either tonight or tomorrow.
TheImpossibleGirl321: Thank you! I hope I won't fail you!
Guest: I was watching a lot of Mr. Robot before watching AHS: Hotel, so it might've influenced me a little!
HerOverYonder: So glad to see you here! I swear I'm trying to find a good ending for Madi! Ahahaha… It'll happen… One day… I'm trying my best here!
EvilDreams101: James is definitely my second favourite Evan Peters character to write, thus far (first being Tate)!
Guest: Thank you!
Thank you as well to everyone who has favourite and followed this story.
Please, leave a review if you've enjoyed this. It'd really help motivate me!