Chapter 10
"James? James!"
Hathaway hummed thoughtfully.
Was it possible that he was hallucinating?
Was that what she injected him with?
Surely she didn't actually leave him alone with them...
"James? Can you hear me?"
Though that voice did sound rather too real to be anything but his boss, and there had been that conversation between Kenneth and Innocent...
"James!"
He slowly opened his mouth, wincing when the movement pulled at dry lips, causing them to bleed.
"... Sir?"
His voice was hardly a whisper, but it carried loudly across the painfully silent room.
"Oh thank god!"
So he was real after all.
"Listen, we're going to get you out of there alright? You just have to hang on for-"
He abruptly stopped.
If they were in any other position, Hathaway would've laughed.
"Hang on, sir?"
"... Bad choice of words, sorry. How're you feeling?"
"Numb" He admitted.
"Well that's... good" Robbie replied awkwardly, "You'll be better soon, don't worry."
"'s alright" He mumbled, head seeming to increase in weight, "Was nice knowing you sir".
"Was nice know- Christ, lad, we're not leaving you there!"
Hathaway frowned, confused.
"... You know where I 'm?"
"We're getting there, lad, I promise" Lewis replied quickly, "You just need to wait, alright?"
"A'right" He said, "Sorry I can't 'elp you. I can't see any'ing".
"James..."
Was that Dr. Hobson?
She sounded hesitant.
"James... How long have your eyes been covered?"
He frowned.
"Since I got 'ere... 'owever long that's been".
"It's been a while" She admitted, still strangely worried.
And he wasn't the only one who heard it either.
"Laura?" Lewis asked, "What's wrong?"
"... Nothing" She finally replied, "Let's just focus on getting him home, yea?"
"Yea, of course, we just need to-"
Everyone flinched as the door was suddenly thrown open.
"Said your goodbyes?" Kenneth said, "No? Too bad. Your time's up".
Innocent quickly stepped forward, "Wait!"
The younger woman stopped and frowned at her.
"Wait, please, we can discuss this" She continued, and Zoe laughed, "Discuss this? Discuss what?! The only thing I want is to hurt him".
"You don't have to do this" She tried again, grasping at straws, "We can still find something-"
"Stop!" She snapped, "There's nothing you can offer me, nothing that you can give. Just admit defeat, Chief".
Next to her, Lewis clenched his fist, and she put a hand on his arm to try and calm him down, "There has to be something".
"There's nothing!" She yelled, "Why aren't you listening to me?! The only thing I want is to burn".
Innocent opened her mouth again but Kenneth cut her off, by lifting her hand and shaking the box of matches, "The only thing I want, Superintendent, is to finally get my happy ever fiery after".
The screen went black.
The trio stood there in silence, in front of the computer, too shocked by the horrific sight of James Hathaway, bloodied and bruised and hanging from the ceiling, to move.
And then, there was a loud *bing*.
Immediately, they spun around, and Innocent marched over to the only other person in the room, headphones on and a laptop in front of him.
"Well?" She demanded, too shaken to act her usual calm self, "Did you get it?"
He held up a hand before typing something quickly on the computer, watching the satellite map zoom in to east Oxford.
"Do we have it?" Jean asked again, "Did we get the location?"
He slowly nodded as image stopped moving.
"Yea" He said, "Yea... We got it".
Hathaway bit back a muffled yell as he felt the knife lodge itself in his thigh.
Kenneth. Was. Furious.
Apparently the police had found out where she was, and she was convinced it was because he had told them something.
And apparently, a snarky "how the fuck could I tell them where I am when you've fucking blindfolded me?!" was the wrong answer.
Unfortunately, the drug she had given him had worn off by now, and he was taking his immense pain out on her with sarcastic remarks and bitting curses.
"It's all your fault!" She snarled, yanking back out the knife, and he swore viciously, "I told you you'd fucking lose!"
He heard shouting in the corridor outside his room.
"I'll end you!" She growled, and he felt the sharp metal of a thick blade, warm with his blood, being placed at his neck.
"It's time for you to die, darling".
Then the door was kicked in.
James heard her give a furious scream, before she spun around to hide behind his prone body, knife still at his neck.
"Stand down, Kenneth".
He recognized Robbie's voice immediately.
From behind him, he heard Zoe laugh.
"I don't care if you kill me, Inspector, but just know that I'm taking him with me".
"James?"
His head swam dizzily with relief.
"Sir".
"Stay with us, alright?"
His voice failed him, so he nodded in response, the action causing a thin line of blood to trickle down his neck.
"Stand. Down" Lewis said again, voice controlled but clearly angry, "The buildings surrounded. You can't escape".
The blade pressed more firmly against his neck as she gave a manic laugh, "I don't think so".
Hathaway heard a gunshot, a clink of metal, and a thud as she dropped the knife and snarled, before sudddenly her hands were around his neck, strangling him, and he's panicking and thrashing around in her grip and he's vaguely aware of the zip ties around his wrists finally snapping, well too bloody late, and he's trying to get loose, trying to escape, trying to breathe.
He heard a loud bang and a sharp whistling but his ear which abruptly cuts off the vicious laugh, and Kenneth's hands go limp around his neck and fall back and then suddenly he's falling, falling, falling but that doesn't matter because now he can breathe.
He braces himself for the impact on the cold concrete floor, but before he hits it, a pair of warm arms are grabbing him, softening the fall, and he's briefly aware of someone yelling his name before be finally, blissfully, thankfully, slips into the peaceful unknown.