Disclaimer- Don't own OTH.
A/N- Thanks again for the amazing replies. With this chapter, it's the full circle of the fic. No more of the past. And as a reminder, this is simply a fictional story; I doubt this would ever happen to anyone, or any circumstance related to this would occur. It's my crazy imagination playing with an alternative world. I hope all of you enjoy this 5 web page chapter.
Warning- the usual T- rated stuff.
--
Terrified of the man in front of her, slowly Brooke walks behind Nathan.
"What's the matter? Is your beloved hurt?" Skillz asks, pointing the gun to Haley.
"Look man, this is between you and me. Let's keep her and her friend out of this. You could do whatever you want to me, just let them leave," Nathan replied in a calm voice. Skillz grins as he crosses his arms.
"Now, why would I do that? You know how much I adore group projects," Skillz answered.
"Please, let my friend and I go. Please, I am begging you," Brooke pleads Skillz in tears.
"Aren't you a cutie? I might just keep you," Skillz replied as he walked closer to Brooke.
"Please don't hurt me," Brooke cried as she shuts her eyes when she feels the gun on her face.
Thinking how to save both Haley and Brooke, with one hand, Nathan dials the emergency number and places it beside Haley on the ground for them to listen to the conversation and get the police here quick. Swiftly, Nathan stands between the gun and Brooke, pushing her lightly to walk by Haley.
"Listen Skillz, I'm the one you want, just let them go. I'm asking you," Nathan said.
Overcoming her unconsciousness, Haley opens her eyes to witness the man Skillz pointing the gun at Nathan.
"Nathan," Haley choked out which the perfect time to distract Skillz, and Nathan grabs the gun as well with Skillz resulting to both stumbling on the ground battling to take control of the gun.
"Haley, let's go!" Brooke yells as she grasps Haley's hand onto hers and drags her from the floor to start running.
"Nathan!" Haley yells in fear for his life but runs with Brooke for protection.
Under Nathan's weight, Skillz punches Nathan at his jaw and quickly takes hold of the gun and aims it to the girls running; he fires twice.
"Brooke!" Haley yells mortified when Brooke became shot and fell onto the floor, landed her head on the edge of a large stone. Both her torso and the side of her head were bleeding. "Brooke, don't die on me, please."
As fast as she could, Haley takes off her second layer of tank and rips it in half and wraps it tight on Brooke's head. Secondly, Haley takes off Brooke's jacket and wraps it around her waist to try to stop the bleeding, if not as much.
After Skillz fired the gun, Nathan takes hold of it with Skillz and both manages to throw the gun away from them; however, both men are now fighting one another to reach the far gun.
Panicking what to do with Brooke, Haley began to slowly drag Brooke's body to her car; she needed to take Brooke to the hospital. Brooke could not die.
"Haley!" she head Nathan call out. Sighing happily that Nathan could take on Skillz, she turned around to be completely wrong.
"Drop the body," Skillz demanded as he stood behind Nathan, for he had a knife an inch away from Nathan's neck, and had with the other hand, aimed the gun at Haley.
Fearful for both hers and Brooke's life, she placed Brooke's upper body down and walked in front of her.
"Please let my friend be saved, she has nothing to do with this," Haley begged for Brooke's life while Skillz chuckled.
"We'll see. She might be dead already," Skillz answered. Haley stared from Skillz to Nathan's hollow eyes. What was he thinking about?
"What are you planning?" Nathan soon asked.
"Nate, before I answer that, what do you see in your girlfriend?" Skillz asked. Nathan stared at a terrified Haley.
"She's frighten-"
"No! That's not what I mean; what do you see in her?"
Before Nathan could answer, he had to think very carefully what his response would be.
"No one special," Nathan answered.
"What?" Haley asked as her voice cracked.
Skillz wickedly laughed. "Please go on. I thought she was your true love."
"Looking at her good, and thinking it over; no, Haley's not the one for me. Look at her, how could she meet my standards? She's a crybaby, she's not that smart, and she's very dull. I need someone with a little more razzle dazzle and brains than a great chest. She's no one," Nathan answered coldly as he stared into Haley's heartbroken and watery eyes. "You were right, I regret defending this bitch over our successful business."
"I don't believe you," Skillz replied. "I think you're lying to me to save her and her friend."
"Why would I lie? You know I never lie."
"Prove it to me," Skillz answered as he released his hand down from Nathan's neck and gave the knife to him. "Kill her."
Nathan accepted the knife and walked over to Haley. As Nathan walked, he kept his stare cold and concentrated, while Haley's eyes read frighten and sad.
"Please, Nathan. Don't do this. I beg you please don't do this," Haley cried out. Nathan stood in front of Haley and placed his empty hand on her neck and forced her to the floor onto her knees. "Please, don't kill me."
"Shut up!" Nathan yelled and slammed her to the ground. Haley sobbed on the ground while Nathan leaned down, ready to stab Haley to death, but he stopped and turned to Skillz.
"I have a better idea," Nathan replied as he stood up and grabbed Haley by the hair to rise with him. "Let's make this a game."
"What do you mean?" Skillz asked hyped up on the idea.
"Let's play mouse. We'll let her run for awhile, and we'll go hunt her down. Whoever catches her first kills her," Nathan replies.
"I like it," Skillz wretchedly answers. Nathan smirks and swiftly plants a big kiss on Haley's cheek and then harshly drops her to the ground again.
"Come on sweetheart, you have three minutes before we come and search for you," Nathan replies as he walks behind Skillz.
Mortified of hearing everything Nathan had just said; Haley felt dirty. Nathan used after all this time? Brooke was right, he was twisted and sinister; how could she be so blind? When Nathan spoke his last words, Haley stared at him horrified and soon stood from the floor and ran for her life in tears. Her life was over.
"Run, bitch! Run!" Skillz laughed out loud but his laughter was soon stopped short. From a distance, the sound of the police and ambulance was ringing.
"Who the fuck called the popo?" Skillz shouted.
"I did," Nathan shouted from behind Skillz, and stabbed the knife into Skillz' neck.
Unaware of Nathan's plan to trick him all along, Skillz yelped in pain and dropped the gun onto the ground.
"I'm going to kill you," Skillz screeched in pain.
"Not if I kill you first," Nathan replied and punched with all his force at Skillz' face, knocking him unconscious.
Rapidly, before the police could appear, Nathan grabbed the dropped gun and ran towards Haley into the dark woods.
"Haley! Come back, it was all a trick to manipulate, Skillz!" Nathan yelled as he ran in search for Haley. "Haley, trust me! I didn't mean what I said!"
--
Back to the burning remainder of the exploded house, Lucas and his partner raced to the deserted land. Earlier the telephone conversation that called the emergency number was broadcasted to all police men. Lucas was praying that his ears were deceiving him; Brooke was not the person that was pleading mercy for her life. It couldn't be.
"I can spot two bodies on the ground," Lucas' partner Tim said. Lucas leaned his face above the wheel, and like Tim saw two bodies on the floor.
Please don't let it be her, please don't let it be, Brooke.
Arriving on the scene, Lucas parked his patrol car and leaped out of his seat, running to Brooke's body.
"Brooke!" Lucas yelled as the fear swept through him. As Lucas bent to the ground, he hesitated to touch her body. He noticed both her head and waist were bleeding. "It's going to be alright, baby. I can fix this."
"He's still alive," Tim shouted where he stood by Skillz' body.
Holding back his tears, Lucas let the paramedic team take care of Brooke, and he walked over to Skillz.
"Is he conscious?" Lucas asked Tim.
Tim leaned down and turned Skillz body right side up. Skillz slowly began to cough and open his eyes. Tim then grabbed him by his collar. "Where are the rest?"
"I don't know," Skillz faintly answered still coughing. Boiling in anger, Lucas now grabbed him by the collar as Tim released him.
"Where's Haley? Or so help me god I'll let you die," Lucas aggressively demanded.
"Last thing I know, Nathan went chasing after her," Skillz spat out as then Lucas pushed him back to the ground and let the paramedics' deals with him.
"Men listen up!" Lucas shouted to his squad. "There's a dangerous armed man chasing an innocent female. Everyone scan the woods. Don't let them escape."
If I find him, I swear I'm going to make him pay, Lucas thought as he and the rest of his men began to run into the dark woods.
--
Squatting beside a tree, terrified for her life, Haley remained still and concentrated not to stir while she heard Nathan yell after her. Her mind was so confused. Firstly, she couldn't process the harsh things Nathan said about her. Secondly, was it all a trick? Did Nathan really play her a fool, and was lying to her now to find her and kill her? Was she just a game? Then again, what if what he was yelling about was indeed the truth? That he said false things to Skillz to protect her? Did Nathan truly care for her?
Damn it! Haley thought as she covered her mouth with one hand to not yell. She didn't know what to believe.
"Haley, please listen to me. It was all a lie. I did it to protect you," she heard Nathan say not so far from her.
Soon after she heard Nathan say those words for her, she saw the beaming lights of the helicopters looking for her and Nathan.
"Shit!" Nathan yelled as he ran to a shaded area. "Haley, if you could hear me, please trust me. Run away with me. I need you in my life. If I get caught, it's the end of us. I love you and I would never hurt you. Remember, always and forever. "
Before Haley could answer, she heard Lucas' voice shout her name.
It was now or never; Nathan or Lucas?
I'm so sorry, Nathan.
"Luke!" Haley shouted from the ground and quickly stood to run toward Lucas' voice.
Spotting her, Nathan marched behind Haley.
"Haley!" Nathan yelled behind her and soon caught on and grabbed her arm.
"Nathan, please let me go," Haley cried feeling trapped in a life or death situation.
"I can never let go," Nathan answers in a soothing tone.
"Look, truthful or not, run. Run as fast as you can away from me. Forget me; you still have time to live your life. Please Nathan, go," Haley cried in his arms while she heard her name being shouted out again by Lucas. He was getting close.
"I can't," Nathan whispers.
"Do it! Leave! Get the fuck away from me," Haley yells as she pushes Nathan away from her.
"I can't do that!" Nathan yells back at the tearing blonde.
"Haley!" Lucas shout was heard; he was getting closer.
"Please, run! Leave, for me!" Haley pleaded for his life.
Left with no choice, Nathan crashed his lips to Haley's one last time and shortly turned around to begin to run away, but stopped. He turned around again and stared at Haley.
"Please go," Haley feebly requested.
In tears himself, Nathan felt like he was back to that terrible time. His mom was screaming for him and Lisa to run. They did, but got caught. Nodding as his answer, Nathan noticed a laser beam aimed at Haley's waist.
"Haley!" Nathan shouted and pushed her out of the way to receive multiple bullets fired at him. "Nathan!" Haley yelled when Nathan's body landed on top of her. Underneath him, Haley felt his blood begin to soak her clothes. "Help!"
"Haley!" Lucas shouted at her as he and other men surrounded her and Nathan.
Not soon after, the paramedics' retrieved Nathan's body and rushed him to the ambulance truck, while Haley walked with Lucas back to his patrol car.
"Haley what happen?" Lucas asked.
Shivering from the traumatizing event, Haley tried to answer his question.
"Haley, tell me what happen?" Lucas asked again as he now wrapped a cloak around her shivering body.
"Nathan. Brooke. Explosion. Psychopath shot, Brooke. Ran. Guns. Nathan on top of me," Haley stuttered as she scrambled her answer to Lucas; then in all realization, it hit her─ Nathan's blood was all over her body. "Oh my─ it's all over me!" Haley freaked out nervously.
"What is?" Lucas asked unaware of her breakdown.
"Nathan's blood! Don't you see it? It's all over me!" Haley yelled while she took the cloak off and began to wipe the blood off her hands with it.
"Haley, I need you to calm down," Lucas replied as he placed his hands on her shoulders, but Haley pushed him away.
"It's all over me. It's all over me," Haley kept repeating while still trying to wipe off Nathan's blood off her.
Watching his best friend breakdown, Lucas embraced Haley into a tight hug.
"Lucas, it's all over me," Haley whispered in his embrace while still rubbing her hands against the cloak.
"I know," Lucas answered while one tear rolled down his cheek. "Let's get you to my house."
"Inform me of any news; is that clear?" Lucas asked firmly to Tim after he shut the door when Haley finally stepped into his patrol car.
Tim nodded in agreement and soon both men went their different directions.
--
After crying in Peyton's shoulder, Haley asked both Peyton and Jake to leave her alone for awhile.
No one could understand how she felt. She felt completely torn.
She wanted to be with the person she loved, but with that love, she had to give up the people she loved.
Either way, she would lose somehow.
Stopping in front of his door, Haley grasped the doorknob and took a breath.
"Nathan," Haley became speechless.
He had finally opened his eyes.