Thanks for all the reviews. Just a quick word of warning; this chapter has some scenes that aren't everyone's cup of tea. If scenes that involve blood and forms of torture aren't your thing, then the Grace, Nathan and John parts should be skipped. Although I did try to keep it to a minimum. That said I hope you enjoy it!
"Let the game begin?"
"What game?" Nathan asked in a hesitant tone.
"Good question," John said as he grinned. "What shall I call it? Let's see. Oh I know. You or her."
"What?!" Nathan asked in disbelief.
"You heard. You or her," John replied. "The title says it all. I'll pick something to do and you two have to decide who will be on the receiving end of it."
"You can't be serious." Grace muttered.
"Oh I am Gracie." John told her. He still had the grin on his face.
"But she's pregnant." Nathan said in a disgusted tone.
"And I'm supposed to be bothered about that because?" John asked. His grin suddenly disappeared. "Now who wants the corrugated iron table? It should be really interesting to see how long it takes before it begins to hurt."
"I'll have that table." Nathan said as Grace gave him a shocked look.
"I'm glad to see that Nathan's willing to participate," John said as he glared at Grace. "Unlike some other people in here."
"Go to hell." Grace mumbled.
"No thanks," John replied before he chuckled evilly and said. "That's where you'll be going very shortly. Now let's get you moved."
~X~
Nick stood in the doorway of the nursery and looked around at the interior that he had lovingly decorated. The smell of fresh paint still lingered in the air and he found himself wondering if his son would ever get to sleep in the crib that had taken him almost a day and a half to put together. He stepped into the nursery and walked over to the crib. He reached in and picked up the small blue plush teddy that he and Grace had bought. He looked down at it as he thought back to how they had debated over which one was the best for almost an hour.
"Here you are," Karen said in a soft tone from the doorway. "I thought you'd gone out looking again and was worried."
"Believe me if I was capable of going out there and searching for her some more I would be," Nick replied in a weary tone. "What did that doctor give me?"
"He gave you the same sedative he gave to Haley when she was hysterical." Karen told him gently.
"Was I that bad?" Nick asked as he moved his attention from the bear and to Karen.
"Yes sweetie you were," Karen said in the same soft tone as she went into the nursery and made her way over to him. "I've made a fresh pot of coffee. Come on into the kitchen and I'll make you a snack too."
"I'm not hungry." Nick replied.
"Nick the doctor said that you need to eat," Karen told him. "Grace would say the same."
"I know she would," Nick replied. "I just can't help but wonder if she's getting anything to eat. Then my mind wanders further and it completely puts me off the idea of food."
"I know. Trust me I know," Karen told him. "I'm the same with Nathan. And now Grace as well. I know we're not really family but you and Grace feel like you are part of my family."
"You are our family Karen," Nick told her genuinely. "We meant what we said when we told you about Ben."
"I'm glad that you did," Karen said as she gave him a sad smile. "Now I'm going to make you something to eat and you're going to eat it. I'm not taking no for an answer."
"Okay." Nick mumbled.
"Keith, Andy, Sam and Dean will be stopping of for refueling," Karen added. He looked at her in surprise as she continued. "Then they're going back out to search. Kay and Carly are at the café to arrange refreshments for all the other volunteers."
"Other volunteers?" Nick asked with a confused frown.
"Practically the whole town is out looking for Grace now," Karen told him. Nick's expression turned to one of surprise at the news. "Andy was at the police station earlier to see if there was any development on the red mark on Grace's shoe, but it was still at the lab."
"Wow," Nick managed after a few moments of silence. "I can't believe that there are so many people looking for her."
"Even Mrs. Grange is helping." Karen told him. Nick managed a smile at her words.
"I thought she would be the last one to help," he said. "I'm surprised she's not round here offering me tea and sympathy."
"That's why I'm here. She did actually offer to come and watch you but I didn't think you'd like that," Karen told him. "And it's coffee and sandwiches with that sympathy."
"Thanks Karen," Nick said as he placed the blue bear back into the crib. He then turned back round to face her. "Let's go and have these sandwiches. Hopefully I'll feel more human afterwards so I can go and look for my wife."
~X~
John walked back over to Nathan and Grace after he had picked up his selected instrument of torture. The light shone on it and Grace could see that it was a scalpel. She swallowed harshly as her heart pounded. She dreaded to think what he was going to do with that. She had already had to witness John using a soldering iron on various parts of Nathan's body. She could still hear the screams of pain ringing in her ears. Her eyes widened as she saw him looming over her as he stopped as the end of the table where her head was.
"Now for this game I'm going to start with you," John told her as he looked down at her. "Nathan needs a breather don't you think?"
"I thought you said that we had to pick?" Grace asked in return in a defiant tone.
"So that rule suits you now does it?" John asked in response.
"I was just reminding you of it." Grace replied as she rolled her eyes.
"Don't worry I hadn't forgotten," John said as he showed her the scalpel. "Now where shall I cut you first?"
"How about you try it out on yourself?" Grace said as she glared at him.
"Gracie, look at the predicament you and your baby are in," John said in a low tone. Grace glared at him and set her jaw in a firm line at the mention of her baby. "You're not in a position to tell me what to do."
"Leave her alone." Nathan managed in a raspy voice.
"Well, well, well Nathan seems to have recovered all of a sudden," John said in a gleeful tone. "Nice of you to join in the game again Nate. I'm still going to start with Gracie here."
"Leave her alone." Nathan insisted.
"Its equal rights now Natey boy. It's only fair that I treat Gracie the same as you," John said as he moved his gaze back to Grace. "Now which part of that amazingly clear skin shall I mark first? I'm surprised you don't have any stretch marks. Do you moisturize?"
"None of your business." Grace spat back. She felt Ben kick as she did.
"I think the baby is telling me where to cut first." John said as he chuckled sadistically.
"No!" Grace said in an urgent tone.
"No?" John asked in mock surprise. He pulled a thoughtful expression for a few moments before he spoke again. "Choose another area and I'll leave your baby alone."
"You will?" Grace asked not sure whether to believe him or not.
"Yes," John replied. "Well that's if you make your choice in the next thirty seconds."
"Uh," Grace began as she tried to do as he asked. "My arm."
"Which one?" John asked as he grinned.
"Left." Grace replied in almost a whisper as she closed her eyes.
"I have to say I like you more when you co-operate," John said as his hand stroked along her left arm. "Your skin is so soft. I can't wait to brand it."
Grace kept her eyes closed as John began to place cuts on her arm. She flinched as she felt the sharp metal cut into her flesh. However, she didn't make a sound as he did. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of letting him know just how much it hurt. She could feel the warmth of her blood as it trickled from the cuts and down her arm. He finished with that arm and moved to her right. Grace wasn't surprised when he did. She knew that he wouldn't have stayed true to his word. She just hoped that he wouldn't do anything to hurt her baby. He finished on her arm and then moved so that he was standing at her head once again. He then stroked the flat of the blade against her left cheek. She flinched and opened her eyes as he did.
"If you don't want me to cut you then all you have to do is say kill Nathan." John said before he chuckled evilly. Nathan's eyes went wide at what he heard.
"I can't do that." Grace replied. Nathan breathed a sigh of relief at her words.
"Have it your way then," John said as he moved the scalpel and cut deeply into Grace's cheek. He chuckled as she whimpered in pain. "It's only gonna get worse."
~X~
"Is Nick awake?" Andy asked as he hurried into Nick and Grace's house.
"Yes he's just in the bathroom," Karen said as she looked at him from her position on the couch. "Have you found something?"
"We have the results back on the mark on Grace's shoe." Andy said as Nick came back into the lounge.
"What is it?" Nick asked.
"Its paint," Andy told him. "But it's not just any type of paint."
"What's so special about it?" Nick asked as he frowned.
"It's lead paint," Andy said. "And there was also a hint of fertilizer in it. So it looks like whoever has her is holding her on an old farm."
"Well let's get looking and see how many old farms are in the area." Nick said in an urgent tone.
"I already did that," Andy replied. "The nearest one is about an hour and a half away. We're going to get a couple hours of rest before we drive there."
"What about the cops?" Nick asked as he ran a hand through his hair worriedly. "Can't they send someone to check it out?"
"They're busy searching round all the farms that are still operational," Andy said as he sighed. "I told them that they were wasting their time. Lead paint was banned in 1977. And the results indicated that the pesticide was old."
"Let me guess it was like talking to a wall when you told them?" Nick asked in an angry tone.
"Pretty much," Andy admitted. He then paused before he added. "Nick I would really love to go and check that place out now, but I have to sleep. If I don't I'll be crashing on the way there."
"How about I drive and you can sleep in the car?" Nick suggested.
"Are you okay to drive?" Karen asked him in a concerned tone.
"Yes I feel fine," Nick assured her. "The sedative wore off a while ago Karen. And the coffee and sandwiches helped a lot."
"Well take some more coffee with you just to be safe," Karen said. "I'll go and pour some into thermal mugs. It'll stay hotter for longer."
"Okay," Nick replied as he hunted for his car keys. He found them and then picked up his jacket as Karen hurried out of the kitchen. "I'll call you when we've checked the place out okay?"
"Okay," Karen said as she handed them a thermal mug of coffee each. "Be careful. Do you want me to wait here?"
"No, I don't want you to be alone," Nick told her. "We'll drop you off at your place so you can be with Haley and Jamie."
"Let me just go and switch your coffee maker off," Karen said before she headed back to the kitchen. She came back into the lounge moments later. "Right I'm good to go."
"Me too." Andy added.
"Let's just hope the first place we look is the last place." Nick said as the three of them headed out of the front door.
~X~
"You know I had a very interesting trip to Tree Hill before I brought Grace here Nathan," John said as he placed the pliers down that held one of Nathan's back teeth. "I went to your parent's house and watched that little boy of yours as he slept. And your wife looked like a zombie. She was just sat staring into space. I could have just climbed through the window and taken him. And I bet she wouldn't have even noticed. I might go back there and add some more of your family to my little collection."
"You leave them alone!" Nathan demanded as he spat the blood that was in his mouth at John. It hit him square in the face.
"You really shouldn't have done that," John said in a dangerously low tone as he picked a cloth up and wiped at his face. "And to pay you back for that, I'm not going to do anything to you. I'm going to do something to Gracie here. That way you can carry that guilt with you until you die. Which might be very, very soon."
"Don't hurt her," Nathan pleaded as he struggled against his bonds. "Hurt me. I did it! Leave her alone!"
"Too late Nathan," John replied as he studied his array of what he classed as toys. "What shall I use this time?"
"Don't hurt her!" Nathan pleaded again as he continued to struggle.
"Ah yes! This will be perfect," John said as he picked up the item. He showed it to both Nathan and Grace as he added. "I always wondered what it would be like to use this on someone. Now I just have to decide where. I think a fleshy part will be the best. How about the inside of the thigh? I've not touched that area yet."
"No!" Grace gasped out as he headed towards her. She struggled to try and free herself from her bonds as he began to inflict his punishment. She couldn't keep her moans of pain to herself as he did.
"Stop it!" Nathan begged. "Please leave her alone. She didn't do anything."
"You should have thought before you did what you did," John said as he continued his actions. "I have to say it's so much easier using this on a leg than it is on cheese. I might have to keep the grater in my toy collection."
"Please stop!" Grace whimpered. "It hurts too much."
"Well seeing as you said please I will," John replied as he stopped his actions. He then admired the mess he had made of Grace's leg. "That's going to be a bitch to heal. That's if you're alive long enough for it to heal. I wonder what Nick would think if he saw it. It would probably put him off you for life. It's so ugly."
"How do you know about Nick?" Grace asked.
"You'd be amazed how I know things Gracie," John said as he leaned in close to her face. "Now what shall I do next? And to whom?"
He headed back over to the table he had Nathan on and picked up the pliers her had left there. He pulled the tooth from between the pincers and grinned as he threw it somewhere into the room. He then took them and the grater back over to his array of implements. He grinned as he saw his secateurs. He placed the items in his hands down and picked them up.
"You know I should have kept that tooth. It's given me an idea," John said as he turned and headed back to his captives. He stood in the gap between them as he held up what he held. "I think we should send your loved ones a little gift don't you? And I can't be bothered looking for that tooth so lets use something else. I'm thinking something like your pinky fingers. And forgive the pun, but once I have them, I'll hand deliver them. So you two will have about six hours to recuperate from today's activities when I do. And please, feel free to scream as loud as you want to."
~X~
"Well that was a waste of time." Nick grumbled as he drove him and Andy back to Tree Hill.
"It was," Andy agreed. "But on the up side it rules out a place and means we're one step closer to finding her."
"How many more disused farm type places are there around here?" Nick asked.
"According to my research there are two more. They're both three hours away from Tree Hill and that's just one way," Andy said. "Plus they're both in opposite directions."
"Well we can go and check one out and Sam and Dean can go to the other," Nick replied. "They said they didn't mind going a fair distance to search."
"I'm glad we have a lot of people out looking for Grace," Andy said. "I hate that some psycho has her."
"Do you think that Haley could be right with her assumption that John Ryder has both her and Nathan?" Nick asked.
"Yes I do." Andy replied. Nick gave him a shocked look as he pulled the car over and switched the engine off.
"What aren't you telling me Andy?" Nick demanded.
"I saw the file the cops have on John Ryder. It came complete with a mug shot of him," Andy said as he sighed. "I compared that picture with the one from the traffic cam."
"And?" Nick asked when Andy stopped. He knew what was coming next, but he just wanted to hear it from Andy's mouth.
"It's him," Andy confirmed. Nick closed his eyes as his stomach filled with dread. ""I also saw several stills that the police had regarding the other girls who have gone missing. John Ryder is with them on them."
"Oh my God!" Nick said as he opened his eyes. "Do you have your cell phone?"
"Yes I do. Why?" Andy replied.
"Call Sam and Dean and tell them to go and look at the farm we're not going to," Nick said as he started the car. "We're not going back to Tree Hill. We're going to check that other farm out right now. And if you don't want to tell me where the hell it is and get out."
"You need to do a U turn," Andy told him as he fished his cell phone out. "Stay on this road until I tell you to turn. Grace is like my family Nick. I'm not just going to stand by and do nothing."
"Good," Nick replied. His jaw set in a firm line as he performed the U turn. "When we find her I'm going to make sure that John Ryder is stopped once and for all."
~X~
"What's wrong with our little Gracie?" John asked. His voice dripped with fake concern as she moaned in pain.
"I need to move," Grace mumbled as John walked over to her. "My back is killing me."
"Now should I take pity on you or not?" John asked as he looked down at her. As he did he heard a loud crash from his other side. He turned and saw Nathan on the floor surrounded by the remains of the table. "I didn't think I'd made that strong enough."
"Your DIY sucks!" Nathan said in a pained tone.
"Well I can't be perfect at everything," John replied as he grinned. "Murder is my forte. Now where shall I put you? I can't be bothered to make another table."
"Well if this one is anything to go by it wouldn't be very good anyway," Nathan replied as he struggled to his feet. John looked surprised that Nathan was free of his bonds. He also saw that Nathan held one of the table legs that had a few nails sticking out of the end. "How about I give you some payback huh?"
"I'd like to see you try," John replied. "The state you're in you won't even manage one swing."
"That's where you're wrong." Nathan said as he glared at John.
They glared at each other for several moments and Grace watched them. She hoped that Nathan would get the better of John. She struggled against her bonds as Nathan began his attack. She heard the thumps and grunts as the two of them fought. She heard a crash as she managed to free her left hand. She hissed as the stump of where her pinky finger used to be caught against the concrete table top. She glanced over at them and saw that John was on the floor and Nathan was hitting him with the lump of wood. She then moved her attention back to the hand that was still restrained and began working on it.
She managed to free the knot just enough to pull her hand from the restraint. Her struggling had obviously helped. She rubbed her wrist before she struggled to sit up. She breathed a sigh of relief as her spine felt some relief. She then shuffled down the table slightly and tried to reach the bonds around her ankles. Her bump made the task impossible as she couldn't bend far enough forward. She heard Nathan scream out in pain and quickly jerked her head around to see what had happened. She was just in time to see Nathan fall to the floor as John stood. He held a scalpel in his hand and her stomach sunk at the sight.
"Going somewhere are you Gracie?" he asked as he glanced over at her. He grinned as he saw that she couldn't reach the bonds around her ankles. "I see that you're not going anywhere any time soon."
He then looked down at Nathan who was holding the back of his left ankle to stem the flow of blood. John had sliced through his Achilles tendon with the scalpel. He chuckled as he saw Nathan writhe in pain before he bent down and picked him up. He half carried, half dragged him over to the old bathtub that was in the room. After some considerable effort, he managed to get Nathan into the tub. He then went over to his supply area and picked up a set of metal handcuffs, before heading back over to Nathan. He grabbed his hands and forced them together before he secured them to a cut out part of the tub that he guessed was a handle, before he moved away. Nathan continued to struggle as John picked up his next toy of choice.
"I'd lie back down if I were you Gracie," John said as he moved to her side. "Otherwise I'll hurt you again."
"Can I just stay like this for a little longer?" Grace asked as she looked at him. "I can't lie on my back."
"Well lie on your side then." John told her.
"And how the hell am I supposed to do that with my legs tied the way they are?" Grace asked as she rolled her eyes. John studied her for a moment.
"I'll untie one of your legs," John told her. "But if you try anything I'll hurt that baby of yours."
"I won't try anything," Grace said in a weary tone. "I don't have any energy left to try anything."
John then headed back over to his array of tools and picked up a knife and some more rope. He headed back over to her, cut through her bonds and moved her foot to the other, so that they were now tied together. She winced as the raw part of her inner thigh touched the other as she carefully led down on her side. John then tied her hands in front of her before securing them to the underneath of the table. He headed back over to his tools and studied them once more. He pulled out a cigarette as he decided what to use next and lit it. He took a long drag and breathed the smoke out slowly. He then grinned as he headed over to Nathan.
"I hope you're sitting comfortably," He said as he smiled down at him. Nathan just glared at him in response. "I'm going to make you pay for what you just did. It was a big mistake Nathan."
Without any warning, John moved his cigarette and stubbed it out on Nathan's chest. Nathan grunted with the pain as he continued to glare at John with hatred in his eyes. Grace had a clear view of what John was doing now that she was led on her side. She saw John relight his cigarette and repeat his actions. He did it again and again until the cigarette was practically gone and Nathan's chest was covered with small, round burns. John then moved away and went back to his tools. He picked an item up and headed back over to Grace.
"Nathan you remember what happened the last time you did something stupid in here right?" John asked. Nathan felt sick as he realized that Grace was again going to suffer because of him. "This new position is perfect for this Gracie. And it means that I stay true to my word and don't hurt your baby."
"Just get it over with." Grace murmured as she felt something cold and metallic against her back on the right side.
"As you wish." John said. He then pressed something and a click was heard. Grace yelped in pain as he did. He then moved the item and repeated his action causing another yelp to come from Grace.
"What is that?" Grace asked through her pain filled yelps and moans.
"It's a surgical stapler," John told her as he finished. He glanced at his watch as he did. "Oh look at the time. I better go and drop off the lovely letters to your families. I hope you won't miss me too much when I'm gone. In fact I might not even come back. That way you two can starve to death slowly."
John then picked up two envelopes and made his way out of the door. He slammed it loudly behind him. Both Nathan and Grace were surprised that he left the light on for them. Nathan waited for a few minutes before he spoke.
"I'm so sorry that you had to be put through that because of me." He apologized.
"It's okay Nathan," Grace replied. "You can't help that he's a fucking psycho."
"I thought I could overpower him," Nathan said. "And I would have if he hadn't have cut me."
"I thought you were going to win too," Grace informed him. "I'd have helped but I couldn't reach my ankles to untie the rope."
"I just wish I could have gotten us out of here," Nathan said as he struggled against the handcuffs. "There's no way I'm getting out of these unless I lose another part of my hand."
"I'm just glad that he didn't take my thumb." Grace said as she made a pained noise. Nathan gave her a concerned look.
"Which part of you hurts the most?" he asked softly. He shifted around in the bathtub as he did and winced as his thigh grazed something sharp that was caught in the blanket. He managed to maneuver his hands so that his left hand could feel around in the blanket.
"My contractions." Grace told him.
"What?!" Nathan asked as his eyes went wide and his fingers closed around a shard of glass. He remembered John throwing the glass bottle of alcohol into the tub after he had poured it on him. His mind then went back to Grace. "You're having contractions? Since when?"
"Since he cut my arms with the scalpel," she confessed. "I thought they were those Braxton Hicks but they've been getting stronger."
"I have to get out of these cuffs," Nathan said as he began to struggle to pick the piece of glass up. He studied the lock and saw that the piece of glass would be useless on that. He realized that there was only one way he would get out of the cuffs without a key. "I'm going to have to cut my thumb off."
"What?!" Grace asked in a pained voice. "Are you serious?"
"It's the only way we'll get out of here before he gets back Grace," Nathan said as he took a deep breath and moved the sharp piece of glass to his right hand. "My left hand is already fucked so losing my thumb won't really matter. And if we get out of here fast enough they might be able to fix it."
"Nathan you can't mutilate yourself." Grace said in a shocked voice.
"I do Grace," he insisted. The two of them locked eyes and she knew that he was right. "It's the only way. I have to do this so we can get back to our families. And so that Ben is safe."
"I can't watch you do that Nathan. I'm sorry." Grace said as she closed her eyes. Nathan took a deep breath before he lowered the glass and began to cut.
~X~
"How far back was that gas station?" Nick asked Andy as he pulled the gas can out of the trunk.
"About a mile I think," Andy replied. "I can't believe we've run out of gas."
"Me neither," Nick agreed as he closed the trunk. He then set the alarm before he and Andy began to walk back the way they had just come. "I knew I should have stopped to fill the car up. My head is just too full of Grace and Ben."
"I know," Andy said in a sympathetic tone. "We'll get this can of gas then we're probably better off driving back to the gas station to fill the tank up before we head to the farm. The last thing we need is to find Grace and Nathan and be stranded."
"Good point," Nick said as he set off into a jog. It quickly turned to a sprint. "If I run I'll get there quicker."
"I'll try and keep up." Andy said as he copied Nick's action.