So...as Klaineisbrave pointed out to me (haha) I do write a LOT of Jeff angst...so this is Nick angst...still just as heart wrenching to write, though haha
OK! So, things you should know: in my head it has always been that Nick's mom is single, and left his dad before she even had Nick because she knew he was a bad guy. About a year later, Nick's dad was arrested for murdering a woman. The "man" here is her son. He was only about five at the time of her death. So, yeah…I just felt you should know that for this to make any sense=)
WARNING: attack, violence, blood, cursing, etc. SO BE CAREFUL FOR TRIGGER WARNINGS.
Also, I just want to thank all of you guys so much for sticking with me this far and for reviewing and adding this to story alert. You guys are all awesome! Two people I want to asknowledge who have been overly kind and amazing during this are "anglesfly36" and "Klaineisbrave" THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH!
So, enjoy and review if you want; I love to hear what you think!=)))
37. See
"I see you," the mysterious voice on the phone whispered. Nick tensed in fear. Not only was this call from a phone number he didn't recognize, it was a voice he didn't recognize.
"Who-who is this?" Nick asked. "I think you have the wrong number!"
"No, Nicholas Duval. I don't have the wrong number. I can see you right now," the voice drawled. A shiver made its way down Nick's spine, chilling his whole body. He ran a hand through his hair, nervously.
"Oh, you shouldn't do that! You'll make your hair oily!"
Nick gasped, desperately looking around him for the man on the phone. He pulled the phone away from his ear to press the end button. Then, he heard screaming from the phone.
"HANG UP AND I'LL KILL HIM!"
"Kill who?" Nick gasped, the phone glued to his ear again.
"You'll never know," the voice whispered.
"What do you want?"
The man ignored his question, and just said, "Walk into the woods on your right." Nick's stomach clenched as he looked over at the woods on the side of the school. But he did it. He couldn't leave whoever this guy had to die. As he made his way into woods, his eyes were darting back and forth.
The collision came out of nowhere. The end of the gun slammed down on his head with no hesitation, sending him to the floor. His eyes rolled back in his head and he lost consciousness for a few seconds. When he became aware again, he was being roughly pulled to his feet, someone holding his hands behind his back. The hands were soon replaced by coarse rope, pulled so tight his fingers tingled.
"What the fuck?" Nick moaned. He was roughly shoved up against a tree, his bound arms taking the brunt of the contact. He heard something snap at the impact, his wrist twisting. Nick screamed. The man roughly shoved a hand against his mouth.
"Shut up," he growled. When he removed his hand, Nick was slightly out of it.
"Who 'ya gonna kill?" Nick asked, delirious in pain.
"Stupid kids," the man sneered. "Still can't believe you fell for that trick."
Nick's blood went stone cold. He was suddenly completely aware of everything that was happening. This man had never had anyone to kill. He had lied to him. And Nick had walked right into his trap.
"What the fuck do you want with me?"
Nick grunted as the fist came out of nowhere, burying itself into his stomach. He gasped for breath as the man spoke, in a menacing voice.
"You don't talk! I talk, got it?"
When Nick remained silent, the man grabbed his neck, looking straight into his eyes.
"Answer me," he whispered.
Tears coming to his eyes, Nick nodded, though the movement hurt his already jarred head. The man released his hands, leaving Nick leaning against the tree, still gasping for breath. He finally got a good look at the man who stood before him. He couldn't have been older than twenty five.
"What do I want with you?" The man asked, sarcastically. "Well, let's see! I want revenge on your son-of-a-bitch father."
Nick's, once, again, froze.
"I-he-he left my mom before I was even born," Nick whispered.
The man, as though Nick had never spoken, continued.
"That bastard killed my mother, and now I'm gonna kill you," he growled.
"I never knew my father!" Nick shouted. "He left before I was born, and then was in jail when I was two. I'm sorry for what he did, but it doesn't connect to me at all."
"You have his blood," the man argued. "Someone has to pay-and I will make sure you do."
Nick felt uncontrollable fear seize his body. Then, he realized that besides the rope holding his wrists, one most likely broken, together, there was nothing keeping from running. So he did.
Nick took off, his hands twisting and turning behind his back. He ducked under the man, and began to sprint. He didn't get very far.
His hands were unavailable to break his fall as the man grabbed his ankle and sent him falling forward. Branches scratched his face and drew blood as he crashed into him. Then, so much pain as the side of his forehead slammed against the ground.
The man pounced on him, grabbing his forearms and flipping Nick onto his back. He gasped in pain as his injured wrist was crushed underneath his body. He screamed as the man straddled him, sitting on his lower stomach.
"Little bastard, just like your dad, are ya'?"
Nick just moaned in pain, eyes clenched shut.
"Open your eyes," the man growled. Nick slowly cracked them open; the pain and fear they showed would have made any sane person cry.
Nick whimpered at the sight of the knife that the man pulled from his pocket.
"Please," he gasped. "My friend-he was supposed to meet me-he'll find me and-"
"Shut up," the man growled, tracing the knife slowly around Nick's lips. Suddenly, he dragged it downwards, making a shallow, but long cut, down Nick's face, ending in the middle of his neck.
Nick screamed, not so much in pain, but in fear.
"I'll do it slowly, so you'll feel the blood leaving your body," the man whispered, hauntingly. "Just like he did to my mom!"
Nick couldn't even respond anymore, just gasp for breath as tears streaked down his face.
"Jeff, please find me!" he thought, desperately trying to stay conscious as small cuts were made over his face and arms. None of them were deep enough to cause any real damage, but all together he was losing a lot of blood.
"I have to-to try to tell him where I am," Nick thought. Mustering up all of his remaining strength, Nick screamed as loudly as he could before a hand was violently slammed into his mouth.
In the parking lot, Jeff had been waiting patiently for his boyfriend to meet him. After ten minutes, he became rather suspicious. Nick was never late.
"Calm down, drama queen," Jeff thought to himself. "He's allowed to be a little late once in a while."
After ten more minutes, he was about to go looking for Nick in his art classroom. Then, he heard the scream. The scream that was filled with pain and fear. The scream that was harshly cut off at the end, as though someone had manually stopped it from continuing. The scream that sounded scarily close to his boyfriends.
Jeff took off for the woods, his heart pounding. He ran to where he heard continued whimpering and heavy breathing. What he saw made his heart stop. There was Nick. Covered in blood. Arms bound behind his back. With a man pinning him to the ground. A knife too close to his face for Jeff's liking. Jeff let out a strangled gasp, but, somehow, the man did not see him. Nick, however, did. Half conscious, Nick met Jeff's eyes. As Jeff made to run towards them, Nick shook his head and stared at a nearby tree, as the man brought the knife down his cheek again.
"Holy fucking shit, holy fucking shit, holy fucking shit," Jeff thought in the split second before he grabbed the abandoned gun he saw by the tree. Not even knowing how to shoot the thing, he ran forward and brought it down with as much force as he could muster. The man let out a surprised gasp before falling unconscious. Jeff literally kicked him off Nick.
"Nick! I'm calling 9-1-1, ok?"
He didn't even wait for an answer before pulling out his cell phone and dialing the three dreaded numbers.
"Hi! My boyfriend-he's hurt really bad. There's so much blood, and-yeah! I'm at Dalton Academy-yeah the boarding school. In the woods! There's lots of cuts on his face and there's a huge bump on his head. No, I don't know what happened!I just-this guy was cutting him-no he's unconscious now. Ok, please hurry!" Jeff hung up the phone and dropped to the floor next to Nick.
"OhmyGod, Nick! Are you ok? What should I do?"
"My-my wrist," Nick croaked out.
"Ok, ok, hang on! I'm gonna help you sit up, ok?" Nick nodded, his eyes glossy and tired. Jeff slowly supported Nick. He propped him up against a tree before trying to figure out what Nick had meant by 'my wrist."
It didn't take long. Nick's left wrist had turned a nasty shade of purple, and was twice it's normal size. The skin on both his wrists was rubbed raw. Jeff held back tears as picked at the knot, finally getting it untied. He gingerly helped Nick move his arm in front of him, resting on his lap.
"Sweetie, can you tell me what else hurts?"
Nick closed his eyes and whispered, "My head-he-he hit my head."
"Ok, Nicky, honey. Who is he?"
"Wanted revenge-revenge on my dad," Nick choked out, his uninjured hand clinging to Jeff's. Jeff's blood turned stone cold. He knew all about Nick's dad.
"How could someone associate him with a murderer?" Jeff thought, desperately holding back tears.
"Ok, baby. It's ok, Nicky, it's ok. I'm here, and the ambulance is coming."
"I thought-I thought you weren't gonna find me-and he was gonna kill me," Nick gasped through his tears.
Jeff's heart broke as he whispered, "I'll always find you, Nicky, don't worry. I love you, and you're gonna be ok, I promise." Jeff lowered Nick's bloody head into his lap, stroking his hair.
"Love you too, Jeff," Nick mumbled, relaxing into Jeff's touch.
The ambulance came blaring up to the parking lot and Jeff covered Nick's ears before yelling.
"OVER HERE!"
The paramedics rushed to the sound of Jeff's voice and quickly went to work on treating and transferring him to the ambulance. They placed him on a stretcher; Nick and Jeff's hands never unclasped the whole time.
Later, in Nick's hospital room, after he had been diagnosed with blood loss, a broken wrist, two broken ribs, and a concussion, Nick was snuggled close to Jeff, doped up on pain medication.
"Hey, Jeff! Isn't this bed super comfy? Like a fluffy marshmallow?"
And even though Jeff knew they'd have to deal with post traumatic stress symptoms when he became sober again, he would help be there for Nick until and after all everything, including the physical scars, could not be seen.