I am so so so SO sorry for leaving this so long! I really am. To say this has been neglected would be the understatement of the year! Between exams, work, sale prep and Christmas I've had no time, and then I somehow had a mental block with this one and I couldn't seem to finish it.

Until tonight, which is why it's getting uploaded at about 3am again. Ooops. I promise to try and update before I go back to school and have to focus on my dissertation again.

THANK YOU to everyone still sticking with this, despite the ridiulously long updates, and to Lizziginne, EmmaJ1996, Thaliab, pinkswallowsun, gem.S, Terriah, dinabar, Izzy, RiaMelia and Thyqua for your reviews. You really are the only reason this is still going, and are truly amazing! :D

Finally, as the title suggests, this isn't a very nice chapter, sorry. Just a warming. But it does mean the story is moving again,

xXx


Chapter 54 – Torture

Just as she reached the barn door, the sound of a car door slamming shut echoed around her and Nikki felt the tears finally escape and run down her cheeks.

This was it. He was coming for her.

There was no time to think, no time to fall apart and scream, to worry and cry. Nikki knew what she had to do, before it was too late. Before he got to her and there was nothing else she could do to help them.

Reaching the barn, Nikki turned around, pressing her back against the wooden door. Her whole body trembled in the cold, her bare feet numb and goose bumps erupting over her skin. The sound of his footsteps were getting closer in the darkness, and she could hear Julia catching up. It would only be a few seconds before they got to her.

Fumbling behind her back, Nikki eventually felt her fingers glide over the cold metal lock that secured the door shut, and tightened her fingers around the bolt. She knew from being inside the barn that the lock was loud, and he would surely know if she was to unlock it now. The noise would give it away, and then there was no hope for the girls shut inside.

"Now Dr Alexander," his voice was close, sending shivers down Nikki's spine. "What did you think you'd achieve by trying to run away, hmm? You must have known we would find you before you could get very far."

Nikki blinked away the tears that had streaked her cheeks and pushed her shoulders back, trying to stand tall even though her legs were shaking. He wasn't going to destroy her, not now, not ever. If she was going to die, she was going to do it with her head held high, just like Freya had suggested.

There was no wind. Nikki smiled to herself slightly as she realised. It was raining, the cold droplets running down her already cold skin, but there was no wind. Which meant that the door wouldn't blow open if she got it unlocked. When she got it unlocked. She had promised them after all, and there was no way she could let them down now.

Nikki closed her eyes tight, taking a deep breath, and when she opened them again he was standing in front of her, a cruel smirk on his lips, Julia just visible a few steps to his right.

"There's no point in running any more," he laughed. "You must know that. Now, do you want to do this the easy way or the hard way?"

This time it was Nikki that laughed, her damp blonde hair falling in front of her eyes.

"Yeah, like I get a choice," she said, hearing her voice tremble.

"Oh but you do," he nodded, and Julia stepped closer to him, a manic look in her eyes. "I'm giving you the choice. Either you cooperate, and I'll make things a little quicker for you, or you resist, and- well, you can probably guess what happens then. So, easy way or hard way, it's up to you."

Nikki froze, her eyes darting between Julia and the man in front of her. She knew that he was lying of course, she knew that he wanted to hurt her, wanted to make her suffer before he killed her. But if she was to just go with him, act strong like she had in the barn, then there was no way she could save the girls still inside.

"The hard way," Nikki smiled eventually, watching as Julia frowned at her, looking at him as if for some reassurance that she had heard Nikki right.

"Brilliant," he smirked, before moving closer to where Nikki was standing, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the lock, her breath quickening.

Within seconds his hands were clasped around the top of her arms, and she knew that there was no way she was escaping now, no way of running from him. Taking a deep breath, Nikki opened her mouth and screamed, at the same time pulling the lock open on the door, the dull thud masked in the sound of her lashing out at him, her throat aching as she yelled.

"Too late doctor, no ones going to hear you, no ones coming to save you now," he laughed, and Nikki relaxed slightly, the last of her energy leaving her, knowing that the door was unlocked, that they had a slight chance of escaping if she could stay strong enough for just a little longer, if she could get them some more time. And if he didn't notice that it was unlocked in the darkness.

Clamping one hand over her mouth, he moved in closer and pressed her against the door, until she could smell his stale breath on her skin.

"Don't you get it?" he smiled as Nikki struggled to take a breath. "This is it. This is always how it was going to end. Right from the very start, because you couldn't keep your nose out, could you? You had to do your job just a little bit too well. If you'd focused on the bodies, and left all the investigating to the police, then you wouldn't be in this mess, but no. You had to get involved. This was your own doing, and now, after everything, you're going to become the next in a list of names. Another face to grace the newspapers, and after time, you'll be forgotten. Just like the other girls. And nobody will remember Dr Nikki Alexander."

Nikki blinked, trying desperately to breathe, until he moved his hand from over her mouth and placed it around her neck instead.

"Harry and Leo will never give up," Nikki stuttered, her eyes stinging. "Not until they find you. Not until both of you are rotting in a jail cell!"

His laugh echoed through the wind, his hand growing tighter around her throat.

"You just keep telling yourself that," he smiled, and Nikki swung her arms out in his direction, at the hand around her throat, trying desperately to push him away as her surroundings began to blur.

Dropping her to the ground, Nikki gasped for breath, her hands trembling as he leant over the top of her, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her to her back to her feet. Her wrist stung as he pulled her in tight.

"Now it's my time to have some fun," he grinned, throwing Nikki to the ground, her head striking the hard surface and her surroundings blurring even more than before.


She must have blacked out. That's all she could think of as she lay on the hard, dusty ground, his voice muffled in the background. She could feel the sticky blood covering the side of her head where she had hit it, and the dull thud behind her eyes only confirmed her suspicion that she had been knocked out.

And that's why she was now in the dark room, trying to focus on her surroundings, trying to listen to his voice.

"I told you, you had an hour, and that hour is up. Now go away and leave us alone. You'll know when to come back."

Nikki heard Julia walk to the door, before stopping and turning back to him.

"I just have a phone call to make first," she smirked, glancing at Nikki who had managed to push herself to her knees, her head still thumping.

Shooting him a quick glance, he nodded, a cruel smirk appearing on his lips, before taking out a silver lighter and lighting a cigarette, leaning against the wall to watch.

Julia stepped towards Nikki and crouched down beside her, her mobile in her hand.

"You know who I'm going to phone, don't you?" she smiled, and Nikki felt a lump form in her throat, the tears threatening to reappear. Of course she knew who she was going to call. This was Julia's last chance to inflict as much pain on Nikki as possible, and they both knew that this was going to be much worse than anything he had planned for her. This was the worst form of torture Julia could think of, and it was the kind that would inflict the most pain.

Standing up again, Julia smiled, holding her phone to her ear and tilting her head at Nikki.

"Don't even try to talk to him," Julia warned. "Because if you do, then everyone else will pay."

After a few seconds, Julia frowned, before smiling widely again.

"Harry, hi!" she grinned, her eyes wide. "Yeah, I know, but I was missing you."

Nikki felt her heartbeat quicken at the thought of Harry on the other end of the line, as if somehow he was now that little bit closer. And yet there was no way that she could tell him where she was, not without endangering the other girls.

There was no way of telling him goodbye.

"Oh not much," Julia smiled. "Just finished work, going to go shopping, what about you?"

There was a pause, and Julia raised her eyebrows at Nikki.

"Really? Sounds great," she smiled. "Well, what are you doing later? Nothing? Well, what about a repeat of earlier?"

Julia giggled, biting on her lip.

"Yeah, I thought so too," she glanced at Nikki, who was now leaning against the wall, her knees tucked up to her chin and her eyes fluttering closed slightly.

"Brilliant. I love you too, see you soon," Julia sighed, and Nikki suddenly felt the tears escape at her words, running down her cheeks and onto her knees. She didn't know why it was those words that had affected her most, why they hurt her so much, and yet they did. He loved her. He loved Julia. He had just told her so on the phone. It was just three stupid little words and yet it was the three words that she had been longing to hear escape Harry's lips and be meant for her. And not just in an 'I love you as a best friend' kind of way.

Harry never told anyone he loved them. The only person Nikki had ever heard him say it to in the past was his mother, and yet he had just said it to Julia. She couldn't be happy for Harry, not now that she knew what Julia was involved in. Why couldn't he just find someone who made him happy, and who would always make him happy, for the rest of his life, without hurting him in some way.

"Good girl," his voice was patronising, close to where she was sitting and she glanced up at him, rubbing away the tears from her eyes. "You've just given them a few more days by managing to keep your mouth shut."

Nikki remained silent, afraid that if she opened her mouth she would reveal just how scared she was.

"Julia, go," he said lazily, and Julia smirked at Nikki, waving her fingers at her as she left the room.

"See you later Nikki," she called, before freezing in the doorway. "Oh wait. Maybe I won't."

Her laugh seemed to remain in the room even after she had closed the door behind her, and Nikki felt all the energy that remained leave her body as she realised that this was it. It was only him left in the room with her, ready to do as he pleased.

Crouching down beside her, he took hold of her chin and moved her head so that she was looking straight into his eyes.

"What am I going to do with you Dr Alexander," he sighed, shaking his head. "You see, I need to use you. I need to do this to you, because if I don't, then I run out of time. I know how close the police are getting, thanks to your little bit of information, and so I need to throw them off the trail. Make you different, and yet the same. Get it?"

"I don't care," Nikki mumbled, staring blankly at him. "I don't care what you do to me. I don't care what you tell me. I know you're a sick freak, I know how you've managed to get away with this for so long. I know that Harry and Leo are going to work it out, and then there'll be nowhere to run. I really couldn't care less what you do to me, because you're not going to get away with this, the other girls will be found before you can hurt them any more. Get it?"

The look in his eyes was venomous, and yet he managed to keep his voice steady.

"No, they won't," he shook his head. "That's just it. You see, I've found someone. Someone who can pay, someone who was looking for a pure angel. He's willing to pay whatever I ask to make sure that he gets her, and he will. He'll get her, for as long as he likes, to do whatever he likes."

He smirked, leaning in closer.

"He's going to break her," he laughed. "He's going to push her over the edge, and with her broken, the rest of the girls will fall just as easily. You can't stop me from hurting them. Once he's had Jessica, I have no need or her. There's no way she'll ever be able to work again, and so I'll dispose of her. In front of the others. Just like I did with Megan. But this time, I'll make sure I drag it out as long as possible, so they all know what to expect when their time comes."

"Jessica's strong-" Nikki shook her head, and yet his laughter interrupted her.

"Strong? Please Nikki, she's pathetic. Just like her father, moping around the station, falling apart every two minutes. She won't last an hour after my client's finished with her. I'll make sure to give her back to her dad though, don't worry. He'll get his daughter back, eventually. It might not be in the way that he was wanting, but he'll get her back."

"You're sick," Nikki frowned, her whole body trembling. "You're not right in the head. You're supposed to help people, not abduct them, torture them. You're not meant to kill them!"

"Where's the fun in helping people?" he laughed, grabbing her by the shoulder and pulling her to her feet as he stood himself. "Watching them scream, watching them cry, begging me to stop. That's much, much more fun."

Nikki's legs wobbled, not having the strength to remain standing, before he threw her to the floor again, leaning over her to press her hands to the side of her head so she was flat on her back.

Her wrist stung as he held her hand down, running the fingers of his other hand down the side of her face.

"What a mess," he smirked, lifting up her hair that was covered in the drying blood from the side of her head. "Looks like I'm not the only one who wants to hurt you."

His fingers stopped at the steri-strips above her eyebrow, and she closed her eyes tight as he leant down towards her ear, pressing her hands to the side again as he did so.

It took all her strength to not scream out as his entire body weight leant down on her wrists, and yet she managed to keep quiet, the tears stinging her eyes.

"It looks like the bruise on your neck is forming nicely," he said quietly, as if she was some sort of experiment he had been studying. "That'll be something your friends will be looking out for, isn't it? A similarity. What else will they be looking for? Oh yes, signs of torture. Bruises elsewhere."

He chuckled in her ear, before moving quickly, pushing himself to his feet and pressing his foot down on her chest before she could move, just as he had done with Megan.

"How much is it going to take to make you scream Nikki?" he said and Nikki's eyes flew open. "Just enough so you can't breath?"

He pushed his foot down harder, and Nikki could feel her breathing becoming more difficult, her fingers digging into the gravely ground.

"No. What about a broken rib, will that make you scream, make you beg me to stop?"

He pushed down on her chest harder, and Nikki could feel the tears escape, running down into her hair. His heal dug into her ribs and she knew it was only a matter of time before the same sickening sound that she had heard with Megan echoed through the room.

"Well well doctor, I am impressed. The others had given in long before now," he laughed again, pressing more of his weight onto her chest.

She didn't know what came first, the crack of her ribs that she had been expecting, or the scream that escaped her lips, all Nikki knew that in a split second both seemed to sound at once, mingled together with the cruel laughter from the man standing over her.

It was becoming an effort to just keep her eyes open, every breath a struggle. Nikki blinked and saw him crouch down beside her again, pulling her head to the side so he could look her in the eyes. Her whole body ached, her ribs felt like they were on fire, and her chest was tight, yet she refused to cry. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction. The tears that had escaped were bad enough, but she would not openly cry in front of him.

"Are you going to beg me to stop yet?" he asked, his expression unreadable.

"Never," Nikki whispered, fighting to keep her eyes open.

"Well that's too bad," he said, shaking his head. "I was prepared to change my mind and put you out your misery quickly. But now, I don't think I will."

He stood up and started to pace the room, his hand in his pocket. Nikki knew this was all a game, all a way of keeping himself entertained. There was no way he was going to kill her without hurting her first, he had planned all this after all. He had planned everything. Every detail.

He turned towards her again, the dim light from the moon forcing its way through the small window and illuminating his face, shining off the silver cigarette lighter in one hand, and the blade in the other.

"What else will your friends be looking for?" he frowned. "Oh yeah, that's it. A stab wound to the abdomen, wasn't it? I'll leave that one until later, just to make sure you stay awake long enough to protest. I can't have you passing out before I've finished with you, can I? A stab wound to keep the similarities. To make sure they know it wasn't someone else's handy work. But I need something different too, don't I? You see Dr Alexander, you have to be my distraction so I can move the other girls. So I can get them somewhere they won't be found, before Jessica is taken to her client. I can't lose that much money from him. I can't be found now, not after all the hard work."

He crouched down beside her and dropped the knife to the ground, taking out a cigarette and lighting it in front of her, blowing the smoke above her head.

"Something different," he smirked, twisting the cigarette between his fingers and leaning in close to Nikki again, the smell of the smoke hanging in the air.

She knew what was coming, could see the end of the cigarette glowing, and could feel her bare skin shiver at the very thought.

Soon it would be over. Soon she would never have to feel the pain again. His breath was warm against her skin as he smirked at her.

"Something else to make you scream."