Chapter 12
"So someone that looked like Chris was actually running around with you guys pretending to be him and you didn't even notice?" Rob laughs "you beat them hell out of him for two days almost and he's still talking to you guys" he laughs even harder finding the whole thing really funny, which of course at the time it wasn't.
"He was just the same as Chris, we didn't know any different. Ok so he was acting a little weird but you know Chris, he has his little weird moments when he doesn't act himself, we just thought it was like that" Adam says adding his part to the story in their defence.
"How come you threatened Chris over Stephanie anyhow?" Jay asks looking at Paul in the dim lighting, the whole group minus Steph and Chris had now crowded around the fire and the light on the coffee table while Paul, Adam and Andrew continued the story. Paul blushes a little and clears his throat.
"I kinda..I kinda still liked Steph then and thought Chris was going to mess her around but I was wrong and they are happy. Being on that island was like having cabin fever, it was driving us all a little crazy after that amount of time. We had seen nothing but the same scenery for weeks not to mention the same people. We all were snapping at each other and I didn't mean it and Chris knows that" Paul replies the blush in his cheeks fading.
"I still cant believe how you treated Chris.." Rob whispers almost wondering why Chris is still friends with any of them.
"He was hurt" Andrew pipes up nodding his head slowly "We broke his ribs and stuff all along thinking it wasn't him, we didn't know what to think of this guy that looked just like him and when Steph had assumed that our Chris was the same one that attacked us we went along with it and believed that our Chris was the fake one..you'll see"
"This being in the dark thing is getting old preeeety quickly" Adam says resting his chin on the palm of his hand "Chris was right though you know, I am still mad at him for tieing me up. Not because he actually did it but more because he stuck that smelly piece of his shirt in my mouth"
"What the hell was that?" Jay asks sitting up complety straight as the others look around too hearing a loud crashing sound "it sounded like it came from outside" he says standing up and walking over to the window, he pulls back the curtains and looks out but can see nothing but darkness and the slight white of the snow
***
Chris shakes his hand angrily putting it to his mouth, he holds it up to his face looking at the teeth marks in the skin from where Stephanie had just bitten him. He lets go of her and steps back a bit, she quickly turns around and delivers a hard low blow straight between the legs. Chris howls in pain and falls to his knees, the shot below the belt knocking the wind out of him and leaving him hurting.
"That's gunna leave a mark" Stephanie says a small smirk appearing on her face, she dusts her hands off and folds her arms just looking at him, the other guy comes running out through the trees followed by Paul and Andrew after hearing Chris's yells. "Nice to know that you three are looking after me when this maniac is on the loose..good job I can take care of myself isn't it"
"What happened?" Paul asks looking down at Chris who is laying on his side on the floor curled up, Steph puts her hands on her hips and looks at Paul.
"He attacked me that's what happened, but it's alright because I dealt with him" Steph smiles to herself and turns to walk away, Andrew and Paul grab hold of Chris up of the floor and start beating on him. She looks over her shoulder and sees Andrew and Paul hitting him and beating him up yelling at him to tell them where Adam is.
"Steph" Chris shouts trying to get her to get them to leave him alone "Ask him where you were with him" he cries thinking this could be his last chance.
"Shut up!" Paul yells slamming his fist into Chris's face again, Chris curls up into a tighter ball trying to block out Andrew and Pauls attack when they suddenly stop. Chris opens his eyes and sees Steph has pulled them off of him, she kneels down next to him and puts her hand on his back. "Steph what are you doing?!" Paul asks her pulling her away from Chris.
"Take me to where we were, our little hide out from everyone else. Take me there and then I'll know you're my Chris" Steph says turning to the other guy "If you are him you know exactly where it is and only you and me do.." she says looking him straight in the eyes. "Please take us there now and I'll know its you..if you cant then we'll know that he is our Chris" Steph looks down at Chris laying on the floor covered in blood praying that the man that had been taking all the beatings for the past few days wasn't the real Chris.
"He cant take you there, he doesn't know where it is" Chris says dragging himself through the sand and away from Paul and Andrew so they cant attack him anymore, Steph looks at him and then back at the other man standing by her side.
"Well can you take me there?" She asks him looking him straight in the eyes, the real Chris sits there praying that he wont be able to and that they'll stop beating him up and finally believe him. He closes his eyes and waits for the fake Chris's reply, when it doesn't come he opens one eye to see what's going on and sees that Steph is stepping back from the fake.
"That isn't Chris.." she says quietly to the others
"What do you mean that's not Chris? Of course it is, we've been beating up the fake for days now to tell us where he's taken Adam" Paul says frowning, he looks over to the man they'd been beating up and then to the fraud who has started to become uneasy, before anyone can say anything else he turns and runs off heading towards the trees as fast as he can. "Get him!" Paul yells as him and Andrew sprint after him, Paul starting to slow down his legging starting to hurt him.
"Stephy.." Chris whispers quietly to her as she watches the other two run after the fraud Chris "Adam is up on the cliff where we went, I didn't hurt him" he says watching her shoulders slump looking like she is crying.
"they hurt you.." Steph sobs before turning and dropping into the sand next to him throwing her arms around him "They could have killed you and this whole time he was walking around with us pretending to be you while they beat you up, why couldn't I tell it wasn't you and stop you getting hurt like this"
"Its not your fault, he had you all fooled and im fine honestly" Chris winces as she squeezes him even tighter "But I think I'm a bit broken so you might not want to squeeze me so hard" He smiles at her when she releases him and kisses her cheeks that are wet from her tears "I'm alright, I promise" He says as she helps him to his feet and they hug each other tightly again both wondering what has happened to the man that had been pretending to be Chris.
"So someone that looked like Chris was actually running around with you guys pretending to be him and you didn't even notice?" Rob laughs "you beat them hell out of him for two days almost and he's still talking to you guys" he laughs even harder finding the whole thing really funny, which of course at the time it wasn't.
"He was just the same as Chris, we didn't know any different. Ok so he was acting a little weird but you know Chris, he has his little weird moments when he doesn't act himself, we just thought it was like that" Adam says adding his part to the story in their defence.
"How come you threatened Chris over Stephanie anyhow?" Jay asks looking at Paul in the dim lighting, the whole group minus Steph and Chris had now crowded around the fire and the light on the coffee table while Paul, Adam and Andrew continued the story. Paul blushes a little and clears his throat.
"I kinda..I kinda still liked Steph then and thought Chris was going to mess her around but I was wrong and they are happy. Being on that island was like having cabin fever, it was driving us all a little crazy after that amount of time. We had seen nothing but the same scenery for weeks not to mention the same people. We all were snapping at each other and I didn't mean it and Chris knows that" Paul replies the blush in his cheeks fading.
"I still cant believe how you treated Chris.." Rob whispers almost wondering why Chris is still friends with any of them.
"He was hurt" Andrew pipes up nodding his head slowly "We broke his ribs and stuff all along thinking it wasn't him, we didn't know what to think of this guy that looked just like him and when Steph had assumed that our Chris was the same one that attacked us we went along with it and believed that our Chris was the fake one..you'll see"
"This being in the dark thing is getting old preeeety quickly" Adam says resting his chin on the palm of his hand "Chris was right though you know, I am still mad at him for tieing me up. Not because he actually did it but more because he stuck that smelly piece of his shirt in my mouth"
"What the hell was that?" Jay asks sitting up complety straight as the others look around too hearing a loud crashing sound "it sounded like it came from outside" he says standing up and walking over to the window, he pulls back the curtains and looks out but can see nothing but darkness and the slight white of the snow
***
Chris shakes his hand angrily putting it to his mouth, he holds it up to his face looking at the teeth marks in the skin from where Stephanie had just bitten him. He lets go of her and steps back a bit, she quickly turns around and delivers a hard low blow straight between the legs. Chris howls in pain and falls to his knees, the shot below the belt knocking the wind out of him and leaving him hurting.
"That's gunna leave a mark" Stephanie says a small smirk appearing on her face, she dusts her hands off and folds her arms just looking at him, the other guy comes running out through the trees followed by Paul and Andrew after hearing Chris's yells. "Nice to know that you three are looking after me when this maniac is on the loose..good job I can take care of myself isn't it"
"What happened?" Paul asks looking down at Chris who is laying on his side on the floor curled up, Steph puts her hands on her hips and looks at Paul.
"He attacked me that's what happened, but it's alright because I dealt with him" Steph smiles to herself and turns to walk away, Andrew and Paul grab hold of Chris up of the floor and start beating on him. She looks over her shoulder and sees Andrew and Paul hitting him and beating him up yelling at him to tell them where Adam is.
"Steph" Chris shouts trying to get her to get them to leave him alone "Ask him where you were with him" he cries thinking this could be his last chance.
"Shut up!" Paul yells slamming his fist into Chris's face again, Chris curls up into a tighter ball trying to block out Andrew and Pauls attack when they suddenly stop. Chris opens his eyes and sees Steph has pulled them off of him, she kneels down next to him and puts her hand on his back. "Steph what are you doing?!" Paul asks her pulling her away from Chris.
"Take me to where we were, our little hide out from everyone else. Take me there and then I'll know you're my Chris" Steph says turning to the other guy "If you are him you know exactly where it is and only you and me do.." she says looking him straight in the eyes. "Please take us there now and I'll know its you..if you cant then we'll know that he is our Chris" Steph looks down at Chris laying on the floor covered in blood praying that the man that had been taking all the beatings for the past few days wasn't the real Chris.
"He cant take you there, he doesn't know where it is" Chris says dragging himself through the sand and away from Paul and Andrew so they cant attack him anymore, Steph looks at him and then back at the other man standing by her side.
"Well can you take me there?" She asks him looking him straight in the eyes, the real Chris sits there praying that he wont be able to and that they'll stop beating him up and finally believe him. He closes his eyes and waits for the fake Chris's reply, when it doesn't come he opens one eye to see what's going on and sees that Steph is stepping back from the fake.
"That isn't Chris.." she says quietly to the others
"What do you mean that's not Chris? Of course it is, we've been beating up the fake for days now to tell us where he's taken Adam" Paul says frowning, he looks over to the man they'd been beating up and then to the fraud who has started to become uneasy, before anyone can say anything else he turns and runs off heading towards the trees as fast as he can. "Get him!" Paul yells as him and Andrew sprint after him, Paul starting to slow down his legging starting to hurt him.
"Stephy.." Chris whispers quietly to her as she watches the other two run after the fraud Chris "Adam is up on the cliff where we went, I didn't hurt him" he says watching her shoulders slump looking like she is crying.
"they hurt you.." Steph sobs before turning and dropping into the sand next to him throwing her arms around him "They could have killed you and this whole time he was walking around with us pretending to be you while they beat you up, why couldn't I tell it wasn't you and stop you getting hurt like this"
"Its not your fault, he had you all fooled and im fine honestly" Chris winces as she squeezes him even tighter "But I think I'm a bit broken so you might not want to squeeze me so hard" He smiles at her when she releases him and kisses her cheeks that are wet from her tears "I'm alright, I promise" He says as she helps him to his feet and they hug each other tightly again both wondering what has happened to the man that had been pretending to be Chris.