Ok, chap2 is up. And yes, last paragraph is repeated as first, so you remember what had just happened. Enjoy XD

Chapter 2 – How can I help…?

"So, say I said yes?" I began, trying to keep my voice steady. "How would I get her to come, without the possibility of running myself?" His smile returned. He knew he'd won.

"You don't need to worry about that… I have a great vantage point, where I can watch you, with a gun at the ready. I'll know what you are saying, because you'll be wearing a wire."

"So… if I say something out of line, or try to run… you'll-"

"Shoot you. Correct. And once that little traitor is in a good position, Harry and Viper will descend, grabbing her and throwing her in the car."

"How will I tell her to meet me?"

"Your phone. You will tell her you are going camping, with 2 other friends. You can decide who to say. You'll tell her you're leaving in the afternoon, and stayed at one of their places last night. But… if you let slip where you really are…" he shot the floor at my feet.

"Ok."

"Where's your phone?"

"Backpack," I said, nodding in the direction of my bag in the far corner. Sligo got up and walked over to my bag, rifling through my stuff until he held the phone in his hand. He slipped it in his pocket, before unlocking the cell door and walking out.

"Wait! Where are you going?" I yelled, as he relocked the door.

"It's 11:30pm Cal. I doubt she'll answer her phone." He walked back upstairs, and I took in my surroundings. There was a single bed, a stool, and my discarded backpack. With great difficulty, I managed to slide over to the bed; somehow, I even managed to get up. My shoulder was throbbing from where he dropped me on the floor.

I lay on my back, staring hopelessly at the ceiling, unable to sleep. How could I? I pretty much just planned Winter's death. I had to let her know I loved her, or else she'll think I betrayed her.

… 9:45am…

I woke to footsteps descending the stairs. I must've fallen asleep after all.

"Ok Cal, rise and shine! Time for that phone call!" Sligo locked the cell door after he came in, and rolled me onto my stomach. He had a knife in his hand! I braced myself for excruciating pain… but it didn't come.

Suddenly I felt the pressure from my wrists disappear, and I realised he had cut the ropes. I sat up on the bed, but my feet were still tied.

"Could you…?"

"Haha, one step at a time! Be grateful I cut the ropes on your hands." He handed me my phone. As I dialled her number, he got the stool and put it at the foot of the bed. Sitting down, he pointed his gun at me.

"Be careful what you say." I nodded, waiting for her to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Winter?"

"Cal! Where are you? Your mum is so worried!"

"Um, I'm at Repro's place. I was gonna call last night, but I had no signal. Sorry." Sligo smiled at my lie.

"Oh ok. I'll let her know. Um, Cal?"

"Yeah?"

"Uh, last night…"

"Yeah?"

"What really happened?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Ryan said-"

"I told him to keep his mouth shut!"

"He said he could tell me, because you said not to tell 'mum'. He was really worried."

"Ugh! Next time I see him…" I risked a glance at Sligo. He wasn't happy anymore, he knew something was up. He glared at me, fixing up his aim with the gun.

"So? What happened? Who was the guy in the front? Are you really at Repro's? Did you escape? Or is that a cover story?"

"Ok, look. Clearly, Ryan doesn't know how to shut up. And clearly, you know I'm not at Repro's. But… I can't tell you who the fourth guy was. I expect you know the others?"

"Yeah, Harry, Three-o and Viper."

"Yep. I mean, really, I've said WAY too much, and I think I'm gonna pay for it when I hang up…" Sligo nodded.

"Well, they don't have to know you said anything…"

"Haha, bit late."

"Are they sitting right next to you?"

"One of them is."

"Crap."

"Yeah."

"I have to tell your mum. Or at least the cops!"

"No!" I yelled. Sligo raised an eyebrow at me.

"What do you mean, 'no'?"

"I mean, call the cops, or tell my mum, and you'll seriously never see me again."

"Shit! It's that bad?"

"Worse."

"How's it worse than that?"

"Because even if you don't call the cops, after I hang up, you may never hear from me or see me again anyway."

"Oh! Cal! What are you going to do?"

"I can't do anything!"

"Ugh! Well, just tell me who the other guy is! Which one is next to you?"

"You know I can't say his name!"

"So it's a guy?"

"Winter!"

"Sorry! So who's next to you? When I said the names of the others, was it the first, second, or third?"

"None! It is the other one!" I heard the gun reload. Looking to Sligo, I saw that the gun was much closer to my head than before.

"Ok, ok! What was that sound? The cha-chick?"

"Um, it was a… eh-hem… it was a gun."

"Dang it Cal! What are you getting yourself into? Can the guy next to you hear what I'm saying?"

"Uh… no. Just what I am. Please, no more of these questions! I value my life!"

"Ok, I'm sorry. So… what do I tell your mum?"

"Tell her what I first told you. I'm at Repro's place. Say that I'm going camping later, with him and… Griff. In a few days, tell her I texted you, and the car's out of fuel, but I'll be fine, because Griff always packs extra food and water. Tell her I might be late home, but not to worry. Understand? My life depends on it." I could hear her crying in the background.

"Winter, please?"

"Oh Cal! Don't let them kill you! Please Cal! I love you!"

"Uh… I love you too, Winter. I'll do my best, ok? Please, don't cry, that's not what I want to remember you by."

"If you don't hang up, they won't shoot, right?"

"Um, I dunno…" I looked at Sligo. He signalled me to hang up.

"Please! Don't hang up!"

"Ok, I won't."

"Thank-you Cal." Sligo glared at me, realising I wasn't hanging up. He signalled me again, and I shook my head. He glared harder, and shot my hand.

"Fuck! Oh God!"

"Cal! What happened?"

"Shit! He shot my… hand!"

"No!"

"I have to… hang up! Sorry… Winter! Ahh!" I hung up, and shielded my hand, rocking back and forward.

"I warned you Cal!" I fell back on the bed, as Sligo went to my bag and ripped up one of my shirts. He brought over one of the shreds, and tied it tightly around my hand. My breaths were ragged and short. The pain in my hand was unbearable.

"Who told her? Huh? Who told Winter you were kidnapped?"

"R-R-Ryan. My b-brother. He… he was there. I said d-don't tell mu-mum, but he thought he c-could tell W-Winter."

"Does anyone else know? Did either of them tell anyone else?"

"I d-dunno. Might've told… Boges. I dunno."

"So you say your twin brother, Ryan, was there that night, and he told Winter? Who let him get away? If he knew something, he should have been caught or killed."

"H-Harry… let 'im go. He said don't call cops. Three-o told 'im to let 'im go. He said… let the m-mirror go, Viper was right, this… this is Cal."

"So Three-o told Harry to let Ryan go? When he clearly knew something?"

"Y-yes. So… so sore!" I winced at another sudden surge of pain.

"Three-o! Get down here!"

"Yeah boss? Holy hell! What happened?" he said, taking in my writhing body, clutching my hand.

"Winter knows! That's what happened!"

"Oh no! Why do you want me?"

"Because apparently you told Harry to let Cal's brother go."

"Oh, Cal! You are so dead!" He pulled out a gun as well, aiming at my head. But before he could fire, Sligo shot him in the shoulder!

"Ahh!" He screamed, dropping to the floor holding his shoulder.

"Well, if it hurts, you shouldn't have let him go. Now, looks like I can't trust you. Too bad!" He walked over to Three-o's squirming body, aimed the gun at his head, and fired. I almost threw up. Three-o is dead!

"Harry! Viper! Down here now!" The 2 thugs ran down the stairs, and stopped dead when they saw me and Three-o. Sligo bent down and picked up Three-o's gun, sliding it into his pocket.

"What happened, boss?" asked Viper.

"Well, Cal was on the phone to Winter, as planned, when apparently, she knows! So, I shot Cal and demanded answers. He said that Three-o told Harry to let Ryan, Cal's twin, go, but you can't let him go because he knows too much! So I called Three-o down, and when he heard the news, he threatened to shoot Cal. So I shot him in the shoulder, before shooting him in the head."

"Does that mean you're gonna shoot me too, boss?" asked Harry.

"Nah. I need you 2 to get rid of this body."

"Thank-you boss."

"Ok, let's get rid of this body before it starts to stink!" said Viper, grabbing Three-o's arms, as Harry grabbed his legs.

"So… how much does she know?" Sligo asked, as the other two disappeared with the body upstairs.

"S-she knows 'bout Three-o, V-Viper and H-Harry. Doesn't know you. Knows I was attacked, and put in car. Doesn't know where I am."

"Any authority figures know? Parents? Cops? Other trusted adults?"

"N-no. Said she tell mum or cops, but I said… no. I don't think she will. She knows you got… a gun. Ahh!" I screamed at another rush of pain.

"You think your brother will say anything to anyone else?"

"Maybe… maybe Boges. Hope Winter says to… keep quiet. M-my hand sore!"

"Haha, I know Cal. Would 'Boges' tell anyone?"

"Prob not. He my… best friend."

"Now, you still think you could trick her into capture?" he said, angling the gun at my head again.

"Prob yeah. She… she know I in danger. She would help me… if she can."

"Perfect!" He smiled, lowering the gun. I let out a pained breath.

"One… one more thing…"

"Yeah Cal?"

"D-don't… don't shoot her… please!"

"Haha, no promises!" He patted me on the shoulder, before getting up and leaving. He locked the cell door, leaving me writhing in pain on the blood-stained bed.

… 2 ½ hours later…

Finally the pain lessened, but I had no idea when Sligo would be back. I struggled to sit up, but I felt something underneath me that I hadn't noticed when I was rolling around. It was my phone! Sligo must've forgotten and left it here. I picked it up and dialled Winter, struggling with one hand.

"H-hello?"

"Winter?" I whispered.

"Cal!"

"Hey, I just wanted to ring you, I can tell you who it is, but I have to be quick. He could be back any minute."

"He left the phone with you?"

"Yeah… he must've forgotten to take it. You know, trying to get answers from me, and bandage my hand at the same time."

"Oh yeah, the gun. Are you ok?"

"It is so god damn sore."

"Aww. If I were there with you, I'd be kissing it better, haha. Anyway, who is it?"

"Vulkan Sligo."

"Oh god no! He's dead though… isn't he?"

"Apparently not. He said he got back to the tree and climbed out. He fled because the place was coming down, and he thought he heard sirens."

"Wow. Hey, I was thinking back over last year…"

"Yeah?"

"Isn't Three-o the guy who has locked you in a freezer, chased you down a stormwater drain, and locked you and Repro in his place?"

"Umm, sort of."

"What do you mean: 'sort of'?"

"Well, he isn't… but he was."

"What does that mean?"

"Sligo was upset that you knew what happened, so he asked me who let Ryan go. Of course, I told the truth, that Three-o told Harry to let him go, and Sligo shot him in the shoulder, after shooting me in the hand. Then he said: 'guess I can't trust you anymore. Too bad.' and he shot him in the head. Right here in front of me."

"Oh my god!"

"Yeah, well, I need to get out of here, fast! Or else he'll make me do something I really don't want to."

"What?"

"Turn you in." I heard hear take in a shocked breath.

"But you wouldn't… would you?"

"I can promise you I don't want to… but I may not have a choice. He says he'll hook me up with a wire, watching me from a safe distance. If I say something out of line, or I try and run, he'll-"

"Shoot you." I shut up. That wasn't Winter… that was Sligo! I hadn't heard him come down the stairs.

"He'll what?" asked Winter. But I couldn't answer. I was frozen stiff with fear. He walked into the cell, and ordered me to hand over the phone.

"Cal? What will he do?" Sligo took the phone, and put it on speaker. "Cal! Answer me!"

"Haha, well, well, well! The answer was… Cal, finish for me?"

"Sh-shoot me."

"Spot on."