UNDER THE MASK

Part 2

House cast an unhappy glance toward the deathly still figure of Chase that was sprawled on the floor. The kid hasn't even stirred for the past four hours and House was getting irritated by that, and by the fact that his leg was killing him. And worse yet, he was bored to death; he would happily shoot himself now and get it over with if he had the chance.

The two of them were locked in a rotten window-less room occupied only by a single bed which House hadn't attempted to carry Chase to. The Australian was too heavy for him, a fact which did not sound too good to his aching leg especially with his short supply of Vicodin.

He huffed with frustration as he stretched his legs, trying to find a more comfortable position possible.

He heard the distinctive sound of footsteps before the door was unlocked. Two men stood by the door as Darian and another guy stepped inside.

Darian looked tired and frustrated, but he looked down at House, who hadn't bothered to get up, with a content smile; the guy was obviously pleased with himself.

"How've you been?"

House raised his head and glared at him with one eye, "I'm really touched by your concern, I'm just fine. Can't say I like the service though."

Darian smiled broadly before shifting his attention to Chase.

A queasy feeling crept over House and he shifted his weight uneasily. "Why don't you kill me and get it over with already?" he asked lightly, "You'd be doing us both a favor."

Darian sighed as he turned to face House once again. "It crossed my mind."

"Great," House said brightly, "Glad we put that behind us, now if you could let me go, I'd really appreciate it. I'm a very busy man, you know."

"Let 'you' go!? Why, no pleading for your little friend over there? He risked his life trying to cover for you, you know?"

"What can I say," House shrugged, "Chase's always been a moron."

Darian's smile widened. "So, you wouldn't care if I killed him right now?"

"I would definitely shed a tear... or two."

"I see," Darian nodded before he turned to the man standing next to him, "Kill him."

House frowned and narrowed his eyes as he watched the man pull his gun and step over to the still unconscious Chase. He shifted uneasily. The man pointed the gun at Chase's head and cocked the hammer coolly.

"Hey!" House bolted, clearly fazed, "What the hell do you think you're doing!"

Darian tsked and regarded House with amusement. "What's the matter, House? I thought you didn't care?"

House glared at him lividly, "He didn't do anything. Just let him go, dammit!"

"And why would I do that?"

House seethed. "I'm tired of this game, aren't you? Just tell me what the hell you want."

"What I want," Darian's face turned cold, "is for you to suffer. What I really want is to make you pay for killing my father."

"And how exactly do you plan to do that?"

Darian's smile returned, "Well, this is where the fun part comes in."

"Care to elaborate?"

"He," Darian motioned at Chase, who has finally begun to stir, "was not brought here for nothing. Bringing him along was part of my plan since the beginning."

"Let me guess: to keep me in line."

"Something like that," Darian's eyes turned hard, "I'll make you regret the day you stood against me. From this day forward, your life is going to be hell."

House raised his eyebrow mockingly, "Then I'll feel right at home."

Darain ignored him as he turned to Chase, "His life, however, is going to be worse than hell."

When House didn't react, Darian continued, "But here's the deal," he said calmly, "If the two of you manage to last two weeks, I'll let you both walk out of here alive."

A frown lingered on House's features as his eyes caught a set of purely confused blue ones, just as Darian's words faded in his ears.

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A/N. Thanks to all of you who took the time and reviewed my story. Hope you keep enjoying it.