(08) When Deception Takes Its Toll

That night Simon had a restless night in bed. He couldn't sleep. Every time he read a book, watched television or wrote a random poem of the sort, he'd fall tired for a few seconds. No other strategy seemed to work. In the end, he sat up in the darkness without turning his lamp on.

'Why did all this have to happen?' he thought. 'First I lost Roger, now I lost Jack. I can't keep up with this any longer!'

He stared at the wall when his phone started to ring at four o'clock in the morning! It startled him at first, but he gained the courage to pick it up. A familiar, baritone voice greeted him on the line.

"How are you hun'?" Roger asked.

"R-Roger? Oh thank goodness! You're alive!"

"Yes I am. Listen, I won't be long but there's something I gotta tell you."

"What is it?" Simon asked.

"I know I can't take back what I did to you a few nights ago..."

"No Roger, it's okay. I already forgive you. It's just..."

He broke down at once.

"I'll still be there for you as a friend," Roger assured him. "You'll be fine. Just know that I still care."

Simon managed to speak between his sobs. "But Roger... I miss you! I'm the one who cheated! I'm the one that lied! I'm the one that was afraid to get killed!"

"Whoa! Slow down. Who tried to kill you?"

"Jack."

"Is that why you kept it a secret?"

"Yes," he sniffled.

"It's okay Simon," he replied. "By the time I get better I'll have his dead ass..."

"No Roger please don't! I don't want you to be put behind bars!"

"Don't worry about it," he replied. "I have the plan well thought out."

"What plan? Are you sure you're doing the right thing?"

"Of course I do," he said. "Besides, I'm in this hospital because Sam attacked me."

"What?"

"There's no need to panic."

"I don't understand. Why is Jack hurting us like this? He destroyed our relationship, broke ties and threatened me."

"You mean us," Roger said matter-of-factly. "He's threatened me indirectly. As for you, he gave you a horrid drug effect."

"I'm obsessed with him. I really don't know how to stop."

"That's the drug effect, Simon. You're addicted to him."

Simon leaned back against his pillow. He thought about Roger's analogy. Maybe he's right. He's been addicted to him since the night he was raped.

"I don't know what else to do," he said. "I really need you Roger."

"Don't worry about it," he said. "I'm still here."

Simon smiled. That's all he needed to hear.

"Well, as you can see I'm tired."

"I know. I gotta go."

"Oh Roger wait!"

"What's up?"

"I'm gonna visit you after work tomorrow," he replied.

"You wouldn't wanna see me like this," Roger told him. "Not after what Sam did..."

"It can't be that bad. They must've bandaged you and everything."

"I hate to burst your bubble, but it's worse than that."

Simon felt his heart freeze. Since when would Sam do such a thing?

"Tell me about this plan," Simon said.

"Tomorrow."

With that said, they hung up. Simon snuggled in his sheets and fell asleep.

x-x-x

Meanwhile, Sam and Eric waited impatiently in the waiting room. Time ticked very slowly as the fear built up in them.

"I hate this clock," Sam said. "What comes to your mind when you look at it?"

"Suspense, scare and shiver."

"What does shiver have to do with it?" he asked his twin.

"It's just that simple," Eric replied. "There's no way I could handle this any longer. Ralph is knocked out cold."

"He'll come back," Sam said. "Ain't no need to worry."

"But remember when he never made it in to work?" Eric asked.

Sam nodded.

"It must've been Jack," he said. "I swear he's the one responsible."

"I wonder if Roger's gonna forgive me," Sam said worriedly.

"He won't. When it comes to him there's no such thing as forgiveness. Just revenge."

"Shit! What have I gotten myself into?"

"You've become Jack's new puppet," Eric said matter-of-factly. "That's what."

"Then shoot me already," he said.

"C'mon bro? Who said I was on Roger's side?"

"No one. But Jack said he'd stab me in my sleep."

"As if," Eric spat. "He doesn't know where we live."

"Yes he does," Sam said. "He uses this strange search engine to locate people."

Eric's eyes widened. "You serious?"

"Yes I am," he said. "Last time I spoke to Ralph he said Jack wasn't home. The machine would pick up."

"Last time Roger called me he'd say Simon wouldn't pick up."

At this point their eyes met.

"Do you know what this means?"

"Yea..."

"We should get Simon out of this crap he's in, starting tomorrow."

"And we should kill Jack," Sam muttered.

"Reality check. That'll put you behind bars."

"Then what else would work?"

"Wait for Ralph to get better and have him talk to Roger," Eric said. "It'll continue from there."

"Okay then. It's settled."

"Not yet Sam," Eric told him. "These things take time."

Sam growled. He really wanted to get rid of Jack very badly. At the same time, Roger was still alive. He hopes that Roger forgave him. Perhaps he wouldn't get killed at first sight. That would be his worst nightmare.

Just then a doctor walked out with a pen and clipboard. He was tapping it when he caught the twins in sight.

"You must be friends of Ralph," he began.

They both nodded.

He scribbled a few more notes before continuing to speak.

"Ralph is in critical condition," he said. "It may take several hours for him to recuperate."

"Are you serious?" Eric asked.

"Yes. He has several bruises on his back, his waist, his face, his lips... it's unbelievable just by noting how fresh they are. I'm afraid to say that from the looks of it, is he coming from an abusive home?"

The twins looked at each other apprehensively. They have no idea what went wrong in his home.

Perhaps that's why he never made it to work.

Jack.

"We don't know exactly," Sam began.

"We have no idea what goes on there," Eric spoke.

"All we know is that he's not alone," Sam said.

The doctor nodded his head. He looked around before explaining more about Ralph's injuries.

"Well, I hate to bring this up to you both, but he also has some internal injuries too. That could lead to a comatose or even death."

"Internal injuries?" Eric asked.

"No way..." Sam muttered.

"His windpipe is damaged, his ribs are broken and his lungs are punctured. Talk about a cut on air supply! Are you both positive that nothing went wrong in his home, such as an attacker breaking in or any such thing?"

"Sir, we really don't know," Sam said. "He looked his usual self. In fact, we didn't notice any such thing."

"Until he blacked out in our car," Eric filled in.

"But we still don't know..."

For the sake of letting Jack spare their lives, they knew what happened. Ralph had told them all along, shortly before falling unconscious on them.

The doctor was taking notes as they said this. He didn't have the slightest idea they knew.

"Many of his vital organs have failed. That's what led his system to shut down. Someone has attacked him in his own home and since you said he's not alone, could it be possible his partner did it?"

"Not that I know of," Eric said. "I really doubt it."

"His partner would be at work. There's no way he'd finish so early."

"Hmm... Something sounds real strange here."

"We have no idea what took place," Sam finalized. "That's the truth."

"Okay then. What do you know about Ralph's partner?"

"He's a blue-eyed redhead-"

"skinny and tall-"

"has a few freckles-"

"Um... I can't figure out what else rhymes. But anyways, he wouldn't lay a hand on him."

"He sounds like a suspicion to me. Has he hurt anyone else?"

"Yes..." a hoarse voice spoke from behind.

The twins turned around. There Roger stood in his bandages. His hair looked soft from its loss of rough texture. His grey eyes glinted in the lights as he stared at Ralph's doctor.

Sam felt time freeze as Roger took a step forward.

"Tell me, what do you know about this man?" he asked Roger.

"His name is Jack Merridew. He's a murderer because he's hurt me and my ex."

"Your ex?"

"Yes. Jack attacked him one night. In fact, he really needs help at this point."

"Who?"

"Simon Houghey."

The doctor looked at the twins.

"You guys never knew this?"

They shook their heads. Before he could say anything more Roger spoke up.

"They won't say anything because he threatened them," he said. "He blackmailed that one to attack me." He pointed to Sam.

"And speaking of Ralph, I have no doubt in my mind that Jack attacked him."

"So you're saying that he did?"

"From the way he's been acting, yes."

The doctor took one last look at the twins before taking Roger by the hand.

"Come with me. I really need some more info on this man."

"My pleasure," Roger said nonchalantly as he walked by and gave Sam his death stare.

Sam felt his heart stop and fell when Eric caught him.

x-x-x

Jack went upstairs in his house to his room. To his shock, Ralph was nowhere in sight. He decided to go on a scavenger hunt.

He searched in the kitchen, the bathroom, the living room, the basement and the hallway. Since there were several hiding places, he figured his hostage was around.

'So... he thinks he can play dirty tricks on me and get away with it?'

His legs grew swift as he quickly scanned the entire house one last time.

He wasn't there.

Furious, he grabbed his keys as he headed out the door. Since there was no sign of Ralph to torture, he had yet another victim. One that was more vulnerable, submissive and ready to wash away his sanity.

He hopped in his car and sped off in a rush, nearly hitting a few neighbours while he's at it. He was utterly angry at the fact that Ralph wasn't home. Chances are he's at Simon's house, or maybe the twins. Presently he didn't care.

He was an hour and a half away from Simon's house. He kept on going through the red light, initiating several accidents amongst other drivers. All that mattered to him was getting to Simon's house, even if that made him a real maniac on the road. It got to the point where the sound of sirens were chasing after him and the lights flashed through the back of his head.

He still couldn't care less.

He kept on speeding despite the signs that said 'Max 30' or 'Max 15'. He drove above speed limit and was currently doing it at 100. The minute the sirens were heard again he pulled his P2K Silencer out of his pocket and shot the police cars behind him, targeting the windshields and tires. The five police cars collided with each other, fell off a bridge and sunk in the water beneath. Jack laughed hard as he saw this. There's no way anyone would ever find out about this. Nothing will stop him now.

By the time he finally made it to Simon's house, he looked at his bedroom window from his car. It seemed unusual that the lights were on. He stepped out and went through the front door.

Simon jolted up from his meditating. It was only then he remembered he didn't lock the door. Scared, he ran in his closet and hid with a knife in hand.

'What if it were a criminal?' he thought. 'That's horrid. So much worse for not having a phone in my hand to call the police.'

He stayed still and listened carefully to the sounds of footsteps. They never stopped moving. At least they could steal something valuable and leave.

Unfortunately they came upstairs. He thought it would've been better to jump out the window and drive to the police station. He didn't stop to consider that it could be a lover or friend. His instincts stayed with him for as long as time could. By the time he peeked through the tiny hole in his door, the hooded suspect was in his bedroom. He shook and held his chest. His heart was beating faster and faster that he perspired even more. He pulled his black hair back in a ponytail before looking back through the hole again. The hooded suspect looked at the closet door, but not directly at him.

Simon felt a little lucky at first, but then his pulse grew rapid as the hooded suspect went for the door. He shuddered as the door swung open.

"Simon?"

Jack pulled his hood down as Simon ran out with the knife in his hand. He threw it in the bathtub before running back in his room.

"Why are you here?" he asked.

"I need something," Jack replied.

"Like what?"

"I need something from you," he repeated.

"What kind of thing?"

"Something from you."

Simon grew suspicious. Jack's mere replies were telling him otherwise.

"Jack..." he breathed. "You're hiding something. I can tell."

"No I'm not."

His eyes were telling him a totally different story. Simon stepped back as Jack came closer.

"Jack, I don't want you in here anymore. Please, get out! You're not your usual self."

His back was now against the wall as Jack's nose touched his.

"There's nothing you could do to push me out," Jack taunted. "Now... there's something I want from you."

"But you're not telling me what it is," Simon said as he pushed him back. Jack retaliated and held him against the wall. His grip was very strong that Simon couldn't get himself out of it. "Why are you doing this to me?" he asked. "Where's Ralph?"

"Ralph's dead for all I care," he muttered viciously. "It's about time I get rid of you too since it's Roger you want and not me."

"Jack!" Simon struggled in his grip. "Please let me go! It's not what you think!"

Jack pulled his gun out of his pocket and held it against Simon's head.

"You sure you don't have anything for me?" he asked.

Simon felt scared. Jack was sounding more like a savage beast every minute. He had the eyes of a maniac that had no sanity left. They glinted with evil as the fear of the unknown darkened up his moments. He didn't want to get killed yet. All he wants to do is report him to police before dying. That's the only thing he'd wish for.

"I...want...you."

Jack smirked at first, but the opaque madness twisted his face as he grabbed Simon and threw him on the bed.

"Take your clothes off," he demanded.

"But-"

"NOW!"

Simon made no hesitations. He should be getting ready for work by now, but the fear of getting killed in the hands of his secret lover would be his worst nightmare yet. By the time he was completely nude, Jack climbed on top of him on the bed and licked his throbbing erection. Simon shook and shuddered as he did this. He held Jack's hair as he closed his eyes and let him have his way.

Jack pulled off his clothes and grabbed Simon's hand, making it touch his dick as well. He spread his legs apart and pushed himself close to him. It made him shiver as he heard a light moan come from Simon's mouth. He grinded against him and held his hands down on the mattress with force. He began to slam himself into him as Simon screamed in pain. Jack slapped him across the face and continued. His victim's legs were kicking at him when he pulled them farther apart.

"OW!" Simon screamed agonizingly. "Jack stop! Please stop!"

Jack pulled them more farther than before, causing Simon to feel even more hurt. He ignored his cries for mercy as he held his neck and shook him very hard.

Simon held his hands and tried to free himself from his attacker's grip. It was getting more harder as he felt his breath leave his body. His lungs hindered for air as he kicked at Jack in his face and abdomen, but no matter how hard he tried it didn't seem to work. Jack let him go and took no time entering him. Simon froze before he could scream for help. All that came out was a tiny yelp.

Jack increased his pace as he took his crown as dominator. He thrusted into his slave very hard that it caused excruciating pain. In no time, he saw blood come out from his entry. He smiled as he saw this. Simon felt lightheaded. He really wanted to escape, but didn't know how. He regretted being with him in the first place. He wished he could talk to Ralph. He wished he was still with Roger. He hated this mess he was in.

Now there was only one way out. It was the hardest thing he could think of, but chances are the world would do better without him. He opened his eyes and took one last look at Jack.

"Jack..."

He smiled as he heard his name. He felt his slave's hands grab his waist.

"I know you don't love me," he managed to say despite his sobs from the sharp pain he felt. "So...Can you do me a big favour?"

"What do you want?" Jack asked menacingly.

"Do it harder," he said weakly. "Very hard till I break."

Jack smiled at what he heard. He pushed into Simon deeper than before. Deep enough to break his spine and take his breath away. He came inside of him and fell on top of his victim.

Simon twitched and shook uncontrollably underneath him. His eyes were wide and glazed with no emotion. Jack sat up and held the gun against his chest. He waited impatiently for Simon to snap out of his daze. Finally, he tossed his gun aside and pulled out of him. He licked and sucked all the blood that was there. By the time he finished, he took his time to swallow it before kissing Simon's cold lips.

He quickly pulled away. He couldn't have killed him.

'Why are his lips so cold?' he asked.

Simon blinked a few times. He shook even more now that his blood was getting lost. He made no response to Jack's calls or anything else around him. He looked very disoriented and lost in a daze as he saw stars spin.

"Simon! SIMON! Wake up! Please wake up!"

A tear streamed down his cheek. He grabbed his sweater and applied pressure against him. He took another look at Simon who was becoming pale.

"What have I done?" he asked himself.

"You killed me," Simon said brokenly.

"No! You're not dead! Don't say it like that!"

Simon smiled at Jack's panic attack. He managed to sit up but his arms were weak.

"It's too late," he said. "I thought you loved me."

"I do."

"Then why did you do this?" he asked as the tears formed in his eyes. "You make me feel regrettable. I would've told Ralph, Roger or the police."

"But they're dead," Jack said sullenly. Simon shook his head.

"They're still alive," he said. "I know what Sam did, what you made Sam do."

Jack's eyes widened as he said this. How would he know?

"Simon, who told you?"

"I can't tell you," he said as he rested his left cheek on his pillow. "I'm about to go."

"No! Don't go! Give me a second chance!"

"It's too late, Jack," Simon said lowly as he felt his life fade. "What you do will forever stay with you..."

Jack held him tight and pulled him into a chaste kiss. It was the last thing he could ever do to gain Simon's forgiveness. Simon slipped his tongue in his mouth. He shivered uncontrollably as Jack pulled away from him.

"I'm sorry."

"I should be the one that's sorry," Simon told him. "Sorry for everything that's happened."

Just then the front door downstairs opened.

"Hey Simon! What's going on up there?"

That was Eric. Jack looked around worriedly for a place to hide. At the same time, he didn't want to let go of Simon.

He didn't know what to do.

"It's okay if you let me go," Simon whispered. "I'll be fine."

"I can't," Jack said. "There's no way I can bring myself to."

Just then Eric went upstairs. "Sam's dead," he spoke as he searched for Simon. "I really don't know what to do. Oh and Roger's doing better. As for Ralph, he's stuck in the hospital for a while. Don't know if he'll make it."

Jack took his gun and walked out the room, butt naked, and pointed his gun to Eric.

Eric shuddered in his place. He opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out.

"So you did it all along," he said lowly. "You told on me."

"Please don't do it!" Eric begged. Jack grinned as he pulled the trigger. Simon crawled out of his room to see Eric get shot in front of him in his own house. He shook at the sight of it in his weak state. He couldn't die just yet.

"Jack," Simon spoke. "Do you realize what you just did?"

"It's time for me to kill Roger and Ralph," he said sullenly. He took no time to put his clothes back on and headed out the door.

Simon managed to stand up. He walked up to Eric and checked for a pulse. It was much worse than his own. He cried as his friend's lifeless form laid there in his own home. He held Eric and cradled him in his arms. The sight of it was unbelievable. He cried very loudly that his neighbours overheard it and came to intervene.