Okay, I have good news, better news, and bad news. The good news is I'm continuing this story. The better news is I'm not killing Collins. The bad news is he's gonna be harmed severely later on. :( That's all my news. You can read now.
I own nothing. The Almighty Larson owns it all. I'm serious. I don't even own the title . . . or Matt. Gema227 owns the title and i'llbeyourcoat owns Matt. I just own the plot.
Blindfolds, Collins thought. How original. He and Susie had been blindfolded (obviously) and riding in their captors' car for quite a while.
Sitting next to the door made Collins want to open it quickly and jump out of the car, not even caring about the injuries he could get. He felt around, found the door handle, and immediately felt a gun pressed to his head.
"If you value your life, take your hand off the handle," he heard Nick's voice say. Collins did as he was told, but Nick's gun remained on his head. About 10 minutes later, the car stopped. Doors opened, closed, and opened again. After Susie and Collins had been taken out of the car their blindfolds were taken off and thrown into the car.
What the hell's up with the van? Collins thought, staring at the electric company type van next to them. Jack took a gallon of gasoline out of the trunk of the car and poured a generous amount into all four of the windows. He then gave a box of matches to Matt.
"Burn it," he said. Matt lit a match, dropped it into one of the windows, and watched the flames rise as Collins and Susie were forced into the back of the van.
"Burn, baby, burn," Matt said, smiling.
"Hey, dipshit, let's go," Jack called. Matt rolled his eyes and got into the front of the van.
In the back of the van, in the pitch black, Susie was crying and hugging her bear.
"You okay?" Collins asked her from somewhere in the darkness.
"I'm . . . scared . . . of the dark," Susie replied, between sobs. Collins searched his pockets and found his lighter as the van started to move. The small flame it created allowed him to see that there was a flashlight a few inches away from him. He let the flame go out and felt around for the flashlight. Once he found it, he turned it on and saw that Susie's face was tear-stained. He then wiped some of her tears away with his free hand.
Why is he being so nice to me? Susie thought.
"You still afraid?" Collins asked her.
"A little," she replied. There was a moment of silence. "Collins?"
"Yes?"
"What's gonna happen to us?"
"To be honest, I have no idea."
"Oh no. We're gonna die. We're gonna die, aren't we?"
"Don't talk like that."
"But it's true!" Susie started to cry again.
"Come here," Collins pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her protectively. "I have absolutely no clue what these people are plannin' on doin' to us, but I promise I'll do everything in my power to keep them from hurting you. Okay?"
"You . . . you will?" Susie replied. I guess he's not that bad after all, she thought.
"Yes, I will."
"Thank you, Collins." There was another moment of silence as Susie laid her head on Collins' chest while Collins tried to comfort her. "Collins? Do you feel that?"
"Yeah. We're slowin' down."
Angel pulled up to the store, Mimi in the passenger seat, and immediately noticed the policemen surrounding it.
"Damn," Mimi said. "What happened?"
"Collins," Angel said, worry in her voice.
"I'm sure he's fine." Angel quickly got out of the car, Mimi following, and walked toward to the nearest policeman, who was talking to Linda.
"She's only eight-years-old. Please find her," Linda was telling him while rubbing her arm, that had been wrapped.
"We'll do everything we can, ma'am," the officer said. "Do you know anything about the man who was taken with her?"
"Well, he said his name was Collins . . . Tom Collins. Um . . . I think Susie took a picture of him." Linda started to rummage through Susie's backpack.
"Tom Collins?" Angel and Mimi repeated.
"Can I help you two?" the officer asked.
"Can you tell us what happened?" Mimi asked.
"And what exactly happened to Tom Collins?" Angel added quickly.
"Here's the picture," Linda said, giving the picture to the officer.
"What happened to him?" Angel asked again, on the verge of tears as she glanced at her boyfriend's picture.
"There was a robbery and he and an eight-year-old girl were taken as hostages." Angel started to cry as Mimi pulled her into a hug. "Do you know him?"
"He's my . . . my . . ." Angel broke off.
"You're what?" the officer asked.
"Boyfriend," Mimi finished.
"Oh. I see," the officer said.
"That's not a problem, is it?"
"No. We don't discriminate because of people's sexuality."
"Better not."
"Please find him," Angel managed to say.
"I don't wanna be here," Susie said, sitting on the ground of the dimly lighted basement she and Collins had been locked in.
"Neither do I," Collins said, trying to find someway out of the basement.
"Collins, can I ask you a question?"
"What is it?"
"Why are you gay?" Collins stopped searching for an escape.
"Excuse me?" he said.
"Why are you gay?" Susie asked again.
"What makes you think I'm gay?"
"That one guy called you a fag. That has to mean you're gay, right?"
"Why would you ask an adult a question like that?"
"It's just a question. Besides, my mom told me that if you're gay, God doesn't like you."
Collins' eyes widened. "At the store she looked a little too nice to say somethin' like that," he said, choosing his words carefully.
"Miss Linda's not my mom," Susie replied. "She runs the orphanage."
"You're an orphan?" Susie nodded. "What happened to your parents?"
"My mom got killed in a car accident."
"And your dad?"
"He left my mom for another guy when I was four."
"That's why she told you that huge lie, right?" Susie nodded again.
"She said if I ever met a gay person, I should tell 'em that . . . but you're really nice. And I don't wanna hurt your feelings." Collins smiled. "You gonna answer my question now?"
"Maybe later." Suddenly, they heard the door open and then a voice, begging for their life.
"Please . . . I've learned my lesson! I'll never try to cheat you out of your money again!" the voice was saying. Susie stood up and grabbed Collins' hand as the person that the voice they'd heard belonged to came tumbling down the stairs. Once he met the floor, he just lied there. Bruised and bleeding. Collins slowly slipped his hand out of Susie's hand and started to make his way over to the seemingly unconscious man.
"No, Collins!" Susie cried, grabbing Collins' arm. "What if . . . if-"
"Susie, I'm just seein' if he's okay," Collins interrupted. Susie followed Collins as he walked toward the man, clinging onto his arm all the while.
"I-Is he . . . dead?" Susie asked, looking down at him.
"I'm not sure," Collins replied. Susie suddenly felt a hand grab her ankle. She screamed and dropped her bear. Collins got down on his knees and gently pulled the man's hand off of her ankle as he looked up at him with a distressing look in his eyes.
"Help . . . me . . ." he said.
Before Collins could respond, Jack and another man he and Susie hadn't seen before came into the basement. Nick then came down the stairs, holding two vicious pitbulls on leashes, as Susie quickly picked up her bear and grabbed Collins' hand again. One of the men turned to the two captives.
"You two picked a very interesting day to get in my way," he said, in a rather strong English accent.
"Uh . . . who exactly are you?" Collins asked daringly.
"Well, you've seen my face, you might as well know my name. It's Alexander. You should worship me."
"Why would we do that?"
"Because I'm great, of course." Alexander chuckled. At any other time, Collins would've laughed at the "Alexander the Great" joke, but the position he and Susie were in didn't allow him. "In all seriousness, I'm the man that controls every little thing that happens to you here. So, when I say you eat, you eat. When I say you keep quiet, you're quiet. And anything else I can think of. Do we have an understanding?" Collins and Susie both nodded. "Good." Without warning, Alexander kicked the injured man in the stomach causing him to cry out in pain.
Matt, carrying a butcher knife and being followed by a woman, then came down the stairs. Alexander glanced at them, turned back to the injured man, pulled a gun out of his pocket, and shot him in one of knees. He screamed again.
"Stop it!" the woman cried, trying to take the gun from Alexander.
"Will you control your girlfriend, Matthew?" Alexander asked.
"We've been through this," Matt said. "It's Matt, not Matthew."
"I'm paying you so I'll call you whatever the hell I want to. Now, control her."
"Matt, you said he wasn't gonna hurt anyone," the woman said.
"I may have said that, but then again I say a lot of things, Lisa," Matt replied. Lisa glared at him as Alexander took the butcher knife from him and cut the injured man's wrist and part of his forearm off, causing him to scream once again. Alexander then threw the arm to the pitbulls. As the dogs devoured it, Susie covered her and her bear's eyes whereas Collins looked like he was going to be sick at any time.
"I take it you don't like the sight of blood," Alexander said, smirking at Collins. He then patted each of the pitbulls on their heads. "My doggies are still hungry, Nicholas." Nick nodded, let the leashes go, and the pitbulls feasted on the injured man's flesh.
15 Minutes Later
The injured man was no longer injured, but dead. Half of his face was completely gone as well as his entire left arm and right hand. Collins had nearly thrown up twice while Susie hid her face.
One of the pitbulls suddenly barked loudly, causing Collins to jump and Susie to squeal and hide behind him. Alexander noticed this, walked over to Susie, and grabbed her by her arm. Collins tried to stop him, but Matt and Jack grabbed him and held him back.
"Let me go!" Susie cried, trying to pry Alexander's hand off of her arm.
"What's the matter?" Alexander asked her. "Are you afraid of little doggies?"
"Get off her!" Collins demanded, struggling to break free of Matt and Jack's grip.
"She's just a little girl!" Lisa yelled. "Leave her alone!"
Alexander ignored both Collins and Lisa and dragged Susie toward the blood thirsty pitbulls. When they were about five inches away from the dogs, Alexander looked down at Susie and smiled at the sight of her fear.
"Go on, little girl. Pet them, but be gentle," he said as he pushed Susie to the ground right in front of the barking pitbulls.
"NO!" Collins yelled, finally gaining freedom and rushing over to Susie. He threw himself over her just as one of the pitbulls was about to plunge its teeth into the frightened eight-year-old, causing the pitbulls teeth to sink into his shoulder. He winced as Alexander whistled for his pets to heal.
"A word to the wise," Alexander said. "Trying to be a hero will get you seriously hurt in the long run." He then disappeared up the stairs followed by his dogs, Jack, Nick, who was dragging the dead man's body up the stairs, and Matt. Lisa ran to Collins, who, doing his best not to cry from the pain in his shoulder, had sat down next to Susie.
"Are you okay?" she asked him.
"Hurts like hell, but I'll be okay," Collins replied. Lisa touched his shoulder ever so slightly and he jumped.
"You're bleeding," she said. "I'll be right back." She left and returned moments later with a first aid kit.
Yeah. Terrible ending, but you should still review. :-D