On a dark, cloudy, drizzling night in Arcadia Bay, there was a luxurious black car parked within a cluster of trees near the lighthouse, hidden from view. There were two occupants sitting in the drivers and passengers front seat. They were seemingly waiting for something. Sadly, there was a teenage girl who had been drugged up, lying unconscious in the back seat. However, the effects of the drug were starting to wear off and she was beginning to regain consciousness.
Rachel Ambers eyes slowly fluttered open. Her head hurt, she felt sick and woozy. Then she heard two distorted voices fading in and out of the background.
"You idiot! You were just supposed to steal her phone!" A man's voice growled sternly.
"I-I'm sorry, Mr. Jefferson..." A younger sounding voice said. "I thought you'd be happy?"
"She's not the one I wanted! Not yet." Mr. Jefferson replied back in an angry whisper.
It was only now that Rachel Amber realized that her hands were bound with duct tape, her legs as well. When she tried to scream, she found that a large strip of duct tape was covering all of her mouth, nothing but a muffled whimper escaped now.
But it was loud enough to alert Mark Jefferson and Nathan Prescott, whom Rachel recognized immediately as she bolted upright and began to whimper and cry and struggle against her bonds.
"Rachel?!" Nathan gasped in surprise as he looked back at her. Mark did as well.
"You couldn't even give her the correct dosage to keep her unconscious?! You stupid little shit!" Mark shouted. He reached over and grabbed a scruff of Nathan's hair and pinned his head against the side of the car window.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Jefferson! I've never done this before but I wanted to learn!" Nathan cried back.
"You don't have what it takes to be me and do what I do!" Mark snapped back, "The only thing you have done is mess up my plans and leave us with a witness who's seen both our faces!"
Mark then let go of Nathan and took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes annoyedly.
"What're we gonna do now?!" Nathan replied back in fear as he sat back up straight.
"We?" Mark answered back, "We are not going to do anything together."
He then pressed the unlock door button to Nathan's side of the car. "Get out. I'll take clean up this mess you've made for the both of us. I don't trust you to do it."
Nathan obeyed and quickly got out, but leaned his head back in, "What're you going to do with Rachel?"
Rachel looked at Nathan with teary red eyes then to Mark Jefferson. Her heart racing furiously. Her whole body trembling in fear.
"I haven't decided yet. But trust me, she won't be a threat to either of us soon." Mark replied as he set his glasses back on her face.
Nathan slowly shook his head, then closed the door and quickly jogged away from Mr. Jeffersons car and towards Arcadia Bay.
Rachel cried out in angry protest and began to ram her shoulder into the back of Marks leather car seat.
Mark growled angrily and turned around and placed the barrel of a silver gun against Rachel Ambers temple on her head.
"I'd knock that shit off if I were you!" Mark warned as he pulled the hammer back to show how serious he was.
Rachel obeyed out of fear and began to cry harder. Streams of tears flowing from her eyes, down her cheeks and even over the duct tape covering her mouth.
Mark saw Rachel attempting to say something? But only muffled sounds could be heard.
"Alright, if you stay calm and keep quiet I'll remove the tape." Mark instructed, "But, if you try to scream or do anything that'll piss me off... Pow!" He said as he imitated the gun recoiling back after being fired.
Rachel nodded and deeply breathed in and out through her nose a few times to calm herself. Once Mark was sure that she was calm and composed enough, he slowly peeled the duct tape from her lips.
Rachel licked her lips before asking, "What... Do you want from me?"
Mark tilted his head, "You? Who ever said I wanted you?"
Rachel was confused, "Then why am I here?!"
"Because that spoiled little rich shit Nathan Prescott couldn't follow a simple set of instructions." Mark replied back. "In fact, the only thing I wanted from you was your phone, which Nathan was supposed to retrieve for me. But instead he's jeopardized everything, trying to impress me by bringing you here instead."
"Then just let me go! I swear I won't say anything to anyone!" Rachel begged.
"Sorry but I can't exactly do that just now." Mark said as Rachel Ambers phone buzzed to signal an incoming text message. He read it, then replied quickly with a series of button presses.
"What're you doing? Who are you talking to on my phone?! Are you gonna ransom me to my parents for money?!"
Mark scoffed, "I own twenty thousand dollar cameras, I drive a luxurious car and own houses from here to Los Angeles! I don't need anymore money! I want something money can't buy!"
Rachel's phone then buzzed loudly once more and Mark looked down at it. "Ah, she's almost here!" Mark announced.
"Who is?!" Rachel asked, but just moments later, Chloe's truck appeared from just up the road, headed towards the beach a short ways away from where Marks car was hidden in the bushes.
"Chloe?! You're after Chloe Price?!" Rachel cried out angrily.
"Bingo! You've got it!" Mark then slapped the duct tape back over Rachel Ambers mouth.
On the beach, Chloe turned off her truck, got out and sat on the hood of her truck, waiting for something or someone?
"I'm so sorry you got involved in all this. All I wanted was to use your stolen phone to contact Chloe and get her somewhere nice and secluded." Mark explained, he saw Rachel muffle one word and knew what it was, "Why? Because she's my Muse. A girl who lost her hope, her innocence long ago due to a tragic event. But now, somehow, she's regained her smile, the light in her eyes, her innocence and her will to live... I want to photograph the moments when she loses those things all over again, a twice over broken girl!"
Rachel shook her head furiously and cried angry tears. She couldn't bear the thought of that happening to Chloe. Chloe had already suffered enough in her life.
"Ach ee! Ach ee! Ach ee!" Rachel's muffled cries rang out against the tape over her mouth.
"What?" Mark asked. He then put the gun back up to Rachel's head as a warning and Rachel quieted down. Mark then removed the tape from her mouth once again.
Rachel sniffled softly, two more tears fell from her face, before saying, "Take me... I'll go with you instead of Chloe. Willingly. I'll take her place."
"Take you? Why would I-" then it dawned on Mark, "Oohhhh... I see. You're the reason why Chloe's changed so much."
Rachel nodded, and with a quivering voice she replied, "I-I'll go with you because I love her, a-and I want to save her."
Mark thought for a while, "Dying for love... Watching the light and dreams of a future she wished to have with Chloe fade away from her eyes... Capturing the moment that innocence leaves her and she becomes nothing more an empty shell... This sounds very interesting indeed! I think I found my new muse."
"Yes. I'll do whatever you want. Just leave Chloe alone and take me!"
Mark sighed deeply, "Very well. This might even prove more worthwhile than that broken punk rock girl."
"I only ask one thing." Rachel announced.
"What's that?"
"Leave Chloe Price alone. Now and forever!"
Mark scoffed, "I wouldn't even have any interest in her after you disappear. Once you're gone, and Chloe realizes what she's lost, she'll go back to the way she was before she met you. Angry, boring, uninteresting and unworthy of my photography skills."
Mark then dialled Chloe's number into Rachel Amber's phone and moved the phone next to Rachel's head but didn't press the talk key just yet.
"Now, tell Chloe that your plans to meet up on the beach have changed. Make her leave and go home." Mark instructed. Rachel nodded in response. Mark then displayed his silver handgun once again. "And if you try anything else, I'll pull this trigger, kill you, then drive down to the beach and kill Chloe before she can get away. Got it?"
"I promise. I won't do anything to risk Chloe's life."
Mark nodded in approval, then pressed the talk button and kept his gun trained on Rachel.
It rang a few times and Rachel could see Chloe on the beach, taking her phone out of her pocket and answering it.
"Hello? Rachel?" Chloe asked excitedly.
"Yes, Chloe. It's me." Rachel replied plainly.
"Dude! Where the hell are you? I've been waiting here for like 10 freaking minutes! I'm hella bored!"
Rachel's voice cracked with sadness, "C-Chloe, I'm so sorry! But I just can't make it out to you tonight."
"Whoa... Rachel... A-are you ok? What's going on?"
Rachel sniffled, "I'm ok, Chloe. I-I just had a fight with my parents. Again. And I'm just not up to seeing you or anyone just now."
"W-well then I'll come there! How dare those assholes hurt you like that!"
"No! Chloe! Just stop! Ok? Just don't come here and don't wait for me anymore. I-i just need some space for a while."
"But Rachel-" Chloe started.
"Please, Chloe... If you love me and care about me, you'll do as I say... Please just leave me alone for a while, ok?"
"O-ok... And Rachel... I'm sorry. I made things worse, didn't I?"
Rachel chuckled through tears, "No, you made everything in my life so much better, Chloe Price. And I promise, I'll see you again someday soon. And we'll forget all about this shitty night and be able to laugh about it someday and be happy together again."
"O-ok... I look forward to that day. I'll let you be for now, but don't leave me waiting too long, ok?"
"Thank you, Chloe. Have a safe trip home..."
"I will, oh and Rachel!"
"Yes?"
"I love you!"
Rachel broke down and sobbed, and knowing these would be the last words Chloe would ever hear from her again, she replied, "I love you too, Chloe... More than life itself. More than anything or anyone... Remember that. Always. Goodbye, Chloe..." And Mark ended the call.
"Bravo! She totally bought that act." Mark said as he put a fresh piece of tape over her mouth. But Rachel just looked past him, over his shoulder and watched Chloe get back into her truck, start it up and start reversing back off the beach.
At the same time, "Hold very still, Rachel," Mark instructed, a large needle in his hand and moving towards her neck, "This dose will put you to sleep, long enough till we reach our destination."
Rachel nodded, then winced in pain as the needle entered her neck and she felt its liquid enter her bloodstream.
As her vision began to blur and her body began to numb, she leaned her head against the nearby glass window and watched the tail lights of Chloe's truck slowly fade away in the distance. She had done it, she had saved the woman she loved. Chloe was safe now. Knowing this, Rachel closed her eyes and accepted her fate, falling to the effects of the strong sedative soon after. Marks car then exited the bushes and he drove off to the outskirts of town, to take Rachel to the Dark Room.
The End