Chapter 81
Doubt
The room was quiet and tense, nobody saying a thing and quite rightly so. There wasn't much to be said. The room itself was relatively large although both doors in the back and the front of the room were locked, as were the windows to prevent any kind of escape, although no-one was planning to escape.
Nick looked up and around the room, not expecting to be on the opposite side in a police station. Both David and Detrikov were handcuffed, a result of arguing with the police. Detrikov was staring into space while David seemed to switch between everyone in an order. He caught eyes with Nick and Nick looked away, not wanting to make any kind of eye contact with him. The only survivors not in the room were Derrick and Grace, who had been moved to a separate room after Derrick had gotten into another argument with Richard when they were being transported to the station.
"Why isn't anyone saying anything?" David finally broke the silence, his voice getting loud. His rattled his handcuffs in a weak attempt to get his hands free.
"Well, we're all contemplating the fact that we were lied to, I expect." Lukas said; his arm around Dominika's shoulder. He peered up to Richard, his eyes narrowed. "Well, apart from the liar himself."
Richard frowned, his forehead creasing. "How have I lied?"
Lukas just snorted and looked to the floor, shaking his head. Richard felt a twinge of annoyance, a result of both stress and worry.
"How have I lied?" Richard repeated.
"Oh I don't know, something to do with the fact that you said it was over." David growled. "But now I'm tormented with this damn vision."
"I thought it was over." Richard said for what seemed like the umpteenth time. "Everything pointed towards it being over. Gerald Myers had been killed-"
"So why are we all sitting here?" David stared at Richard. "In a list. Again. Scared for our lives. Again."
"I…" Richard just shook his head. "I don't know."
"Great." Lukas mirrored David's expression. "The one thing which we need. You don't know." Lukas ran a hand through his hair. Even his usual polite and good feelings were strained to the breaking point. "You know, the one thing which we relied on was the knowledge held by the Chosen, and after that, you. How are we meant to survive when none of you know what the hell is going on?"
"I don't know what is going on, but that doesn't mean Lisa and Joshua don't." Richard sighed. "And even if they don't know, they can at the very least talk to Death and find out why he's decided another list. It might be something completely innocent. Maybe he was wrong, maybe Myers wasn't the imitator. I don't know… I just… I don't know." Richard took a breath.
"Well you said one of the imitator's was a Chosen." David looked as if he were putting a puzzle together. "Three of them are dead. Fisk, Miles and Myers. If the imitator is still alive, then-"
"Don't." Richard said sternly, his fists tightening.
"Oh, come off it!" David's eyes narrowed further. "You're thinking it. We're all thinking it. If this is because the imitator is still alive, then it is one of the Valentines. It is either Joshua or Lisa."
"No." Richard shook his head. "I refuse to believe that."
"Then you are wrong once more." Lukas said. "I think it's as simple as the fact that Death doesn't like survivors. He's made up some reason to finish what he started."
"He doesn't work like that…" Richard trailed off.
"What do we really know about Death, huh? Other than some stupid theories from a man who was crazy enough to stitch his own eyes shut." David asked, drawing a sharp look from Detrikov.
"He was not stupid nor crazy." Detrikov said quietly.
"I think all these so called Chosen are crazy. All of 'em. Joshua and Lisa included." David stood up, looking around to the survivors. "C'mon everyone? How much of this is proven? How much of what these guys say is fact? For all we know they are playing us a loop and we're being willing puppets. All we know is that these lists and these visions are real. Everything and anything else is all made up shit from these Chosen. A bunch of goddamn crazy men intent on screwing us up." David took a breath before continuing. "I say we fuck 'em. They are obviously not helping us."
"Lisa and Joshua are doing all they can!" Richard stood up, getting face to face with David, unable to handle his words anymore. "They are out there right now, trying to save Chloe and Jeremy! They have been working and working to save you all! You owe each and every one of your lives to them, because if it wasn't for Joshua, you'd have died at the hospital. If it weren't for Lisa, you'd have died at the hotel. They have done so much for you and this is how you decide to treat them?" Richard's eyes widened. "I experienced it personally. I died, David. The Chosen are right in their thinking." Richard looked to Dorothy. "You know this as well, Dorothy."
"Do not bring her into this!" David growled.
"Why not? She needs to think for herself without some… some brute not letting her speak!" Richard took a deep breath. "David, I thought you were a good man. I was wrong. You can't be a good man if you don't have confidence in the survivors. You should get out right now! Hell, you should leave Dorothy as well! It's obvious you are a bad infl-"
Richard was interrupted as David tackled into him with his shoulder, fury etched on his face. Both men went to the floor, rolling over and over. Richard, his hands free unlike David's, pushed David's shoulder, trying to push the bigger man off.
"David, stop it!" Dorothy exclaimed, hearing the commotion and knowing what was happening. She turned her head around the room. "Somebody stop them!"
"Let them fight it out." Lukas said, crossing his arms. "I am not getting in the way."
"Get… off me!" Richard pushed David harder, but David responded by smashing his head into Richard's nose.
Crack.
Blood gushed from Richard's nose, splattering against his chest and the floor. He groaned in pain as David reared back, blood speckled on his forehead. David reached down with both hands straining the handcuffs, grabbing Richard's collar and pulling him to his feet. Richard was far too groggy to react. "You say anything like that to me again… I'll goddamn kill you!" David sneered.
"Screw you…" Richard snapped, slamming a fist into David's stomach.
Something snapped inside of David, all the emotions of the last few weeks, being in the first list, losing Dorothy, then his ex-wife, then Dorothy coming back into his life, and now the this vision. He drove a knee into Richard's stomach before getting behind him and hooking his hands under his jaw. The chain of the hand-cuff drove hard into Richard's neck. David's face twisted and his reared back, pulling the chain into Richard's neck, strangling him.
"Stop it!" Dorothy cried out, shaking. She heard the rattling of the chains and Richard's choking, and could envisage exactly what David was doing. "Somebody stop them!"
But nobody did a thing. Even Nick just watched, something unknown to him keeping him on his chair. They all watched as David continued to strangle Richard, the older man starting to turn purple.
"David! STOP!" Dorothy screamed this time, her voice echoing around the room. David paused, his eyes widening. He looked down, as if noticing he was strangling Richard for the first time. He drew back his hands as if burnt, letting Richard drop to the floor, coughing and retching. David looked up at Dorothy and saw tears welling in her pale eyes.
"…I'm… Dorothy…" David said slowly, his hands shaking.
Before Dorothy could answer, the door unlocked and was swung open quickly. Two police officers took in the situation and one quickly held back David while the other leaned down to inspect Richard.
From the doorway, a man in a trench-coat cocked his head. "What is this?"
"They were fighting." Lukas put in and shrugged.
"None of you tried to stop them?" The man questioned.
Though he didn't say anything, Lukas was thinking what everyone else other than Dorothy and Detrikov was thinking in the moment. Richard had lied to them and they were unprepared mentally for another list. He deserved it. They all realized how horrible it was to think that, but they couldn't just ignore their thoughts.
The man just shook his head before flipping open a badge from his jacket. "My name is Phillip Hunter, FBI."
"FBI?" Lukas questioned.
"Yes. I was planning on talking to you all separately today, but some unfortunate news has come up." Hunter took a breath before crossing his arms. "We currently have Chloe Marvin and Jeremy Edwards on the way here-"
Richard looked up from his still seated position on the floor, holding his hand over his nose. "…The Valentines…?" he asked, his words barely comprehensible.
"Joshua Valentine is missing. He fled the scene the moment the first police car pulled up." Hunter closed the door behind him. "Lisa Valentine was found dead."
Richard froze, his body going rigid. The blood ran freely between his fingers and he made no effort to stop it. "She's… she's…" He couldn't believe it… he wouldn't believe it. Lisa was the whole reason he was in this mess, and that was a good thing. Because he had met a brilliant woman and… she was dead? Just like that? Richard slowly shook his head, unable to believe it, but also unable to question it. Something deep inside his mind, his private investigator mind told him that this Hunter guy was telling the truth. The hard, harsh, horrible truth. But the truth nevertheless.
"I'm sorry." Hunter tipped his head. "But I still need to question you all separately. And before you ask, we know you aren't terrorists." Hunter pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. "Let's start with Lukas Solveig."
A/N: Thanks to PrincezzShell101 as always! Things are not looking good. Stress and Emotions are causing the group to split, bit by bit. Will things continue to grow worse? Take a wild guess XD
I was also re-watching the original Final Destination today. Gotta love the original. Although let's ignore the mysterious water in Todd's death shall we…
'Till next time!