Stockholm Syndrome (Larry Stylinson) (Rewrite)

In The Dark

Update time! Super excited for this one because small developments are made!

Warning: Thoughts of suicide, mentions of suicide attempts, mentions of death/murder, and a mention of alcoholism.

Chapter 6:

I didn't know how much time had passed since I arrived here, whether it was night or day, or how close my parents were to finding me-- if at all. There was absolutely nothing to do in the bare room I was in except for sit or lay and stare at the walls.

I actually ate the food that was brought to me, though it was hard to keep it all down. I didn't know what they planned to do with me next, but I wanted to be prepared.

I laid on the stiff, uncomfortable bed and stared at the ceiling above me, trying to come up with some sort of plan to ensure my escape from this place. The only thing was, I found myself unsure if I wanted to return home after my escape. Did I want to go back to living a life of media training and fake smiles and flattery for money? Did I want to inherit my family's business and marry the perfect match for me regardless of whether I loved them or not? Did I want to go back to staying inside of such a large house for days... weeks... months at a time without anyone to talk to?

I found myself leaning towards 'no' as my answer, but running away from it wasn't an option either. It would be selfish to do to the Horans and to Niall. If I disappeared, they'd be the only ones to truly mourn me. My parents would simply mourn the son that was to continue their plans and spread their surnames.

I had to think of a way to escape first before I made that decision, however. I had to consider the power dynamics and who was likely to crack first.

Liam seemed like the obvious target to go for. He seemed to be the only one who had somewhat of a conscience and displayed the smallest amounts of shame and guilt for his actions. He apologized to me once, and the frown on his face was something akin to regret. If he was already second-guessing his role, then did that mean I could actually get through to him?

Maybe. Possibly. But there was also the fact that he was the most affected by Vince's outbursts of rage; the most prone to shutting down and cowering in silence. There was a high possibility that even if he wanted to help me, he was too afraid to attempt to. He didn't have the power here, but he would make a good ally to get to the true power.

Then there was Zayn. I didn't know much about the dark-haired man. He didn't offer up much except for the fact that he obviously cared about Liam to some extent. He was always the one rushing to comfort him or whisper something to him when he grew tense. I didn't know the relationship there, but maybe getting Liam on my side could potentially win over Zayn as well.

I didn't know if that would be true or not, however. Zayn didn't really show regret, and he never looked at me in pity either. He, too, was afraid of Vince, but when Liam's safety was involved, that fear seemed to fly out of the window. He was snarky and sarcastic, and I didn't quite know how to work around that yet.

Then there was Louis. It was obvious that he was the true leader here. Whenever he said something, Vince listened. He took Louis' advise seriously, and Louis wasn't afraid of him. Not from what I could tell.

The thing about Louis was that there seemed to be zero emotions within him. He didn't seem to have any attachments or personal connections to Zayn or Liam or Vince. He didn't seem like he wanted to be involved in this situation, but he also didn't seem like he rather wouldn't be. He didn't care about anything, yet he also told Liam and Zayn to feed me and stopped Vince from stabbing me and choking me. Then he became cold again. Everything about him was rather ambiguous. He carried an enigmatic air to him, both deadly and dangerous while also being calm and collected. He would definitely be the biggest hurdle to cross.