House Of Wax : Nick Jones FF ✅

Twenty-Eight. 28

Lilian froze as she heard the front door creak open. "shit." Her heart pounded in her chest. She grabbed the bat and scurried to the door that led to the kitchen. She cracked it open slightly and peered through. Slow, deliberate footsteps echoed down the hall, growing closer. They were too heavy to be Nick's. Her grip tightened on the bat as she saw the kitchen door open.

She stifled a scream as Bo entered the kitchen. Two arrows protruded from his body, and he was breathing hard, sweating profusely. He stumbled to the sink, grimacing in pain. He grasped one of the arrows with a shaking hand and began to pull. A nauseating, sucking sound filled the room as he twisted and turned the arrow, screaming in agony as he finally yanked it out. He repeated the process with the second arrow, this time calmer, almost resigned to the pain.

Bo ran water over a dirty dish towel and pressed it against his wounds. After a few moments, he suddenly stopped, as if sensing her presence. He slowly turned his head, looking right at the crack in her door. Lilian held her breath, praying he wouldn't see her in the darkness.

Bo crossed the kitchen to Lilian's door, picking up a butcher's knife along the way. He opened the door and stepped inside, scanning the dark study. His smile was disturbing, imagining the girl in his arms, savoring the thought of her scent and fear—a complete pervert.

He moved silently through the study, deadly and focused. Lilian, hidden under the desk, clutched her bat, trembling uncontrollably. She couldn't see him, but she was aware of his presence. "Everything will be normal again. 1, 2, 3," she whispered in her mind, trying to soothe her racing heart and breath, while squeezing her eyes shut.

Bo's eyes fell on the photographs of him and his twin brother scattered on the desk. He crossed to them, standing right in front of Lilian's hiding spot. His expression darkened, clearly displeased that his private life had been invaded.

The scene stayed on Bo as he left the study and walked into the kitchen. He moved through and out the door into the hallway, continuing to the stairs at the front door. He paused at the base of the stairs, listening. Was someone upstairs? There was only one way to find out. He started to climb.

Back under the desk, Lilian listened intently to Bo's footsteps receding up the front stairs. She pried herself from her hiding spot and tiptoed into the kitchen. She had to find Nick.

Lilian scurried across the room as quietly as she could, moving like a mouse. She tilted her head slightly out of the kitchen door, peeking down the long corridor to the front door. It was clear. She stepped into the hall, her eyes wandering over the old Victorian details. Suddenly, she was grabbed from behind. A hand clamped over her mouth and another harsh on her hips, pulling her back against someone's chest.

Nick's whisper was urgent but reassuring. "It's okay, it's me." He turned her around, revealing the doctor's office behind him. "H-He's alive. Bo's here," Lilian whispered, fear evident in her voice. She searched his eyes for any sign of hope. "Did you find them?"

"No," Nick replied, avoiding eye contact, he never liked the disappointed or sad look his girlfriend always had every time there was bad news, "but there's a tunnel. Maybe they got away. I don't know."

They both tensed as Bo's footsteps echoed from the top of the stairs.

"C'mon," Nick urged. "We're outta here." Lilian spun around and headed into the kitchen, Nick right behind her. They moved quickly but quietly, trying not to make a sound.

They were almost out the back door, stuck in the study room when headlights suddenly lit up the back steps. It was the truck, and Vincent was driving, the Mongrel sitting next to him. Lilian stifled a gasp as she saw Paige and Blake in the open bed, tossed in like garbage.

Nick took her hand. "Can't go that way now." Unlike Lilian, he showed little reaction to seeing his dead friend's body. His main worry was finding Dalton and getting Lilian safely out of this strange town. They retreated back into the kitchen.

Retracing their steps, they reached the hallway door. Bo's footsteps grew louder as he descended the stairs.

Nick led Lilian out of the kitchen and into the hallway. With no other choice, he pulled her into the doctor's office, quietly closing the door just as Bo turned from the stairs into the hallway, butcher's knife still in hand.

He took a step back from the door, his bow drawn and an arrow pointing dead center. Lilian's grip on the bat tightened, her knuckles white. They stood still, listening to Bo's footsteps approaching.

Lilian noticed the light from the open trapdoor behind them casting shadows of their feet under the office door. She tugged on Nick's arm, signaling him to back up. Their retreating shadows caught Bo's attention. He paused momentarily, then continued past their door to the kitchen, sporting a wry smile.

Meanwhile, Vincent stood in front of the sink, staring at his reflection in the window. He tried to smooth over the scratches left by Paige, but it wasn't working. Frustration etched on his face, he grew increasingly aggravated.

When Bo entered the kitchen, his presence immediately caught Vincent's attention. Vincent turned, his eyes widening at the sight of Bo's wounds. His deformed face twisted into a semblance of concern as he approached his brother, reaching out to touch the injuries. Bo, however, didn't have time for doting. He brusquely pushed Vincent's hand away and pointed towards the doctor's office door, implying they had visitors.

Vincent didn't need any more encouragement. The brothers silently exited the kitchen and positioned themselves in front of the office door. It was siblings against siblings. With synchronized force, they kicked the door off its hinges, revealing an empty room. Lilian and Nick were no longer there. The trap door was closed, but the rug was askew, and the hum of the generator below was unmistakable.