2:15 AM ⌚Michael Clifford⌚ au

Chapter 6- Voices

Esther had been freed of the wooden chair she'd been tied to for almost twelve hours but her legs were dead. Her wrists and ankles were bruised from moving against the ropes and they burned. Michael had to wait ten minutes for Esther to be able to stand again but by then he was impatient. Missy was tired and so was Esther. Missy was weak and could barely stand but Michael made Esther hold her up and have a knife to her throat.

Both girls were crying but for two different reasons. Esther was crying for obvious reasons, she was about to kill her best friend, but Missy was crying happy tears. She was happy because she's get to stop living in fear of what Michael would do to her next or not knowing when she was going to die.

"I can't do it," Esther told Michael.

"You have to," he growled in her ear.

"I can't kill her. I can't kill one of my friends," she cried.

"It's ok Esther. I want you to do it," Missy told her.

"See?" Michael asked as he walked to stand in front of the girls.

He had to admit, it was kind of hot watching Esther like that. He'd never admit that to anyone but who did he have to tell?

"Ten...nine...eight," he counted.

"Esther...just do it," Missy whispered. "Please," she begged.

Esther took a deep breath in through her nose and dug the blade into Missy's neck, sliding it to the left. She dropped the knife and it rebounded off the ground just after Missy's body hit it. She covered her mouth with both her hands as she started crying again. Her breaths were shaky and she felt her knees go weak. She dropped beside the girl who she had once called a friend and pulled her head into her lap. She stroked Missy's dirk dusted face with her shaking hands and saw a few of her teas drop onto Missy's face.

She looked up at the sound of clapping and saw Michael doing so slowly, clapping about once every two seconds. She sniffled and wiped her eyes with the back of her dirty hands. She took deep breaths to calm herself down, it only working a little. Esther felt as if her soul had died. In the past twelve hours she'd watched one of her best friends die right in front of her and she'd just killed another.

"How'd you find me?" Esther asked in a mumbled.

"What?" Michael asked, stopping playing with his knife.

"How'd you find me? After two years you take me out of the blue. It's a little weird don't you think?"

"You were the hardest to find, it was frustrating"

"Can you just kill me yet? You've destroyed me as a person. Why not just end my suffering and forget we ever existed?"

"Because then you'd, yet again, what you want. And it's not all about what you want Esther"

"I could just kill myself," she said and held the knife she'd used to kill Missy to her neck.

"Don't you fucking dare," Michael spat.

"Why not?" she asked getting to her feet. "It's not like you could kill me. I'd already be dead"

"Esther...put the knife down," he said calmly.

"Why? So you could put me through even more torture? I don't think so," Esther told him snidely.

"For fuck sake Esther! Put the knife down!" Michael ordered.

She held it to her neck forcefully but after a while of staring at Michael she dropped it. She felt a light stream of blood running down her neck but before she could check it her throat was in Michael's hands.

"You little bitch! You think you can mess with me? You think this is torture? Oh baby, you're in for a whole world of suffering," he smirked creepily.

"Give me your worst. My life couldn't possible be any worse," she challenged.

"Oh honey...don't you see? You're in hell and there's no way of escaping," he chuckled lightly and shook his head.

"But don't you see honey? Anywhere is hell if you're there. And guess what mate...I was already going to hell before you got to me," she smirked and he just looked at her confused.

He let her go, her body falling to the floor. Her head hung low and her heard her laugh lowly as she used all of her strength placed on her open palms to keep her up. When she looked up Michael saw something in her eyes, something indescribable...almost the same expression Luke had the night Michael had killed Zach. The exact same look Calum had in his eyes the night Michael found out he was no longer of sound mind. Then it hit Michael...she been pushed over the edge.

The sinister look on Esther's face was beginning to scare Michael...and Michael wasn't easily scared. He started to back away from the girl but she got to her feet. Michael knew he had to somehow tie her down. Michael looked to see her twirling something in her hands, the knife. Her eyes were dark and her hair fell over her face. Michael put his right hand behind his back and forced it in his pocket, clutching the cold handle for dear life.

"Don't worry angel face...I'm not going to kill you," she said with the scariest tone Michael had ever heard. "Well, not yet"

Michael hard a *CRUNCH* under his foot when he took one single step backwards. He looked to the floor to see broken glass under his black converse. In this moment Michael knew, what he'd done was catching up with him.