Obsession || h.s [completed]

41 | finished

Hannah's hand is still behind her back as she takes another step toward me. It's like she has changed entirely to a new person. She holds her shoulders in a broad, stronger way. Her steps are sure and deliberate. And her eyes are ice cold.

If I were to imagine a serial killer, they would look much like she does now. And I have no doubt in my mind that she killed all of those people.

"I gave you a chance, Mason." Somehow even her voice sounds stronger and more chilling than before. "I have to admit you have been one of my favorites. But I knew that if you were lying about your love... I'd have to kill you, too."

"Hannah, I promise I--"

"Hannah isn't here right now." She snaps and she brings her hand out from behind her. The knife is long and reflects the low candle light as she grasps it with white knuckles and a growing sly smile.

"Ple-ease," my voice shakes, "put the knife down and we can enjoy ou-our meal together-er."

She starts to laugh. Her heels click on the hardwood as she circles me like prey. "You know, it's funny. I don't think you recognize me, do you?"

It takes a moment for me to follow her train of thought. The one that the reappearance of Zayn had jogged in my memory but since been repressed; Hannah went to my high school.

"No, I do." I nod. "You had black hair back then."

"You were so popular and perfect. You had everything I ever wanted." Hannah sneers. "So I moved away after sophomore year to a small town where no one knew who I used to be. I bleached my hair back to blonde. And I became a better version of you."

I sit in silence as I listen. I never knew she envied me so much. And I almost feel sorry for her. Almost.

"I was popular. I put on a facade so I could be more like you were." She stops back at the doorway after making a full circle around the room. "I had a hot boyfriend. I thought I loved him. Do you know who that boyfriend was?"

"No." I nearly whisper.

"Oh, come on." She says. "I'm sure you've become fond of his charm."

Oh, God.

"Yes, your loving boyfriend Harry." Her smile is bitter. "Funny how you just swoop in and ruin everything, huh?"

"I-I..."

"I'm not done!" She shrieks, stomping her stiletto heel on the hardwood. "So, obviously, you just happen to move to the same town, right? Well, I made the best of it. I got a job at the same cafe you applied to. I threw you a birthday party. All the while, trying to pry into your life as your friend so I could ruin you."

"But what about the others? The other murders?" I ask, a bit terrified of the answer. "Why did you kill them if you only hated me?"

"They were practice."

I watch as she begins pacing again. This time the circle is tighter and I nearly hold my breath as she gets closer and closer to me.

"Originally, I was going to save that perfect and final murder for your beloved Harry." She stops directly behind my chair and leans down to whisper in my ear. "But then I found a better use of all that hard work. I had created an image, and I wanted to use it to get to you."

I lick my dry lips, staring at the wall in front of me, not  darling to look at her. I let out a small breath of relief when she starts pacing again.

"I have to admit, once I've finished you off, I'm not sure what I'll do with myself." Hannah continues. "I do enjoy the thrill of it. Maybe I'll start with that cute little sister of yours. Maybe Harry, too. He's tied up in the attic, by the way. Not that you'll be able to help him now."

She stops on the other side of the table, and based on her expression, mine most definitely expresses the amount of anger radiating from my chest.

"Don't lose your temper, Mason. That won't end well for you. It certainly didn't for your mother."

"My mother?" I nearly yell at her. My anger boiling over.

"Oh, my love, have you not figured that out yet?" She asks. "Your mother was my first victim."

With that I lunge at her, grasping the first utensil my fingers find. Though anything on the table would be dull in comparison to the knife in her vile fist, I have the advantage of pure anger-fueled adrenaline.

I take her by surprise. She loses her balance and flies into the wall when I collide with her. But she recovers quickly and swipes the knife at me, catching my forearm in a bold stripe that quickly turns red.

I shove her up against the wall again. She hits her head and drops the knife. I use my elbow and aim for her face as hard as I possibly can before throwing her to the ground.

The front door suddenly bursts open and Hannah is pinned to the floor in seconds. Handcuffs are clicked around her wrist as she screams profanities at them. Darren comes to my side as soon as he sees me. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," I say. Despite the cut on my arm. "I'm fine."

Without another word I run toward the stairs. Hannah said he was in the attic and I pray that she wasn't just saying that to anger me. I take the steps two at a time, ignoring Hannah's screams of my name and "this is a mistake! I've done nothing!"

When I reach the attic door, it's unlocked. I hear muffled yells coming from the top of the stairs and I nearly trip running up their uneven wooden frames, catching myself on the railing.

Harry is tied to a folding chair in the middle of the room with a cloth in his mouth. He fights against the rope when he sees me, his cheeks stained with tears but his eyes full of relief.

"Oh my God." I run over to him, kneeling behind the chair to untie his hands before taking the cloth from his mouth.

"I thought she was going to kill you." He says. "Oh my God, Mason."

Once he's free, he stands and pulls me into his chest. I bury my face in his t-shirt, tears flowing from my eyes. His shoulders shake and he kisses the top of my head over and over. I know he's crying too.

We just stand there, holding each other as tightly as possible and never ever wanting to let go. "I love you." I cry.

"I love you, Mason. So goddamn much." He says into my hair. His voice cracks and I feel his tears on the top of my head. "Oh my God. I thought I lost you."

I just hold him tighter. Because for a while I thought I had lost him, too.

I look up at him and he immediately meets my lips with his. I taste the salt water of our combined tears on his lips. He kisses both of my cheeks and my forehead before pulling me into his chest again.

And we stay like that until someone comes to find us.

________________________
THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER OF OBSESSION BUT DONT CRY YET! THERE'S STILL THE EPILOGUE.

PLEASE VOTE ILYASM

-Lena xx

P.s. I'm actually trying really hard not to cry right now but I'll save my mushy a/n for after the epilogue.