I'm Here. (Pentatonix Fanfiction)

Chapter 6

I was dead. Wasn't I? I couldn't see anything. My eyes were open. I felt a hot liquid spilling down my face. It was blood. The blood had seeped into my eyes and clogged up my vision. Shaking it off, my eyes adjusted to see the face of him. The man who had just tortured me.
"Now you know not to talk back to me. I hope that taught you. Now, I'm going to leave you here so you can think about what you've done. I think I'll bring one of your friends back. Maybe... Kirstie? Or Mitch?" I violently shook my head no and tried to struggle, but the ropes just rubbed against my raw skin and cut my wrists and ankles open. The man traced his pocket knife along my forehead with one long sweep, cutting a long thin line down my nose. It didn't hurt. I was in too much pain to notice. He stood up roughly and turned around, leaving me alone. In the dark. As soon as I knew he was gone, I screamed. Screamed until no words came out anymore. Screamed until I lost my voice and I couldn't talk. I must have screamed for at least 20 straight minutes, but I knew no one would hear me. Then he came back. Instantly, my body was paralyzed with fear as I heard him clunking back down the stairs. This time though, he had Kirstie's foot in one hand, and he was dragging her down the stairs behind him. Thump. Thump. Thump. I tried to call out her name, but I couldn't. My voice was gone. She was barely conscious, and he roughly sat her in a chair. He tied her entire body to the chair and duck taped her mouth, and put a blindfold around her. Then the man turned to me.
"Valerie... We're going to play a little game. I'm going to ask you a question, and for every answer you get wrong, Kirstie gets hurt." I tried to tell him no... But I still couldn't talk. My throat stung, and I felt little scratches all along the inside of my neck.
"So... Do you want to live?" The man asked me. I nodded my head.
"Wrong! I want you to want to die!" He screamed. He violently traced lines with his knife all along Kirstie's face, leaving it a bloody mess. She whimpered loudly, her whole body trembling, and sobs shaking her body.
"Am I going to kill you?" He asked, starting to twitch frantically. I nodded my head again.
"...wrong again. You're going to kill yourself... Because you won't be able to stand living in this torture." He ripped Kirstie's shirt down the stomach and slid his knife in, twisting it around. She yelped and screamed, starting to struggle. He then proceeded to wrap his arms around Kirstie's neck, and slowly squeeze tighter and tighter. She started to gasp for air, her lips turning blue. I screamed and tried to crawl over to them. Still keeping his hold on Kirstie, the man looked at me again.
"Now, I'm going to give you one more chance to try and save her before she's dead." He whispered, grinning at me.
"... Does Kirstie deserve to live?" He asked manically, giggling softly to himself. I quickly shook my head no. I knew if I said yes he would kill her just to torture me. I couldn't let her die.
"Very good... Little girl." The man said, his face softening a bit. He let go of Kirstie and she started sobbing, gulping in breaths of air.
"I'm going to leave you two alone. You have 30 minutes, then I'll be back." He ripped Kirstie's blindfold off and the tape off of her mouth. Then he turned around and briskly walked up the stairs. As soon as he left, Kirstie's shaking hands struggled to grab a phone out of her back pocket.
"...Are you calling for help?" I asked anxiously. Kirstie nodded.
"Hey, Valerie, could you... Untie my arms?" She asked. I tried to inch my way over to her, slowly sliding across the cold ground. As soon as I got within a close enough proximity, Kirstie turned around and reached her hands towards me. I made quick work of untying all of the knots. As soon as she was free, she did the same to me and pulled me into a warm hug.
"Are you okay? What did he do to you?" She asked me, stroking my hair.
"..he hurt me." I whispered, still shaking.
"We have to move. If he finds us free he'll probably kill us both." She said, taking out her phone and hurriedly dialing 9-1-1. She spoke quickly and to the point, and then grabbed my hand, pulling me into a corner behind a wooden pole.
"We have to hide here until they come, okay?" She said, wrapping an arm around me. We sat there in silence for what felt like forever, but I felt Kirstie tense up as we heard heavy footsteps down the stairs. I hoped desperately it was the police. My fears came true as I heard the man's deep voice.
"Where are you?!" He screamed. Kirstie turned towards me and put a finger over her mouth to indicate silence.
"I know you two are here! If you don't come out, the next person who's going to die is Avi!" He yelled pacing around the room. Kirstie jumped and pushed me farther into the corner, abruptly standing up. She threw her hands up in surrender.
"...Ok. I'm here." She said quietly, tears falling down her face.
"Where's the other one?" He asked, stepping closer toward her.
"...Valerie.. Come out." She said, her face falling. I felt as if my stomach was spilling out of my chest. I shakily started to stand up and emerge from the shadows. Suddenly, the door burst open and paramedics and police officers rushed into the basement, holding guns.
"Stay right where you are!" A police officer yelled.