The Afterlife

Chapter 11

Louis' eyes flickered open. He was laying on a cold, cement floor, the majority of his clothes missing. His head pounded, and every move caused him pain.

With much difficulty, he sat up and gazed around him.

"Sorry about this," a voice said from behind him. "But you'll have to stay here for a while. All part of the plan, you understand."

Simon Cowell stepped into Louis' peripheral vision.

"Plan?" Louis croaked. "What the hell are you talking about? There was never a plan, certainly not one involving me locked up in a cage."

The room was about twenty feet long and roughly thirty-five feet long. It was dark, and the floors were suspiciously sticky and wet. Louis leaped off the ground.

"You don't understand, Tomlinson," Simon laughed, stepping closer to Louis. "I created One Direction. I created five multi-billionaires, and I am the reason all of those fans worship you. I did all of this, and believe me I got what I deserved. I won't stand by and watch as all of this talent worth so much goes to waste."

"So that's what this is? A play to squeeze more money out of us?" Louis growled. "One Direction is dead! Get over it! You're worse than the fans!"

Simon smirked.

"If you need anything, just shout. One of your guards will bring it for you."

"You can't leave me in here!" Louis cried in a panic. "Who do you think you are?"

"You know, as kidnappers go," Simon said just before he walked out the door. "I'd say I'm pretty damned nice."

"SIMON!" Louis yelled, racing after him, grabbing the bars and shaking them with all his might. "Let me OUT! THIS IS ILLEGAL!"

***

"This doesn't make any sense!" Zayn yelled as he paced the room, past a quietly sobbing Harry. "Why would anyone take Louis?"

"Crazy fan?" Liam suggested, half-heartedly.

"Did those look like fans to you?" Niall asked. The Irish boy's hair stood on end from the many times he had run his fingers through it. "Last time I checked, most of our audience was teenage girls."

"Calm down, Niall," Zayn soothed. "Getting angry and snippy with each-other isn't going to help Louis."

"Is anything really going to help him?" Harry sighed, running his hands over his face. "I mean, forty percent of people who are kidnapped die within the first hour."

"Since when?" Liam demanded.

"Since always," Harry growled.

"Stop it, you two!" shouted angry Niall. "God, I can hardly stand being around the pair of you, all you do is bicker and make everyone else uncomfortable!"

Harry and Liam looked away.

"Liam, all you ever do is-"

"Niall, I think that's enough," Zayn interrupted.

"No, Zayn. I have to say this, it's been driving me mad," said Niall, a note of finality in his voice. "Liam, all you ever do is go on and on about how Harry killed Charlotte. Well I've got news for you! Everyone makes mistakes! And just because Harry was behind the wheel doesn't mean it was his fault! You need to get over it!"

Liam's eyes flashed, dangerously. You could almost hear him growling like an angry dog.

"And Harry! For the last two years, what have you been doing? Nothing! Just hiding away in your house with Emilia, not talking to anyone, just feeling sorry for yourself! And you know what else? This goes for both of you! No one cares any more! The only two people who really care that Charlotte died and that Liam thinks harry did it are you two! It's stupid!"