Neighbour

xiv

Lucius threw Nigel onto a chair and tied him to it. Nigel tried everything he could. He kicked and squirmed, he even tried to scream. But the tape shut his mouth tightly, barley allowing any sound to escape. Lucius then grabbed a hammer and a knife from the lowest kitchen cupboard. I stood in terror as he handed the weapons to me.

"Do whatever you want." He said.

"He's all yours now." He added.

I stared at the knife and hammer in my hands and looked back at helpless Nigel. There was no way I could have done it. I could never harm someone. I nodded my head and handed the weapons back to Lucius.

"You said that he deserves to be tortured. Don't forget what had happened." He said, ignoring the weapons that I was offering back to him.

"Either you hurt him or you get hurt." He added.

"I can't forget what he said to me. But I'm not this kind of person." I said, looking back at Nigel who was still trying to scream.

"I think you should let him go." I said, disregarding his threat.

"I can't let him go now." He said and took the knife and hammer from my hand. He swung the knife hard against Nigel's face and I turned around as soon as I saw red.

I covered my eyes and started to scream, I couldn't bare Nigel's screams and Lucius' grunting, I couldn't. My legs were rigid, I had to fall to the ground. My mind was so cloudy, I couldn't think. I froze, lying down on Lucius' cold floor with my hands shutting my ears tight.

I heard the sound of a wrapper behind me and turned around, peeking through my fingers. Lucius covered Nigel's face with a plastic bag, probably because I wouldn't be able to handle the sight of him after what Lucius had done.

"It's okay. It's over now. He can't trouble you anymore." He said as he washed his hands in the kitchen sink.

"Is he..."

"He's dead." Lucius said casually.

I stared at Nigel's limp body, refusing to accept that he died. He died because of me.

"You said you wanted in." Lucius said as he approached me.