I'll Help You Hide From Them

The First Person You See...

When we arrive, I'm bound to a modest stool but kept blindfolded.

"Okay genius, get to work." The thug chuckles.

"I need water first." I wearily manage.

"Drink up." He adds, holding a bottle of water to my mouth.

I eagerly drink, knowing that it could be drugged but in my state I can't afford to be picky.

He cuts off the supply a little early. "Okay, now you should get right to work."

"Can I ask that you also treat my friend to a drink? He must be parched too." I try.

"You give me evidence that you'll hold up your side of the bargain." He tells me.

I nod, knowing that I can get away with telling him half truths. "My mother isn't living with my father but they are still in contact. If you find one, it's unlikely that you'll be able to find the other through their secretive means of contact and codes they've developed." I tell him to validate myself so that he doesn't feel like he's wasting his time with me.

"That's a peculiar way to start." He slowly opens up before harshly grabbing me by the ear to put me in pain as he threatens me. "You're in contact with your mother and father, aren't you? You are lying to me because you know where they are." He snarls.

"I'm not in contact with them! I barely even know their names! I might not know where they are but I'll be able to find them." I try to negotiate.

He gets me to listen to O'Malley groan in pain.

"Please, there's no need to hurt him. I'm telling the truth. You can even ask my brother! I didn't know I was raised in foster care until a few days ago." I admit.

He twists my ear. "Do you really think I'm stupid enough to believe a lie like that?" He hisses.

"It's nothing to question your intelligence. It's so pathetic, you know that it most likely isn't even a lie. I would've come up with something much better if that were the case." I defend.

He chuckles. "If you can narrow down which city she's in, I'll let your security guard drink." He offers.

"Fair deal." I reluctantly agree, knowing that I can't attempt to negotiate better.

-

As he's sharing evidence with me, I manage to convince him that she's in Glasgow, although I'm sure that she's making use of London's dense population to stay here.

I don't even know how I know this, it just feels obvious.

I manage to give him a fabricated address, mentally making note of what I think her real address would be.

"Ah just in time. The news of your disappearance has apparently reached your colleagues, which means it has also reached the shooter." He taunts.

"Seeing how is very much likely that my friend and I are going to die, can you allow us to use a toilet of some sort? I don't want to be found by my colleagues sitting in my own piss." I politely ask.

He only laughs at me. "I think I like that idea, it'll be humbling." He adds.

I hesitate but figure out that it will be near impossible to change his mind now that he believes I don't have anything left to offer.

"I can't wait for you to finally realise that I'm in charge. It's kind of funny to think that the only time you'll have this blindfold removed will be to see the face of the man who killed your partner." He smirks, forcing on the gag once again.

I tug at my restraints in discomfort, starting to feel my arms die on me from being forced into the same position for such a long time.

"Oh, I forgot, there's something we brought here for you. It's to make you feel more at home." He laughs.

I brace myself, knowing vaguely what to expect. My body flinches as something is dropped on my legs. I freeze up when I feel a face and an arm, wanting to be sick when I realise that he's just dumped Ralph's body on me.

"Like it? I guessed you'd want to die together." He darkly chuckles.

I go into screaming obscenities at the man, not caring about the fact that I'm gagged. Tears form in my absolute rage at them for using my dead partner like this but at this point I don't feel the need to stop them since my overwhelming desire to kill this man has taken over.

I slow down when there's a gun shot, causing there to be a relatively warm liquid splatter all over me. I listen carefully, partly surprised when I can hear O'Malley still grunting.

The shooter took our captor out.

Dammit he didn't deserve to die that easily! I needed to kill him!

A few more shots sound, from inside this building to outside. When they all fall silent, I know that the shooter has taken them all out. I am still in tears at the body on my lap so I don't turn away when a gun lightly taps the side of my head. I wait for them to knock me out but to my dismay they don't. The gun is removed shortly before I hear a thwack from next to me, stopping the grunts from my security guard.

-

Within the next couple of hours, the police turn up. I've been unable to do anything but feel Ralph's cold body against me.

"Drew!" My captain's voice calls out.

I don't respond, trying to distance myself from what's happened. My physical limitations also work to bringing me to this conclusion as well.

"Oh my God!" I can hear other officers gasp when they see us.

I can feel the body being delicately taken off me. They appear to wait a while before removing the blindfold and gag. My eyes struggle to adjust to the light, making it impossible for them to check that I'm not concussed.

"I think I need to see Dr. Illingworth." I murmur hoarsely.

"Are you hurt?" Laurence asks me, observing my split lip carefully. My eyes wander to O'Malley, feeling worse at how beaten he looks.

"Not compared to my security guard, he took the beatings for me. Can I see Dr Illingworth?" I ask again.

Laurence gives me a sorry look. "He's not in his office or answering any calls. I'll bring you to him personally when he's available." He tries to explain.

The shooter must've figured that, after seeing me like this, to get rid of my only means of healing.

It's such a fantastic way to ruin me, I barely know if I can hate them for it. It's genius.

I've played right into their hands, I don't know what I'm expected to do now. Kier, Luke and the security guard I'm closest to are no longer an option for me.

I have to find my mother and father, they're all that's left who can help me.