The Bodyguard » Niall Horan

37 » Shoot me down, bang bang

I had failed. He was dead. Niall was dead.

All will to live seeped out of me when the realization slowly settled in. 

I was so, so cold, the cold slowly seeping into my bones. I had no clue how long I had been laying here, but it had been long enough for the blood to clot. 

I had felt the hot blood trickling down my wrists caused by all the tugging on the ropes. Nothing had worked.

It was terrible to lie here and see day change into dusk, and slowly into nightfall through the small window. How long had I been here? I had no idea how long I had been unconscious, but I certainly knew I had to get out of here as soon as possible.

I pulled the ropes again, but my actions were left in vain.

Niall. He had killed poor Niall. He was gone now. Niall's actually gone. A deep sob left my mouth. The sound of it reminded me of a person dying.

I had managed to change my position from my back onto my belly to relieve the pressure on my wrists, though the chair now heavily pressed down on my knees and legs, with my cheek on the concrete floor. It was getting harder and harder not to let out a cry of pain and despair.

The door opened, but all I could see were approaching feet. A second later, and the world was spinning in front of my eyes. I squeezed my eyelids in order to relieve the dizziness. When I opened them, I realized it had been him who'd put the chair back on its four legs.

" Have you been able to think a little?" Chester asked me, his arms crossed in front of his chest. I blew the hairs out of my face, as I pressured down the anger I felt towards him for killing Niall. I did not want him to see my pain, though my heart ached like I had been stabbed right through it.

" About what?" I asked, trying to provoke him. " About how I'm going to kill you? No, I've not quite figured that one out yet." 

Chester chuckled as he looked at me. " Look at yourself, Mercer. You're tied on a chair. Do you really think you can kill me?" He shook his head. " No, what I meant was if you'd figured out a way for me to get out." 

I rolled my eyes. "You're out, you git. Illegally board a boat abroad. France is practically around the corner, with Dover so close. You hardly need my help."  I had no clue where he'd brought me, but I had to assume it wasn't far from Dover.

A slap across my face followed. It took a second until it started burning. He hit me again, and again, and again. I lost count not long after. I kept my face straight and ignored the pain he caused me, though it might anger him even more. He only stopped when he was out of breath.

With his hands on his knees, he leaned forward to catch his breath, his greasy hair dangling down. " Stop being smart with me, kid," he managed to push out. I kept quiet while I watched him.

" Why did you leave me in the house?" I suddenly asked. " you knew I would find her. Perhaps not immediately, but you know I would find her in the morning." He had no answer to that. He just stared right past me. " I thought I could still save her. You know, push on the wound like they do in series like Surgical Spirit." 

" I was covered in my mother's blood." I stared at Chester with a vile look on my face. " Are you really that insensitive? Do you really not care that your own son and daughter couldn't say goodbye at her funeral because the casket had been sealed? I had seen her, up against that wall with a gaping hole in her chest, but Ronan didn't. He hadn't been allowed to say goodbye to his own mother because you butchered her like a pig for slaughter!" 

" Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" He shouted. His voice echoed in the small space, making my ears ring.

" No, you shut up You have no idea what Ronan and I had to go through in the first years after her death. We had no clue who we could trust since our own father killed our mother! You have no idea how hard it was to see you handcuffed in court, wearing inmate clothing while you were being prosecuted for killing mum!" I screamed back at him.

" So no, I'm not going to help you. I'd rather die here than helping you!" a tear escaped from the corner of my eye while I stared at him with more hatred on my face than I had ever felt before. " Especially now you killed Niall." My voice was drenched in pain. I couldn't help myself.

The door opened with a bang. " Police, police!" 

Before I knew it, a knife was on my throat, held by Chester who had positioned himself behind me. The room halfway filled with agents. My people.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw him. " Dad," I managed to choke out. I immediately noticed how Chester put more pressure on my neck.

" Get back! Get back! Get back or I'll kill her!" Chester yelled. He reminded me of many men I had seen before in hostage situations. He was going to lose it. I would not make it out alive.

Kenneth McCoy stepped forward. He put one of his hands up as he slowly lowered his weapon with the other. " Chester, you would never hurt your own daughter," dad spoke softly. " You and I know that perfectly well." He holstered his weapon.

" I will not go back to the hell hole you put me in!" Chester yelled. " I'm not going back. I'm not going back!"

" Okay, okay," dad softly replied as he nodded. " What is it you want, then? What is it we can trade for the life of your daughter Mercer?" 

" You have to let me go. You have to let me go!" The hysteria in his voice kept on growing. This wasn't a good sign. Not a good sign at all.

" Okay, alright Chester, we'll let you go. But before we do that, we want you to take the knife away from your daughter's throat and slowly put it on the ground. We will not engage, I promise. Can you do that? That's all we ask in return."

I could feel the doubt rising. Dad shot a glance at his colleague. Oh no. No, no, no.

" You're lying McCoy, you're lying!" he yelled as I felt how the knife pierced through my skin. " No!" someone yelled before a loud bang echoed through the room. Something fell down behind me, as I saw how dad came rushing down to me.

" Cut her loose, cut her loose!" he yelled to his men as he pushed his hands down on my neck. I stared at dad, my eyes filled with fear. This was it. This was actually it then. "D-" 

" Don't talk, Mercer baby. Don't talk." I just blinked. I could feel how my hands were loose all of a sudden, followed by my feet as someone lifted me up. I suddenly felt extremely light-headed, my eyes extremely heavy.

" Mercer, stay with me!" dad's voice was far away. " Mercer, I swear to fucking God," he shouted. I managed to lift them open slightly. " Niall," I tried to say, even though I hadn't been allowed to talk. " He's fine, sweetheárt. He's alright. Stay with me, okay? Stay with me." 

He wasn't fine. He was dead. I wanted to scream it at him, how he had to find him, but darkness claimed me, once again.