The Hidden World

Visit

He should've known something was wrong.
Terribly wrong.
After Hiccup had woken up in the library of his university, still trembling from his nightmare, he had known something was off. So what had he done?
What he always did, when he had a feeling in his gut.
He ignored it.
Embarrassed he had brushed away his sticky notes of his cheeks and rubbed away the annoying saliva with his sleeves. He had packed his notes into his backpack and stormed out of the dark building.
Now, when he opened the door to their apartment at nine o'clock, he couldn't ignore his feeling anymore.
Something was wrong, and he knew it.
His dream should've been warning enough. He dreamt of it since he could say his own name. The meaning of his dream though remained a mystery. But never, in none of these nightmares ever, the hand had touched him. And he had never understood the meaning of the screeches of this something.
So why had this same old dream changed all of a sudden?
Hiccup was pretty sure to find the answer in his dark home. He never came back to a dark apartment.
Sure, it made sense.
Jorge never liked to stay home after studying the whole day. He preferred living his life, going to the club and picking up on some girls, with no luck of course.
But every time Hiccup came late (likely every evening) he was greeted by a warm light in the kitchen. Finn would always read his beloved books and eat some sweets on the sly.
Hiccup walked past the kitchen. There was the book of the northern culture he had recommended to Finn, laying open.
Finn never left a book open.
Walking up to his bedroom, Hiccup noticed how observant he could be. Must be one of his countless flaws, always to possess a certain feeling of control. Next to his immense paranoia.
He opened his door and enlightened the room, immediately greeted by his two living comrades, tied and gagged on two separate chairs.
"Good evening Hiccup."

_______________________________________

"Good evening Hiccup." The muscular man greeted him friendly. "We-" He pointed at Hiccup's terrified friends. "-have been waiting for you to join us for quite some time."
Hiccup let his bag drop to the floor. He took a shuddering breath, reprimanded himself to stay calm. It held composure, at least on the outside. He couldn't speak for his frantic heart beat.
"I'm sorry. Didn't know I'd expect any visitors today." He answered carefully, though compelled not the hide a significant amount pf sass. Count that flaw to his list, damn. He never knew when to shut his mouth.
"Did ya fall asleep in the library? Again?" The stranger asked, sounding like a scolding parent.
Hiccup shrugged his shoulders.
"Sorta." He continued their unnatural casual conversation. He didn't know the person who had captured his friends. Seems like the unknown man did surely know him, appearing like a friendly neighbor or his uncle. No doubt Hiccup could forget the second one.
He shuddered when he realized, that guy knew him like a book. He had studied him carefully, before turning to the criminal side. He was informed about Hiccup's life, probably from morning to late evening. Let alone this fact proved the stranger to be well prepared and more likely not stupid. Hiccup shouldn't underestimate his personal stalker. Cold anxiety pulsed through his veines when he thought about the stalker's next motives. Stalking Hiccup didn't seem sufficient enough. What would be his next moves? Could this man be a psychopath, planning to murder them all? If he was a mere rapist, he could've attacked Hiccup alone, somewhere in the city at night. When he'd be alone. Not a comforting thought, but somehow Hiccup doubted the three would get out alive tonight. He saw the article in front of him, first three victims of the newest serial killer.
The man let himself drop on Hiccup's bed. A grimace drew itself on the young adult's face after his merely audible gasp. He'd like to burn the bed immediately, but due to money shortage, his best option would be to change the sheets. Saying the person would leave of course, which seemed to be even more of an unrealistic turn of events.
"Sure, make yourself at home. Shall I get you something to drink? Coffee? Beer?" Hiccup growled annoyed. He was frustrated. Dying here, now, this night. He had achieved nothing with his shitty life and now he would take any secrets of his mysterious past to his grave.
Hiccup was still standing at the doorway, didn't dare to do anything the stranger wouldn't approve. He could almost hear Jorge arguing how cowardly Hiccup behaved. Having a conversation instead of trying to chase the man away. Of all people Jorge, he'd be the first to run away. Hiccup could manage. He knew how to survive. He'd rather die than living such a life again.
F
At least Finn would understand. Being cautious could be more useful than storming mindless into action. By the looks of it, the man had taken down two young adults. Finn was tall and corpulent, Jorge was rather small, but extremely bulky and strong. If the man actually managed to take both men down without sneaky tricks in their drinks or something like that, Hiccup didn't stand a chance. Strength wasn't his strongest suit. Nevertheless, he was more the person to outsmart his enemies. At least he guessed that, since he'd never walked into his room with a stranger holding his friends captive.
"No, but thanks. Never find sleep when I drink late at night." The short haired man replied with a smirk. He didn't even wear black things, like anyone who would consider to break in. He wore a casual pair of Jeans with a grey shirt, perfectly unnoticeable in the crowd.
Hiccup sighed, getting tired of the conversation.
"Seriously, who are you? And what do you want?" He threw into the room, a little bit too annoyed. He completely forgot to fear for his life. Maybe it was life itself which formed him tired and exhausted. Hiccup's gaze fell into the looks of his friends. They were scared, no, horrified. He could hear their frantic heart beat miles away. Sweat drops travelled their skin and hid under their clothes. They stared at him in disbelief. How did he manage to stay this calm Hiccup knew, the real question was, how did he manage to act this calm, despite being terrified to the core.
The man made a surprised face, but Hiccup expected everything to be a show.
"Now where are my manners? You can call me Viggo." Said man replied, making himself even more comfortable on Hiccup's bed. A dull sadness spread through Hiccup's body. He knew this man's name. He knew his killer's name. Sure, that couldn't be his real name, though on the other side, Hiccup wasn't a common name as well.
"I guess you already know my name, in fact, I think you even know myself better than I do." Hiccup stated dryly which left the stranger assumingly called Viggo to chuckle to himself.
"So mind telling me what you want? You know, so we can wrap this up, go to bed and prepare for another day?"
Internally Hiccup prayed he could survive to see the next sunlight at all. He was used to fight against all hopes. This one seemed to be stronger, a hopeless situation.
"My dear boy, you have something I want." Viggo confessed suddenly. Nothing Hiccup would've expected. As a student he didn't really possess very much. So obviously nothing material. Primarily he thought the man would torture all three and leave them all dead. Wait, rape could count as torture?
"I have no money, if you're asking for that." He explained bluntly. He felt pretty dumb as the words left his mouth. Viggo laughed carefreely. Then he stood up, revealing a pair of shackles on the top of his bed. Hiccup swallowed hard. Every fiber of his body screeched No!
"You're a clever boy, you probably know what I expect of you." Viggo mumbled. Hiccup prepared to protest, but right after he opened his mouth, a muffled scream interfered.
"No pressure, but..."
Hiccup studied the little knife on Jorge's throat. Viggo glared dangerously at Hiccup. His movement was too fast for the naked eye. Hiccup didn't doubt he could slit his friend's throat with the same speed.
Earlier he had thought about outsmarting the man, but he came to the conclusion it was impossible. Not with the lives of his friends on edge. Let's face it, Hiccup wasn't prepared at all, unlike the other man. All Hiccup did all day was studying, though no one in university taught them how to beat a random guy in your home, using your friends as hostages.
Slowly he made his way over to the only bed in this room. He laid himself on his back, the handcuffs snapping sickly on his wrists. He never felt this uncomfortable in his own bed.
Viggo walked towards him and Hiccup needed to think quickly. He could already guess what the stranger had in mind. But why him? Why him in this great wide world? Had he been discovered, just this once, in the wrong time and place?
"Listen, I have no money I-"
"Yes yes, you're an orphan, you're barely keeping your own ass in the university, I know the story. Stop trying to create distractions. We had our conversation time."
Hiccup's breath turned shallow and rapid when Viggo sat himself down next to him. Tears burned at the corner of his eyes. This is it. The horrible end to his horrendous story.
Now Finn and Jorge would finally hear his fear, but thanks to the well placed chairs not get a glimpse of it. They had a first row seat towards the door. But his bed was on the other side of the room, behind the chairs and his friends.
That stranger knew him more than anyone did. He had never told his friends he was an orphan. There were only a handful people who knew about this detail of his private life. And none of these knew with Hiccup's approval.
"Well, I'm not sitting on a hidden wealth either, so... what exactly do you want?"
Hiccup breathed. He was scared of the truth. But he needed to know it. He needed him to say it. The sooner this was over, the better. He already knew he would move out. He wouldn't consider sleeping in a bed he'd been raped in. Irrational to think he would survive this night. Weird, he knew he would die tonight. Still he kept on thinking as if everything would pass by normally after this, as if nothing happened.
"Oh I wouldn't be so sure, my dear Hiccup. The thing I'm after is more worth than any wealth to me."
Hiccup raised one eyebrow. Thing? A sudden hope, that the man was indeed after something material appeared again and he almost sighed in relief. So concerned of the rape, he didn't care about the murder possibilities for a moment.
"What thing?" Hiccup asked in confusion. Viggo smirked. "Easy my dear" Hiccup hated how he called him his dear.
"The other thing you received from your parents, other than your name."
The boy widened his eyes and he'd be pretty fine to vomit, right on Viggo's lap. How on earth could he know that? There was only one person in this world who could know about it. The woman who found him in an old basket with the name Hiccup engraved on it, on a cold winter's day. Or... the person who left the basket with the little babe in it.
"You know my parents?"
Hiccup assumed. This man was old, but too young to be his actual father. And he just knew, his caretaker would never give away any information of how she found him. Or better said, couldn't. Apparently his old caretaker was in a care home suffering a neurological disease called Alzheimer.
Viggo chuckled. "Sorry little one, impossible." Hiccup turned onto a sad expression, completely forgetting the fact how vulnerable he was to the stranger, with his hands tied up.
"Stop distracting, where is it?" The man grumbled annoyed. Being taken to a trip to his lonely past and back, Hiccup wasn't exactly in the mood anymore.
"It's worthless anyway."
The strange object, found with him in the old basket, did really do nothing. Hiccup had tried to decipher it often, trying to open it. Search for clues, a meaning, anything! The result stayed the same.
"Then why bother keeping it?"
This question hit him and he blushed deeply before he answered honestly.
"It's the only thing I have left. The only connection to where I belong."
Viggo didn't seem touched by Hiccup's confession, rather bored.
"Sweet." He yawned. "Now. Where is it?"
Hiccup sealed his lips demonstratevely. The stranger stood up, dangerously walking to his friends.
"Make up your mind Hiccup. What is it that you choose? One worthless object, left to you like garbage by people who abandoned you?"
Hiccup winced due to the unspoken comparison of being garbage.
"Or the life and relationship of your dear beloved friends?"
Obviously there was no decision to take. Jorge already agreed with a muffled Give it to him already! Finn also nodded silently. Or he trembled, Hiccup couldn't really tell with his own body shivering too much.
For the first time he realized, the chaos in his room wasn't on his account, as usual. He had cleaned it two days ago, so it was even impossible for someone like him to recreate this mess. Viggo had already searched for himself.
Hiccup sighed in defeat and told him the exact location. Sung down the security instructions he built to keep his treasure hidden, sometimes even from himself. Seconds later, the cylinder like object was in the big hands of the criminal.
"Finally..." He mumbled and Hiccup almost didn't hear it. He scrunched his eyebrows and glared confused at the man. This didn't seem like the regular murder he read about in books or like in the movies Jorge sometimes watched. This man wasn't a murderer. Hiccup didn't doubt the man could kill someone and live happily ever after it. But, he wasn't a real murderer, who enjoyed the act of killing. More confident than before, Viggo made his way back to Hiccup. Due to his revelation, he didn't feel as much scared as before.
"Thank you my dear." He purred and placed a kiss on Hiccup's forehead. The boy gasped in disgust and squirmed away from his touch. It didn't stop Viggo though to gag him with a filthy cloak and leave him panting.
"Enjoy your night and prepare for your next day. Unfortunately, that'll be a farewell for forever."
He left Hiccup struggling and knocked his friends into unconsciousness. Hiccup forgot to fight against the gag. It took much for him to realize, that this scary confrontation was really over. His friends were out and he was definitely quieted for neighbors to keep sleeping peacefully. No rape, no murder. What a lucky bastard he was in fact.
The stranger stopped in his actions and looked back to the brown haired boy, chained to his bed. His stomach turned upside. This wasn't over. Oh no, he would regret his thoughts definitely, why did he even have to jinx it damn!
"Actually Hiccup, I do have a little bit time left."
He turned around with overflowing enthusiasm. Hiccup's heart stopped beating for a second, he could've jumped out of his window if not tied up in his bed.
"Might as well give you a real thank you..."