Skins: Endgame

Chapter 20

The house stood still. Pitch black and imposing, like a haunted mansion.

Tony and Cook stood a little down the street, watching Dr Foster enter the front door. After that, it was business as usual: quiet once again.

"Best go round the side and enter through a back window or basement entrance or something," Suggested Cook.

Tony didn't reply, but complied with Cook and moved behind him as they went around to the back of the house. His mind was whirling and he was agitated. Everything had gone smoothly with Josh, a far harder and riskier score to settle. But Cook should have been dead easy. He should have been in jail right now, not in Freddie's garden waiting to ambush him. And he certainly could never have predicted a scenario that would have led to this. It was a rarity, but Tony had no idea what to expect here.

They came to one of the back windows, which did indeed lead down to the basement. Tony peered inside. Near darkness. There were plastic containers visible, a chair, a few other items and a light. Beyond that, nothing else could be made out from outside the window.

Cook fumbled around with it and found that it wasn't properly locked. He opened it and squeezed through, followed by Tony. Cook quickly turned on the light as Tony went and opened up one of the containers. Any lingering hope that this was just a simple, pointless break in had faded away in that second.

Inside them were items of blood stained clothing. A T-shirt. Jeans. Cook quickly inspected them, already fearing the worst, when he found a shoe. Written on the side in permanent marker, was one word. Freddie.

Tony had gone to investigate another corner of the room, to see if they could find anything else, as Cook held the shoe. Sensing they shouldn't be here, Cook began to turn towards him as he heard a thumping sound and the sound of something collapsing onto the floor.

The main lights came on. Standing over a knocked out Tony, was the gaffer of the house himself.

"What have you done?" Demanded Cook, although he already knew the answer.

"Don't be stupid, Cook," mocked Dr Foster." She told me all about you too. There was much to correct in that girl. I almost managed it. Perhaps I still can."

"You... You did something to my friend." Cook felt something building up inside him."

"This is a waste of time," said Dr Foster. "Would you kneel down, please?"

"Mr Foster-" Began Cook mockingly.

"Dr Foster, actually," He interjected. "Kneel down, please."

Cook shook his head, further annoying Dr Foster. Suddenly he lashed out with the baseball bat, hooking Cook right in the stomach with the tip, sending him stumbling into the chair behind him, gasping in pain.

Cook stood up again. Between this and his fight with Tony, he was in a lot of agony. In any other circumstances, he may have just backed down, but not here. He knew exactly what was making him angry now. His beef with Tony was nothing in comparison and he could barely keep himself in check.

Tony himself was conscious again now, but remained placid, not opening his eyes.

"I don't think you know what I am, mate."

"I think I do," Sneered Dr Foster. "You're nothing. You don't deserve that girl. And, you know I do."

Cook couldn't help but feel disgusted at the Doctor. He had manipulated Effy in a way that even Tony would never have been able to do to his worst enemy, all because he wanted to be in a relationship with her.

"I'm a fucking waste of space," Began Cook. "I'm just a stupid kid. I got no sense. Criminal. I'm no fucking use, man. I am nothing. So please, please, get it into your - you know, into your bonks. You killed my friend. And I'm Cook. My friend. You killed the friend of a criminal."

He suddenly lunged at Dr Foster, screaming, "I'm Cook!" at the top of his lungs. He tried to hook him in the face, but Dr Foster was quick. He swung the bat at Cook in defence, hitting Cook on the arm and forcing him to retreat out of the room and deeper into the house. Dr Foster laughed.

"Cat and Mouse. Same thing happened to Freddie. He never got away. You won't either."

He followed Cook outside the basement as Tony began to get up.

Cook made his way into the kitchen, eyes frantically trying to seek a weapon. He noticed a set of kitchen knives and ran over to the opposite end of the kitchen as Dr Foster appeared at the door.

"She's mine Cook! Mine. Jasmine was always going to be mine!"

Cook had no intention of trying to talk sense into him or even to ask who Jasmine was. This was life and death, but at least the Doctor didn't have the element of surprise. Cook knew it was kill or be killed. Poor Freddie must have been so scared as that madman attacked him unexpectedly, thought Tony.

One knife went flying through the air at Dr Foster, but missed. Then another, which he smacked with the baseball bat, sending it almost right back at Cook, who dived out of the way. Dr Foster saw a chance and immediately charged at Cook, waving the bat frantically. He hit Cook in the knee, causing him to collapse to the ground and howl in pain.

Dr Foster raised the bat for one final, lethal blow when suddenly, Cook swung his uninjured arm with more force than ever before, and nutted him right in the genitals.

The Doctor was down but not out. He screamed in anger, grabbing his balls with one hand and one of the knives on the ground with the other. Cook decided against trying to kill him whilst he had a knife in his hand and opted to grab the baseball bat and run as Dr Foster started to get up.

He made it out into the main hallway and found the stairs. He bolted up them at top speed as Dr Foster staggered out the kitchen and made chase.

Cook was in a hallway with a selection of doors, but no exit out the house. Hearing the Doctor climb the stairs, he decided to hide inside the second door on his right.

He found himself in an open bedroom, but it was far from empty. The walls had pictures on them, pictures of a girl-

Effy?!? This is one sick fucker!

But it wasn't Effy. The resemblance was uncanny, but underneath one of the pictures was a piece of handwriting. Jasmine. May you rest in peace until your re-incarnation.

"She was the love of my life Cook."

Cook spun round to see the Doctor had found him. But Dr Foster seemed distracted by the pictures.

"I loved her unlike anything else in this world. But they took her from me."

"Who?" Cook, in spite of everything and despite a capable killer being right in front of him, was interested.

"Hooligans. Scum. Call them what you like. I'd dealt with their sort all throughout my early years. Bullied viciously, it all seemed to end when I met her. But then we went to see a film, and then on the way home they attacked us, she got hit on the head with a brick and - and - and -"

Cook threw the bat at Foster, causing him to jump out of the room, and Cook slammed the door in his face and braced against it. He was in no shape to fight. He could only hope that a neighbor or some passerby had heard all the commotion.

Suddenly Dr Foster slammed against the door with surprising strength. Cook was flung back and fell back onto the floor, trying to edge away from him.

"I lost her!" Screamed Dr Foster, brandishing the knife at Cook. "I lost her! But, I was patient. I waited for decades for her reincarnation to show herself. And now it has in Effy and I won't lose her again! You might love her, but she was mine! She was always-"

He was cut off mid sentence as Tony brought down the bat on his head. He fell to the ground face down and didn't make any movement. Tony went over to Cook and helped him up.

"C'mon, let's get out of here and call the police."

Both looked like they had been through the wars, but together, they helped each other out of the room and into the hall.

As they began to near the stairs, Dr Foster opened his eyes.