ABTS 2: Chances

The Truth

Warning: semi-graphic content

FLASHBACK
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"Alex, there's something we need to talk about," Hannah inquires.

"Whats up?" I ask as I scroll through Twitter, sitting across the couch from her at her apartment.

"I did a bad thing, and I don't know how to tell you because I feel really awful and I know that I'm a horrible person," she continues.

"Huh? What's the matter, hun," I get off my phone as I grow more concerned about how nervous Hannah is getting.

"Well, I just... I uh-," she begins.

"Listen, I'm sure whatever it is, it's fine. I'm not worried about it and it's not worth you getting all worked up over. I love you," I say to make her feel better. I'm sure whatever it is is not a big deal.

"Oh.. but-."

"Don't worry, Han," I insist. "I need to go, it's late and I have work tomorrow morning. I love you, ok," I get up and give her a hug.

"I love you too, A," she says sweetly after calming down. "Be careful, okay?"

I nod and grab my bag and head out the door. The night is crisp and warm, it's dark, but calm.

I get to the piece of junk car that Zach let me borrow and as I unlock the door, I notice this man dressed in all black, leaning against a fence across the way. He's just standing there. I move quickly to get into the car, but before I can he hollers.

"Hey, you," his voice is deep and very raspy. A distinct voice that made your skin crawl.

I turn to look at him while grasping mace from my bag, "Yeah?"

"You Hannah?"

"Uhm, no, why?" I ask very confused.

"Mmm. I saw you come out of her place, just wondering," he says bluntly and begins to walk away. My fear lessons as my confusion grows.

"How do you know her?" I blurt out.

He turns around and pauses, "I work at the front desk of the apartment complexes. I needed to discuss her lease."

"Okay," I reply hesitantly and get into my car. Hannah's got some weird landlords.

I start the car and head back to me and Zach's place.

———————
END FLASHBACK

That memory was the day before Hannah got murdered. The last time I ever talked to her. It plays in my head as I feel the weight of the world on my shoulders waiting for the laptop to load so we can put in the flash drive and see what Zach has been hiding.

"Hurry up!" Ethan yells at the laptop.

The laptop is on my lap and the guys are all huddled around me to see. Josh directly you my right and Vik directly to my left.

When it loads, I grip the flash drive between my fingers and take a deep breath.

"Are you sure we have to look," I turn to the guys.

"Just do it!" Simon insists impatiently.

I sigh, "Here goes nothing."

I shakily insert the flash drive into the computer. At first nothing happens. I feel my heart beating so fast and my skin feels hot.

Then suddenly, a gray screen pops up. Like the kind when something is just an audio with no video. And there's a play button.

"Oh my gosh," I say under my breath.

"Shhh and click play," Josh worriedly says.

I drag the mouse to the play button and hesitantly click it. I hold my breath.

At first, we hear rustling, then slowly, it becomes more coherent. I hear whimpering from what sounds like a female. Then suddenly, I hear a voice that sounds all too familiar.

"Hey, Mr. Frode. I'm here with the girl."

I could recognize that raspy, deep voice anywhere. It's the man I saw outside Hannah's apartment the night before she died. I put my hand up to my mouth.

"Frode is Zach's last name and I recognize that voice," I say out loud.

"This is the proof you needed. I want that $10,000 tomorrow, no excuses," the raspy voice man demands.

He then stops talking and we can just hear the girl whimpering.

"Please, don't do this, I'm pregnant!" Wait, that's Hannah's voice.

"Oh my God, Hannah," I whisper.

Josh grips into my hand to comfort me and I think comfort himself as well.

Then it happens, her death. All so quick. The pain in my heart thickens as tears well up in my eyes.

"Shit," JJ says out loud.

I feel a comforting hand on my shoulder but I can't move. I cant even turn around to see who it is. I am numb.

"It's been done. You're welcome. You won't have to worry about her or your unborn baby anymore. Like I said, money tomorrow, or you'll regret it," the man says and the voice memo cuts out.

There is a long break of silence as we all just processed what we had just heard.

"What," Harry breaks the silence. I have tears streaming down my face.

"Wait so," Simon starts shakily. "Zach got someone to kill Hannah. And he want Hannah dead because-."

"Because he had an affair with Hannah and she was having his baby," Tobi finishes.

I take a shaky breath and weakly say, "He didn't want me to find out, and he didn't want to have a kid."

"Fuck," JJ says quietly.

I start to connect the dots in my brain and realized the bad thing Hannah wanted to confess to me the night before she died. She slept with my boyfriend. And the guy outside was planning and waiting for the right moment.

"Call the police," Josh says. Ethan dials and tells them what we just witnessed.

Broken up from the huddle around the laptop, the guys start pacing as Ethan talks.

Harry comes next to me as I sit in my pit of despair.

"You gonna be okay?" He asks softly.

I look up to him with sad, tear-filled eyes, "How?"

"I don't know, man. I don't know." He pulls me in for a side cuddle and I rest my head on his chest. I don't ever wanna move.

I just want this nightmare to end.

A/N
This highkey felt like Riverdale LMAO. Oh well, hope you all enjoyed, I definitely enjoy getting back into writing after so long. Hope you're all doing good.
-Kayla