The Tower

Chapter 27

He stared at her. "What..? Do you mean? He'll kill me?"

"Of course he intends to." Laura said in a low voice. in the silence of the hall, her voice was a like an explosion. 

"No.. no..NO! It can't be!"

"Yes..yes..Yes. It can be." Laura whispered. "It's the truth. Accept it. not like you deserve any better anyway." 

No one said a word. Stephone lay quivering like 50 volts of electricity had been passed through him.  

It was Daniel who spoke next. "I'll offer you one way out of this. You do realize that if you get out of here without stopping Sarah, he will torture you to death.  If you do stop her even though the chances are close to nil, Holland will still kill you. There are no two ways about this. Regardless of what happens, you will die. Even the way I'm offering you will end only in that."

Stephone didn't even look at him. "You will kill me right now and stare me from being tortured, isn't that your offer?" 

"Yes."

What does he intend to do? What is going to choose? I can't tell. 

Sarah kept her eyes focused on Stephone. "Stephone....." Once again words failed her. 

Finally, Stephone looked up. He painfully crossed his feet and sat with his hands on his legs. "No. I reject it. If I die of torture then so be it. But I won't die at your hands." Daniel crossed his hands, his gun dangling from his fingertips. He raised his eyebrows and requested an explanation.  

Stephone stared back down at his feet and clutched them tightly. "I don't have one. I can't offer one. Really, I don't know myself. I guess it's because I have my own sense of pride. I know what you are offering me is the best way out right now and the only. But I can't bring myself to agree."

Daniel curled his fingers around the gun.  "You realize this isn't easy for me, right? To offer to help you. When you just not more than ten minutes ago killed my wife? So understand that I'm not being nice. Do you really want to die at the hands of your master or at the hands of a man who actually hates you? Also, it would ease my soul to see you dead." 

Stephone smiled a weak smile at Daniel. A sadistic smile. Paul realised what it meant even before it happened. "Is he...?"

Stephone looked back down at his feet before standing up. "I know. I realised that when you offered. So..." Sarah felt Paul tense. "Paul..?" Paul yelled out to Daniel. Daniel quickly looked at Paul for a second but a second was all Stephone needed. He lunged out and came crashing down on Daniel. He forced the gun out of the shocked Daniel's hands and placed it to his head. 

"Goodbye, and thank you for offering."

BAM! 

Blood splattered again. 

God, she had enough. Sarah had seen enough blood to last her life. She felt sick. She leaned to the side and threw up.   

Someone, save me.

A stunned silence is hard to break. Finally, Daniel spoke up. "Well, that was unexpected." Signs of the old Daniel re-emerging made her want to smile. Paul patted her. "it's over. It's okay." She nodded. But she still couldn't get that image out of her head.  

Laura turned to the silent Mary. "Mary, contact a man named Johnathan once you get out. Did I say that before? Oh well. Just get Sarah to tell him about Holland, kay? I think he's a lawyer.. or something. Anyway, just do it and then maybe we can close this story." Mary nodded faintly.