Vengeance

Chapter 54

Ava's POV

I sat there on my bed with my laptop showing the half covered face of the person who broke into our home two days ago.
All I could hear was my heavy short breaths as I stared into those blue eyes on the screen.
I was desperate to find out the guy behind this. I stole a pendrive from Ryan.. For this?
A nightmare coming true?
I was trying to move on.
And now my past had come finding me himself.

No! This can't be happening.
No! No! No! 

I shut down the laptop and rushed to the washroom. Turning the tap on, I splashed some cold water on my face. I stared at my reflection in the mirror which was in front of me and tried to calm down. 

I can't lose control right now.
If he is who I think he is.. I have to be prepared for absolutely anything. 

I went back to my bed and once again looked at his image on the laptop screen. 

Now that I'm looking at him again, I can guarantee that's him.
I've spent 13 years in fear of this unpredictable monster.
There's no way I could be wrong about him.
It is Arthur.

Ping! 

It was a message from an unknown number.
Out of curiosity, I opened the chat box. There was a video on it, with a message in caps. 

WATCH IT AND OBEY. 

A shiver went through me, just by reading it. I felt a knot forming in my gut, as I sensed something bad was on it.
Taking a deep breath, my trembling hand played the video.
At first, everything was black. And then, a voice spoke up. A very familiar and dreadful voice.
"Missed me, sweetcheeks?"
My heart dropped a beat. 

Ohmygod! So it IS him.
Arthur is back! 

The video started showing a little something. On looking carefully, I noticed a single lamp above and just below it was a chair. The back the chair was facing the camera so I could not really see who was sitting on it. Or should I say bound to it. 

"I'm sure you must have missed me as much as I missed you." 

Arthur finally came into vision walking slowly, wearing the same black hoody, except this time the mask was off. I could clearly see his face, battered and beaten face. His right hand was injured. Ryan had done quite some work on him that day. He stood in front of the chair facing the camera. Slowly the image of the person bound to the chair with their back to the camera, was getting clearer. 

By the outline of the figure, I concluded that it was a female. She had short hair.
"My dear wife-to-be, we didn't really get a chance to marry now, did we?" He had his signature sinister smile plastered on his face. He walked towards the girl sitting on the chair and pulled hair back towards the camera. She yelped loudly.
I winced since I knew how it hurt.
But since now the lamp was directly on her, I could see more of her feature. But still the video didn't show the face.
Her hair were dyed blue at the bottom, ears has several piercings, skin was pale.
My heart started racing again. I felt the knots twisting in my stomach. 

Please, let it not be who I think it is!
Please, God, please! 

"Now since I know you so well, I guessed you won't just do what I say. You've always needed some motivation to do what's been told to you." He was grinning at the girl, who was whimpering in pain. Maybe her mouth was sealed with duct tape. 

"So I decided to find you some motivation. After a week of observation, I noticed her with you all the time. What's your name...?" Arthur pretended to think hard. 

"Oh Yeah! Alexaaa.." 

NO! 

I felt tears leaking out of my eyes.
"I must say, she was even harder to control than you ever were. But I managed to tie her up anyway." He laughed like a mentally unstable person. 

"Now I know, what you will do! You will run like a little bitch towards that lover of yours.. what's his name.. Ah! Ryan.. And spill the beans." He looked straight into the camera, making me feel like he was staring at me. 

"But", He slowly took out a gun with his left hand and started playing with it, "Don't make that mistake. Because you know what will happen if you do?" He pointed it on Alexa's forehead and smirked. 

Lifting his eyes to the camera, he said, "Bang!" 

And the bullet went through her skull, blood splattered all over Arthur and some of its droplets landed on the camera.
The phone dropped from my hand, as I went still with shock.
Her body went limp on the chair and he didn't even flinch. He was laughing like a maniac even with her blood all over his face and clothes. 

He killed her.
He killed Alexa. My friend.
He's a psychopath!
A monster!
How could he?!

I was a sobbing mess by now. I picked up the phone again with my trembling hands.
He had picked up the camera and wiped the blood droplets off it.
"This was just an example of what I can do if you tell anyone. Now let's get to the main part." Arthur walked away from there along with the camera and stopped to in front of another chair, on which another person was sitting. 

The lighting on this person was dim but enough to figure out that it was a man this time.
His face was covered and he was also bound to chair. Unlike Alexa, I could actually see this man since the camera faced the front of the chair. 

"I know what a curious little thing you are. You want to know who that is right? As you wish sweetcheeks!" I could only hear Arthur and not see him since he was the one holding the camera.
He went towards the man and removed his mask. 

NO!
Oh my god! Please!
Why??!!
Why is this happening with me? 

"I think you know him quite well." He patted the side of his face to wake him up. 

"Seth." 

His face was bruised, mouth was sealed with duct tape and he was unconscious.
My heart clenched in my chest. 

Why was he targeting my friends? 

Arthur turned the camera back to himself, "So unless you want me to blow his brains as well, like I did to your friend Alexa.. "He grinned sadistically. 

"Come to me, Ava. Willingly and all alone. Location will be sent. And don't try to act smart. You know what happens if you do." He pointed the gun at Seth's head and acted pulling the trigger, "BANG!" 

And started laughing like the Satan he was.

I let out a frustrated cry as I threw the phone on the bed.
"Alexa!" 

I need to know if it was really her! 

I picked up my phone and called her right away.
Her phone was switched off. 

No, no, no! 

I frantically searched for Ali's number and called her.
Even her phone was switched off. 

Does this mean it was really Alexa?
Did Arthur just kill Alexa?! 

My mind was racing with several thoughts, sweat covered my forehead and I just couldn't stop trembling.
But I got up from the bed and wiped my tears.
"No, Ava. You can't fall apart right now. Even if it wasn't Alexa, Arthur has Seth and that's a fact. You've seen his face. You can't let an innocent person die because of you, especially not when he is your friend." I tried to encourage myself.
"He fucking killed someone!" I yelled.

"Who killed who?"

Oh no..