Chapter 12 | Phase Two

Callie's POV

Chad brought himself back into the basement nearly out of breath, "Katherine put out a statement to the public, urging anyone with any information to come forward. A detective called me at the market, I have to be at the police station by 4:00 for questioning."

A glimmer of hope spread across Stefan's face, "Just let me go Chad. Don't let this crazy woman jeopardize your future, your career. I'm moving out of state, the firm is yours when my father retires."

Daggers of anger were strewn in his direction, and the small glimmers of hope in Stefan's eyes quickly disappeared. "That crazy woman is my girlfriend," Chad spat out, "The least of my worries is going to prison. I murdered someone, prison is the oblivion of the situation. Inevitable and unavoidable."

The hums of the elevator sounded off into the basement, looks of confusion and fear could be read on my face.

I looked at Chad for any sign of knowingness, "Who's coming down?"

The elevator came to an immediate halt at the entrance of the basement. Chad and I stood at both sides impatiently waiting for the lift doors to open. The clanking of heels on the cement let us know that the person was feminine, and deep down I knew it couldn't have been Melanie.

Chad motioned for me to hide under the countertop, in a narrow cabinetry that could only fit one. The person behind the door grunted loudly in a struggle, signifying that whoever it was had never been down here before. Her long brown hair was the first thing that became visible, followed by her slim figure, and porcelain face.

Her.

She waltzed into the basement followed by the shocking presence of Melanie behind her, both of them smiling from ear to ear. I hid behind the doors of the cabinetry, silencing my breathing.

Chad stood up briskly and stammered over to the two, "What is going on here?"

Melanie gave out a sinister chuckle, "I caught this one lurking around outside. I took her under my wing." She draped her arm around Katherine, who returned the gesture.

Katherine broke up the feelings of the reunion, "Where's Callie? I need to talk to Callie."

Chad approached her and towered over her aggressively like an animal protecting it's prey from another predator, "What do you want with Callie? What do you want Katherine? If you're here to talk down Callie, you need to understand the full situation."

She held a hand up in his face stalling his arguments, "I'm not here to stop this. I deserve to know the truth. I don't expect to get the full truth out of you, and I've only gotten the partial truth out of Stefan. Let me talk to Callie."

The cabinet door creaked as I crawled out of the small space nervously, Chad came rushing to my aid.

"What are you doing here?"

A look of shock spread across her face as she stared me down from my face to my protruding abdomen. I knew by her expression that she originally didn't believe I was pregnant, not until now.

A shocked Katherine made her way to Stefan, his vulnerable body still shackled to the post. She pressed one of her heels into his groin and watched pleasantly as he began to shout in pain, "Did you think you were going to get away with this? We would move and all of your worries and problems would disappear? A fucking baby doesn't go away Stefan. You're more psychotic than she seems to be, at least she didn't run."

She pressed her heel into him once more before retreating back towards us, "I am so sorry he put you through everything. I should've known better than to continue forward with him. With that said, do what you have to do." She flashed me a reassuring smile and Melanie led her back to the lift.

Melanie closed the lift behind Katherine, allowing for her to leave by herself. I walked my way towards her and lost it.

The loud smack of my hand making contact with her face ignited the room, "Are you insane? What if she runs back and tells the police?"

She cupped her hand to her face with a look of pure agony washing over her, "She won't talk," tears welled within her eyes showing weakness, "I had a long chat with her before coming down here. She knows if she talks, she's shackled to the same pole. Enduring the same treatment as his."

I nodded my head, "Just know if she talks, you'll be in the same position too. You might be my best friend, but this is for my child. Nobody, not even you, will come between that."

I had never held any hatred towards Melanie in our many years of friendship, there was never any sort of envy. We had never had a firm disagreement over anything, not even over a guy. It broke my heart to believe that streak had just ended. She stood there full of sorrow, not able to make out any words.

The sound of Chad hoisting a chair towards Stefan jerked me out of my daydreams, and brought my attention back to what was going on.

"If we're going to shock him, you'll need to strap him to this seat. The metal stakes are on the counter, I'll take care of those. Melanie, hook the battery to an electrical unit and check the voltage. We're trying to stun him, not blow him up."

We retreated to our stations as if everything had been rehearsed. I grabbed the gag from the white plastic bag and made my way to Stefan who was now pleading harder than ever, "Please Callie, don't do this."

My anxiety was at it's peak, making his words almost inaudible. The gag completely silenced him except for slight muffles he would make as means of begging for everything to come to a stop.

Stefan fought Chad as he began strapping him to the metal chair he had lugged by the post. He began kicking his feet uncontrollably until Chad had no choice but to hit him with surreal force. The sound of Chad's fist making contact with Stefan sounded like a cannon going off. His eyes instantly rolled into the back of his head and he came crashing to the floor, it was as if he had died but he was only unconscious.

With a quickness Chad had Stefan hoisted into the seat, and strapped into place. Buckles and duct tape around his ankles, and his arms tightly bound behind his back. The gag remained in his mouth, even though it seemed Stefan was going to be knocked out for awhile.

Chad began filling a small canteen with cool water from the fountain, I looked at him questionably. "It will make for a proper stimulant," he stampeded over to Stefan, "You don't want him asleep do you?"

He trickled the water over Stefan's head sending him into a coughing frenzy. "What was that for?" He managed to make out after his repeated hackling.

Chad kneeled before him, "It really saddens me to see you like this. I almost, in a way, feel sorry for you."

His gaze met mine from across the room, and back to Melanie who was smiling sinisterly with the metal stakes in her hands.

She gracefully brought forth the stakes to me, "I'll let you do the honors. Just stab straight through, that's the easy way. He won't feel a thing, not until afterwards when he realizes he's been stuck. Don't let the amount of blood scare you, just keep moving forward!"

Her pep talk sent electric waves of anxiety up my spine, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand tall. Their eyes were locked in on me, I could feel their stares as I inched my way towards Stefan. His breathing was heavy and uneasy, each breath more prolonged than the last.

His eyes streamed constant tears, and his muffling became increasingly louder as I drew nearer. I stared at him apologetically for a brief moment before switching off the hint of sympathy, and turning my emotions back into rage.

"All you had to do was make the right choice," I held the stake over my head and forced it down sinking it deep into Stefan's thigh. The blood trickled out of the depths of his trousers, forming a puddle on the cement floor.

His wails of pain rang out through the gag, becoming almost deafening. Chad and Melanie joined in a unison of eery laughter as I brought the second stake down, managing to sink it deeper into this thigh than in the first. The blood continued to ooze until the two puddles met in the middle.

I watched as Stefan squirmed and eventually his head bobbed down towards his chest as he, once again, lost consciousness.