The End Of The Road | HEROPHINE

Chapter 18

Hero's Pov:
I hear a loud knocking at the door from downstairs, and I'm shocked that the whole house isn't filled with the sound of my son crying. I check on him as I pass the nursery, and he's still sound asleep. I guess the kid is just tired.
I descend the staircase as the pounding on my front door only continues, possibly even louder than before. 'Alright, alright!' I half-shout, reaching for the handle.
As the door opens I'm greeted with a hard blow to the jaw and I stumble backwards from the impact. The pain is intense but bearable as I realise who it is.
'What the fuck have you done?' Roger yells, pinning me against the nearest wall.
'What the fuck?' I spit, breathing heavily through my teeth, adrenaline now pumping through my system.
'My wife is gone! Gone!' What did you say to her the other day.. at the store?' He interrogates, pulling me forward and then pushing me back against the hard wall, my back taking the force.
He puts a hand to my neck and holds me still.
'Now you tell me what you know.'
'Nothing.' I say, more calmly than you'd think I'd be in this situation.
'Liar!' He shouts, and as he lets go and swings for me again, I manage to dodge it.
I deliver a punch to his face and shove him hard, taking advantage of the fact I caught him off guard. I could destroy this piece of shit if I wanted to, I just wanted to let him enjoy his little moment first. But now, I've had it with his bullshit.
'Now you listen because I'll only say this once,' I lean over him, disgust painted in my expression, 'I wouldn't dream of hurting my wife, or her friends for that matter.'
I grab his jaw and hold it still. He remains quiet.
'Now if you'd excuse me, I would like to get back to my son. So if you wanna fight me first, be my guest. But right now, you're the last of my priorities. Maybe try looking for your wife, rather than assaulting innocent people in a pointless fit of rage.' I release him from my hold and silently go back upstairs. I hear his footsteps out the door and it slamming behind him. Thank god that fucking bastard is gone. I pick up my now-crying baby and rock him in my arms. Luckily I got away from that little incident with no proper injuries, or nothing's bleeding at least. A small thought crosses my mind that Jo would hate that I just hit someone, but I remind myself I did it for her, and that he punched me first. I was always taught never to pick fights.. only to finish them, and only if totally necessary. And in this case, I believe it was. That maniac is the last of my worries. I know it's not my fault Clara is missing, too. Although it does remind me that I'm no closer to finding Jo. The police haven't managed to track down the guy in the video yet, and I'm not sure they ever will. It's like no one has a clue who he is, which is like, impossible, especially in a place like Perth. It's not common for psychos to be wandering the streets, either. It makes me question if John is safe growing up here. I'd never have seen something like this coming. And why Jo? What did she do to deserve this shit? I can't stop thinking about how scared she must be right now..

Josephine's pov:
My limbs feel weak, my head pounding. Have I been drugged or something? I'm not sure how long I've been here, wherever here is. Days, weeks, a month or two. Fuck knows. But as time goes on I'm losing every last inch of hope I had. The chances of someone finding me seem slim, if any at all. My time is limited, I can feel it. I just keep hoping that I'll wake up next to Hero and this will all have been a bad dream. But the longer I sit here, alone, restricted, my muscles aching, the faith I have seems to become less and less.

Hero's Pov:
I pull open Jo's drawer, and find one of her t-shirts that I love. It's navy blue and one that I bought her for Christmas a few years back. I pull it to my face and nuzzle into it. It's like she's here, hugging me. I can almost feel her hand on my shoulder. In this moment, I am not alone. I know the bond I have with her is so strong that she is with me, in this room, even if I can't see her. I inhale her scent from the soft clothing and that's when the tears begin to fall. I collapse onto the bed, crying into the blue material, and it's such a bittersweet moment. I just miss her so fucking much, and there is nothing I can do about it.