Just The 2 Of Us

Chapter 14: Just Captive

Nanon took a deep breath and swallowed his own words before they escaped his lips. He was going to choose the first option, but he didn't know what his friend would think of him once he did. Therefore, he unwillingly ignored the murder alternative.

"What do you have in mind? We're gonna tie him up and keep him captive here in your house? For how long? Don't you think anyone will notice he is missing? What about your neighbors, huh? What if one of them saw him come inside and never leave?" Nanon raised all those questions, while hoping that Chimon had a solution for each one of them. However, his friend simply shook his head and started to untie Mark's shoelaces.

"We can also take him to a hospital, if that's what you want. But once he wakes up, we won't be able to defend ourselves. Let me remind you of who we're dealing with first, a very skilled psychopath, who assaulted you and is blackmailing you. If we let him go now, nothing will stop him from going to the police and pressing charges against me." Chimon explained calmly. Nanon started biting his nails while he observed his friend successfully remove both laces from Mark's shoes, tie them together and wrap them around his ankles.

"I don't wanna touch him. I just don't." Nanon said, clearly upset. Chimon lifted his eyes from his task just to look at the singer. The latter was shaking and his expression was quite unsettled.

"You're finally yourself, good. Feeling everything at once just makes you human, Non. You're not a cold machine, you know. Acting is not a way of life, just a part of your life, and you must disconnect from whatever character you're creating in your mind to accept your own reality, no matter how shitty it is. At the end of the day, no one else is wearing your body, but you." A sympathetic Chimon told him, while removing his own belt to bind Mark's hands together. Nanon sighed, averted his eyes from him and quickly changed the subject.

"Who were you calling upstairs?"

"Suicide helpline." Chimon replied without ceremony.

"What?! Why?" Nanon eyed him in disbelief.

"I needed to know what to do in case you were...You know, I just needed some guidance, and I thought someone from a crisis hotline could help me out. Actually, I have a couple of these numbers in my contact list. I have it since you got depressed during the pandemics." Chimon confessed as he stood up and walked to Nanon, who seemed quite overwhelmed by his friend's revelation.

"I appreciate your concern, but those days are gone." Nanon whispered as his eyes watered a bit. "You can delete all these numbers from your contact list, my friend. I'm never going back to that dark place again. I have too much to lose if I do."

"That's right." Chimon connected their foreheads and locked eyes with him. "Don't you ever scare me again, and I'll delete them. I don't wanna hear you talking like that, ever-"

"I'm sorry. I won't." Nanon cut him off and nodded his head. Chimon gave him a kind smile and kissed his forehead.

"I'm gonna go upstairs and find something to gag him. If he wakes up, just knock him out again." Chimon instructed him and left the two alone in order to find the right tools to completely restrain the former badminton player.

Nanon exhaled and gathered enough courage to go to the kitchen, grab some paper towel and wipe some of the blood that soaked Mark's hair. He crouched beside the unconscious man and carefully examined the damage on his scalp. The wound wasn't as deep as it looked, but Nanon wondered if the psycho would need some stitches to stop the bleeding. He couldn't help thinking that Mark could've got a concussion, or something worse. If his head injury was severe, it could lead to coma, and if Mark remained in that prolonged state of unconsciousness for at least a year, Nanon imagined that he could at least have a year of peace. His reverie was broken abruptly when a whisper reached his ear.