Killing You (Ziall)

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The sound of screaming outside the house caught Niall's attention immediately. He had been sitting at the foot of what he assumed was Zayn's bed, pondering how the hell to get out of the prison he was trapped in without getting caught by the killer himself. He wasn't sure where Zayn was and decided he had better stay in the room he was in until he could figure out if it was safe enough to leave.

There wasn't a phone in the bedroom, and Zayn had confiscated Niall's mobile long ago. He was contemplating crawling out the window when the bloodcurdling shriek sounded from below. The blonde boy rushed to the large window and yanked back the blinds, shielding his eyes for a moment as they adjusted to the bright afternoon light. When he returned his gaze to the glass, Niall was met with a sight he had hoped he would never have to witness again.

He discovered Zayn's whereabouts, but wished he was still unsure. The scene playing out on the grass one story below Niall's vantage point was something he would never be able to un-see, as much as he wanted to.

Joey was on his knees in the yellowish grass, blood seeping from a deep slash across his forehead. He looked like he was crying, but Niall couldn't tell from this distance. Zayn was stood before him with a knife in hand, grinning widely at the other boy's apparent pain.

Niall wished he could look away, but something was keeping his attention focused on the gruesome scene playing out below. Zayn's lips were moving, but Niall couldn't decipher what was being said. Nothing nice, he was sure. The darker-skinned boy shot his tattooed arm out and caught hold of one of Joey's muscular ones. The latter tried to rip his arm away, but Zayn's grasp was too strong. He yanked Joey into a standing position and Niall gasped out loud when he saw Zayn gleefully sink the sharp tip of his knife into the muscular bicep and begin carving out indistinguishable symbols.

Niall pressed himself closer to the window, nearly touching its cold surface with his nose as he tried to see what the symbols could mean. There appeared to be two numbers carved into the skin. Niall could only look on helplessly as Zayn continued his "masterpiece". When the damage was done, Joey's face was screwed up in extreme pain and he clenched his right hand to the wound that was dripping blood down the length of his left. Zayn obviously didn't like having his so-called "artwork" covered and he crouched so he was face-to-face with Joey and screamed something at him, probably spraying him with droplets of spit.

Joey shook his head vehemently at whatever Zayn said and kept his grip locked around his red-spattered bicep.

Niall wanted to bang his fists against the glass keeping him captive and shout at Joey to just do what Zayn said. The poor boy knew all too well what atrocities the killer was capable of, and angering him surely wouldn't help anything.

Niall watched in horror as Joey continued to be stubborn. He was being brave, but it was a stupid type of bravery. It was reckless and Niall knew what was coming next before Zayn had even raised a finger.

After the first hole was pierced through Joey's t-shirt clad chest, Niall made himself look away. He forced himself to gulp as he felt like he was about to be sick all over the cream-colored rug covering the wood floor. He and Joey weren't particularly close, but seeing him murdered was no easier than when it had happened to Josh. Niall could feel a phantom knife ghosting over his skin, leaving a deep pang of pain in his own chest.

He hadn't meant to, but Niall found himself returning his gaze to the backyard once again, only to find Zayn stomping angrily toward the door leading into the house. The tanned pigments of his skin contrasted scarily with the sanguine substance dripping like melted ice cream from his fingertips. Niall sat frozen in his place on the window seat and watched as Zayn sloppily transferred the liquid to the front of his dark jeans, staining them rust-colored.