Life After Death (#1)

Epilogue

"What do you mean he escaped?!" Joey screamed at the guard standing before him.

"They all broke out sir, all the prisoners, he...he got away, I'm sorr-"

Joey clamped his hands around the guard's neck, wrenching them to the side and snapping his neck with an ear piercing crack.

He paced up and down, seething with rage.

"I wanted to see his face! I wanted to watch him slowly go insane with the loss of his precious Lizzie!" Joey spat.

Joey stormed back into the medical ward, his anger turning to a fake smile.

"I have news!" he cried. "Looks like your friend has escaped; left you without a second thought! What do you think of that?" he grinned.

Lizzie stared back at him blankly.

"He wouldn't do that! He's coming back for me!" she shouted in his face, lunging forward and tugging at the straps holding her down to the bed.

"I doubt that. My guards tell me that he didn't even look for you, didn't think about you for a second. He's long gone little Lizzie," Joey teased.

If he couldn't emotionally torture Max, then she would have to do.

Lizzie stared back at him, opening her mouth to argue, but maybe he was right. Had Max left her? Surely he wouldn't, but why would Joey make it up? Had Max really never cared about her?

"Paulo to see you, sir," a guard announced from the doorway.

Joey exited the room again, leaving Lizzie alone with her thoughts.

"Yes?" Joey said impatiently to the nervous Paulo.

"I did everything you asked. I kept her alive, I lied and told Max she was dead; please can I go now? All the others must think I died in the pit anyway. I can just leave, and you'll never see or hear of me again." Paulo pleaded.

Joey pondered over this idea. Part of him wanted to kill Paulo there and then, but he had always been a man of his word.

"You did as you were asked, my people can take it from here. You're free to go," Joey said.

"Thank you so much!" Paulo replied, but Joey had already turned round and walked back into the ward.

Paulo didn't linger. He felt awful about his betrayal, but he had always told Max that he would do anything to get out of this place. He had to think of himself now.

Joey skipped back to Lizzie's bedside with glee.

"Sorry about that my dear," he smiled.

"Go fuck yourself!" she spat back.

"Oh don't be like that. You and I are going to be spending a lot of time together. See, my team here have been working to find a cure for some time now, but there's only so much they can do with the limited amount of blood I give them," Joey explained.

"Now I have you, and I have all the blood I need," he whispered into her ear.

Lizzie recoiled in horror as Joey laughed manically and left the room once more.

She sat in her bed, crying. She was frightened and alone.

"Where are you, Max? Where are you?" she whimpered.

FIN