Wishful thinking!
Jeremy cackled insanely,unhinged in his delight.
“As long as Natalie remains in my clutches,your backup amounts to nothing!You still have to bow to my whims.If I decree death,then death it shall be!”
With that,he nudged her forward a couple of steps.
Now,Natalie’s toes were perilously close to the edge of the pool.One more shove from Jeremy and she would plunge straight in.
“Stop!”Brandon’s eyes widened in panic,and he instinctively reached out,trying to catch Natalie’s arm.
However,with several yards separating them,if
Jeremy decided to harm Natalie,Brandon could only helplessly watch as she was thrust into the pool teeming with leeches,unable to prevent the calamity.
Brandon instinctively stepped forward,pleading,
“Jeremy,calm down!’
“Don’t move an inch!”Jeremy remained alert against any potential counter-attack from Brandon.
He brandished the needle menacingly,shouting,
“If you dare advance further,Ill end her life!”
Brandon took a deep breath,trying to reason with him.”I won’t move.You need to take it easy!”
Jeremy’s eyes blazed with a manic glow,his expression twisted into something monstrous.He pointed at the pool,hollering,”Enough with the prattle!Dive into the pool.I want to see you die!I want you dead this instant!”
With these words,he threatened to shove Natalie once more.
Brandon was too formidable.Even with his utmost confidence,Jeremy overpower him.
wasnt certain he could
Left with no alternatives,Jeremy intended to kill
Brandon swiftly,using Natalie as his bargaining chip.
He couldn’t afford to waste a single moment.
Only with Brandon’s death could he truly relax!
Forced to the edge of the pool,Natalie had no choice but to gaze at the squirming leeches in the water.The faint stench of blood sent waves of nausea through her,causing her to panic.
How revolting!Of all creatures,she dreaded these legless ones the most!
“Alright,I’ll jump!”Without any delay,Brandon stepped towards the pool.
“No!Don’t!”Natalie cried out,desperation and powerlessness evident in her tear-stricken face as shewatched Brandon,poised to embrace his doom without hesitation.
Brandon bestowed a deep,meaningful look upon
Natalie,who was engulfed in tears,and softly reassured her,”Natalie,don’t worry.Everything will be alright.”
With those parting words,he unflinchingly plunged into the pool.
Splash!As Brandon hit the frigid water,an icy chill shot through his entire body,triggering violent shivers.
Almost immediately,countless leeches latched onto his submerged lower body.
The searing pain turned Brandon’s complexion pallid,but he held his lips tightly shut,his stoic and stern countenance revealing no hint of his agony.
The smell of blood in the pool intensified as the leeches,sensing a fresh meal,frenziedly competed to fasten themselves onto Brandon’s legs.
The sharp pain coupled with the grotesque sensation presented a dual torment to Brandon’s psyche and physique.He struggled to breathe,his brows involuntarily furrowing.
Nonetheless,he remained composed,his deep-set eyes never straying from Natalie,full of unspoken affection.
Jeremy,observing Brandon’s minor grimace of pain,broke into a fit of laughter.His laughter eventually subsided,leaving behind an air of satisfaction.
His expression was that of someone who had just completed a momentous ritual.Looking at
Brandon,he taunted,”Brandon,how does the countdown to your end feel?This is the penance you must pay for your transgressions.Start your journey of atonement!”
Brandon merely raised his eyebrows in response, looking at Jeremy with an incredulous smirk.
“Atonement?I have never resorted to theft or deceit,and my conscience is clear.What sins am
I atoning for?
Natalie,too,stared at Jeremy,perplexed.
She also found it puzzling that Jeremy harbored such intense hatred towards Brandon.They had been targeted multiple times before,but this time
Jeremy intended to kill Brandon as if he was guilty of an egregious crime.Yet,in reality,Brandon was unfamiliar with him.
Despite her weak voice,Natalie’s words carried undeniable conviction.”Brandon has always been honorable and forthright.You,on the other hand, concocted harmful drugs and victimized innocents.
It’s you who needs atonement.”
“Silence!”Jeremy shot Natalie a warning glare before his gaze snapped back to Brandon.His voice,thick with resentment and vitriol,seethed.
“Brandon,you’re a murderer.You shouldve died long ago!How dare you claim innocence!”
He then addressed Natalie,his voice a frenzied shout.”Your husband is a wolf in lamb’s clothing!
He has taken lives and reeks of bloodshed.Can’t you smell it?”
Jeremy’s manic outburst sent chills down Natalie’s spine.She trembled uncontrollably,biting her lip to suppress any further provocations.
“Murderer?”Brandon’s confusion deepened.”You must be mistaken.I have never taken a life.”
Brandon had previously assumed his pursuit by the mysterious pharmacist was a result of business rivalry.Could it be that Jeremy held a personal grudge against him?
Natalie,too,believed that Jeremy was misguided in his thirst for vengeance.She gently tried to reason with him.”I think you’ve got it wrong.Brandon couldn’t have possibly killed anyone.There seems to be a misunderstanding.If you let me go,we could help you find the real culprit.”
A flicker of sarcasm crossed Jeremy’s eyes.”How could 1 mistake my own enemy?It’s Brandon!He killed the one l loved most!”
The resentment and anguish in Jeremy’s eyes appeared genuine.
If he merely sought to target Brandon,he could have conceived a myriad of pretexts without invoking the death of a loved one.
The intensity and authenticity of his emotions only deepened Brandon’s confusion.Incredulously,he asked,”The one you loved?Are you referring to a parent or a sibling?I don’t recall knowing anyone with the surname Button.”
Noticing Brandon’s bafflement,Jeremy’s scornful laughter took on a more ironic note.”You attended Elite Middle School during junior high,didn’t you?” Playing along,Brandon shotback sarcastically,”So? Does attending that school make all its students murderers?Moreover,during my junior high years, I didn’t know anyone with the surname Button,let alone having killed anyone.”
Brandon’s calm denial only fuelled Jeremy’s rage further.He stared vehemently at the composed
Brandon,still immersed in the pool,and roared,
“You don’t remember?How could you forget her!”
A subtle change crossed Brandon’s features as if he’d recalled something.He said slowly,”Did your sister attend the same school?”
Sneering,Jeremy retorted,”You don’t recall her name,yet you’re aware that my sister attended your school.It’s clear youve done your research.”
Brandon did not deny his assertion and nodded calmly.”I was aware that your sister and I were in the same school.However,she later committed suicide by jumping off a building.Are you implying
I had something to do with her death?”
A glacial and murderous look took hold of Jeremy’s eyes as he stared at Brandon.”Aren’tyou?” Understanding why Jeremy was adamant on persecuting him,Brandon couldn’t help but scoff, “This is absurd.The police investigation had concluded her death as a suicide.How am l involved in any way?”
Brandon was truly at a loss for why Jeremy was bent on blaming him.He didn’t just not know Jeremy’s sister,but he had never even conversed with her.
Back then,like numerous other students,he only learned about her suicide after the incident.How could he possibly have caused the death of
Jeremy’s sister?
At Brandon’s words,Jeremy seemed to have heard a ludicrous joke.He laughed uproariously,almost breathless.”Suicide!Ha!A suicide!A suicide indeed!”
Leeches continued their ascent up Brandon’s legs, inducing an acute,needle-like pain that caused his body to tremble.The chill of blood loss seemed to seep into his very marrow.
Yet,his expression remained calm and composed. “Don’t you believe she committed suicide?” Brandon asked.
Jeremy appeared to completely ignore Brandon’s question,lost in a fit of hysterical laughter,with tears even welling up in his eyes.
Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated for All Books Updates…
Natalie watched the trembling syringe in horror, feeling the sharp needle graze her neck as if it were about to puncture her skin and veins at any moment
She held her breath tightly,attempting to turn her head away from this madman.
At that moment,Jeremys deranged laughter echoed through the vast,deserted school.His laughter was piercing,akin to the howl of a wild beast,making it particularly unsettling in the stillness of the night.
After what felt like an eternity,with Natalie’s ears almost ringing from the onslaught,Jeremy finally wiped his tears and ceased his laughter.
“Brandon,you deserve to die!”Jeremy glared at Brandon with seething hatred,his voice low and full of vengeance.”My sister,she killed herself due to the relentless bullying from those girls who fancied you,which led her into severe depression. And you,Brandon,you are the one who effectively killed her!”
Brandon was taken aback by his accusations.
While what had happened to Jeremy’s sister was indeed tragic,Brandon couldn’t accept a murder charge that was unrelated to him.He frowned and countered,”I didn’t even know your sister,let alone instruct anyone to torment her on campus.Your sister’s death has no connection to me,and I shouldn’t be held accountable for it.”