Chapter 12: Feu de L'enfer

(This update is on Thursday to coincide with today's holiday.)

When Liam was not concocting his latest scheme, he was often at work at the police station. He and I worked in different factions, but we shared the same boss.

But as soon as the day was done, it was back to his scheming. After a particularly infuriating day for him, I found him in the last unused room.

He at first did not notice me, merely poking and tending that fire. He was muttering, sounding quite angry.

I knew the reason for his sour mood: he had been working hard, but our boss had deemed him not ready for a promotion.

Liam also claimed that he 'would show Officer Chesterfield'. With that, I dreaded the inevitable. I was sure that come tomorrow, our boss would be locked within that room.

The good news was, he was not the next victim.

The bad news was, they were two even less deserving of death.

Indeed, the first words I heard, before descending into the basement were "We don't even know what we did wrong!"

I swear I recognized the voice, and I froze in my tracks. Liam had not captured Bruce...He'd captured his two sons.

The fact that two innocent teen boys were there, and knowing what was in store for them...the thought alone was horrifying.

And Liam didn't even dare sugar-coat it. He outright stated that he knew they didn't wrong him in any way.

His plan though, was to punish his superior, by destroying his two beloved children. In his words:

"Your father took something important from me. So now I'll take something important from him."

I found it ridiculous. Murdering two faultless boys, all because their father wouldn't promote an officer under him.

At that, Liam then stated that it wouldn't be long before the fire behind the two of them would become uncontrollable.

Initially, it didn't happen. The flames stayed where they were, and Liam stated that it would take a while.

Then it took even longer, and he became agitated. For a brief moment, I actually wondered if his plan backfired, and he'd let them go.

But then...

My hopes, as well as that of the Chesterfield boys, would soon be dashed.

The fire raged, and all Liam said that he couldn't believe it took so long to begin. All I could do, was watch as those two were consumed. Their screams were hellish.

One of them actually tried slamming against the glass. He was crying, and apologizing for whatever it was their father did wrong.

Liam wasn't moved in the least. All he did was tell them to "shut up and burn."

One burned to ashes quickly. I suppose...I am glad that his suffering was brief. His brother was not so lucky.

He kept holding on, even as he was covered in burns. Even as the room burned around him, he still tried to convince Liam to let him go.

Liam showed no mercy. That poor boy...Eventually, he joined his brother in death.

We waited for the man in black to arrive, and indeed, he was horrified. All of Liam's previous victims had some reason for dying, but not these two.

But the deed was done, and both brothers were sent off to the afterlife.

After Death was gone, and Liam went to go something else, I took their remains, and buried them in the nearby cemetery.

Then...I informed their father.

I refrained from disclosing the circumstances of their deaths. I merely told him that his two sons were not ever coming home.

Like I expected, he did not believe me. I had to bring him to the graveyard, and show him the evidence firsthand.

(Their graves are under the snow.)

When he finally accepted that his two sons were dead, he collapsed into tears. I did not blame him for not believing me.

For a man to lose his pride and joy, and not ever learn the truth behind it...what a horrid burden for a bereaved father to bear.

He went home in tears of sadness. His cries were pitiful, alongside his asking who would be so cruel.

Then, I was alone with my thoughts.

All the while, I had stood idly by, as Liam destroyed the lives of several others. The wave of destruction he was creating was growing ever larger.

I stood by his side and bore witness to his deeds, out of loyalty. This was, after all, a man I cared for. A man that I'd treasured, one that I'd been...intimate with. He was my best friend!

But now...that inhuman monster that took several lives...that couldn't be him. The Liam I knew and cared about...died a long time ago.

I'd had enough. And it seemed the ideal time to confront him.

At that point, when the lives he stole were completely innocent, that was it. No longer would I stand by his side, if he were to slaughter countless others. I would not support him.

I had to tell him. It was now or never.

(End of Chapter 12. And to anyone who celebrates it tonight, Happy Halloween.)