45This is a rewrite of Until the Very End. Different events - besides the occasional borrowed scene - same general idea and OC.
Warning: Suggestions of domestic violence and Stockholm syndrome.
Before the Storm
Date: The 23rd of May
Louise didn't trust him.
From the moment she laid eyes upon his gorgeous, vile, charming, ghastly face, she felt something was wrong. From how his strange coloured eyes met her own, seeming to bore into her very soul. To the way his lips had curled up into a chilling smile as he took her hand in his own in a polite shake, his grip lingering for just a moment too long. She couldn't help the knot in her stomach that formed as he stared down at her with an unwavering, predatory gaze. His looming form was clad in a black trenchcoat, hair dark as night framing a thin and angular face which almost gave the impression of a corpse. His long slender nose and high cheekbones were set beneath an almost sickly looking ivory complexion which Louise had to crane her neck up to observe. His face was too perfect. Too good to be true.
"This is Sebastian," Her Dad had introduced the stranger, who then directed at the uneasy girl in a smooth, deep voice:
"It's a pleasure." He bowed his head slightly in her direction, russet gaze firmly fixed upon her.
She responded by sending him a lopsided smile, which failed to reach her stony eyes. "Nice to meet you. I'm Louise." She greeted.
His grin only widened. "I'm aware." He returned.
While unnerved by the handsome stranger, and slightly confused, her Dad had reassured her that they were now "colleagues". " Partners in business". It was a vague description but one that Louise readily accepted. She brushed off the feelings of unease and attributed it to her being too judgemental. She was distrusting at the best of times.
Date: The 16th of June
Louise had found it difficult to quell her suspicions, especially once Sebastian had started hanging around the house a lot more often. He and her dad didn't seem to have any plans of leaving to go to work either.
That evening, Louise had returned from college to find Sebastian and her Dad in the kitchen. She froze at the entrance in the hallway just across from the front door, peeking around the doorframe and trying to remain as silent as humanly possible. Unable to hear what they were saying, she frowned at the expression on her dad's face. His brow was furrowed and his lips were curled down into a deep grimace. Why was he anxious? She strained her ears in an attempt to hear their whispered murmurs when suddenly, Sebastian turned and met her wide eyes. He sent her a grin.
"Good afternoon, Louise. I trust you had a good day?"
The blonde stuttered as she felt her face begin to heat up. Sending him a single nod she swiftly dashed upstairs, ignoring the questioning look her dad sent her.
"Dad's new colleague's a bit weird isn't he?" She later said offhandedly to her mother. The older woman only shook her head.
"He seems nice. Very handsome..." She said, distracted as she peered through her reading glasses, her wrinkled face buried in a book: Twilight.
Louise rolled her eyes. Her mother was ever the romantic, though she began to wonder if it was truly just her who found him strange.
Date: The 8th of July
Recurring nightmares had been keeping Louise up at night. She would jolt awake, finding her cheeks damp and the room still pitch black in the small hours of the morning. She could recall them vividly and the dancing phantoms would continue to plague her even in the daytime.
Sebastian was still there, the frequency of his visits was increasing and becoming longer. Until one morning, Louise had woken to find the dark-haired man making breakfast.
"Did you stay over?" She asked suspiciously, strolling into the kitchen with her hair awry and her eyes hooded.
He didn't even look at her, having already sensed her presence. "I did. French toast?" He offered.
Tentatively she accepted, sitting down at the table. She looked him up and down, taking note that he always appeared to be in the same suit.
"Something smells good..." Louise turned to her mother, who appeared to have recently woken up too. She paused in the doorway, eyes glancing between her daughter and her husband's apparent colleague.
"Mornin' mum." Louise gave a small wave.
Her mother frowned, motioning to the tall man at the stove. To which Louise responded with a shrug.
"Good morning Jenifer. Would you care for some French toast?" Sebastian turned, giving the older woman a charming smile which made her instantly melt.
"Oh, go on then."
The two women were both in agreement that, Sebastian could certainly cook. However, neither took notice of the fact that he never seemed to eat anything.
Date: The 15th of August
Still plagued by nightmares, the end of summer break brought with it a slew of problems. Most notably being, Louise's concentration levels were at an all-time low. Any attempt to focus on what the lecturer was saying was feeble, everything was a distraction and she would often find herself staring into space blankly.
On one occasion, Louise awoke with a start, eyebrows creasing in tired confusion at the brief pain in her side. Before quickly coming to realise that she had been awoken by a swift elbow to the ribs. A glance to the side revealed her boyfriend Logan staring at her, sending her a cheeky grin when their eyes met. With a motion of his head, Louise noted the lecturer standing over her tired form which lay slumped on the desk.
Face flushing, she immediately sat upright, apologising profusely. Much to the amusement of the rest of the class.
"Oooh, I'm sooooo sorry Jack~!" Logan mocked on the walk towards the train station, the burnt amber sky signalling that the end of the day was near.
Louise chuckled, swatting his shoulder. "Oh, shut up. You would have done the same."
"Can't believe you fell asleep. I knew graphics was boring but that's not like you." The auburn-haired boy noted, glancing at her in vague concern.
"Just tired."
"You look it. Eye bags down to here." He motioned with his hands, placing them halfway down his cheeks for emphasis.
She peered up at him. "Yeah, alright I get the point." She ground out, before adding under her breath: "Ginger prick."
Date: The 18th of August
Since, what Louise had opted to call "The Incident", Redbull had seemingly become a staple to her diet. It was a secretive edition, as her mother was vehemently against them.
"They're just pure chemicals." She would say.
"Everything is 'pure chemicals'." Louise retorted, taking a very pointed swig from the can.
As for Sebastian, everyone had gotten used to his presence eventually. It seemed as though he was living there now, apparently sleeping in the guest bedroom. The reason being was that her dad had started working from home. She wondered what the pair were doing, as Louise had been under the impression that her dad was a concierge.
"How do you do that from home exactly?" She had asked, before quickly being brushed off. She wasn't especially bothered.
When Sebastian had started doing the housework, Louise's mum certainly hadn't been against it. In the beginning, she had been wary. Though since she had a bad time with her hip, she eventually gave in.
As always, Louise came in from college and made to ascend the staircase to her room, only to find Sebastian sat on the steps petting the cat.
"What is his name?" He asked her as she approached, an unusually serene expression on his face. She had never seen such a look on him, he seemed to express only one emotion: smugness. When not smirking his face was seemingly void of any feeling whatsoever. She decided she much preferred him when he looked as relaxed as he did.
"That's Dusty." She sent him a smile, coming to join him in sitting on the step. "I'm surprised you didn't know it already." She mused, bringing her fingers to caress the purring feline's ears.
"I've been rather busy." He responded vacantly, completely beguiled by the small animal as it leaned into his touch.
Louise glanced between them, before a soft smile broke out across her face, like the rays of the sun peering from between sparse grey clouds. He liked cats? She could definitely relate to him on that.
"Have you seen Sylvester the talking cat?"
He glanced up at her in new interest. "Sylvester the talking cat?" He repeated.
She promptly pulled out her phone, pulling up YouTube as Sebastian peered over her shoulder in anticipation.
Perhaps, she thought to herself. He isn't so bad.
Date: The 20th of August
Louise was sat on her room floor beside the doorway, silent tears streaming down her face and an uncomfortable ache in her stomach as she listened to the commotion downstairs.
Her parents were arguing.
She listened, horrified, as it turned out her dad didn't even have a job anymore. He had been covering it up for months. She was shaking like a leaf as their shouts thundered amidst the household. Such heinous words.
She couldn't remember them having ever argued like this before.
She jumped at the knock on her door, quickly standing and moving to sit at her desk in a sad attempt to make it seem as though she hadn't been listening.
As she granted entry, the door was pushed open and the pleasant voice of Sebastian greeted her. "Are you alright, Louise?"
At his gentle tone, she couldn't help but burst into sobs.
In a strange but not unwelcome gesture, he moved to embrace the quivering young female. As she leaned on his shoulder she couldn't help but wonder:
If Dad lost his job months ago, who the hell is Sebastian? And why is he suddenly living with us?
She didn't get to ask this question, as she suddenly fell unconscious.
She later attributed it to her being so exhausted.
Date: The 22nd of August
The teen was shocked to discover her mum had plans to move away and take her with her. She glanced at the deep purple bruise on the older woman's cheek, a lump forming at the back of her throat.
This was new. This changed everything.
What happened? She had wondered, a pained expression set on her face.
Her portly father always seemed stressed these days, always with dark circles beneath his eyes. He hardly even looked at Louise now.
Trying to converse would prove a failure, his responses would be distant. Clipped at best. Her mother had informed her that he was now blind in one eye.
"Since when?" She had frowned, receiving only an indifferent shrug in response.
She felt as though she was watching her family gradually deteriorate. Along with her grades. Like a colossal black cloud was looming over the house and casting it into darkness.
Louise mostly confined herself to her room. She felt anxious all of the time and she struggled to eat regularly. At her suddenly protruding bones and noticeably frail form, she had become thankful for the colder weather beginning to set in. Baggy clothes became her everyday wear.
"You seem to have lost some weight," Sebastian observed as Louise was packing some of her belongings into a box.
The girl in question froze, turning to look at him. "I have?" She asked dumbly.
"Yes. Quite a bit, in such a short period." He advanced towards her until he was stood right over her. She fidgeted with the hem of her sleeve, shying away from his scrutinising stare.
"I guess...I just haven't felt good lately." She murmured, feeling her face heat as his unwavering attention was focused on her. "Could you not tell anyone?" She had to put effort into locking eyes with him in a silent plea.
He regarded her for a moment, before stepping back. "If that is what you wish... However, if your father asks me I'll have no choice but to tell him."
Louise scoffed at the mention of her father. As if he would honestly care.
Date: September
She couldn't sleep.
Everyone was gone now. Apart from Sebastian.
She sat, staring out of her window at the rising sun. A new day. What was once a symbol of hope, now only filled her with dread. Her eyes fell onto the clock face hanging on the wall.
She truly was sorry for what her father had done, but she couldn't do this anymore. It wasn't fair, she hadn't asked for any of this.
Date:?
Fiery pain tore right through her. Everything hurt so much and it was all she could think about.
She had learned to stop trying to fight him long ago, what was the point? It never worked and would always result in her being hurt even more. Black serpentine scales over pale skin. The scars and bruises over her body, she had lost count of how many. So she lay limp against him, completely blind to her surroundings as his dangerous hands continued to claim her.
As she lay there she felt so wrong. Everything about this was wrong.
She couldn't help but wonder why he kept her around. So many times he'd had the opportunity to end her, to leave her to die and yet, there she was.
The silence that always fell between them, she eventually came to find less uncomfortable. Even though she couldn't see him she always felt his eyes upon her as his motions continued.
In a way, she felt...bad for him. He was as much a victim of what her father had done as she was. That didn't make it any easier.
"Can I go outside?" She asked at his retreating steps, her voice horribly meek and pleading.
He merely sighed in response, like always. "You know the answer."
And with that, the door slammed shut. He didn't even bother to lock it anymore.
"I've trained you well." On one occasion he had noted.
She only shrugged, in response to his snide remark, flinching when she felt the sting of his talons slice into her flesh.
She was used to it. If he couldn't get a reaction from her with words, physical pain always did the trick.
DaTE:
He had been gone for quite a while. She fidgeted nervously from where she sat on the end of the bed, wondering when he would be back.
He wouldn't just leave me here to die, would he?
The dull ache of loneliness firmly settled itself within her. He hadn't brought her food or water in what felt like forever. The days all seemed to morph into one until all she was aware of was the constant chatter within her own pounding skull.
When she had asked him about seeing someone else, another human, he didn't take it too well. She frowned, unclear as to what the problem was.
I guess demons are insecure creatures. He can't be blamed... It's my Dad's fault, not his.
In a last-ditch attempt, she felt her way to the door, only to find that he did, in fact, lock it this time.
Strange. He doesn't normally lock it anymore. He knows I would never...not again. Because...I think I'm-
The cover is a photoshopped version of the Silent Hill 2 OST cover.