Monster

White flakes of snow waft down from the gray outlines of the clouds above in a beautiful delicate silence; everything still and deafening as death itself.

For a moment the air is impregnated by gentle gusts of wind that move each pattern of flake to its new fateful destination, falling on top of the one before, crushing the other beneath its weight until it’s tight and compact.

The beauty of the background if one would be looking outward was the definition of a winter wonderland. A frozen lake with a short fence surrounding it to keep people from falling in while the other side of the small barrier has a sidewalk that surrounds the pool of water but with different paths that break away to different destinations.

Grass would normally surround the right side of the walkway but now it was a picture perfect frost of beauty that most people were not awake to see.

Then again, who would be out at nearly three in the morning?

Reticence for a moment more settles in on the scene, frozen in time to savior the elegance around before the clock tower in the distance starts to move; it’s time now exactly three AM.

The faraway chimes in the deaf atmosphere interrupts the natural flow of normalcy that comes with the night; as does the hot exhale of panicked breath that expels from the mouth of the man on the icy snow covered dock, two men standing above him with vapor leaving their mouths; however, unlike the third in their party theirs was calm.

In fact, that’s what made them so intimidating. The carefree way they towered over him in little regard to the situation itself, but the reason that lead them all to be there in the first place.

The quietness never got to settle again because the man standing on the kneeling man’s left spoke after the echo sounded off from the clock tower.

“You know what I like about the Winter months in England, Walter?” The young man with the black heavy leather trench coat questioned calmly, breathing out warm vapor from his thin pale lips, the tiny outlines curving upward to form a devious smile.

Walter, the man on his knees said nothing. He knew what a rhetorical question was and he knew why he was there. They all knew why they were there and no amount of pleading would change the mind of the man above; so he remained silent.

The man above squatted down and steadied himself on the balls of his heels so they were now the same level of height.

Walter swallowed and let his eyes roam over the man; his hands he noted were clad in thick leather gloves that would leave no fingerprints, no sign that a crime was ever committed by him at all.

“You know I hate to be ignored, don’t you Walter, mate? Answer my question; do you know what I like most about the Winter months in England?” He prodded unpersuaded by his victim’s silence.

Another pregnant pause, the man’s gears overworking in his mind to choose a suitable answer that would please the man, but he didn’t know what went on inside the other man’s mind, so he answered him with truth.

“I do not, Mr. Tomlinson.” His voice cracking in fear, the intake of cold froze the inside of his body while his outside sweat profusely like a hot Summer day. The man, now known as Mr. Tomlinson seemed to snort at the sentiment with a feigned pout.

“Walter? We’ve been business partners for a few years don’t start getting all proper on me now, mate. Come on, we’re still friends here.” Louis continued on, his tone emotionless and flat. He was keeping up the ruse, a play if you will. He was speaking in a way to suggest to his victim that by talking with sarcasm, they would very well get the point that Louis Tomlinson was mocking them and trust to believe that Walter was not naïve enough to believe anything different.

“Do you usually kidnap your friends, torture them for information before cementing their feet in concrete and bringing them out here in the snow on a dock? Because if that’s the case, I sure as fuck rather have tea and crumpets laced with cyanide with friendly enemies than hostile friends.” Walter shot back, his teeth now chattering from both the cold and his undying fear of his business partner.

Louis threw his head back in a loud laugh and looked up at the third man, the only one who still stood mute.

“He’s a funny one, Zayn. Fucking comedian we got on our hands.” Louis jested but the raise in his octaves suggested something more sinister in his statement.

“Ha.Ha.Ha. Yeah, bloody riot. Can we hurry this up? My balls are turning blue.” Zayn muttered, his bare fingers also turning a slight blue under his cuticles from lack of gloves.

Louis rolled his eyes.

“Not until I get some answers. Not my fucking fault you didn’t wear gloves or a bloody jacket – shit, you know it’s Winter. That undershirt and tight jeans don’t offer protection from cold. Most of us learn that in infancy years so suck it the fuck up and do your bloody job!” Louis swore, his patience snapping at the utter incompetence of his partner.

Zayn gritted his teeth but just put his hands in the pocket of his jeans to offer at least a little bit of warmth. He had no desire to get on Louis’s bad side and from firsthand experience of knowing the bloke, he had yet to see a good or even decent one.

“I don’t know what you want from me, Louis! I don’t! I apologized for the missed shipment, I’m sorry it got stolen but I can’t just give you the money for it! My boss would do worse than anything you could think up! I tried to track – “His ranting was cut off by a swift punch to his mouth, the force of the hit knocking his two front teeth out and sending the man to the ground with a tumble.

“Waaaaallllllteerrrrrr,” Louis sang, dragging out the man’s name with a sickening sweet tease. “Come on now, don’t be like that. We’re friends here remember? Tell me the truth. You took that shipment and sold it for a higher profit marginal in my territory. People talk, mate.”

Walter groaned, regretting lying to the younger man.

Her felt hands helping him up; with his arms tied behind him he was helpless to stop Louis from taking out retribution.

Another short freeze, this one accompanied by soft sounds of crunching snow.

Zayn froze and looked around, hearing a small bristle of snow from somewhere off in the distance.

“Did you hear that, Lou?” Zayn questioned, his eyes furrowing.

“Hear what Zayn? I didn’t hear anything,” Louis replied to his question, watching as Zayn walked to the end of the dock and looked around slowly. He decided to let his muscle handle the stray bird that was probably flying into a tree, Walter was his main interest at the moment.

“Anyhow, I’m not mad that you took one of my shipments, I’m pissed because you were trying to bait and steal my customers. Your boss – one of my OLDEST CLIENTS, had nothing of knowledge and because I have known him longer than anyone, I am inclined to believe him,” A heat of anger was slowly burning in Louis’s blue eyes that was matching his cheeks. “You were my most trusted when it came to shipments, Walter. I’m very disappointed in you.” He finished scolding, throwing another punch, this time at the guy’s nose.

Walter screamed out in pain when the sickening crack sounded through the wind and carried along in a stray echo, the loudness vibrating off the trees around them.

“That was for lying to me. You know how much I hate liars? I am many things but a fibster would not be one of them. If I say, snogged your girlfriend – I’d tell you, right? Because I’m honest, right?” He gestured out before forcing him upright onto his butt this time. He knew Walter wouldn’t be able to kneel anymore. His lips were spilling out streams of blood which was only made more horrific with the now accompanied bloody nose and the way he was wobbling.

Zayn came back with a mere shrug.

“Must have been a bird,” He decided, folding his arms across his chest and coming to stand at the same place he had been. “Well doesn’t he look pretty.” He finished with a drawl, a sarcastic coo coming from his throat.

“Doesn’t he just? As for your bird theory, no shit. The only things out here right now are birds, foxes and the occasional stray cat. Feel free to shoot any of the above if you fear they’ll rat us out to the coppers, but between us, mate? I think were safe.” Louis drawled sardonically before turning his attention back to a dizzy Walter.

“Stop ignoring my questions. If I was snogging your girlfriend, fucking her until she screamed my name – you would want me to be upfront and honest, right?” He challenged again, enjoying the torment he was causing the older man.

“Yes! Christ, yes!” Walter exploded, earning him another punch to the opposite cheek.

“Don’t be rude, Walter. I don’t like it when people are rude. A nice ‘yes Louis, sir.’ Would have been splendid enough. That and if you take the Lord’s name in vain, you should at least add his first name, which I’m sure if bible school has taught you anything that it’s Jesus because just saying Christ makes him sound like your homie and mate? If that’s the case, he’s sure as fuck has forsaken you tonight. As for your wife, she was lovely. The loveliest I’ve been with in a while.”

Zayn let out a deep chuckle.

“You really snogged his wife?”

Louis stood up stiff and tired from crouching so long.

Bringing his foot back without a pause he kicked it up with force right under the guy’s jawbone – crushing the bottom half with the same sickening crack.

“Oh? I forgot to mention that? Yeah, slipped my mind until now. She was a screamer – screamed my name and everything. Well -begging me to stop,” Louis laughed, sneering down at Walter with the same sickening smirk. “If you fuck me out of something, I take something of equal or lesser value from you. Fair trade, yeah?”

Walter was screaming and Louis was yelling over him to make sure he was heard, their voices out of tune and unnatural. It wasn’t the same vibe as it had been and at the moment, Walter didn’t know what had happened to his wife; he was too busy screaming for mercy and that is exactly what he got – more or less.

“Help me dump him, he gets he’s been a bad dog. No need to keep torturing myself with the abundance of his stupidity.” Louis growled, the anger flashing over his face and reddening his cheeks with the help of the freezing temperatures.

Despite his dangerous nature, Louis was quite beautiful. At twenty-five he was in charge of the complete East and South ends of London for drug trading and distribution, prostitution and even in some cases – though he hated dirtying his hands in it; human sex trafficking. That was rare and if he didn’t need to deal with it, he didn’t.

Looking down at the slightly older man he took in the detail of his beaten and battered face.

The man was once beautiful. A boyish haircut that was styled into an easy male style bob and clipped off in chocolate brown wavy wisps. That was of course now matted in freshly drying blood.

His figure was taller than Louis, but his body was thinner. He had no muscles to accompany the strength that the younger man did. In fact, Louis would often joke that Walter was as weak as a baby.

He wasn’t kidding. Like Louis said, he’s many things; a liar just wasn’t one of them.

The dull irises in Walter’s eyes were once a dull brown, since his torment began however, they gained a splash of crimson red from the busted blood vessels that erupted from the rough handling.

The sight itself made Louis shudder in excitement as he found the dripping of blood calming. For some reason unknown to him he found it soothed his demons.

Zayn untied the rope around the man’s arms and picked him up to balance his 6’1 figure; exertion of breath vapor erratically leaving his mouth.

Louis grunted when he picked up his feet, the block of concrete around them easily a hundred pounds.

“Wish you didn’t untie him; he could swim to the surface.” Louis grunted, losing his balance slightly as he backed off and steadied himself so they could get him to the edge, the snow picking up more to create a blanket of fluffy white confetti around them, the fog creeping gradually into the area.

“How? He can’t use his legs and he’s too distorted, you kicked his ass! No chance!” Zayn exclaimed with a huff, trying to make sure Louis was balanced, least they all go for a mid-morning ice bath and he wasn’t feeling up to saving Louis’s arse from drowning or getting hypothermia…well, if he didn’t get it anyhow for his stupidity of not wearing Winter protection.

“Okay, on my signal – drop him.” Louis commanded, both of them swinging the bloke back and forth as his screams wailed into panic, the feel of doom surrounding his pain filled body. This was it – this was…

“SOMEONE HELP!” A voice exclaimed, the distance between the scream and them wasn’t far, perhaps only two walkways over – right by a bloody tree that overlooked the dock and a tall lad sprinting away from said tree towards a path that would take him to the front of the park and consequently to the nearest police station.

Both Zayn and Louis let go of the man simultaneously the crash of his body hitting the ice and falling through it just as quickly because of the added weight hitting the crystalline chunk with such force.

Louis and Zayn took after the running boy without any hesitation, unfortunately – the fog had other ideas and they quickly lost sight in front of them.

“Fuck a farmer’s goat! Where the FUCK DID HE GO?!” Louis yelled, kicking his foot at the snow in panic and frustration, his trench coat open and the back of it flying elegantly behind him as he ran, the poise in his position never faltering in confidence.

Zayn was sure his extremities were frozen but his fear outweighed any complaints he had of the cold because unlike the freezing temperatures, if Louis blamed him for this little oversight he’d die faster at his hand than he would getting pneumonia.

“You got issues mate.” Zayn muttered, stopping abruptly when Louis stopped dead in his tracks and flew around to use his strength to press against Zayn’s chest and force the boy to the ground.

“Yeah, I got issues! I got fucking issues because someone didn’t think ‘hey there’s a tree! There maybe someone hiding behind it, watching us murder a bloke!’” Louis screamed, Zayn’s body catapulting back like a sling to the ground, the heat warming his body from his anger that began to simmer.

“You said you thought it was a bird! I checked everywhere!” Zayn argued, groaning as he sat up.

“Yeah, fucken bird. Fucken tweedy bird who’s going to get us thirty to life!” Louis continued to explode, the fog around them so thick that the air was tightening and constricting – or that could have been the tension.

“To be technical, mate? And don’t kill me for this but you killed Walter. I stood there and let you beat the crap out of him, for a plea I’d get a reduced sentence.” Zayn pointed out.

Louis let out an animalistic growl.

“Not if I add your murder to the list! I’ll – “Louis’s voice went dead silent when a loud annoying ringtone erupted the murderous air.

“Seriously?” Louis asked in disbelief at the Frozen ringtone of let it go.

“Does the phone belong to a chick?” Zayn asked but Louis stepped forward and drug him onto his feet, pushing him away when he was up.

“Unless the chick has a deep tenor voice and wears men’s clothes, no.” Louis answered flatly, trying to see the ground but the fog was getting bad and the wind was picking up.

“Found it!” Zayn exclaimed, picking it up just as the phone quit ringing.

Louis rolled his eyes and walked toward Zayn’s voice, eventually finding him about twenty feet ahead. He looked down at the phone as it started ringing again.

Zayn rolled his eyes and swiped his finger to answer it.

“Hello?” He yelled over the wind, setting it to speaker while they both huddled together to hear the other person’s voice on the other end of the line.

“Is Harry there? I just got off work, I need him to come pick me up, weather is too bad for buses to be running and he promised he would.” The mystery voice replied, making Louis smile hopefully.

“Funny you should mention that, Harry left his phone over at my flat and I went to give it back to him but I’m confused what direction he lives – I’m new to this side of town. Can you give me the address, mate?” Louis called over the wind, hopeful.

“Yeah, 83B East London Ave, left flat building on the second floor – it’s literally four blocks from Hydel Park, you know where that’s at?” The voice asked.

“Yeah I’m by there now. What’s your name, mate? I’ll buy ya a round if Harry ever introduces us.” Louis said, which wasn’t a lie. If he on the off chance met the guy, he’d get him a round for unwittingly helping him take care of a major issue.

“Niall. Niall Horan, pleasures all mine – “He seemed to pause to wait for Louis to introduce himself.

“Louis. Louis Tomlinson.” Louis smirked, waiting for it to click.

“Louis Tomlinson? Why does that name sound –“It clicked. “Fuck me! Shit! Stay away from him!” Niall threatened, but Louis didn’t have time to play games.

“Thanks for your help, Niall. I got to run; you’ve been most helpful,” Louis said, clicking off the phone and looking at Zayn. “Come on, let’s go kill us a bird.” He finished gruffly and quickened his pace to a fast jogged run.

Zayn shook his head but easily caught up to his boss, both of them making their way quickly to the address they were given.

Notes