Famous Last Words
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The second I heard what that fucker had done to Autumn – to my daughter – I knew that I wouldn’t be able to rest until I knew that bastard was six-feet under. She didn’t even have to say it – that’s how I knew that it was real.
Someone had raped my baby girl. And he was going to pay.
I don’t stop until I’ve pulled into the O’Connor’s front driveway, not even bothering to be mindful of the pick-up parked there. As far as I knew, that car belonged to him – I should’ve done so much worse to it than just messing up the shitty paint job.
I march right up to his front door and begin banging on it mercilessly. I am seconds away from breaking down the door and dealing with him myself, when all of a sudden, it’s swung open. A boy who looks not much older than Gus or Autumn stands in the doorway. He’s only a head or two shorter than me; he looks intimidated.
“Who the fuck are you?” I growl. I have to hand it to the kid – he stands his ground pretty well.
“What’s it to you?” he demands defensively. There’s still fear in his eyes, but there’s also a new flame of bravery deep within those cold, gray orbs. I step forward and gather his shirt in my hand. Right now, I didn’t care who this kid was – all I cared about was finding Anthony and murdering that motherfucker.
“I said,” I spit, “Who the fuck are you?” There’s nothing but fear in his eyes now – I know he’s going to answer me. I’ve got him.
“H-Hunter,” he manages to choke out. “Hunter O’Connor.” I drop him angrily. He wasn’t Anthony – but maybe he knew where he was?
“Where’s Anthony?” I demand. He looks slightly stunned.
“I… I don’t know. I think he left town. I don’t know when he’ll be back – I swear!” I study him for a moment. Somehow, I know he’s telling the truth.
“Any idea where he might be?” He shakes his head.
“I don’t know. I’m sorry – I wish I could tell you…” He pauses for a moment. “Why? Why do you want to know so bad?” I sigh before offering him my hand to help him off of the floor.
“He hurt my daughter,” I explain once he’s back on his feet. “And now, he’s going to pay. He thinks for a moment.
“You’re talking about Autumn, aren’t you?” I nod. “She’s with Austin right now – she’s safe.”
“No,” I tell him, shaking my head. “She’s not with Austin. She’s staying with my friend at his house. That’s where she told us – what Anthony did to her and Leda.” His eyes widen slightly.
“Why isn’t she with Austin? She and Leda are safest there – so far, that’s the only place Anthony doesn’t know about!”
“He doesn’t know much about my friends, either,” I argue. “Trust me – she has Brian and Zack there with her. He’ll have to go through them before he ever lays his hands on her again.”
“She should have you there with her, too,” he mutters. “You are her father, after all.” I almost want to hit him for that.
“I’m trying to do the right thing, here –”
“The right thing according to you, or to Autumn?” he challenges. “Because I don’t know about you, but if I were her, I would want my dad there with me after I’ve told him I’ve just been raped.”
“She doesn’t even look at me as if I am her father – she wouldn’t care either way. She practically hates me.” I can feel myself grow emotional as I say this – and the worst part is that I know I deserve it. He just shakes his head at me, but before he can say anything else, the phone goes off.
He sighs and starts walking down the hallway towards where I’m assuming the phone is kept. I follow after him into the kitchen. He frowns when he sees the caller-ID.
“Hello?” he asks nervously. “Austin?” I step forward curiously. “What is it?” I can hear Austin crying on the other end, and I immediately fear the worst. “Calm down – I can’t understand you… What do you mean…? What happened? Where’s Leda…?” His face pales and his knees go weak. I step forward before he can collapse and take the phone from him.
“What’s going on?” I ask him. He looks up at me, tears swimming in his eyes.
“L-Leda,” he chokes. “She… She’s in the hospital…” He begins to sob uncontrollably.
“Shit…” I mutter. “C’mon kid.” I help him get to his feet and hang up the phone for him. “I’ll take you there – it’s the least I could do.” He looks unsure of this – like he wants to argue for Autumn’s sake. But he doesn’t.
The ride to the hospital is long and tense – I can tell that Hunter still feels intimidated by me, but that’s more shrouded with worry about his sister. I still wasn’t quite sure why she was in the hospital, but I suppose I would be getting my answer soon enough.
I silently insist on following him inside. After everything I’ve put him through already, this was the least I could do. When we first walk into the lobby, I see Austin off in the corner, conversing with a red-head – if I remembered correctly, his name was Alan; he was the new guitarist for Of Mice & Men. Austin looks like he’s been crying. I hadn’t realized he and Leda were so close before, but that would explain why she was there when I went to go get Autumn.
Hunter walks right up to them and talks to them both briefly before returning over to me.
“What’s going on, kid?” I ask quietly. He sighs and runs a hand through his hair.
“She tried to kill herself,” he whispers, his voice breaking slightly. “Again.”
“Again?” I can’t help but question. He doesn’t seem bothered by this – he just nods in reply.
“She tried to kill herself twice last year,” he explains, still keeping his voice barely above a whisper. “And she has eating problems and shit. I guess I can’t really blame her, but as soon as she and Autumn became friends, I thought things were different. She seemed a lot happier than before… But she blames herself for what happened – she blames herself for what Anthony did to her.”
“He… raped her.” I choke on the words. The phrase was still so foreign to me; it brought up a new wave of emotion I wasn’t familiar with. I didn’t like it.
He nods. “Yeah. And I was there. Knocked out, but I still almost feel responsible for what happened to her as well.” I rest a hand on his shoulder.
“Don’t worry yourself, kid,” I mutter. “I know it wasn’t yours or your sister’s fault, and I’m sure Autumn knows that, too.”
“This probably wouldn’t have happened if she heard that from Autumn first.” He pauses for a moment before looking at me questioningly. “Why is she at your friend’s house, instead of with Austin?”
“She left without telling anyone where she was going,” I explain. “And Gus had told me that she had gone to Austin’s – and that I had something to do with it. That I chased her away – because let’s face it; I’m a horrible father.”
“I’m sure you’re not that bad,” he says, managing to send me a small smile. “You just… Get mad easily.” I scoff.
“Yeah, I guess that would explain a lot.”
We fall silent again for a moment before he nods towards the receptionist.
“I should go find out where she is.” I nod, silently agreeing with him.
“I can wait here.”
“No; that’s fine. You need to go home and be with Autumn. She needs you – I know she does.” I just shake my head.
“I want to know if your sister’s okay. She’s Autumn’s only friend here – she’ll appreciate it in the long run.”
“I could be gone a long time,” he points out. “And it’s almost midnight…” I just shake my head anyway.
“I’ll wait here.” I sit down on one of the lobby chairs, making myself comfortable. “Just… come get me if you need anything.” He continues to look unsure, but the thought of his sister lying on a hospital bed, unconscious, somewhere in the facility makes him nod anyway.
Hunter walks up to the receptionist. As soon as he tells her who he’s there to see, she nods sadly, and points in the direction of his sister’s room. He sends me one last nod before heading down in that direction.
I lean back and try to imagine what I would do in a situation like this. If Autumn were in the hospital – what if she snapped under the memories of what Anthony did to her? I still hadn’t forgotten my main reason for coming out here. As soon as I was sure Leda was okay, and that Autumn didn’t need me, I would continue to hunt that bastard down.
I wasn’t going to give up that easily.
Someone had raped my baby girl. And he was going to pay.
I don’t stop until I’ve pulled into the O’Connor’s front driveway, not even bothering to be mindful of the pick-up parked there. As far as I knew, that car belonged to him – I should’ve done so much worse to it than just messing up the shitty paint job.
I march right up to his front door and begin banging on it mercilessly. I am seconds away from breaking down the door and dealing with him myself, when all of a sudden, it’s swung open. A boy who looks not much older than Gus or Autumn stands in the doorway. He’s only a head or two shorter than me; he looks intimidated.
“Who the fuck are you?” I growl. I have to hand it to the kid – he stands his ground pretty well.
“What’s it to you?” he demands defensively. There’s still fear in his eyes, but there’s also a new flame of bravery deep within those cold, gray orbs. I step forward and gather his shirt in my hand. Right now, I didn’t care who this kid was – all I cared about was finding Anthony and murdering that motherfucker.
“I said,” I spit, “Who the fuck are you?” There’s nothing but fear in his eyes now – I know he’s going to answer me. I’ve got him.
“H-Hunter,” he manages to choke out. “Hunter O’Connor.” I drop him angrily. He wasn’t Anthony – but maybe he knew where he was?
“Where’s Anthony?” I demand. He looks slightly stunned.
“I… I don’t know. I think he left town. I don’t know when he’ll be back – I swear!” I study him for a moment. Somehow, I know he’s telling the truth.
“Any idea where he might be?” He shakes his head.
“I don’t know. I’m sorry – I wish I could tell you…” He pauses for a moment. “Why? Why do you want to know so bad?” I sigh before offering him my hand to help him off of the floor.
“He hurt my daughter,” I explain once he’s back on his feet. “And now, he’s going to pay. He thinks for a moment.
“You’re talking about Autumn, aren’t you?” I nod. “She’s with Austin right now – she’s safe.”
“No,” I tell him, shaking my head. “She’s not with Austin. She’s staying with my friend at his house. That’s where she told us – what Anthony did to her and Leda.” His eyes widen slightly.
“Why isn’t she with Austin? She and Leda are safest there – so far, that’s the only place Anthony doesn’t know about!”
“He doesn’t know much about my friends, either,” I argue. “Trust me – she has Brian and Zack there with her. He’ll have to go through them before he ever lays his hands on her again.”
“She should have you there with her, too,” he mutters. “You are her father, after all.” I almost want to hit him for that.
“I’m trying to do the right thing, here –”
“The right thing according to you, or to Autumn?” he challenges. “Because I don’t know about you, but if I were her, I would want my dad there with me after I’ve told him I’ve just been raped.”
“She doesn’t even look at me as if I am her father – she wouldn’t care either way. She practically hates me.” I can feel myself grow emotional as I say this – and the worst part is that I know I deserve it. He just shakes his head at me, but before he can say anything else, the phone goes off.
He sighs and starts walking down the hallway towards where I’m assuming the phone is kept. I follow after him into the kitchen. He frowns when he sees the caller-ID.
“Hello?” he asks nervously. “Austin?” I step forward curiously. “What is it?” I can hear Austin crying on the other end, and I immediately fear the worst. “Calm down – I can’t understand you… What do you mean…? What happened? Where’s Leda…?” His face pales and his knees go weak. I step forward before he can collapse and take the phone from him.
“What’s going on?” I ask him. He looks up at me, tears swimming in his eyes.
“L-Leda,” he chokes. “She… She’s in the hospital…” He begins to sob uncontrollably.
“Shit…” I mutter. “C’mon kid.” I help him get to his feet and hang up the phone for him. “I’ll take you there – it’s the least I could do.” He looks unsure of this – like he wants to argue for Autumn’s sake. But he doesn’t.
The ride to the hospital is long and tense – I can tell that Hunter still feels intimidated by me, but that’s more shrouded with worry about his sister. I still wasn’t quite sure why she was in the hospital, but I suppose I would be getting my answer soon enough.
I silently insist on following him inside. After everything I’ve put him through already, this was the least I could do. When we first walk into the lobby, I see Austin off in the corner, conversing with a red-head – if I remembered correctly, his name was Alan; he was the new guitarist for Of Mice & Men. Austin looks like he’s been crying. I hadn’t realized he and Leda were so close before, but that would explain why she was there when I went to go get Autumn.
Hunter walks right up to them and talks to them both briefly before returning over to me.
“What’s going on, kid?” I ask quietly. He sighs and runs a hand through his hair.
“She tried to kill herself,” he whispers, his voice breaking slightly. “Again.”
“Again?” I can’t help but question. He doesn’t seem bothered by this – he just nods in reply.
“She tried to kill herself twice last year,” he explains, still keeping his voice barely above a whisper. “And she has eating problems and shit. I guess I can’t really blame her, but as soon as she and Autumn became friends, I thought things were different. She seemed a lot happier than before… But she blames herself for what happened – she blames herself for what Anthony did to her.”
“He… raped her.” I choke on the words. The phrase was still so foreign to me; it brought up a new wave of emotion I wasn’t familiar with. I didn’t like it.
He nods. “Yeah. And I was there. Knocked out, but I still almost feel responsible for what happened to her as well.” I rest a hand on his shoulder.
“Don’t worry yourself, kid,” I mutter. “I know it wasn’t yours or your sister’s fault, and I’m sure Autumn knows that, too.”
“This probably wouldn’t have happened if she heard that from Autumn first.” He pauses for a moment before looking at me questioningly. “Why is she at your friend’s house, instead of with Austin?”
“She left without telling anyone where she was going,” I explain. “And Gus had told me that she had gone to Austin’s – and that I had something to do with it. That I chased her away – because let’s face it; I’m a horrible father.”
“I’m sure you’re not that bad,” he says, managing to send me a small smile. “You just… Get mad easily.” I scoff.
“Yeah, I guess that would explain a lot.”
We fall silent again for a moment before he nods towards the receptionist.
“I should go find out where she is.” I nod, silently agreeing with him.
“I can wait here.”
“No; that’s fine. You need to go home and be with Autumn. She needs you – I know she does.” I just shake my head.
“I want to know if your sister’s okay. She’s Autumn’s only friend here – she’ll appreciate it in the long run.”
“I could be gone a long time,” he points out. “And it’s almost midnight…” I just shake my head anyway.
“I’ll wait here.” I sit down on one of the lobby chairs, making myself comfortable. “Just… come get me if you need anything.” He continues to look unsure, but the thought of his sister lying on a hospital bed, unconscious, somewhere in the facility makes him nod anyway.
Hunter walks up to the receptionist. As soon as he tells her who he’s there to see, she nods sadly, and points in the direction of his sister’s room. He sends me one last nod before heading down in that direction.
I lean back and try to imagine what I would do in a situation like this. If Autumn were in the hospital – what if she snapped under the memories of what Anthony did to her? I still hadn’t forgotten my main reason for coming out here. As soon as I was sure Leda was okay, and that Autumn didn’t need me, I would continue to hunt that bastard down.
I wasn’t going to give up that easily.
Notes
A/N: So I actually have written up an ending to this, so updates are going to continue to be regular. Depending on what you guys think of the ending, there may or may not be an epilogue, but I haven't written one yet; though the story may be more complete with one. I guess we'll just have to wait and see...Hope you enjoyed =)
~WOLFY~
Where is the alternate ending?
4/6/17