The Cellar is now officially entered into the Watty Awards!!!

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Chapter 14



Lewis’ POV

I drove as fast as I could to the canal. They have found a body.

The area was completely surrounded by police, you couldn’t get close to the canal and there was a small area marked off around a bin, is that where they found her phone? My heart was in my stomach as I approached her dad, everything felt like it was in slow motion.

“Paul?” I said in barely a whisper. He turned around and looked at me, his face was white and tears stained his cheeks. “It’s not her is it?”

He shook his head, “No, the bodies had been down here months but they’re still looking.” I felt my lungs release and I was able to breathe again until it registered what he had just said.

“Bodies?” There’s more than one?

Dawn came over from talking to a police officer. “There’s another one,” she said, crying so hard she was shaking. Paul grabbed her and held her tight; she looked like she was going to pass out any second. Henry was pacing back and forward, gripping his hands in his hair and looked terrified.

“They have now found three body bags, three girls,” Paul said, staring into the distance. His eyes looked dull and empty. Someone’s killed three girls and thrown them in the canal? Is this what they think has happened to Summer? We couldn’t see what the police were doing as we weren’t allowed close enough.

“They hadn’t looked Paul, in the latest one, they hadn’t looked. It could be her, it could be my baby,” she mumbled, crying hysterically and gasping for breath. He caught her just before she fell to the ground and I walked off towards the police.

“I’m sorry sir you can’t come past,” one officer said as I tried to walk around the police tape. I looked up at him and stepped back. This didn’t feel real, it felt like a dream. “Sir, are you okay?” he asked, frowning in concern and looking into my eyes like he was trying to figure out what was wrong with me.

“Is it her?”

His eyebrows pulled together in confusion. “Is what who?”

“Summer. Is it Summer?”

Understanding crossed his face and his expression turned from confusion to sympathy. “Are you a family member of Miss. Middleton?”

“She’s my girlfriend,” I replied, pleading with my eyes for him to tell me it’s not her. Everyone was panicking, Dawn, Henry, my parents and a few of Summer’s friends, I was too calm and it was scaring me.

He shuffled from foot to foot uncomfortably, “No, it’s not her.”

“The latest one they’ve found? That’s not her right?” I asked, needing him to confirm it.

“Someone will be over to see you in a minute.”

Why isn’t he saying no? “What does that mean? Are you saying it could be her?” Finally I seemed to have snapped out of my calm state.

“That’s not what I’m saying sir but I haven’t had any confirmation yet. Someone will be over to see you in a minute.” He repeated.

“That’s not good enough! The first too were down here too long to be her, this one hasn’t though has it?” He didn’t answer he just looked around for someone else. “Either you find out now or I’m going to!” I said sternly, raising my voice slightly so he knew I was serious.

“You can’t come past sir. I’m sorry but you’ll have to wait for someone to come-”

“I do not have to wait for anything! That could be my girlfriend!” I shouted angrily, clenching my jaw in frustration, this isn’t a f*cking game! He stared at me for a minute; clearly not planning to move so I pushed passed him, ripping the tape in the process.

“Sir, sir?” He came running after me. I could hear Henry and my brother shouting and footsteps behind me.

“Michael,” I shouted he spun around and quickly walked towards me.

“Lewis you can not be here!” He pushed me back away from where the forensics were working. “I’ve got it from here,” he said to the officer that ran after me who nodded and walked back to where he was before. “We’re trying to identify the body right now.”

“What do you mean trying? It’s either her or it’s not! Let me see, I can do it right now.” As soon as I said that I doubted myself, could I do it? If it is her it would kill me but this isn’t about me. He fell silent for a minute, he’s considering it. “I can do it,” I said, trying to convince myself as well as him. “Come on you need someone to identify the body and I can.” Saying ‘the body’ felt like I was getting punched.

“Okay,” he gestured with his hand for me to follow him. The walk over to where the body bag was lying on the floor seemed to take forever, in a matter of seconds my whole could end. I begged in my head over and over for it not to be her. “Open it up Brian, Lewis is going to identify the body.”

I stopped breathing as he unzipped the front of the long black bag, the outline of the person seemed too tall to be Summer and that was all I was holding onto. My heart felt like it was going to rip out of my chest and I tensed every muscle in my body so tight that it was almost instantly painful. Half of the bag was open and Michael leant down, pulling it open a little so the face was visible. I forced my eyes away from the concrete floor and to the girl.

“Oh God it’s not her,” I said, sighing heavily. The word relief doesn’t even come close to how I feel right now. Her face was swollen and very badly bruised, she barely looked human but it definitely wasn’t Summer. Michael nodded and zipped the bag back up.

“You can take her now,” he said softly to another officer. “Thank you Lewis. You need to go back now though.”

“Do you think there are more in there?” I asked as we walked back.

“I don’t know,” he replied unconvincingly. He knows there are.

“You know what this means?”

“Yes.” There was a serial killer out there somewhere and he possibly has Summer. Even knowing this information and her phone being dumped here where all the bodies were still didn’t make me truly believe she was dead. She is out there and I will continue looking until told otherwise.



Summer’s POV

I sat on the sofa with Rose and Poppy. He hadn’t come down for breakfast and we haven’t seen him since he went crazy about the flowers that were going to die eventually! My face was bruised and the inside of my mouth hurt where it split when he hit me but apart from that I was okay, physically anyway. Rose and Poppy had bruises but luckily that was it.

“What are we going to do? He’s getting worse Rose and you know it,” Poppy said with tears in her eyes. There was something completely terrifying about them when they show proper emotions; if they’re scared then it must be really bad. Usually they’re so calm and take everything he gives, it’s so frustrating at times but I guess they have been conditioned to behave that way. I will die before I become that.

Rose shook her head. “I don’t know but I’m sure everything’s going to be fine, we stick together okay.” Everything’s going to be fine? Is she serious?

“Rose take a f*cking look around you! We’re locked up in some psycho killer’s cellar! How the hell is this fine?” I shouted, finally losing it.

“Shh Lily you don’t know where he is,” she scolded, frowning disapprovingly. I took a deep breath and ignored her calling me Lily. Lily was someone in his sick fantasy and I was not her. “I am very aware of the situation but what do you want me to do?” she asked, returning to her calm robotic nature.

“I want you to stop acting like this is normal! Why don’t you want to get out? If we all work together we could overpower him.”

“That has been tried before,” Poppy cut in, looking horrified that I even thought about it.

“I know you’ve both said it has, but not by all three at the same time. Sure one he can take on one no problem but how is he going to stop all three of us? Just think about it, we can attack him and escape, this can work.” The cellar door opened and I panicked. “This can work if we do it together,” I begged in a whisper.

“No Lily,” Rose said quietly, rising to greet him. I turned away from her before I screamed, she is so frustrating. Poppy smiled and squeezed my hand but didn’t take her eyes off him and where he was walking.

He was carrying three bunches of flowers and mumbling to himself. “Bodies...nothing to connect me,” he whispered to himself, completely ignoring us. Bodies and nothing to connect him? Connect him to the bodies? “...the phone...in the water...stupid mistake,” he continued mumbling. Me, Poppy and Rose kept looking at each other then back to him. Nothing was making sense. Had he gone completely insane? “Don’t worry....evidence.”

Rose took a deep breath, “Good afternoon Clover,” she said boldly but playing with her hands nervously.

He jumped slightly as if he wasn’t expecting us to be there. “G-good afternoon,” he said stuttering in surprise. What did he expect when he came down here? Us to have gone out to the shops! I have never hated anyone before but I hate him with everything I have in me and if they would help me I wouldn’t think twice in hurting or killing him to get out of here.

“Have you come home for lunch?” she asked, looking at the clock. It was only twelve o’clock; he would usually be at work now.

The way he was acting was so erratic, talking to himself and being completely unaware of everyone and everything around him. His eyes shot around the room, taking everything in. “Flowers,” he finally said, holding them out for us to see.

“They’re beautiful Clover, thank you.” Rose stepped forward and took all three bunches out of his hand; me and Poppy followed her to the kitchen area and filled the vases. I kept looking at it, thinking how I could hit him over the head with it but without their help I doubt I would get far and I would probably end up dead.

He stood facing the wall mumbling still, this time it was quieter and I couldn’t make any words out at all. It was almost like it wasn’t him talking; he didn’t seem to have any knowledge of doing it. I had no idea of how to act around him, was it best to ignore him completely?

“So do you want any lunch Clover?” Rose asked again.

“No thank you,” he said a little too quickly, turning back to face the wall. “Helen...wh*re...not gonna find me...,” he said as he started tapping the side of his leg with his fingers. “Washed it away...won’t find me.” He spun around abruptly making me jump and press my back against the counter.

Without a word he kissed Rose and Poppy on the cheek and looked at me. I froze, was he going to try and kiss me? He closed the short distance; I pressed my nails into my hands and bit my tongue. For those couple seconds that his lips were pressed against my cheek my heart didn’t beat and I didn’t breathe. It made my skin crawl and I felt sick. My body felt stiff but I was shaking.

“Good night flowers,” he said from the stairs before he started mumbling to himself again.

“Good night?” Poppy said to Rose. Did that mean he wasn’t coming down here anymore today or did he just have no idea of the time? I don’t know how much longer I can do this for. Please find me soon Lewis.

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Not a great deal going on in this chapter but the last one was a bit murderous!!! You got to see a lot of what's going on 'on the outside' though and how the descovery of the bodies has effected Clover.

I'm going to be doing Clover's POV again, possibly next chapter, kinda enjoy writing it now...does that made me crazy???