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Hi welcome to my latest Larry Stylinson fic "The Witness".
I actually started this fic way over 12 months ago, it has been a big journey, I started out with great plans and I lost my faith in my writing skills, I was very much like no one talks about my Fics , no one's recommend them and then I had to rethink why I write, why do I do it , and I finally found my faith again .
Firstly, I write for myself I actually really enjoy the process from start to finish and secondly, I write for every one of you who follow me and love my writing and continue to give me your ongoing support.
With this fic I wanted to try writing in third person, I really struggled with this and ended up writing it in first person then I went back and edited it in third person so bear with me there might be a few mistakes, hopefully not , I am also a Aussie chick so some spelling is different in my country, some words you think might be spelled wrong are not in my country.
As all my Fics are full of Larry drama this one is to enjoy , this fic is totally fiction, anything can happen in my brain so there will be lots of twists and turns , this fic is classed mature as they are graphic descriptions of assault,murder and adult content.
I am so nervous right now posting this, if you haven't every published a fic before I can tell you it takes a lot of courage to put yourself out there with so many Questions in your head,
It is definitely not easy.
I hope you enjoy this fic, I have put my heart and soul into it and to many hours to count, enjoy the journey.
The Witness
The wind is howling down the alleyway biting at Louis skin, He pulls his knees up trying to protect himself from the bitter cold, his body shivers uncontrollably as the scrapes of clothes he is wearing are no defense against the chilling night air , He tries to make himself invisible behind the large trash bins, His eyes take in the area around him , rubbish piled up against rubbish the rotting smell making him want to gag.
His eyes trail down to the faded black backpack laying next to him, this is it, this one small backpack is all he owns he thinks to himself, His whole life amounts to this and nothing more.
A single tear slips from his eye and trails down his cheek dripping on to his clenched hand which are held against his chest, his fingers ache from the winter wind as he tries to keep the feeling in them by clenching and unclenching them slowly.
A sudden gust of wind whipped through the alleyway carrying sounds of the city, horns honking, sirens wailing, laughter echoing from a nearby bar.
It's dark in the alley way as little light reflects of the streetlamp, causing shadows creeping in around him.
Louis mind drifts back to a few days ago when his life had been somewhat normal, when He lived in an average house in an average street in his last year of school, Louis is not overly popular at school but he has made a name for himself in soccer, being one of the best on the team and hopefully heading for a full scholarship to university where he wants to study criminal law.
Louis was young when he realized he liked boys more than girls, he found girls attractive but boys more so, the way his body reacted to a stylish boy, a jock on the football team or prep boy, was undeniable but he kept his feelings hidden, not allowing them to surface until he meets Jacob.
Jacob was a new student who transferred to Louis school, the moment their paths crossed Louis knew for sure that he did indeed prefer boys, and he was definitely gay.
Louis was asked to show Jacob around the school and from there a friendship was formed, Jacob was out and obviously gay, not backing down from the constant torment at school, Louis had never told anyone that he was gay, he kept it hidden , frighten of the response from his family and fellow class mates, Jacob made Louis want to change all that, he wanted to be able to walk down the halls and hold Jacobs hand and call him his, he wanted to risk it all for young love.
Louis lived with his dad Troy having loss his mum the previous year to cancer, Louis felt a lump around his throat at this thought, Troy and Louis had a great relationship and supported each other and grieved together at the passing of his mother Jay.
Troy and Louis were slowly healing together, supporting each other through their grief that's why Louis was so shocked at what happened next.
Louis had finally felt comfortable enough to invite Jacob over to his house where they were sitting on Louis bed where They shared their first kiss, it wasn't that long and it certainly wasn't passionate, but to Louis it was perfect for his first kiss.
As they kissed again, Jacob gently guided Louis down onto the bed, his touch slow and delicate.
It was in that moment that everything came crumbling down in Louis world, Jacob and Louis were startled as the door to his bedroom crashed open and before them stood Louis dad with a thunderous look on his face.
" What the fuck is going on in here" Troy's glare was hostile, his jaw clenched with fury radiating from him as he took in the scene before him, " Answer me" He yelled.
Louis watched Jacob jump beside him putting distance between them quickly, He was too stunned to move or answer Troy's prying questions.
" You get out" Troy pointed to Jacob and Louis watched as he hurriedly exited the room, the slam of the front door echoing up the stairs as he takes leave.
" Are you a fucking fag?" Troy is now so close to Louis that he can feel his hot breath against his cheek.
" Dad" Louis said hesitantly.
" Answer the fucking question boy" the tone of his voice is so Hostile; it makes Louis cower with fear, his face is twisted in anger, and disgust.
"Yes, dad I am gay" Louis whisper, the words are barely out of his mouth when He finds himself slammed up against the wall.
" I didn't raise you to be a fag" He yells into Louis face.
" I can't help it dad, it's who I am, I can't just switch it off".
The slap Louis receives across his face sends him hurtling to the floor, tears filling his eyes instantly, then his boot connects with Louis stomach, and the air in his lungs quickly expels, as he struggles to get any words out.
"Dad" Louis voice is barely a whisper.
" Get out of my house now".
" But Dad".
" You are no son of mine, get out now".
Louis doesn't know what to do, he is frozen from the shock of what had just transpired, he can't believe what he was hearing, where will he go? what will he do? Louis mind is going crazy with thoughts.
" You have two second to pack a bag before I throw you out" Troy has now moved over to stand by the door.
Louis takes in his room, the double bed cover in blue and grey duvet , his walls of photos from happy days , the photo of my mum by my bed , he reaches over for the photo of his mum first , stuffing it deep inside his old black bag, his hands reached out in front of him grabbing onto clothes that have been laying on his floor which he hadn't had a chance to put in the wash , he stuff them in as well, he quickly add a few other pieces before he meets his father's eyes.
" Dad please".
" Get out of my house."
Louis is frozen to the spot not believing that this is actually happening, he wonder if things might be different if his mum was here, he can imagine his mums arms wrapped around him telling him she loved him no matter what or who he loved, she would have talked Troy around , she would have made Troy understand that he being gay and that he was still the same person be have always been.
Louis stands on shaky feet and walks pass his dad quickly before he gets too far his father grabs his arm and pulls him towards the front door, the front door is opened and he is pushed out falling down the front stairs coming to rest on the grass, his knee throbbing from the hard landing.
"Dad, don't do this" Louis pleads helplessly, "I don't have anywhere to go."
"Why don't you go to that fag boy you were with, and finished what you started in your room, you disgust me" Troy yells at Louis so loud he is worried the neighbors will all come out to see what is happening, or maybe that might be a good thing Louis thinks, maybe he be shamed into changing his mind.
"Dad"
"You are no son of mine" he said showing no remorse as he slams the door, Louis hears the lock click into place.
Louis feels so many mixes emotions, betrayal, hurt, fear, he can't believe that his own father, the person who was to support him unconditionally had turned so violent, he still struggle to catch his breath.
Louis is alone and abandoned by his own family, and his world now feels enormous and hostile.
Louis stand slowly , pain radiating from his knee and ribs as he looks up and down the street, Louis is kind of glad that it is close to dusk and most people are indoors , the night air is slowly seeping in chilling him to the core, he debates with himself as to where to go, he finally make his mind up and starts on his journey down the streets , the dark shadows making him jump, with each step, the shadows seem to close in tighter, smothering him like a suffocating blanket.
Louis comes to a front door and knock, The door opens, and Jacob's face is looking back at him, he has obviously been crying, his face is red and blotchy, his eyes blood shot and his eye lids puffy.
" Hi" Is all he can say before a large lump form in his throat as he tries to hold back his tears.
" Hi" he hears Jacob's voice crack with sadness.
" Can I stay with you for a bit" he pleads.
He watched as tears well up and slid down Jacob's cheek, and he knows the answer without hearing it from his mouth, Jacobs eyes meet his one more time before he turns and walks off down the street and Jacob doesn't stop him, he thought they were friends, obviously not and he realise he has never felt so alone in his whole life.
Not knowing where else to go Louis wanders the streets looking for somewhere to shelter from the bitter cold, a few drops of rain fall onto his cheek mixing with the tears streaming down his face, in desperation he looks around for shelter seeing an alley way near the back of a shop with awning over it, louis decides this is a dry place to stay and put himself behind the large trash bins full of rotting rubbish, a cold wind blows causing leaves to rustle around him.
His body shakes with uncontrollable sobs making his body heave, and that was how he ended up where he is right now, this is it, the life his father had chosen for him, a life on the streets, abandoned like a stray dog.
He comes back to his senses as a noise startles him, the noise sends instant shivers down his spine, it sounds like a person struggling against someone else, The screams seem to be getting louder and closer as louis tries to make himself as small as he can be, he pulls himself as far back as he can trying to make himself invisible , terrified of the noises that are taking over his senses.
"Noooooo! He hears a girl scream out, "Help me please" Louis hears her beg, her voice filled with terror and pain.
Her cries pierce the air like shards of glass breaking, as he hears another blood curdling scream that sends the hairs on his body raising, her screams turning into begs of mercy.
He is paralysed to the spot, the fear holding him in a tight grip, his heart is hammering in his chest, his muscles are tense, he puts his hand over his mouth to stifle a scream, as a feeling of dread crept up from the pit of his stomach, making him want to vomit.
The cries become weaker until they slowly stop and there is only a shuffling sound in the alley way.
Just out of his line of sight he can see the edge of a woman leg with a red high heal sandal strap to her lifeless foot, blood pooling slowly onto the cold ground, he knows that she is dead he doesn't have to see the evidence , he heard her lose her life, every muscle in his body is screaming for him to flee but he remains frozen, to terrified to even breathe.
💚💙
Agent Harry Styles head of the bureau's homicide squad looks at the evidence board in front of him, the profiles of the innocent young women who had their lives taken to early are wearing him thin, the red pins marking where each woman was found, the highlighted areas and circled locations lighting up the board in a pattern around the city, six women in total, and with a dreading thought of more to come.
This case sends shivers down his spine, The assailant, who they have dubbed "The Scalper" has left a chilling trail of young women, each brutally stabbed and stripped of a portion of their hair across the city.
Harry looks up at his colleagues Agent Zayn Malik and Agent Liam Payne as they walk in, Zayn handing him a coffee.
" Still looking over the board" Liam asks with a sigh, they were all starting to get frustrated with this case as more and more young girls were found across the city.
" We are missing something, and it's killing me, we know we have a serial killer on our hands, but why can't we catch him or her, we have absolutely nothing to go on here, no connection at all to the victims that we can connect" he eyes both the men feeling their frustration as well.
They all turn as the door opens again and Niall walks in, joining everyone else in front of the board.
" How many more need to die, before we catch this monster" Niall said with a sigh.
" Let's run through the profile again, what have we got on him?" Harry address Niall who is the profiler on this case, one of the best in his line of work, Niall is a pure genius when it comes to his job, He is able to create a criminal profile, using observation and statistical probability to form a psychological and behavioral profile of a criminal.
" We are dealing with a psychopath who hunting ground is our city, we are looking at a man most likely probably in their mid 30's to 40's.
Harry stops him before he can go on any further. "So that a definite, you think it is definitely a man."
" Absolutely boss no doubt about it". Niall said as he continues.
"From the wounds that were place on the victim's body we are probably looking at someone around 6 foot , the unsub is very strong, he is easily able to overpower his victims, from the way he leave them , everything he does tells us what makes him tick, Killing in the dark is a must for him and his willingness to kill random women with no connection tells us he is opportunist offender, and these people are really hard to predict". Niall pauses letting out a heavy exhausted breath.
" Killing in the dark is his habit and he always kills this way, he has a violence, schizoid personality, he likes to take his victims power away which feeds him ".
"So, he feeds of making them powerless, yet he doesn't sexual assault them?". Liam questions.
"Absolutely we can tell this from the way he bines his victims' hands which is now his signature, the rope he used is an ordinary rope you can purchase from anywhere, but it's the knots he is using which are very unique, these knots are typical used by sailors".
" So, we are looking for someone who has experience on a boat or in the Navy?" Harry questioned.
"It could be anyone who works around boats even, the possibilities are endless."
They all let out a sigh simultaneously, everyone frustrated with this case.
" I haven't even begun to unravel my thoughts around the victims all having hair missing from their scalp it's like he is taking a souvenir from each one, a trophy as such, the one thing the victims all have in common is their hair, he always strikes victims with long blonde hair".
Harry looks down at his phone as it starts to ring, pulling it out of his coat jacket he looks at the ID and know exactly what he is about to hear.
"Agent styles" Everyone in the room goes quite as they listen to the call.
" We will be right down".
Harry sighed as he puts his phone away, looking at everyone in the room.
" We have another body, get the rest of the team and let's head out."
As they emerge outside, they stride down the path and make their way to their black SUV, looking intimidating in all-black clothes, exuding power and dominance, it's dark out and late and the city is quite as they make their journey towards the next victim.
They were on the scene within 20 minutes of the call, local police have the area cornered off from the public.
The street is alight with red and blue lights, Harry watched as they hit the chaos around them, blue and white cars parked in different directions, A crime lab van, an ESM ambulance.
" Agent Styles, this way" We follow the local officer down the alley way to a very dark corner, there was little light which made it difficult to see.
" We can't do anything without light; Zayn get that sorted now". Harry instructs straight up.
Harry watches as his team gets to work, he shivers from the chill in the air, it's bitterly cold, harsh and bleak, he pulls his coat around himself thinking he would hate to be out in the cold night air for too long, his breath forming clouds in the air in front of him.
Harry looks as the technicians set up the lights, as they flick on, they all take in the grisly, chaotic scene in front of them and a body amongst all the blood, no matter how long Harry has been on the force a sight such as this still makes his stomach churn, he hears a gasp from the side of him as Niall comes into view.
" Fucking hell, he is a butcher, this one has got to be the worst yet".
Harry grimaced as he survey's the savage attack in front of him , pools and smears of blood around the area, splatters on the wall behind the body, Harrys eyes scan the scene, the young girl crimson blood slowly dripping down from her mouth, he can see scrapes and bruises that can only be defensive wounds, she must had tried to fight back before her hands were tied.
" It's going to take an awhile to process this scene" he speaks to everyone gathered around.
" You all know your Jobs, let's get this right and see if we can get any closer to catching this monster, search the area inch by inch, everything Is evidence here, I want nothing left out, let's get this right", Rubber gloves are handed around, and Harry watches as his team jumps into action.
Harry walks closer near a couple of large trash bins and looks around it when he scrunches down, his eyes meet another set of eyes which are transfixed with horror, and in that moment, he realised that this set of eyes must have witnessed the horrific Scene before them, he can feel the fear radiating out of them.
He reaches out his hand but the small figure scrambles away, trying to put space between them.
" It's ok your safe" Harry uses a quite calm voice trying to convey safeness to this small figure who he is yet to figure out if they are a boy or a girl, Harry takes in the figure in front of him, they are of a small build dressed in clothes not nearly warm enough to protect them from this hash climate, he can see the shivers shake the person weather it is from fear or coldness or both he can't tell, their eyes meet briefly and Harrys breath catches in his throat, the eyes staring straight back at him are blue, beautiful, bold, and captivating, in fact the most mesmerising blue eyes he had ever seen.