I had to silence my best friend

I'm writing this now because of what I received today in the post. I think it's time I let someone else know what happened that day. What I really did.
I don't think I will ever be able to forget honestly. And he's been haunting me ever since.
We were sixteen at the time and I remember it was a Saturday.I had to go pre-order the new pokemon game coming out cause you got some rare un-catchable if you did blah blah.. My brother was more into trying to catch 'All' the pokemon than me so I told him since I wanted to go anyway I would.
Her name was Layla, She was a nice, fun and happy girl with stunning natural red hair. Mine was only dyed red so I was very jealous.
After I pre-ordered the game, we went to Mcdonalds and had some food. It was then that I noticed the dark grey clouds looming over us.'It looks like rain' I said loudly, she nodded and we mutually decided to go in hope of avoiding the bad weather.
I think now, I should have just called my mom even if we had to wait in the mall for a while longer. I should have just called my mom.
I didn't though and that's how we ended up being kidnapped.
A bit typical but a plain white van pulled up next to us and asked if we needed a lift as just then it had just started to rain a little.We declined nicely and continued walking.
When we got to the exit of the mall car park, I could see the back of the white van further into the distance. It was just parked there. At the side of the road.
The rain had started falling really badly now.It got kinda hard to see, and hear.
As I saw the white van start to drive off in the distance I felt relieved somehow. I laughed it's not like he was going to kidnap us.
But as that van was driving away I noticed on the side it said 'Bella's Flowers' and with that I felt a chill run through my spine.
It wasn't the same van. As I realized that, it was already too late I turned round to see but everything went black.
When I woke up my head. It hurt so much.
I could taste blood in my mouth and I couldn't move.
Actually I couldn't move at all, not even a little. The only thing I could do for some reason was open my right eye.
As I did my body tried screaming but it was no use, complete silence as I stared at where I was.
It looked like a horror movie scene or a very un-clean butchers. There was blood covering the walls all different shades from ageing.There were metal tools everywhere too, metal surgeon tools.
As my adrenaline was rising I found I could move the tiniest bit. I know now the adrenaline coursing through my body was what saved me as it fought off whatever he had used to subdue us.
after a few seconds I could open my left eye. I wish I hadn't though.
Who ever had brought us here, had also already done what he wanted.
I hadn't felt any pain because of the lack of movement, but now that I was slowly coming back to my senses it hurt.
I could see what he'd done, or what he was trying to do.
If I hadn't of escaped I know where me and Layla would have ended up. In some down town illegal freak show probably in cages.
He'd removed my left arm and Layla's right. He'd cut down our sides and stitched our parted skins together.
I don't know how I managed to remain so calm back then even now when I think about what I saw and felt fully I often go into a panic attack and it takes me nearly an hour to get over it.
I bet he was going for some kind of conjoined twins the sick bastard. I knew me and Layla looked like sisters but we weren't.
Probably why he didn't bother checking the blood either, I knew we weren't a match we both gave blood last year at school.
I didn't know what it meant but I assumed it's similar to transporting an organ, it won't work if the blood's not the same type.
I could also see on my skin, the redness that was setting in from blood poisoning.
One way or another I'm going to die. That's all I remember thinking.
That was until I realized I wasn't tied down, there were no restraints on us at all. I felt a small glimmer of hope.
I started looking round for an escape and there it was! I could see it, a very small window half hidden behind some boxes covered in dried blood.
But then it all started to go wrong, through my moving and excited noises. I'd started to wake Layla up.
She opened one eye at first like I did but then violently started thrashing around.At first she could only move her torso but oh god did it hurt when she did.
She was ripping the stitches out of our skin.
Where before it had been sealed neatly almost professionally with no bleeding now there was blood everywhere as she went into some kind of fit.
It was when she got a proper look at what he'd done though that she really started freaking out. She started kicking and she kicked a shelf which caused some equipment to fall to the floor. Then I heard something else.
We weren't alone, I assumed who ever did this to us was still here.. From what I could hear he was far away though and wasn't coming any closer. Hopefully he'd just thought it was an outside noise.

It wasn't long before I knew what I had to do.. I started pulling away from her frantically, pulling at the stitches that connected our shoulders where our arms used to be.
She started making louder noises. Grunts and groans of pain.
I used my right arm to pull on the stitches.. As mean as it was I pulled them through Layla's skin ripping it as I did..
If I bled to death here then we'd both die and if I had a chance no matter how small to survive, then I should take it... Right?
I'd managed to pull half of them out, I was still connected by the skin on my ribs though.
I started to feel funny the pain was so intense but I have to keep going. I didn't want to die in some sick sadistic bastards freak lab.
Something hadn't occurred to me before, All the nice shiny tools.I could use them I could free myself.
As I leaned forward to reach for a scalpel I could feel my skin being pulled and ripping slowly. I nearly had it though just another inch.
Yes! I grabbed it swiftly off the floor and turned to start slicing.
Then the worst thing happened. Layla's started screaming..
If she'd just stayed quiet a little longer, a few more minutes.. Then we could have both made it out of there alive.
But alas no. She screamed and kept screaming.
I could hear him now. He knew we were awake and he was on his way to put us to sleep forever.
The thought of this sent me more into a panic than ever before. If she didn't quiet down.. Oh god I didn't want to but I had to.
What I did next I've never told anyone about before. This is what actually happened.
I hit her and to my surprise it shut her up.
I cut the rest of the stitches off and I was free, It hurt so much to move the pain was almost blinding but I was so close I couldn't give up now.
As I made my way to the little window I knew I could fit through, even though I could only fit because I was missing an arm I was glad about it.
Then I stopped for a second and listened... I couldn't hear anything apart from Layla sobbing hysterically. I couldn't hear the man's footsteps. They had been so close a second ago so where was he.

Either way I didn't care any more. I punched the small window where the crack was an to my surprise it broke quite easily. Sure I cut my hand but that was nothing compared to the pain in my open side.
I wanted to climb out and just leave but I couldn't leave Layla there but as I walked towards her to get her she started screaming again.And then I heard footsteps again.
Whenever she screamed he started coming again and she only screamed more when I tried helping her but what was I supposed to do leave her there for him to play with god only know what he would do with her or well what more he could do with her.
In my eyes for a few years I'd done her a favour, A mercy if you will.
I took the scalpel and dragged it straight across her throat, I was careful to stand behind her not to get any of her blood splatter on me.
When her body fell limply to the floor I got out of there as fast as I could.
Surprisingly enough I was in a very populated area it only took me a few minutes to find some people that at first were horrified and ran away but then realized I needed help and called an ambulance and the police.

Turns out we were in your regular housing estate just in an illegally build basement.
Through talking with the police though days later in the hospital I learned something horrifying.

He was watching us, There were hidden camera's in the room.I think he was testing us. Seeing what would happen.

I think about it now, I mean he was never caught it was all planned out so well there was no evidence only blood from past victim's.
People he'd done his strange test's on that had probably all died.
Thankfully for me they never found any footage he'd taken it with him when he escaped.
The basement was soundproofed the only fault was the small crack in the little window that was letting out too much sound which is why he only felt the need to come when Layla was screaming.
I'd played into his game and done what he wanted. I'd killed my best friend, the one who for a short time was not only mentally but physically connected to me.
I still shudder at the thought of him sitting there and watching the tapes of me and Layla or any of his other victim's.
He took them with him which means he probably still watches them. Porn for a murderer.

I've kept quiet about this for years but like I said at the start I received something in the post today that's I can't stop thinking about.

He's sent me presents before, a year after the incident I got sent a letter that said 'welldone' and in it was a lock of Layla's beautiful hair.

The second year anniversary he sent me another letter this time with more writing and my ring that I was wearing on my left hand that day.
It said
'You're my only survivor
My one and true fighter.'

and at the bottom was a creepily drawn love heart.
I wanted to go to the police with that one but what was the point they couldn't catch him back then and they probably couldn't catch him now. He's smarter than they are.

Today, On the third year anniversary.

There were three things all in different places.

I found a red rose full of thorns at my work on my desk this morning when I got there.

I found what I think is my arm bone on my bed when I got home from work that evening.

and then I found the last one by accident. I went to go watch a movie at night but to my horror when my tv turned on it was that room again.

He'd sent me the video of that day with a note on my tv saying 'Enjoy xoxo'