Smoke and Mirrors

Chapter 10

It was hard to say how long they'd been walking, but all the walking helped them find a perfect place to sleep.  This perfect place to sleep' was a deserted cabin in the forest that looked like it had been abandoned several years ago.  Everything in this cabin looked as if whoever owned the place before they arrived had left in a hurry.  Rotted food laid across the table in the small dining room; moldy dishes sat in the sink, unwashed in the mucky water; and a pile of laundry was sitting on the right side of a torn-up sofa in front of them.
  "Home sweet home," Val grimaced in disgust.
  Aske laid Mystice on the sofa, and put his jacket over her to keep her warm. "Tell me about it."  He looked at the rotting food that actually filled the whole cabin with a scent that stunk to the high heavens. "What a waste! We could've eaten those; I'm starving."
  Plugging his nose, the boy with piercings added, "Are there any scented candles, cologne, or perfume around?" He looked around the room. "Or anything that can get rid of that horrible smell?"
  "We worry about that later; we have bigger problems."
  Distracting the boys from their conversation, Mystice screamed out in pain.  She didn't plan on doing that; the pain just got too unbearable.  Blood flowed through the shirt wrapped around her legs.
  Quickly, Aske grabbed a wooden chair from the old table, pulling it in front of Mystice.  "Hey, how are you feeling?"
  Val sat on the arm of the sofa near her head, stroking her hair to let her know she wasn't alone.
  "N-Not so," Another cry escaped her lips. "G-good."
  "Do you mind if I look?"
  Hesitantly, she shook her head.
  Aske carefully unwrapped the piece of fabric, then rolled up the remains of her pant legs.  In many locations, teeth petruded out of several open wounds.  Around the teeth, her skin was as black as a raven's feathers.
  He gulped as quietly as he could. "Val, go find some tweezers, alcohol, and a bandage."
  "On it," the blond walked towards what looked like a cabinet, opened and scavenged through it.
  "It hurts," she said in a hoarse whisper, biting her lip to prevent herself from crying. "P-Please make it stop, Aske."
  "I'm going to try my best," He told her compassionately.  He grabbed her hand, squeezed.  "You're going to be okay."
  Val ran over to them. "Found them!"  He gave the black-haired boy the items he'd asked for.
  "Thank you."  He looked at Mystice with a look full of pity.  "This will hurt, so you're going to have be brave right now, okay?"
  All she could do was nod, even though she didn't feel brave- not one bit. 
  Aske started to count. "One."
   Oh, God.
   "Two."
   Oh, God.  Oh, God.  Oh, God.  I CAN'T DO THIS!
  "Three."
  Pain shot through her legs; it felt like all the skin was being ripped off her bones.  She let out a blood-curdling shriek.  That familiar river flowed out of her eyes uncontrollably, as she held Val's hand.
  "You're doing great," he whispered, squeezing back.
  Liar, she thought.  She ignored that cruel comment swimming around in her head, and gave him a weak smile instead.
  By the time Aske pulled out all the teeth and poured alcohol on her wounds to clean them, she felt light-headed.  Now, the blond sat there, wrapping bandages around her fresh wounds.  He bit his lip as he worked, hating the thought that he was hurting her.  Strands of his hair fell over his eyes full of sadness.
  "How are you ho- holding up?" She forced herself to choke out.
  "Hmmm?" He continued working, not looking up.
  "Your arm."
  "Don't worry about me, please."
  She narrowed her eyes at him.  "Well, why not?"
  "I'm just not worth it, Mystice."
  He still hadn't made eye contact with her the whole time they were talking, and it bothered her to no end. "Maybe you're worth it to me!"  She shouted at him with every fiber in her body.  Then she whispered, "You're worth it to me, Aske."
  Those words made both Val and Aske look up.  Aske opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn't find the right words.  His lips quivered, and he couldn't seem to stop them from doing so.
  "Aske," Mystice let go of Val's hand and reached for his.
  He stood up, ignoring the gesture.  "I'll be back."  Then, he was out the door before another word was spoken.  He walked until he couldn't see the little cabin, then let his mind take over.
  The feeling of a nail being hammered surged through his body.  Screams, whimpers, and groans escaped his lips; those noises echoed throughout the house.  His mother stood in the corner, crying hysterically as she watched her husband beat the living hell out of her son.  Aske's ribs were broken  from being kicked and stomped on; bruises were being placed as reminders all over his body.
  "Daddy," he cried. "Stop, please!"  He tried to crawl away from his father -who was now his predator- but to no avail.  His father grabbed his legs and dragged him back over, flipped him on his back and climbed on top of him.
  "You stupid boy!" He landed a blow right on his nose, causing a crunching sound; an eruption of blood flowed out. "Stupid." Punch. "Stupid." Punch. "Stupid." One last punch.
  Suddenly,  he was pulled off of him.  His mother- his beautiful, brown-eyed, and black-haired mother.  She had given a chance to escape the situation. "You're worth it to me... now go!"
  He sprung out the door at full speed, not daring to look behind him, and leaving the monster and his angel behind.
  "You let him get away!" the monster growled. "You'll pay for that." Click.
  "No, d-don't. Stop. S-Stop! STO-"
  Bang.  Silence fell.
  He felt a hand on his shoulder.  He spun around to see Mystice, concern written all over her beautiful eyes.  The wind was blowing her blue hair in her face, making her look like a mysterious and gorgeous goddess. 
  "As-"  Before she could finish his name, he already flung himself on her.  His head was buried in her chest, and his arms wrapped her waist. 
  "He k-killed her!"  He dropped to his knees; she did the same action.  "I-It should've been me!"
  She rubbed his back slowly and gently, hushing him.  He cried and cried and cried in her arms until he couldn't find the strength to cry.