A Brother's Keeper

Chapter Two

As the footsteps stopped, a man's voice echoed through the room. 'Oh? You're awake.' Curly felt a wave of fear wash over him as the man sat down right next to him, his face close enough to touch. The man ripped off the blindfold, revealing his face. Curly's heart sank as he recognized the kidnapper, a rough-looking man with a scowl on his face.

"You're from Alec's gang," Curly spoke out, trying to keep his voice steady.

"Quiet," the man growled, ignoring Curly's statement. He leaned in closer, his breath hot on Curly's face. "You're in a place where no one will find you," he said. "And you're going to stay here until you learn to keep your mouth shut."

Curly felt a surge of anger and frustration. "Where am I?" he snapped, determined not to show any weakness.

The man's eyes narrowed. "You don't need to know that," he said. "All you need to know is that you're mine now."

"What did I do to you?" Curly yelled, his voice bouncing off the walls. He struggled against the ropes binding his wrists, the rough fibers digging into his skin. "Let me out!"

"I won't tell you this again, Shepard. Quiet," the kidnapper growled, his face twisted in anger.

"T-Tim is going to find you!" Curly stuttered, trying to remain calm and strong. "You'll regret ever doing this to me!"

The kidnapper hummed and chuckled a little to himself. "See, how will Tim do anything if he doesn't know where you are?" he asked with a hoarse voice. He roughly grabbed Curly's face by the jaw, forcing eye contact between the two. Curly struggled against his hold, but he felt too weak. He couldn't free himself from this grip.

"I have rules you have to follow, Shepard," the man stated. "Apologize for talking back."

Curly shook his head against the grip, keeping it cool and steady. He wasn't afraid of this man. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"My name don't matter," the man mocked, tightening his grip on Curly's jaw. "I won't tell you again, Curly. Apologize."

"No!" Curly shouted, squirming against the ropes that bound his wrists. He could feel the the burning sensation the rope brought against his wrists, but he didn't care. He wouldn't let this man break him.

The kidnapper lowly growled. Curly's response made anger take control over his entire body and mood. He always hated the Shepards. He knew for a fact that he was going to make Curly pay. He was going to teach Curly how to listen.

He didn't hesitate to slam the back of Curly's head onto the wall they were leaning behind. Grabbing a chunk of his victim's hair, he continually smashed his head more than Curly could count.

Not satisfied enough, he made Curly change positions. Now facing the wall with his hair gripped, Curly's face was repeatedly slammed against it. He tried his best keeping his tears in.

Once the man had finally calmed down, he took a glance at Curly's helpless face which only made the blood rise inside him once again.

Curly wasn't crying at all, there were visible tears in his eyes but he wasn't letting any of them fall down his bloody, throbbing face.

"Just cry!" The man shouted with all his might, raising a fist to strike at him.

Curly felt his heart pounding in his chest as the man raised his fist. He knew what was coming next, he'd been through this before. But no matter how many times he told himself to be strong or brave, he was still terrified. He closed his eyes and tried to block out the sound of the man's voice, but it was no use. The words echoed in his mind, taunting him.

As the man's fist came crashing down, Curly felt a sharp pain on his side. He bit his lip to keep from crying out, but tears streamed down his face all the same. He hated feeling so weak and helpless, but there was nothing he could do to stop the man. All he could do was endure it, and hope that someday he'd find a way out of this nightmare.

Curly had always known that he was different from other kids. He'd grown up in a rough neighborhood, surrounded by violence and poverty. But he'd never imagined that he'd end up here, in this dark and dingy room, with no idea where he was or who was holding him captive. He felt a sense of despair wash over him as he realized that he might never escape. But even in the midst of his fear and uncertainty, he knew that he had to keep fighting. He couldn't let the man break him. Not now, not ever.

Curly felt a sense of shame wash over him as he cried out. Giving his kidnapper what he desired. Curly been determined to stay strong, to show the man that he couldn't be broken. But in the end, he'd given in to his fear and pain. He felt weak and pathetic, and he couldn't help but wonder if this was what his life had come to.

As he lay there, tied up and bruised, Curly couldn't help but think about Tim and the rest of his gang. He knew that they wouldn't have let this happen if they'd known where he was. But the truth was, he'd been on his own for a long time now. He'd always been the odd one out, the one who didn't quite fit in. And now, as he lay there in the dark, he felt more alone than ever.

Curly tried to fight back the tears, but they came inconsistently anyway. He felt so helpless, so powerless. He wanted to scream, to lash out at his captor, but he knew that it wouldn't do any good. He was trapped, with no way out.

There was sudden knock at the door, surprising both Curly and his kidnapper.

As the man walked in, Curly felt a flicker of hope. Maybe this was it. Maybe he was finally going to be rescued. But as he looked at the man's face, he realized that he didn't recognize him. He didn't know who this person was, or what he wanted. And as Jason roared at the man and ordered him to leave, Curly felt a sense of despair wash over him. He was still trapped, still alone, still helpless.

The pain in his face was excruciating, and Curly could feel the blood trickling down his chin. He tried to keep his sobs quiet, but he couldn't help it. He felt so weak and vulnerable, like a small child. He wanted to fight back, to show Jason that he wasn't afraid. But he knew that it was useless. Jason was in control, and there was nothing he could do to change that.

Watching his kidnapper take a stand up from where he was. He made his way to the gingered haired man and made conversation as quiet as they could.

His kidnapper seemed to ease his nervous down and turned to Curly with a deadly smirk.

"You're gonna learn respect, Shepard. You hear?" He said with a gruff, "You're gonna do as I say."

Curly only nodded as tears went down his face.

With that, both men left Curly to his lonesomeness. Curly's mind began to wander. He thought about his family and friends, and wondered if they were looking for him. He thought about Tim and the rest of his gang, and wondered if they knew what had happened to him. But mostly, he thought about how much he wanted to be free. He wanted to feel the sun on his face, to breathe in fresh air, to be able to move his arms and legs without pain. But he knew that it was all just a dream. He was stuck here, in this dark, cold room, with no way out.

All Curly could do was wait and hope that someone would come to rescue him. But as the hours ticked by, he began to lose hope. Maybe this was it. Maybe he was going to die here, alone and forgotten.