Together We Fall

His Sister's Keeper

It had now been 1,277.5 days since Juana disappeared. 30,660 hours since she was ripped from him. 1,840,860 minutes since he last saw her. Toban balled up his fist, slamming into his desk as the numbers repeated themselves in his head, over and over again like a broken track stuck on a disheartening loop. His screen lit up, forcing his eyes to it as a face came into view on the screen. He brought his hand to his mouth, his tongue rolling over the knuckles that had slammed against the wood for the trillionth time. Blood spread over his tongue, the taste of pennies filling every taste receptor on the muscle. The woman was familiar, her hair strawberry blonde that clung to her neck in a short cut that flowed around her ears. She wasn't super beautiful but she was far from ugly. Still though, he hated her. Toban felt his breath catch in his throat as a face he had known so well appeared next to the woman.
Juana.
His face burned as the heat threatened to burn through him. He wanted to beat the fuck out of that woman, carve out her insides with his bare hands until nothing was left inside of her before throwing her corpse to the dogs.
Juana was a horrifying sight. Both of her eyes had blackened, her top lip swollen and cut. Blood trickled down her chin as she stared into nothingness. Her eyes were fixated on the camera lens but nothing was behind them.
She was broken, bent. Like a picture frame that had been flung off the wall during an argument. Something that couldn't be mended, healed. She was much smaller than she was all those years ago. Her face sunken in, her cheeks clinging to the bones beneath them. Her arms were thin, too thin.
Toban's hand reached instinctively toward the screen, his thumb running across the side of her face as if to catch the single tear that had fallen from her eye. Juana didn't blink, completely unaware of who was watching her. Of the lengths he had already gone to save her.
"I'll never give up, Jo," He whispered. Even though he knew she couldn't hear or see him, he prayed it gave her a comfort from something otherworldly. "I'll save you."
It was only a few minutes before the woman next to Juana started to speak. Her voice was solid, like a good house foundation that lasted generations and generations.
"Alright folks, I got a favorite here with me tonight." The woman stepped aside and pushed Juana into the entirety of the frame. Toban fought his mind to ignore the thoughts of those who were watching this, enjoying it. "Miss Lavender is here for you tonight. Please, don't be shy to throw out your offers and the values you wish to expunge on her. We all know she loves to get down and dirty."
Juana didn't move, not even a blink as comments started to fill the screen before her. Toban wasn't sure if she could read them but he didn't put it past the woman with her. What better way to torment someone without physicality than making them watch the vile things the viewers wanted her to do. The things they wanted to do to her.
Toban knew he couldn't watch for much longer. He had made that mistake once and would regret it for forever. One part of him wanted to know what was happening to her so he would know what she needed when he saved her. Another part, however, already knew and refused to add on to the many people who had already defiled her.
Juana deserved better than that.
Way better.
"Oh come on," The woman started again. Her face was blank as she stepped back in front of Juana. She had a little mole on her cheek that Toban hadn't seen before. It was tiny, almost unnoticeable until she was up close. "A thousand bucks? Miss Lavender deserves better than that. Don't ya honey?" The woman gestures toward Juana, who in turn offered a slight nod. "You heard the lady. Pay up or get the fuck out of the requests. You cheapskates deserve nothing but a truck stop slut."
The replies roared, faster and with bigger prices than before. Thousands of dollars for her to do sick things. Things like stab herself, cut off parts of her vagina, disfigure a limb. The list went on and on as more people joined the stream.
Toban wanted so badly to reach her, to whisk her away from the situation and transfer all her pain to him. He knew she would never be able to be the same. Never be able to be the sweet girl he had grown up with. Never be able to go back to being that innocent little girl he had basically raised.
"Alright, now we're talking," The woman grinned. Her teeth were crooked, large gaps in between every visible tooth. One was black, a liquid pouring out of it on the left side of her mouth. "Cleanman00. Seventy five hundred for your request? Is it worth it? What do you think Juana?"
Her eyes rose, only for a brief second but it was enough to make Toban want to puke. His sister's eyes scanned the screen, growing large as she finally found his request.
"No, no please-" Juana started. Anguish flowed through Toban at her pleas, at the man behind the screen name and at the woman who was doing this to her.
"Don't talk back," The woman hissed. Juana visibly shrank again, the little life that had appeared on her face disappearing once more. She turned back toward the camera. "Alright, one stab to the shoulder and one to the knee. You're a sick fuck, aren't you?" She winked before turning to Juana. The woman placed her hands on Juana's shoulders, forcing her body down. She disappeared from the screen before coming back with something in her hand. It was gleaming in the single light that hung above them.
A knife.
Toban knew he should shut the laptop. Save himself from the torture that was going to plague him for tonight and all the rest of the nights until he had Juana back.
He couldn't shut it though. She was being hurt, worse than he had ever known. He had to feel it. If he couldn't save her, he'd be there for her, feel it alongside her for as long as she went through it.
Toban's hand fumbled with the little knob below his desk, his eyes refusing to leave the screen. He finally got it open, his fingers slipping inside until he felt the cool casing beneath his touch. He slipped it out, displaying it before him. He trailed down to it, not wasting time before flipping it open. The blade was sharp, brand new from a small convention in town where a man was selling them. It wasn't a small pocket knife but it wasn't large either. It could still do some damage.
"Alright, let's do this!" The woman yelled. Comments flooded the screen again, not stopping for a moment as she raised the knife in the air.
Toban followed her every move, both of his hands taking hold of the knife as he held it up in the air. The woman swung it down, hitting Juana in the shoulder. His sister let out a loud scream, the sound deafening him. Toban did the same, bringing the knife through the air toward his left shoulder. He cried out, his teeth snatching his lip up with such force he instantly felt blood fill his mouth. He didn't remove the blade, he took in every moment of pain. Juana didn't deserve this. He did.
If only he had been there that day.
If only he had acted against his own selfish desires and waited with her.
Juana was innocent. Sweet.
He would have traded places with her at any given time if he had the chance.
The blade was deep in his skin, not attached to anything too dangerous. His fingers rolled around the handle. Toban gripped it, using all his strength to drag the blade out from his flesh. It made a disgusting squelch as it pulled away, blood dropping from the blade and landing on his desk and shorts.
His mind felt blank, his vision dizzy. He shook his head, refusing to back down. Refusing to give into the pain that knocked him unconscious last time.
Juana didn't get to sleep. She didn't get to rest her eyes and give in to whatever her body screamed at her. She was forced to fight, every single minute of her captivity.
So he would too.
He let the blood seep from his wound, the warm liquid spiraling over his chest and down his stomach. He enjoyed the pain.
Enjoyed the small connection it gave him to his sister.
"I'll save you, Jo," He whispered again. "I promise."