room // malum au [in progress]

january 7th, 2021

it's been three days since john shut the power off on them and calum was starting to lose hope. the only time him or tucker left the bed was to eat what little food they had left or to go to the bathroom.

"hey daddy?" tucker chirped from his place squished between calum's arm and chest.

"what's up bud?"

"have you ever tried to trick john?" the five year old asked.

"what do you mean?" calum replied pulling tucker even closer to him if that was even possible.

"you know like he did to you?" tucker said. "you told me he tricked you to get you here."

"yeah he did." calum said.

"have you ever tried to trick him? to try and leave?"

"holy fuck tucker. you're a genius." calum shouted.

"what's a genius?" tucker asked climbing up onto calum's chest and straddling him.

"it means you're really smart." calum explained while pulling up a blanket to wrapped tucker up so he stayed warm.

"why am i smart?"

"cause tuck!" calum exclaimed. "we have to trick john! you're brilliant." calum pulled tucker down and hugged him close. "you're so goddamn smart bubs."

"how are we gonna trick him?" tucker asked. calum sighed.

"i have no clue."

"how bout i hide behind the door and when he comes i can run out?" calum shook his head.

"no bud that won't work. you can't run fast enough. he'll catch you easily."

"what about you try and run?"

"no we need to be smarter than that." calum said rubbing his arms up and down tucker to try and keep him warm. "are you cold?"

"a little bit." tucker mumbled. "but you're warm. i like laying on top of you."

"anything to keep you from getting sick." calum mumbled into tucker's hair.

"i don't like being sick." tucker grimaced remembering the last time he got sick. "throwing up isn't fun. and medicine is yucky."

"yeah it really isn't." calum agreed. "luckily last time you were sick for too long and it wasn't too bad."

"what would happen if i got really sick daddy?"

"that would be really bad." calum said. "oh my god."

"what?" tucker asked.

"that's it!" calum exclaimed.

"what's it?" tucker asked giving calum a confused expression.

"we can fake you being sick!" calum said sitting up. tucker stood on calum's lap and held onto his shoulders.

"i don't get it."

"you said we should trick john right?" tucker nodded. "well we can trick him by pretending you're so sick that you need to go to the hospital."

"what's the hospital?"

"it's the place where people go when they're hurt or sick." calum explained.

"would you come with me?" tucker asked.

"no he won't let me." calum sighed. "i know he won't."

"then how will you get out?"

"we'll write a note." calum said. "and we'll stick it in your pocket. so when the doctors take you into a room away from john you give them the note. and then they'll call the police who will come and find me." tucker slowly nodded, trying to wrap the idea around his head.