Possession < Spider-Man • Book 1 >

- 38 -

His father growled, stomping over and yanking his arm. Caelum let out a cry of alarm and his father immediately hit him across the head. “Shut the fuck up! You don't get to fucking talk!"

He slammed his body into the side of his door, his back scraping against the edge. He hissed, but quickly closed his mouth, swallowing a cry. His father bent over him, slamming his fist into his face before he could move his hands to stop him. Caelum saw stars, his eye exploding in pain.

He tried to curl away, his shoulders shaking, but his father held him steady and kept hitting him over and over again. Blood filled his mouth and his nose crunched painfully against his fist. Caelum couldn't see at all, he laid limp, his face throbbing with an unimaginable pain.

His father, still not quite done yet, grabbed his leg, and dragged him over. His arm sliced open painfully against the split wood, and he inhaled slightly, then coughed out blood. “I'm gonna kill you," his father growled darkly. “I'm gonna fucking kill you. I won't have motherfucking fags in my house.”

He brought him in the kitchen and practically dropped him on the floor. Caelum tried to get to his feet, maybe he could― maybe he could go and run and get away from him and. . .

“You're going to pay," he hissed, turning the stove eye it ticked for a few beats before erupting with a flame.

Caelum immediately tried to get up and run. His limbs felt flimsy and his arm was bleeding so bad. He used the Ghost's chair as leverage, as if she would be able to grab his hand and give him strength. He got to his feet and limped to the door.

His father, much more able-bodied, was faster. He grabbed the collar of his shirt and yanked him back. He fell, his head hitting the ground, but his father wasn't done. He grabbed his shoulder raising him to the stove with the lit eye.

Caelum began to scream, “No!! No! Please!Dad! No!! No!!" His father ignored his cries and pushed his face into the flames.

Caelum wailed. He has never felt this kind of pain in his life. Everything burned, his face was on fire. Caelum closed his eyes, but his eye wasn't protected from the flame. He tried to struggle, tried to get away, but his legs felt like jelly, and he couldn't fight against his father's tight grip. His tears sizzled in the flames, as if taunting him, and his skin charred and blistered.

His father pushed him down harder, and the burning metal seared into his face. He opened his mouth, letting out a ear-shattering scream, his body moving frantically. He pushed his hands down, trying to pry his burning skin off. His father kicked him in the legs, making him lose balance. He fell, face going farther into the burning flames.

His father raised him up, and Caelum slumped, barely able to breathe, his entire body shaking, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. The cool air lapped at his skin, giving him a slight reprieve from his torture. His father pushed his head upwards, inspecting his face, before gripping him again and pushing him back in.

Caelum cried out again, he didn't want to do it again. It hurt so bad, he wanted it's to stop. "No! No! Nn—!" He blubbered before he went back to screaming, the flames returning.

He heard footsteps, and someone calling his name. His father dropped him. He hit his head on the metal stove, falling to the ground and holding his still burning face. Caelum sobbing and his hands shaking over his mutilated cheek. He couldn't breathe, it hurt so bad.

He vaguely saw his father standing over him, a kitchen knife in his hand, sneering down at him. "That's your faggot boyfriend innit?" He growled. Caelum let out another loud sob, he was going to die. He didn't want to die. He was going to die and it was going to hurt ― he hurt so bad it hurt so bad he couldn't breathe―