Warning! This chapter contains attempted sexual assault, mentions of sexual assault and Rohypnol (Date Rape Drugs)! If any of these topics might trigger you, do not read! This chapter takes place post series, in Dystopia. Also, the legal drinking age in England is 18, so I'm going with that.
All in all, I think that the last mission went well. Dystopia was a messed up place, but everything we did helped a little more. We had gotten a few minor cuts and bruises, but thanks to my forcefield, we got out pretty scot-free. Not wanting to go back to our flat, we hit a relatively low-crime pub, which was still a crime-filled pub to the rest of the world's standards.
We had ordered some drinks, Jasper with a fruity 'girly' drink that he seemed to love, Charlotte with a glass of rye and ginger with a twist, and I with a good old fashion beer. Gods, I hope Rai never found out. Was I the legal drinking age? Yes. Did that matter to Rai? Nope, he would act all crazy about it.
I was just about to take a swig when I felt someone looking at me. I look over to see a middle-aged man, maybe five years older than Rai, giving me some uncomfortable looks.
"Hey gorgeous, how are you doing tonight?" The older man tried to flatter.
"Hi, sorry, no offence, I'm just not interested," I responded.
"Oh sure you are, with a face so sweet and a body so hot, you're practically asking for it." The older man cooed.
I shift to the side, more than a little uncomfortable. "Again, I'm not interested." I take a sip of my beer.
The man scoffed, moving away from me, heading towards the other side of the bar. Beside me, Charlotte and Jasper were snickering.
"Thank you. I'm glad you find my discomfort so amusing." I mock snap.
"I do enjoy it. Thanks for noticing." Charlotte laughed.
"Go on, give him some lovin'!" Jasper added.
"You guys are ridiculous" I took a swig of my beer, ignoring my friends' laughter.
"No, I know how to have fun. Try it. You might like it," Charlotte laughed, hoisting herself off of the seat and making her way to the blonde girl that had been practically undressing her with her startling, blue eyes.
"Yeah, man, if you only think about work, you'll never have any fun." Jasper agreed. He tipped back his head, chugging the rest of the pink drink he had been sipping and joined the crowd of singles as well.
I sighed, left alone while my friends had fun. I finished my beer, gazing across the pub. Gods, he was still staring at me.
I stood and made my way to the pool table, trying to shake off the uneasy feeling forming in my stomach. I watched a few rounds and bet with others, winning and losing some money before heading back to the bar. I was about to order another beer when the bartender passed me a pint.
"It's been paid for." The bartender said, his voice gruff.
I blinked in shock but accepted it. Beer wasn't cheap in Dystopia. Taking a big gulp, I glanced to the booth. That creepy man from earlier was staring at me again. The uneasy feeling pained my stomach. I took a sip of beer, but I could barely swallow it. A wave of dizziness and nausea had washed over me. The room was swimming and looked like a swirl of colour.
My head pounded. A sluggish feeling made my legs wobble. A firm hand grabbed my elbow, an unfamiliar but reassuring voice in my ear.
"I'm just goin' to take him home now. My son has drunk a little too much," the voice murmured. It wasn't Charlotte or Jasper. Where were they?
I weakly tried to push myself away from the person holding me up, but I found that I didn't have the energy to do so. I half walked, half got dragged, out of the pub, the cool night air greeting me. I tried to see where I was going, but keeping my eyes open gave me a headache, so I kept them closed.
I only had a moment to wonder where the man was taking me when I felt my kidnapper press me against a wall. Warning bells went off in my head, forcing me to try and fight for dominance. From the little I could make out, it was the alleyway behind the bar.
"Goodness, you are pretty. So very pretty. I want you here and now." The voice cooed in my ear. A big hand gently combed through my curls and squeezed the juncture of my neck. "What's a pretty thing like you doing in Dystopia?"
"W-Wait," I groaned, trying to regain control of my body, only to find I was too tired, "do-don't."
"I'm going to make you feel so good, pretty boy."
"No- 'lease- Ch'r- J'sp'r-" I slurred groggily. I'm vaguely aware of the man pulling off my leather jacket, then my hoodie.
"Don't worry. You won't be thinking about Char or Jasper after this, pretty boy." The man's breath smelled like whiskey and smoke. He pushed his hands up my black shirt, splaying all over my chest. "Oh, your so beautiful!"
"St...op...st-stop!" I groan, tears pricking my eyes. I had no control over my body. I couldn't even activate my shield to protect myself. My limbs wouldn't respond to my brain, and my brain felt like someone had stuffed it with cotton. "Pl'se."
The older man smacked me roughly across the face before caressing my cheek. "I don't like punishing you, but I will!"
"Pl'se Char... J'sp'r! H'lp."
-.-.-.-
Charlotte's Point of View
Ever since I was a child, I could tell when Henry or Jasper needed me. It was like a sixth sense. The pair of them were so accident-prone, it was almost like they needed someone to know if they were in danger. It was like my radar to keep my friends safe. And right now, it was blaring in my head that something wasn't right with Henry.
Reluctantly, I apologize to the girl I had been chatting up and left to find Jasper and Henry. I immediately found Jasper. He was at the jukebox, trying to figure out which song to play.
"Hey, Jasp? Have you seen Henry?" I asked him.
"Yeah, he was at the bar the last time I saw him anyway," Jasper replied, not even bothering to look up from the jukebox.
I turned to scan the bar, and low and behold, no Henry. "Jasper, he's not there."
Jasper met my eyes, a twinge of worry in his pale blue eyes. "Well, you know, he could be in the bathroom or mixing with people?" Jasper weakly suggested.
"Jasp, no one in their right mind would ever use a public bathroom in Dystopia, gods, no one in their right mind would use a bathroom in a pub! And really? Henry wouldn't mix with anyone while we were. Someone has to keep watch."
Jasper scrubbed a calloused hand across his face. "You're right. Okay, let's ask the bartender if he saw anything."
-.-.-.-
"What can I get ya'?" The bartender asked, his voice gruff and harsh.
"Nothing at the moment, but-" Jasper started.
"Then why are ya' takin' up space at my bar."
"We'll be quick. We just wanted to ask if you've seen our friend. The guy we were with earlier? Tall, blonde, wearing a leather jacket on top of a black hoodie?" I supplied.
"Oh, him? He left maybe five minutes ago with his dad."
"His dad," I repeat.
"Yeah, said his son had drunk too much. The guy paid for the kid's beer before havin' to take him home. The kid seemed wasted. He barely touched the second one." The bartender explained.
Dread filled me as I realized who he was talking about, the older guy from before, the one who hit on Henry. He must have done something. I quickly scanned the bar. Of course, he wasn't there.
Jasper must have had the same idea because he whipped around to look at me. I nod. I ran out of the pub, Jasper tailing me.
"Henry!" I shout. "Henry!"
"Henry! Come on, man, where are you?" Jasper yelled.
I quickly checked our motorcycles to see if Henry was waiting for us out by the bikes or just needed some air, but he wasn't there either. I ran back to the front of the bar to check, no Henry. Maybe Henry was just in the bathroom. Perhaps I was overreacting, but my friend-dar was never wrong. Something terrible was happening to my best friend, and I couldn't find him.
I quickly reunited with Jasper. "Any luck?"
"No, you?" He asked.
"Jasper, if I had found Henry, why would I have asked you if you had any luck?"
"Right, sorry. Why don't we try calling Henry?"
Why hadn't I thought of that? Sometimes panic made me a little dumb. "Good idea."
I quickly pulled out my phone and selected the contact I had affectionately named 'Bitch'. After a moment, I heard Henry's ringtone from down an alleyway. Jasper and I jogged over, relief in my voice.
"There you are, we've been worried sick-" My voice died in my throat as I saw what was happening in front of me. I knew that this would haunt me more than any crime in Dystopia we had ever faced. My best friend in the world was laying back against the grungey wall, tears pouring down his bright brown eyes. He looked a lot more bruised than I remembered him. On top of him was the creepy older man from the pub. Trailing down Henry's chest, which I only now realized was exposed, were the red mark remnants of hickeys. The man's hand was down Henry's pants despite the drugged man's protests.
And through it all, Henry's hands were still pushing weakly on the older man's shoulders, whimpering pleas for it to stop. Never in my life had I felt the murderous type of rage I did at that moment.
With three long strides, Jasper and I were at our friend's side in an instant. I'm sure Jasper felt just as much rage as I did. Jasper grabbed the man by the back of his coat, pulling him off Henry. He slammed him into the wall beside Henry.
The man winced and glared into the fiery gaze of Jasper. In all my life, I've never seen such anger in Jasper. He was usually so happy-go-lucky. He slammed his fist into the assaulter's face, over and over. Blood spurted from his nose and mouth, but I ignored it. The man deserved it.
As Jasper beat the man, I began kicking him. "You piece of shit! How dare you touch our friend! How dare you think you could get away with it! You're dead! Do you hear me? Dead! Don't touch our friend!"
Henry's soft cries motivate me as we continue to beat up the man. My ankle had started to hurt after a while, the kicks tiring me. I could feel my strength dissipate, but the grin on the man's face, like this, was worth it, gave me a burst of adrenaline. With all the energy I could muster, I landed a punch on the man's temple, effectively knocking him out. The man hadn't even looked ashamed that he drugged and tried to rape an innocent man. Henry was innocent. The man went limp, collapsing into a heap. Jasper landed one last hit to the ribs, panting from the effort.
I cuffed his wrists, wrote the word 'RAPIST' on his forehead with the pen I kept in my pocket and sent a ping to the police. Dystopia may be a corrupt place, but the police were ruthless and they would take care of this scum.
I let out a few ragged breaths before turning to my fallen friend. Henry was on the ground, tears in his eyes.
"Henry..." I whispered. I, along with Jasper, drop to the ground next to our shivering friend. "Hey Hen, I'm just going to check your pupils, okay? It's Charlotte." I slowly say.
After a moment, Henry nods. I shine a light into Henry's eyes. The pupils instantly contract, which is admittedly a good thing, but they are too dilated to be ordinary.
"Henry, can you place your hand on mine?" I ask him, holding my hand out like I was awaiting a high five. Henry sluggishly raised his hand and swatted at my hand, never fully getting his hand against mine.
"Okay, okay, Hen, you're good." Jasper soothed. He turned to face me. "He has been roofied, right? That's what we're thinking? All the symptoms are there."
"Yeah, he's been roofied." I sighed. "We never should have left him with that man around."
"Ch'r?"
"Yeah, Hen, I'm here. I'm here, Henry." I pull him into my arms. "Jasper, can you grab his hoodie and jacket?"
Jasper nods, quickly moving to get the previously disposed of clothing. He helps Henry into his hoodie and jacket while I hold our drugged friend's hand.
"Kn'w you'd c'me." He slurred.
Once he was fully dressed, we moved to the next part of the rescue plan: getting home, which wouldn't be easy since we rode motorcycles instead of driving a car.
"Jasper, you take Henry's and your motorcycles back to base. I'll drive Henry back on mine." I instructed.
- time skip -
And you made sure he was on his side?" Schwoz asks.
"So he won't choke if he vomits?" I confirmed.
"Exactly."
"Yeah, Schwoz, I made sure he was on his side."
"Good. Other than that, there's not much you can do. Just let Henry sleep it off."
"Thanks, Schwoz, and do me a favour, don't tell Rai," I order.
"Don't tell Rai?" Schwoz parroted.
"You know he'll worry. Henry doesn't need a mother hen, Rai, breathing down his neck."
"Fine, I won't tell him. Just take care of him for me, okay?"
"We'll take care of him, I promise."
"Good. You know Rai worries about you three, and so do I. I don't like the fact that you are stopping crime in Dystopia, but I know you are doing good work." Said Schwoz.
"I know you worry about us, but we're okay. I'll make sure Henry gets lots of rest. I'll let you know how he's improving as we go."
"Thank you, Charlotte. I-" A girl on the other end started speaking. "Shoot, Charlotte, I have to go. Misha needs some help with something. I'll call you later."
"Bye, Schwoz."
"Was that Schwoz?" Jasper asked as he came from Henry's room.
"Yeah, he just told me what we already knew. Keep him on his side to make sure he doesn't choke on his vomit and let him sleep it off." I replied.
"Did you ask him to,"
"Not tell Rai? Yeah, he won't." I cut Jasper off.
"Good. The last thing Henry will want when he wakes up is a worried Rai breathing down his neck."
"That's what I said." I laughed. A lull of silence crept over the room. "Do you think he'll be okay?" I finally asked.
"He'll be okay," Jasper assured.
"He's always okay. That's the problem. You can't tell me you aren't worried that he'll act like nothing ever happened." I insist.
"What would we be able to do about it, Char? Bring him to a therapist? It's Dystopia. The closest thing to a therapist is if you get kidnapped, and the kidnapper lets you tell them your problems." Jasper jokes. "Look, Char, we just need to play it by ear."
"I know. I'm just worried that we'll have to take Henry to the hospital. We don't know what drug he ingested." I confess.
"The hospitals here are shit, and you know it. Henry's better off here than anywhere else." Jasper reminds.
"I know, but that doesn't mean I have to like it."
- time skip -
Luckily for us, Henry got better as the night grew old. Henry had a few night terrors that made me want to cry, but there wasn't much I could do. I could tell he was dreaming about his attack, and the very thought made me want to throw up. It broke my heart every time Henry called out for myself or Jasper, and as the night wore on, the 'Charlotte's and 'Jasper's turned into 'Char's and 'Jasp's. We'd wake him up. He would shine his glazed-over puppy dog eyes at us, making us want to have killed the man who dared to hurt our best friend. At three in the morning, Henry woke up and lurched for the bucket we had beside his bed, throwing up the beer and the ramen he had had for lunch.
And when Henry was feeling better and could stand on his own without the trembles or the fear of falling over, we pulled him into the biggest hug he'd ever received in his life.
"We're here. We're always going to be here." Jasper reassured him.
"We've got you, always."
Ahhh! I've been away for so long! A whole four months have passed since I last updated. That's crazy. I hope you all know that I haven't abandoned you. I love you all. Stay hydrated, take your meds, remember to sleep and don't forget to eat.
Cheers!