Aleks POV
James and I were leaving for school in the frosty morning and heard someone next to us. I peered over and spotted the new kid, Steven, locking up his own dingy motel room. Sighing and straightening his jacket, he started towards school with his black JanSport backpack slung loosely over one shoulder. I tugged on James' sleeve and pointed towards him while saying, "Shh."
James scrunched his brows together, as confused as I was about why he was in the motel room. Our questions were soon answered as Kevin came jogging over, face flushed and his suit crumpled. The usually sleek, formal attire now sloppily put together. They began talking and Kevin took Steven by the wrist and he writhed and wriggled around. I would've gone to help him if it wouldn't give away our hiding place and new home. James took my hand in his and pulled us into a bush as the fighting pair came closer. My mind went blank as his warmth radiated off of him unto me. My face went ablaze and I became way too conscious of my breathing and blinking. Swallowing without gulping became a challenge and I didn't know where to look; he had thrown me into his lap and I was curled into his chest in the underbrush. This is so embarrassing!
Being drawn out of my heart-throbbing trance I began to make out the conversation the bickering couple was having in front of us. "Please! I know you don't like what I do for a living, but give me a chance!" Kevin desperately called out. The scuffing sounds of sneakers could be heard along with grunts and Steven finally said, "Fine. I'll give you a chance if you promise to not kill those guys." The area went silent and the only sounds I heard was James' breath and my heart pounding in his arms. "Steven, I can't just take away Aleks' bounty, you know that," Kevin yelped, "I won't kill them and I'll make sure Jordan doesn't either, so please?"
A long sigh could be heard and then more sounds of shoes on pavement before Steven replied, "OK. I'll kick your ass if you hurt them, though!" I could hear the relieved laugh come from Kevin as the now-dating boys started going the opposite direction. After a long pause James helped me out of the bushes and we exchanged glances in stunned silence. Just the other day I was laughing at Kevin and thought he had no chance with Steven but suddenly, "They're together?" I finished my thought aloud. I looked up at the strikingly handsome and tan man beside me. He looked down equally confused, "Yeah?" He said. I grunted in response and after shaking my head a bit to clear my thoughts I dragged him with me to school. "Our asses just got saved by a kid who barely knows us." I said kicking a pebble. "I guess so," James let out his golden giggle, "he probably didn't want to date Kevin so he tried to get out of it by saying that." I laughed and was about to agree when we both realized we had nearly caught up with them.
Steven and Kevin's hands were locked together and they were blushing and smiling, Steven looking up at Kevin to see his face, happier than he was on the first day. "Or maybe not," I said. "Yeah," James said, "do you think we look that cute?" My eyes shot open and my face melted. I play punched James' arm and acted angry even though my stomach was churning and my heart wouldn't shut the fuck up. "Ow! C'mon you know you thought about it too," James whined. It's true, I did think that just now, but him saying it made it way more embarrassing. Flustered and ashamed for not owning up to it, I stared at the floor for the rest of the trek to school.
School life was boring but talking to Steven and Kevin was hilarious as they were now too easy to tease. Whenever I said something to make Steven light up like a candle, Kevin would console him and pull him to his chest saying sweet things. Kevin and Jordan had a talk off to the side of the lunch table and Steven pretended to be oblivious while James and I stared them down, looking for denial, for an odd reaction, and mainly, hoping for the best.
I was walking from fourth period back to our motel when I gasped in realization. I had accidentally gone towards my house and the sight was atrocious. Graffiti littered the walls, the lush trees in the yard were now chopped down and tee-peed to the high heavens. My windows were cracked and yellow stains from egg yolk was visible from the distance. What have my parents been doing? They would always have me clean this bullshit up. Because I am gone now they suddenly assume it'll disappear? They really don't appreciate me that much?! My fists trembled and I felt a migrane approaching. Rage was blinding me and I began striding quickly towards my old home, ready to chastise my family to no end; only to be pulled into an alley as I approached. "What!?" I yelped before getting pistol-whipped and knocked out. James wasn't with me and he has no clue I just got kidnapped.
///Descriptive about torture a bit (the first paragraph below,only);(3rd para has corpses)
My swollen wrists rubbed against the chaffing handcuffs, my heavy eyelids barely opened due to the beatings that caused them to swell shut. The room was poorly lit, I seemed to be in somebodies basement. Leaky pipes could be heard dripping and the air was damp. Stone walls surrounded me accompanied by a roof lower than the average human. The person who had been silently assaulting me left and I knew this may be my only chance. The abuse I was going through was ridiculously tough and my small, inflexible body couldn't take much more. The person had poured water on my head, hot water, but not scalding. They had cut little openings in my fingers like paper cuts over and over again. The stinging sensation had faded to a numb by now but the bruises were the worst. They kept bringing in the pistol to smack me across the face with; it might've even broken my nose at one point but my quaking and aching body couldn't feel much anymore. Something about my nails also got to them, they kept on trying to tear them away from their fleshy casing but as they didn't have the torture device meant for it, they couldn't do it.
I wiggled my body like a worm across the uneven, moldy flooring. Finally making it to the area where I heard the door open and the light switch click on I stumbled up onto my feet, tottering all around before resting, or more like slamming, my body against the wall for support. Breathing heavy and gritting my teeth at the pain from the now itching wounds I dragged myself forward until I hit a bump. Lowering my face I used my bent nose to flip the switch revealing something horrifying.
Rotting humans, bloated in some areas with torn flesh and others were piled up around the clearing I was just at. The mold I had wiggled over from before wasn't just mildew, but crushed bones and ashes from the poor souls who were burned to death. Maybe this person didn't kidnap me because I'm wanted in the underground world, but because they're fucking insane. I was so shocked at the sight I almost forgot my purpose, ignoring the ceiling above me hindering my height I hobbled over to the cellar door and felt my body relax in relief. This was a shitty cellar with wooden, slanted trap doors leading to the outside. The light I had used from earlier to get over to the real light switch had come from the holes in this rotting wood door. I gulped down the bile in my throat and used my throbbing head to push through the doorway. Shit.
The place was an empty field, I whipped my head around, searching for some civilization only to find nothing. Just tall grass and a big cornfield in front of me. Behind me was a lush, neatly cut grass field but before me was a jungle of tall pieces of crop. I decided my best chance would be to head away from the corn maze until I saw a figure in the distance. "You've gotta be kidding me," I breathed.
A tall, pristine woman was coming towards me at an alarming speed considering she was strutting in her stark white heels. My own fucking mother was walking towards the cellar; she hadn't seemed to have noticed me yet so I used the chance to sink into the corn, kneeling and peeking my head over a large and sharp leaf to get a clear view. Her brand name duffel bag was thrown to the floor and she bent over in her sparkly white brand name dress, opening the door without hesitation and calling out my abusers infamous words, "Honey, I'm home." My blood curdled and chilled, my own mother had been beating me like that, she had tons of dismembered and shredded bodies in there too.
I wanted to scream but took off running as fast as I could straight across the corn maze. Crop circles, the children of the corn, aliens, anything would be better in here than the bizarre reality that was behind me. I caught the sound of a shrill scream in the wind and almost stopped to go back but regained my composure and kept on going. She only screamed because she noticed I had escaped, she only screamed because she noticed I had escaped, I continually chanted in my head, afraid that if I stopped for a second my will would break and I'd go check on the nagging, abusive, brand junkie.
I broke out of the dark maze into the bright light of day, for a second I became philosophical and thought, this light is my hope, the safety of James' arms, my one solace, and then I fell down a small cliff and rolled to the edge of the freeway.
Groaning in agony I scrambled to my feet, still handcuffed and probably looking like an escaped convict, I struggled to walk along the freeway, hoping for a ride only to have my wishes answered by a black car. The overly tinted windows rolled down after a minute to reveal Chicken Joe once more and although I knew this was a one time chance I looked straight forward and continued my attempt to get home on my own. He pulled up a bit further and said, "Aww, come on... I thought we were friends!" I glared over at him and said, "friends don't kidnap each other. I know you were gonna kill me and James too."
He laughed and made his chicken head swirl around, it was different from before, a lighter color with a larger beak. Then he looked at me and seemed truly earnest, "I'm off-duty right now, get in, I'll get you back home to you're honey bunny." I had conflicting emotions surge through me before I explained my bound hands ordeal. He parked on the side of the road, hopped out, took something strange and broke the bindings in one swing. I rubbed my wrists and examined all of the tiny paper cuts on my hands. Joe whistled, "Who did that number on you?" I looked over and timidly said, "my mother."
Joe tensed and patted my back before leading me into the passenger seat of the plush, fancy car. "Tell me about what happened on the way back to your Motel 6 room, okay?" I was about to protest but stopped short of denying the motel room. I could tell it was going to be a long drive back.
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TBC. Hope you enjoyed the chapter as always.
Ik it was quite messed up and I took a 5 day-ish break but eh, I got busy with school work and felt the need to whip up something tonight for you, and me. ;)
It's late and I need the sleep so I'm not reading it over a second time tonight; if there are any obvious errors in my writing please comment and tell me so I can fix it, thanks!