He’d wiped his temple with an antiseptic wipe and attempted to do the same to his hand but it burned with a ferociousness that had the room spinning and his consciousness waning.He fixed the wound as best as he could, wrapping up his hand with bandages and rendering it useless.
Romeo had tried to pick the lock with the scissors, but the blades were too wide and doing anything one handed was difficult.
In the end, he’d slumped in defeat.
Hours passed, and he soon grew hungry, but he ignored the rumbling in his stomach.The intense pressure in his bladder was harder to shut down, and he knocked the back of his head against the bench press to distract himself.
Chad had left his hands free, and although he could pull down his jeans and relieve himself on the concrete, he didn’t like the idea of doing so and then having to sit there with the smell and shame of it.He didn’t want Chad to come back inside and see that he’d done it, which was ridiculous considering Chad was the one that had chained him up, giving him no choice.
He’d done the same thing to Chad all those years ago and mocked Chad for being unable to hold his piss.
Romeo sighed, struggling to his feet.The chain clanged, his head throbbed, but he managed to get his balance and take down his zipper.
Chad chose that moment to return, just when Romeo was about to relieve himself on the floor.
Romeo rarely got embarrassed.He didn’t even know what embarrassed was exactly, but the repulsion on Chad’s face when he stepped into the outhouse brought fire to Romeo’s cheeks.He bit his tongue to stop himself from launching curses at Chad, and wondered whether that uncharacteristic impulse was also due to embarrassment.
“What the hell are you doing?”Chad asked.
His eyes widened.
Romeo didn’t answer.It was pretty obvious what he was about to do.
Chad sighed, and placed the bucket he was holding in his hands on the floor.
He slid it over the concrete.It stopped just within Romeo’s reach.Inside there was a bottle of water, what looked like some cereal bars, and a toilet roll.Romeo emptied the contents on the floor before turning his back on Chad and using the bucket for its intended purpose.
Chad didn’t leave.
He waited until Romeo had finished, then asked.“How’s the head?”
Romeo gingerly prodded the lump by his temple.“It throbs.”
“And the hand?”
“It needs stitches.”He turned back to Chad and held his mummified hand for him to see.“I can’t stitch it on my own.”
“And I’m not stupid.”
Chad sat down on the chair again.Romeo sighed, adjusting his chain, then perched on the edge of the bench.
“You know,” Romeo said, glancing around the space.“I once chained you up in my barn.”
“I know,” Chad folded his arms.“It was on the documentary.”
“I wasn’t so kind to give you a bucket...”
Chad frowned, like he didn’t understand, so Romeo made it clear.
“You pissed yourself.”
Chad recoiled.He looked away.
“They left that bit out of the documentary.”Romeo said softly.
“You’ve seen your own documentary?”
“Of course.If only to listen to all they got wrong.All those detectives and psychologists trying to work me out.I found it amusing.”
