Hence, the reason he ended up here. The darkness that lurked in the shadows of the world had taken advantage of his distress.
“You really think so?” he sniffed. I watched as he ran the back of his hand under his nose.
“Sure.” Not by a long shot. As long as we were stuck in this hell, I’d do what I could to help ease his tortured young mind. Hell, if I had to kill him with my own hands to make sure he didn’t suffer, then so be it. My stomach twisted at the thought, but I knew if it came down to it, I would do just that. “Try to get some rest, Kid.”
He sniffed again, but didn’t say a word.
Being here, locked away from the daylight, made it difficult to know what time of day it was. Or even what week it was. Was it Monday? Sunday? It felt like it could have been either of those given how unlucky the days had become.
Shuffling backwards until my shoulders rested against the wall behind me, I pictured what I could have been doing if I weren’t stuck here. I’d most likely be working at some boring job. Then again, it had to be better than being held against my will, captive to the desires of others.
My eyes slipped closed, knowing I should take advantage of whatever sleep I could get. Sometimes, it was too loud to sleep with the cries and stomping from above our heads. Other times, it was too bright, the lights flickering on in the worst type of torture. But most of the time it was my thoughts about what the hell was going to become of me that wouldn’t allow me any sort of peace. Even if only for a few minutes.
Perhaps I’d have finished that college course I was planning to take by now. Or maybe I would have finally tied the knot with the girl I was dating. Would she still be there waiting for me whenever I broke free of this chain? I wondered. I certainly wouldn’t blame her if she wasn’t.
Before I could even begin to doze off, the familiar creaking of the wooden steps cried out as men stomped down the rotten stairs. Each time, I found myself hoping beyond hope that those wooden planks would give way and they would break their necks as they tumbled to the cement floor.
I’d been made to walk those death traps enough times to know how unsteady and wobbly they were. Had a close call or two myself, falling going up the stupid fuckers. Let me tell you, it’s difficult to catch yourself when your hands are tied behind your back and a rag is stuffed into your mouth. Not that the rag prevented much of anything except the words that threatened to spill from your mouth when you’re falling and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.
Holding my breath, I hoped we’d be overlooked again. These people, whoever the fuck they were, often bypassed the two of us. Thank the fucking stars for that. It was bad enough the few times I’d had to endure being up there. And the kid had only been up there once. But once was more than enough.
I have no clue what they did to him. He hadn’t told me. And I doubt he ever will. All I know is that he came back here more broken than when he’d left.
My heart sank past my gut when the meanest and ugliest of the bunch stopped at the gate to hell.
Our hell.
In the dim lighting, it was hard to see all of his tattoos, but I knew they peeked up around his neck. Though the one that stood out was that of a serpent, which stated the gang he belonged to.
Stupid wanna-be gangs would be the death of us all.
“You, skinny boy!” the man hissed, lifting his chin towards the kid. My heart sank to the bottom of the earth. “Don’t you dare move,” the man threatened, drawing a gun and pointing it directly at me.
“It’s okay, Zeek,” the kid whispered, his voice halting whatever fight I was about to put up. “I-I’ll be okay.”
Despite his words, I knew neither of us believed that lie. Especially me.
My shoulders slumped as I watched him stumble to his feet. For some reason, I had a sickening feeling that he wouldn’t be coming back in one piece. If at all.
“How sweet,” the man cooed. “This makes it much more satisfying to tear you apart, piece by little tiny piece. Don’t worry, sweetheart,” he winked at the boy, “I’ll make it worth your while. By the time I’m done with you, you’ll be begging to die.”
With the gun still pointed at me, the man easily cut the rope from around the kid’s ankle and dragged him from our cell, the barred door rattling as it slammed shut.
Standing as quickly as I could, I rushed towards the door, fear clouding every movement. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it far, the chain dragging and pulling against the force of my movement. “Take me instead.” The words fell from my lips without a single thought.
Ezekiel
Pushing a glass of vodka to the patron, I gave him a nod when he mumbled out a thanks.
Thursdays were the easiest days, and the reason I willingly worked the less chaotic nights here at White Skull. I didn’t really need the tips to pay my bills. I really only worked because I needed a way to keep my mind off of other things that were out of my control.
“Hey man.” There was a knock on the bar’s surface with the words. I sighed, dropping my head to my chest.Of course, he’d come to me since I’d been ignoring him all week.I was an easy person to find when one actually wanted to. And since he was family, he was one of the few who knew which days I worked.
“What can I get you, pain in the ass?” I asked, just barely able to hold back my annoyance.
“Hey–I resent that!” My brother laughed good naturedly. He was a few years older than me, though many thought we were twins, given how similarly we looked. The only difference was the way he held his body. Unlike me, he was on the lookout for anything and everything that appeared out of place. Of course, being in the Army would do that to anyone.
“I’ll take whatever you have on tap, Zeek.”
