“Why on earth would he do that?”
He pinned me with a hard stare, as if I were supposed to know the reasoning. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t think of a good enough reason for any parent to kick out their teenage sone. So, after a few moments, Judah sighed and sat up.
“I’m…” he looked away, the next word barely audible. To the point that I had to strain in order to hear it. “Gay.”
“So?” ‘What does that have to do with anything?’ “Hey, come here.” I patted my lap again, knowing he’d run back to his own corner and retreat within himself if I didn’t put a stop to it. And that was the last thing he needed to do right now. Especially with his panic attack from earlier still lurking in the shadows. Well, the after effects, at least.
I still wasn’t sure exactly what had set him off this time, or if there was even a rhyme or reason for it at all. I just knew that it still clung to him like a sweat-soaked t-shirt.
“I don’t care that you’re gay, Kid. Not at all. Gay, straight, bisexual––it makes no difference to me because we are still stuck in this hell-hole together.”
“But, Dad––”
“Is a fucktard. You, Kid, are not. So, tell me why exactly you’re here, of all places?”
I couldn’t be sure about the timeline, but if I had to guess, I would say it had only been a couple weeks since Judah was tossed in this room with me. And when I say thrown, I mean he was thrown away like a toy discarded by a toddler. His shoulder still had a good-sized bruise on it from where he’d landed on the cement floor.
“I was staying with a friend on the other side of town,” he began, resting his head against my shoulder. “I was out searching for a job so that I could eat because I knew my parents weren’t going to let me go back home. It was late, rainy, and I was exhausted. So, when a car approached me and asked if I needed a ride, I didn’t think twice.”
“Didn’t anyone teach you to never trust a stranger?” ‘Any sane person should know that.’
“You’re a stranger,” he countered without missing a beat.
“Except for me. Obviously, I can’t hurt you in here. Not that I ever would.”
Judah chuckled softly.“You’re like a teddy bear, Zeek.”
I met his gaze, my own softening because he was right.
“Do you have anyone waiting for you other than your family?”
“No. Well, maybe a girlfriend, but I hope not.” A dark laugh bubbled forth. “I was actually planning on breaking up with her the night I was taken.” I shrugged. “I guess you could say that didn’t exactly go as planned. Surely, she isn’t still waiting around for me.”
“I don’t see why she wouldn’t. You’re…” he didn’t finish that thought.
“Nah–she wanted more than I could give her. She wants a family.”
“You don’t?”
“I have a nephew. I don’t need kids of my own. And now, I’m here,” I motioned around the room. “So, yeah.”
“We aren’t ever going to get out of here, are we?” Judah’s voice cracked as he choked out the last part.
I knew we’d make it out, I just wasn’t sure we’d make it out alive. Wherever it was that we were. Best guess, we were in some sort of basement that had been specifically created to hold us as prisoners. There was no way to know if we’d die here, be moved, or by some miracle…be rescued. It wasn’t like we had all that many options, nor were we given a lot of chances to escape. And even if we did manage to escape, we’d likely be killed on the run.
“My brother,” I swallowed, letting my head fall back against the brick wall. “He’s kind of a cop. He’ll find us. One way or another, he’ll find us.” I knew Theo would stop at nothing to find me. The only question that remained was if he’d find me alive or if he’d find my deceased body. Only time would tell.
Judah
It was strange how our roles had reversed. While Zeek and myself were in captivity, he had been my anchor––the one to keep me going from one day to the next. Even when all the days blended into one another, he was the one that was there to keep me afloat. To be fair, he really didn’t have much of a choice. Not when we were forcefully confined in such a small space together.
Zeek wasn’t like a lot of the other people in my life who would look at me funny because of who I was. He not only became my rock, but also my savior. And I wasn’t naïve to the fact that I wouldn’t have made it as far as I had without his help.
“I should probably tell you something,” I murmured, picking at the food in front of me as we sat at his table eating an early dinner.
Does he already know?I wondered.
“What?”
