Sick Dog

"I'm sick!" he screamed at the two men trying to drag him away. "Go away!"

"We don't care if you're sick. You've got work to do."

"Do you want to get thrown up on?"

Just then, a third man entered the room and Terrier looked away, finger still twirling around the sheet he had in his hands.

"What seems to be the problem?"

"He says he's sick," one of the men advised, grabbing a fistful of Terrier's hair and dragging him into the light, "Does he look sick to you?"

Terrier chanced a glance into the eyes of the man who had turned his world into horror and chaos.

Cameron studied him for a moment, before lifting a hand to touch his forehead. Terrier stepped backwards, stumbling over the mattress but managing to hold himself up.

"If he says he's sick, he's sick," Cameron ensured, and Terrier held in a sigh of relief. "He knows we'll beat the crap out of him if he is caught lying, and he has no reason to lie. Isn't that right Terrier?"

Terrier gave a nod of his head, but stopped at the nausea it caused him.

"Leave him rest," Cameron ordered the other two away, "He'll only have twice as much to do when he's feeling better."

Terrier shut his eyes as they left the room, before collapsing to the mattress and pulling the sheets tight around him. Cameron had a soft side? No. Things were only going to be twice as worse when he was next checked up upon.

[257 words]

Handle It

He couldn't do it. He couldn't play the part of a criminal. He didn't know what he was supposed to say, and it wasn't like he could start rehearsing. They wanted answers now, ones he didn't have. Had Cameron really expected him to pull off something like this, or was he actually wanting Damien to tell on him? How he'd love the courage to do that. To tell his story, to tell every last fact. But how could he? He'd never truly trusted anyone after that, too afraid of getting hurt. It had impacted on the rest of his life, and would continue to do so for as long as he lived. The question was how long he'd be able to handle it.

[123 words]

The Kill

Cameron shoved her easily against the wall, slapping his hand across her mouth and silencing her screams. She was looking wide eyed at the person in front of her. That person being me. I cringed, looking away and around the apartment. Clean white tiles and cabinets in the kitchen. They'd be a bloody mess by the time we left, I was sure. I turned back to the pair of them. Damn it, we had to leave! I wasn't going to kill this woman. Not with those happy snaps taped to the refrigerator, the frames along the wall.

"Cameron," I insisted, "let's just go."

He gave me a look and I turned to address the scared little woman. She was fighting all her strength against him, but she was wasting her time and energy. Cameron was too strong. Always was.

"Listen, you were a witness to the Henderson case 16 years ago. We're here to remind you not to get involved. You don't remember those days very well, your word hasn't changed in the years gone by. You can be of no help to any recent investigations. You won't tell anyone about this visit, and life we carry on as normal. Got it? You can stay quiet, can't you?"

Cameron let go of her, shoving her back into the wall again as he turned on me.

"Get your gun out now."

I gave in, taking it out to please him.

"Now, kill her."

"No," I repeated.

He took the woman by the hair and dragged her over towards the kitchen, taking a knife from the top draw. She whimpered, over and over. I won't tell. I won't tell.

"Kill her painlessly with a single bullet. Do that and she won't suffer for hours, waiting for the blood loss to spill from her helpless body..."

He bought the knife up to her chest, making a slice through the material on her top. The tears were streaming down her face. I looked her in the eye, then had to divert them to my gun. Fuck it. Fuck Cameron. The knife was bearing on the tips of her shoulder blades. I'd seen the photos of those kids. Seen them squirm in pain for hours...

I bought the gun up level and felt the tears mirroring hers in my eyes. I fired.

[387 words]

Before the Kill

"You know, we don't have to do this," I insisted as Cameron found a parking spot, completely at ease with what we were about to do, "I mean, it was almost two decades ago, she won't be of any help to the investigation. She'll stay quiet if we ask her to."

He didn't appear to be listening. He was loading his gun.

"Cameron-"

He interrupted, "How many movies have you watched where someone says 'don't go to the police'? They always go to the police."

He shoved the gun against my chest, and I caught it before it fell, "What are you giving it to me for?" He looked at me as if I were stupid, "No. No way. I ain't killing her."

He was already getting out of the car and I shoved the gun hastily away into my jacket. I couldn't believe this. I jumped out and followed him towards the elevator. "You're a bastard, Cameron. I didn't travel borders to come and do your bidding."

"You were destined to do my bidding the instant we met!" he growled, shoving me forwards as the doors opened. I held my tongue as we traveled to the top floor. My mind was racing unhappily. Yes I'd done some bad things in my life, but I'd never killed anyone, least of all a woman. I cringed as he led the way to a door on the left and knocked before I could get a word in. I stood there hysterically. We hadn't planned anything. This was not a part of the plan. Heck, me holding the gun wasn't a part of the plan. I didn't have time to think, to gather my thoughts. I desperately wanted to back out. My heart was beating too fast. But before I could turn and run, the door clicked opened.

"Hi," Cameron greeted, "Do you mind if we come in?"

The woman was slightly younger than me, blonde hair, nice face. Very nice face. Pretty. She looked speechless at the pair of us.

"Um, sorry," she stammered, "no."

She was closing the door on us. My getaway was in reach. Then Cameron's foot landed in the gap between the door and the frame, and he shoved it inwards, darting inside. I cursed. No backing out of it now. I followed him, shutting the door behind us. The woman screamed.

[394 words]

Silent Swing

He felt sick. He couldn't think straight. His eyes stared unseeing at the playground. He sat on a lonely swing, watching the kids run around and give him a wide breadth. They didn't like his presence. They were wary of him. Not like Chloe. He was her best friend. Then again, he wasn't sure how many kids her age she hung around. Home schooling, never being let out of the house. He doubt there were very many. He swung himself around once, the chains twisting and uncoiling around him. He didn't want to obey them. Really he didn't. Which was why the others had to reach him first. He sighed, taking the money and paper out of his pocket. The boy that stood bored between his mum and her friend would do. He'd been watching him for five minutes now. So young and innocent, as most children were. Not those in the hands of Cameron Henderson.

[156 words]

Matters over Dinner

He sat uncomfortably at the table, slowly twirling his fork at the spaghetti on his plate. He was hungry, he was all the time now. But that didn't encourage him to eat the food before him. It would've been okay, had they not been playing some pathetic happy families charade. He jabbed his fork at the plate and shoved a mouthful angrily into his mouth. The little girl was watching him with interest, trying to calculate his movements. Damn, why did she have to be here? She was pulling him apart. He would've long left this place if it hadn't of been for her.

"Terrier, is something wrong?" Cameron asked in what sounded to be a concerned voice. He knew better than to accept his stories, his acts of supposed kindness. He meant none of it.

Still, the girl was at the table. He clasped his hand tight around the fork to try and stop his hands from shaking. "No."

"Why don't you tell us about it?"

Terrier bit his tongue. He wanted him to have an outburst. He wanted him to lose control in front of the girl so he could be sent away from the room. Heck, he's give anything to blurt it out right then and there - Chloe, your mum's a traitor, your uncle's a murderer and you need to run away now and don't ever come back - but he couldn't. He couldn't see all her beliefs crumble. Her smile fade. And so he settled with, "it doesn't matter."

It did. The game had changed now. Everything mattered.

[263 words]

Red Water

He writhed in pain as the hot water hit him, stinging his skin and his scars. The blood flowed off him, going in big puddles down the drain hole as he clung to his side and cried. The tears along with the water washed over his face, somewhat reliving except for the stinging across his body from the fresh scars Cameron had laid. It hurt. The water would do him good, clean away the dirt, but right now, it continued to sting. He adjusted the taps, trying to lessen the pressure and fit it into a more comfortable temperature, but the difference it would make was subtle. He ran his fingers over the scars to see if the blood was still streaming, and for most of them, it wasn't. A few more bandages would help. Then he turned off the taps. He stood there shivering for a moment, before turning them on again. Just a little longer. Maybe the pain would stop.

[162 words]

Not Real

"Have you seen Nick?" the boy twirled a soldier figurine around in his hands, not really playing with it but more keeping his mind on something.

"Nick?" the man asked, looking away from the fridge. The boy looked over at him, expression unreadable.

"You know, my brother."

He shut the fridge, sighing and walking over to him. "We've been over this before, you remember?"

The boy looked at him blankly and he felt his irritation rising to the surface again as he continued, "Nick was never real. He was just an imaginary friend. But that's okay, because everyone grows out of it at different stages."

"But he's been with me all my life," the boy moaned, "Mum and Dad knew him."

"They probably didn't want to spoil it for you," he murmured, "but you are an only child. Nick's gone away. He won't come back."

"How do you know?"

His hands clenched into fists, annoyance and impatience surging through him as he grabbed the figurine from the boys clutches, crushing it within his grip, "He's. Not. Real."

He threw the broken toy to the ground and turned, leaving the boy to begin his crying alone.

[195 words]

Afterthought

Cameron waved him off with a smile, before turning and heading in the opposite direction. Not a complete waste of time, he decided. In fact, this could work to his advantage, if he put some effort forwards this time. It could all turn horribly nasty for one person, and he found a stupid hope that it would be for his new acquaintance. He grinned, shoving his hands in his pockets and picking up his pace. Yes, he was perfect. He would do just fine. Curious enough to keep interested, a little scared, but determined, someone he was sure would stick by him, being the inspiration that he was. He chuckled. Yes, he didn't know what he'd just got himself in for by giving that friendly introduction. But he'd brought it all on himself.

[133 words]

Enemies Reunited

I couldn't take it anymore. I had to get away from him. He wasn't what he used to be. Neither of us were. I didn't want to turn away from him, but I did. My brisk walk turned into a run. Straight into the path of his new mates. This was not good. I gulped, looking around for the gaps in the crowd, but quite suddenly they all appeared to be looking at me. I couldn't stop blinking my eyes. I had to get out. I ran left, managing to part between two of them, into the eyes of onlookers. Criminals. All looking at me, as I shared their space for my own criminal records.

My eyes landed on Thomas. Boy was I glad to see him. Of all the inmates to share a cell with, I was glad to be put with him. He, at least, seemed normal. But he was looking at me funny. I frowned. I wanted to say I was sorry for the past few weeks, my ignorance of him, even annoyance. If he could help me today, I'd take it all back. I was no longer wanted around Cameron. Good riddance.

"Tom!" I called out. His eyes flickered to some point behind me and I spun around, falling on my backside as three men came jumping on top of me. I screamed like a little girl, before lunging into the attack on my new enemy.

[240 words]

Home Now

30 May 2010

They shut the gates on me. I nearly screamed, but decided it best to hold my breath. Was this the person I was? No, dammit! What would Dad say if he could see me now? I nearly cried out then, too. Because if he was here, he’d probably look me up and down, sigh and help me get out of it. But he wasn’t here, and my step-father was not going to be so considerate… I stared out of the bars. This would be my home for thirty years. I had to get used to it. A voice was screaming its denial inside my head, but I shut it up. No one else was here to help me out of this. I was alone, and it would stay that way for some time. I wondered how long that would last.

[140 words]

Snap

I watched his struggles and had the desire to laugh. I granted that desire. It felt so good to laugh at him. In fact, I might go as far to say it was incredibly satisfying. Not for him, of course. I was destroying him inside out, and he knew it only too well. Still, I had to applaud his strength to hold onto that thin string of life that was his. I wanted to watch him scramble on those last fraying strands until they broke in the middle. I wanted to be there when he hit rock bottom, barely breathing, but alive. Unfortunately, I knew I wouldn't have that chance. But I trusted him in the hands of my employees, so to speak. They would make sure his life was as worthless as the feral dogs that roamed the flea-infested land. I would see him snap. And smile.

[148 words]

The Believer

Another long daily :D Don't get too excited, I doub't they'll last :P

I sat shivering on one of the park benches. It had to be… what? Six o’clock? I didn’t have a watch. To be honest, I didn’t really care. I had more pressing matters on my mind. I stared at the mobile in my hands. They were shaking hysterically, and I gripped tight to the phone. To call or not to call. I’d been debating this for the last ten minutes and still couldn’t come to the right decision. If I turned myself in, I would be admitting to something I’d never done. But if I stayed out here, they would come after me, anyway. The longer I stayed out here, the more I was putting my little brother in danger. But I wasn’t ready. I couldn’t find the courage to make that call. The only thing I could do right now was sit there, staring dumbfounded at the pavement. People would awake soon. Morning joggers. They’d see me if I didn’t hide. I shouldn’t need to hide, I have nothing to hide from, except him. And he’s now the reason I’m hiding from everyone else.

I nearly had a heart attack when my phone rang. I jumped up from my spot, covered it with my hand trying to muffle the sound, as my mind raced into new decisions: to answer or not to answer. I ran for the cover of the trees. I knew I had to answer it. But I didn’t want to. I couldn’t. It wouldn’t shut up. Either I had to start it or end it. Just one button. That was all…

My fingers fumbled with the keypad…

And I answered.

“Hello?”

My voice was horrible. Cracked, whispered. Scared. Very scared. I kept walking through the trees.

“Nicholas Briggs?”

“Yes?”

“Hi there, kid. I’m Senior Sergeant Samuel Peterson, I’m with the police. Do you know why I’m calling you?”

I couldn’t help the tears welling in my eyes. This was it. It was over. Deeper and deeper into the forest.

“You want to lock me up,” I whispered, “You want to charge me.”

There was a slight pause on the other end, “Have you done anything wrong, Nick?”

I whimpered like a little boy. Why didn’t he just say it already? You’re going to jail, tell me where you are.

“I…” I stammered. If I was going to jail, I had to toughen up. But I crumbled anyway. “I don’t know.”

“Nick, I think you’re a scared little man, and we’re all worried about you.”

“Whose we?” I choked.

“The authorities. Your step-father.”

I let out a wail. Step-father? Worried? Damn! He had nothing to worry about! He was a King of Power, someone I couldn’t overthrow. Someone I didn’t want to overthrow. Who knew what it would mean for my little brother. Little Damien…

“Nick, you still there?”

“Shut up! Shut up! If I hear about that bastard one more time—”

“Okay, okay. Calm down. Nick, I think you’ve just gone for a nice long walk to try and clear your head. Can you tell me where you are?”

“I…” I stopped. Looking around me. Tree. Tree. Another tree. “No—“

I stopped again. Taking a few more steps forward and peered ahead where the trees cleared. Yes. Yes, I knew that street on the other side. It was a half hour walk from home.

“Yes.”

“Nick. I want you to know I don’t think you killed your mother.”

“Well,” I rushed, “Wha—“

Wait. Did he just say he didn’t think I’d killed her? Was he serious?

“And you’re feeling very lost,” Sam continued, “but you don’t need to run anymore.”

I didn’t say anything. Running still seemed so much easier… even if this guy might believe his innocence.

“I need your word that you didn’t kill her, Nick. You give me that, you can come home and we can talk about it. If you can’t give me that promise, I’m going to have to trace this call and everyone will be after you in a matter of minutes. I don’t want to have to do that.”

“Why?” I whispered, tears streaming down my cheeks, “Why are you doing this?”

“Let’s just say this is off the radar. My partner and I are heading to your step-father’s house now, I’d appreciate it if you met us there.”

“No. No. I’m not doing anything off the radar.”

“I’m not asking you to. That would be my doing. You’re facing great charges, Nick. If I can consult your step-father before you get here, we can consult the evidence and try and find your little brother.”

I leapt at his words, “What do you mean ‘find’?”

“Your step-father seemed to neglect mentioning you had another sibling.”

I could’ve screamed. “I’m coming! I’ll be there in half hour.”

“Your word, Nick.”

“You have it! My word! I watched that bastard kill her! Watched him torture Damien! Experienced it first hand myself.”

I fell to the ground, weeping.

“Half hour, Nick. I’ll see you there, okay? We’re going to end this.”

I hung up the phone, sniffling like a toddler and giving myself a few minutes to calm down. At least someone believed him, right? Maybe it’d be okay after all. I picked myself up, unaware where my feet were really taking me. I had no strength left. But a little bit of that hope had returned. I don’t know how I navigated my way home when I was on such a breakdown, but I did. I didn’t know what to expect. I jumped the back fence, pausing as I landed. I had to pull myself together. This was it. It’d be all okay.

I looked up at the sound of the sliding door opening. Two officers started walking towards me. I edged backwards as they yelled at me.

“Nicholas Henderson?”

I whimpered, hand moving back to the gate. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea. Heck, why did I answer that call? Which one was Sam? Sam wouldn’t yell at him.

One of them forced me forwards away from the gate, grabbing my arms and pulling out the handcuffs.

“You’re under arrest.”

“For what?” I cried, wrists locked behind me.

“You know what for.”

They led me towards the sliding door. I could see other officers standing around. Many. Too many. Through the sliding door. My eyes searched the room. Our living area, which led into the dining and kitchen. My eyes instantly fell to the body that lie motionless just inside the door to the left. Almost exactly where I’d watched my mother fall, gunned down…

An officer with the name badge, “Senior Sergeant S. Peterson”.

I screamed out a cry of frustration, my legs buckling to the ground, my hair hiding my tear-strewn face. They had to physically force me to my feet again, before leading me out the door. They wanted to lock me up. I was seventeen. My sentence? Thirty.

[1155 words]

In Pieces

Woooot, finally! A longer daily :)

The room was deadly silent. I couldn’t hear anything, except perhaps a small beeping coming from somewhere on my right. I couldn’t force my eyes open, so I continued to lie there, calm and unthinking. The silence was so peaceful. So truly wonderful to the ear. But it never remains that way. There was a small screeching noise against the ground. It shouldn’t have bothered me, but it did. A flash in my mind –

I couldn’t see. The white light was blinding me. Was it a star? A sun? I squinted. No. They were headlights. What were they doing there? They were almost pretty, but much too bright. I tried to look away.

“He wants to tell you something.”

He? Who was that? Wait a minute. The lights are gone. The voice must’ve scared them away. Oh well. I attempted to focus on the voice instead. Who wanted to tell me what? Another flash –

I’m heading straight for you. Cameron! Cameron was out to get me! My heart clenched. Ihad to run. But where to run to? I should call Ryan. He always knows what to do. But no… no. I don’t need to bother him. He said he’d call back in a minute. Nothing could happen between now and then.

Another distraction. This time, crying. Weeping. I wanted to tell them not to. They were calling my name repeatedly. Over and over. There was too much yelling. It was all too loud. I was fine. I was right there. I could hear them all. If I could just get my lips to move I’d be able to tell them that. Why weren’t they moving? Felt as if they were glued tight shut. A warm trickle dripped over them and the drops dripped onto his tongue. Blood, I noted. Was someone bleeding?

“It’s okay now. He’s gone. He’s behind bars.”

Who? Cameron? Well that was a relief. But ‘he wants to tell you something’. Why was everyone called ‘he’ nowdays? How was I meant to tell which male figure they were talking about? Could be any one of my friends. Or enemies. Maybe it wasn’t Cameron that was behind bars after all. Maybe it was…

“You saved an innocent man’s life.”

Innocence! I was innocent! I swear. I’ll tell anyone. I’m not the only one that’s innocent either. Nick is too. He was in jail here, too. Wait, is that where I was now? Jail? I had to wake up. Any minute Gavin would be hassling me, looking to start a fight –

“There’s something you don’t know about me. I’m… we’re…”

Yes? Yes? I’m listening. I’ll listen now. Please, explain it to me. The fight can wait. Silence. No. No, there couldn’t be silence. It was disturbing now. Keep talking. Please keep talking. I need to hear the rest of this story. Me. Me. Who did that voice belong to? Were they footsteps? No! No! Please, please don’t walk away. Not now. You’re nearly there. Don’t leave me. Wait!

Quite suddenly, I opened my eyes and the first thing I saw was the man with his hand on the doorknob, ready to walk out.

“Nick,” I tried to scream, but barely a murmur came out. He didn’t hear me. The beeping was getting louder. I had to be heard. “Nick,” I wheezed again. To my amazement, he turned. And came to me in pieces.

[565 words]

Killer's Reasoning

"So basically his mother wanted out."

"Yeah. She couldn't stand the drunken, abusive husband so she sought protection from someone else."

"But Cameron could never blame her. So he blamed the men instead. Both David and Peter."

"He met Sophie and Joseph, and he instantly thought that the man in this relationship was no different to his father and step-father."

"He killed him. He waited for Sophie to seek protection in him."

"But even after five years she was hestitant and untrusting. Her oldest son was about to become an adult, he had to do something about that."

"So he killed her, too."

"And someone else copped the blame."

"Precisely."

"He was left with two boys, and if they were to turn out anything like their parents, they had to be trained different. They had to be weak, so they couldn't overpower him, or hurt him as he had been hurt by his father phsyically."

"And emotionally. He's never forgotten. It's always at the front of his mind."

"Yeah expect now the boys have a chance to overpower him. He doesn't want that. Damien already outsmarted him by running away."

"And Nick proved him guilty."

"He's never going to let this rest."

"No."

"What do we do?"

"There's nothing we can do ... except wait."

[215 words]

Sharp Awakening

One month and 31 stories down, 334 to go :)

Terrier's eyes shifted a little to find the weight on his chest. Oh, that was right. Chloe was there, who had fallen asleep herself on top of him. He let his eyes droop shut again. Sleep was peaceful, truly a wonderful break from reality. Darkness swarmed his eyes. That was all. No visions. No feeling. He might've fallen asleep again, he wasn't sure. He wasn't conscious of his waking and sleeping anymore. They blurred together. The next time he opened a weary eye, Chloe was being lifted up and into the arm's of her mother, he supposed. He shut his eyes again. Sleeping was so much more appreciated now days...

He was jolted awake when the icy water came down upon him and he hastened to roll over onto his knees.

"What was that for?" he yelled, shaking the water out of his hair and blinking a few times.

"Nap time's over," came a voice somewhere above him.

"Go away," Terrier moaned, turning away and reaching for the quilt. The man above him moved much quicker forwards, stepping his boot on it. Terrier moaned, still half asleep as he dragged himself to his feet. He'd barely balanced himself when he was shoved hard against the bookshelf, causing it to wobble dangerously.

"I'm awake! I'm awake!" Terrier screamed, stepping away from the shelf and shaking the hair out of his eyes. Scott stood menancingly in front of him. Terrier sighed. "What do you want me to do?"

"Explain to me how you got this?"

He lunged for the boy's left arm and pulled it sharply upwards. Terrier yelped and jumped back, trying to wriggle his wrist free from the man's grip. It was killing. He was sure the blood would be streaming again. He released his hold abruptly and Terrier hastily hid his sore arm behind him.

"That's going to stop you going out in public again for a week!"

Terrier held his breath. At first, they'd been hesitant to let him out. Then when they started to, they'd have to keep a close eye on him incase he went astray, which often times he found himself doing. He'd get a pull on the choke collar for that later whenever they caught him. But he couldn't help himself. Even if he didn't want to, he couldn't stop the impulse from coming through. And that was bad - because one stray movement and he could get killed instantly. And there were just some people you didn't want to get murdered by. A shiver went up his spine as the water clung dripping to his skin.

"You've got a task to perform. It is an order directly from Cameron."

Terrier grabbed the phone Scott threw at him.

"He's calling in about thirty seconds."

Terrier coughed a little, before deciding it safe to look away. He stared at the phone for a moment, and tried not to jump when it rang. He wanted to get this over with quick. He answered and held the phone to his ear.

"Terrier?"

"Yeah," the boy replied nervously.

"How you been coping?"

"Fine," he replied shortly.

"Good. Because there's something I want you to do."

Terrier listened carefully, his heart sinking with every word that was spoken. When he was finished, and asked several times if he was still there, Terrier responded.

"I won't do it."

"Yeah, you will."

He knew he wouldn't be able to. He wasn't strong enough. And surrounded by the men with ten times his strength, he didn't see why he had to be the one. He point blank refused. Until he heard what Cameron had to say.

[604 words]

To Quit

Choices were things we had to make by ourselves, often influenced by others when they shouldn't be. And I had a big decision ahead of me. Not that there was really much benefit for me in the matter, but I had to put the rights of others first. That other person being my little brother. I still thought of our father every day. How he held it together, I had no idea. But I had it keep my own control on my life now, to help Mum. To help Damien. We weren't safe, and I had a bad feeling that Damien would grow up in a harsh lifestyle if my new step-father was to stick around. I at least had to try and change that.

It was two nights ago. I'd overheard him telling Mum that Damien would not be attending school. He was five. Ready to start Grade 1. I was fourteen, almost half way through my high school education. I panicked to know what might or might not happen if my brother didn't attend a school. Didn't get a learning. Didn't live a life outside of this now dangerous home. I heaved a sigh, feeling with my fingers a fairly new scar beneath my top. I had to do this. I walked slowly to the basement door, before hammering upon it. This could get ugly, but I wasn't doing it for myself.

The door swung open and I tried to hide my slight jump in fright. I stared up at my step-father. I hated him.

"What do you want?" he growled.

I stood up a little taller to bring some kind of confidence to my trembling legs. "I quit."

"What did you say?" he whispered, watching me very closely.

"I quit," I repeated, a little stronger, "You can take away as much as you want from me, but you cannot take away the same things from my brother."

"I don't believe you're in a position to tell me what I can and can't do."

"He's five," I emphasized, growing stronger by the second, "Let him go to school. Let him learn. Let him live a normal life."

I wasn't suprised when he grabbed me by the front of my shirt and began pulling me into the basement, down the steps. The door swung shut behind me and that's when my nerves started plummeting again. He threw me forwards and I fell to the floor, scraping my knees on the concrete. I quickly jumped to my feet again, turning to scream my message at him.

"You've got no heart! You couldn't care less about children... or your wives... or anyone!"

I saw his fist coming for me, but I swung out of the way, "I am giving up my education. You hear me?"

"I hear you!"

This time his fist did hit me and it had me falling to the floor again. I scrambled out of the way. "I give you my life! Hurt me as much as you want! Just let Damien have what you are taking from me. Let him go to school! Let him live!"

I knew I was going over the top, I knew I was getting too close to his nerves. It was then I shut my mouth, waiting for his response. He didn't respond. Not verbally anyway. He pulled me to my feet, before shoving me against the nearest brick wall. I stood close by it, wondering if I'd done the right thing in angering him so much. He ran for me again, but this time I didn't move out of his way. He gripped my shoulder tight, steering me towards the back of the room. I didn't dare breathe a word. Just shut my eyes and held tight to some kind of false hope I knew was there.

Don't ask why I shut my eyes when my life was at stake, but I was on the ground again in seconds. His little puppet. I looked up from my fall, to come eye level with a large dog crate. I knew then I'd gone too far. He opened the door and I scrambled inside to avoid him pushing and shoving me again. He swung the door shut instantly, pulling out a padlock and securing it to the spring for extra strength. I sighed as I watched him leave the room, switching off the light and throwing me into complete darkness. And I cried.

[740 words]

One Night

:( Very disappointed I had this full story written and just lost it. This is the sad tale of the first night Cameron was introduced to the Briggs family...


"Soph, is that you home?" Joe called from the kitchen, "You should've called. I would've come to pick you up."

Joseph paused when there was no response, "Soph?" He put down the tea towel he was using to dry the dishes and walked around the corner to find his wife leaning against the wall beside the front door, her eyes closed and tears streaming down her cheeks.

"What's wrong?" he asked in concern, striding over to her. Sophie took the last few steps to meet him in the middle. He threw his arms around her in a cuddle, and let her cry into his shoulder for a moment. "What happened?"

"I had someone give me a lift," Sophie admitted, pulling away and slinging her handbag on the floor. She curled up on the couch, and her husband followed her. He placed his arm around her shoulders and she leaned sideways against him.

"Who?" Joe asked softly, rubbing his hand comfortingly up and down her arm.

"I don't know."

"Did they gave a name?"

"Cameron."

"Did you find him attractive?" her husband asked her honesty for a moment.

"No," Sophie replied instantly, "No it was nothing like that. He ... he wouldn't stop hassling me to give me a lift, so I accepted."

"It's okay, you're here now. He's gone."

"I know," she whispered, "and it was fine, I got here. But he knows where we live. What if he comes back?"

"We'll call the police," Joseph assured her, "But you're okay. You're safe."

"Are you?" she asked, pulling away and staring into his eyes.

"Of course I am," Joe replied without a second thought, "Don't you worry about me."

Sophie changed the subject. "Are the boys asleep?"

"Sound-o." Joe smiled.

Sophie blinked away her tears, leaning forwards to breath into his ear, "I was so scared."

Joe hugged her tight into his chest, "You're okay," he repeated to her, and to himself, "You're okay."

[324 words]

Fair Share

Hmm... I hope it's still showing Russell's loyalty to Cameron. Yet at the same time, giving him an edge, showing his annoyance at being the second hand man...




"Okay, I'm stumped. You go into the city to to buy a gun, you come back with a kid. What's going on, Cameron?" Russell questioned, folding his arms across his chest.


"For a starters, it wasn't the city. It was the outskirts of the city. Second thing? He's not a kid. He's almost eighteen for pete's sake! If it was me, that'd be an insult."


"Come on Cameron, you wouldn't even take the eight year old when you had the chance! What makes this guy any different? You get the ransom money? At least the first one wouldn't have understood. This guy's old enough to fight for himself! You won't be able to handle him."


"I think I know who I can handle. I handled Damien 'til he was sixteen."


"Yeah, he was the son you didn't tell me about until two weeks ago."


"Relax mate, I've got it covered."


"I had it covered..." Russell muttered, "'til you went and got him."


"Would you just trust me? He won't be any trouble for you. You won't need to worry about him. He's my soul responsibility."


"Yeah, you got that right."


"You should be grateful, Russell." Cameron smiled, taking a gun out of his jacket, "You've earnt your fair share."


Cameron slapped the gun into Russel's hands.


"Yeah, well you better hope I get that money soon. Because you've seemed to be obsessed with this Damien guy ever since you ran into him."


"Do you remember what I told you, Russell? When this first started all those years ago?"


"You told me a lot of things."


"I told you the day would come, where I wouldn't be able to resist murder. I would have to kill the guy that ruined me, before I met you. That was Damien. And that day is close."


"And how is this new guy going to help?"


"You'll see, my friend. All in good time. Are we cool?"


"Yeah," Russel sighed, shoving the gun into his pockets, "We're cool."

[333 words]