Content warning: Sexual Abuse, Gaslighting, Rape, Suicide Attempt, Vomitting
July 2004
It was now July, and Lucas had yet to go home, and it’d been 3 weeks since he spoke to his mother or anyone back in his home state. He had grown tired of the rituals of waking up to Cheren facing him, or already hovering above him before he could even blink.
Cheren was different, definitely not the same person who teach him math lessons or bring him McDonalds after he’d gotten beaten up at school. He always wanted Lucas to do this or that, and when he wouldn’t want to, Cheren would proceed to do so anyways, leaving him squirming in discomfort against his mentor’s tight grip.
“Cheren, has my mom called you yet?” Lucas had asked quietly as his mentor layed splayed across the bed, dazed as he stared at the TV. It was the third night of him asking about getting a callback from his mother, and the response was always the same.
“Nope.”
“Can I try to call her?”
“It’s too late to try to call her.”
“B-But she stays up really late.”
“Different timezones. It’s like 1AM back in your home state.”
“...Really?”
“Yep.”
Dean wasn’t kidding when he said he was barely at the house considering he’d vanish for days before appearing once more, half dazed, before passing out in his room for a while. Lucas would approach him, beg to use his cell phone but Dean would refuse and ignore him, merely rolling over to not face him. He clearly didn’t care about what Cheren was doing.
And Lucas knew that the second he tried to get Cheren to fuck off and he asked Dean to tell him to stop. He hoped Dean was just too tired to lend him a hand, but that wasn’t the case.
“It’s got nothin’ to do with me.” Is what Dean had told him.
His trips out the house became less and less frequent as the days went by, whereas Cheren made sure Lucas was downstairs along with Kayden for the afternoon or whenever he’d leave the house. Cheren eventually began taking Kayden out the house more often, leaving Lucas alone in the comfort of the dusty steps. He never realized how many locks were placed on the door until he tried to get out.
“Can I please call my mom?” Lucas whimpered through tears an afternoon before Cheren locked the door. His mentor looked down at him, his stupid grin sliding onto his face before he gave a soft smile.
“I already talked to her, she said you can stay until August, so we’re going to do that. Isn’t that exciting?” He chirped, leaning down to face the boy. Lucas glared, facing away before stepping down the stairs to get out of Cheren’s face.
“Let me talk to her please.”
“She doesn’t want to talk to you.” And with that, Cheren closed and locked the door, leaving Lucas staring at Kayden’s stupid expression.
“Stop fucking staring at me.” He spat through tears before taking a seat on the steps. He was doing everything to hold in his tears, his stomach bublings with wails that he wanted to release. He didn’t want to cry in front of Kayden, who just stared at him lifelessly, he hated crying infront of people because they’d always laugh. He felt miserable enough considering he was locked in a room with a scrawny kid who did nothing but stare at him.
“I-I’m sorry.” Kayden muttered, looking away and facing the wall again. He always sat in the same place, with the same blanket, the same expression. The blanket was almost too small to cover him completely, leaving him looking awkward as he tilted his head.
Lucas hugged his knees, his chest tightening by the second, his head spiraling.
Please not this.
I want to go home.
I want to go home.
His senses felt clouded and everything got blurry as he took in sharp breaths, his frustration seemed to make the perfect explosive mixture with his anxiety and fear.
He stood up suddenly and went for the door again, rattling the knob, whining weakly as he realized with wouldn’t budge. Tears spilled down his cheek as he rattled it hard, before banging on the surface, crying out for help.
Kayden watched him uncomfortably, twiddling his fingers from the comfort of his blanket before curling and hugging his knees like a feral animal.
“You’re no fucking help! Would you get over here and help me!?” Lucas cried over to the boy, letting go of the door for a second. “I want to get out of here!”
“It’s not going to work. We can-can-can’t get out.” Kayden mumbled from underneath the blanket.
“Yes we can, just come help me. We can snap the door in half, I just need your help. Please help me.”
“It’s not going to work.”
“YES IT WILL, JUST COME HELP ME, DUMBASS!”
Kayden stared at Lucas before looking back to the wall.
Lucas dropped his hands to his side before retreating down the stairs, his hands trembling as his jaw quivered. He no longer gave a shit about holding in his tears. It wasn’t like it mattered anymore.
------
The locking of the basement door eventually became something permanent. Cheren would only visit the two boys rather than let them bother to walk the floors of the house anymore. He’d poke his head down with his stupid grin on his face, give them snacks, sometimes come down and engage with either one of them before heading back upstairs with the snap of a lock. Lucas was no longer allowed to sleep in Cheren’s bed and had to share the stupid space with Kayden, who almost never slept. He’d simply lay there and stare off, unless that was his way of sleeping. Lucas eventually joined him with the ritual of staring at the ceiling lifelessly, hoping his eyes would grow tired on their only shut for good.
Cheren’s kindness became just as rare as the few chances Lucas got to feel the sun on his arms, whereas he’d bring down a video game and pizza of somesort to eat, coaxing the two boys back into his arms of trust before locking them away again after getting what he wanted. Dean would often join him, usually watching from the sidelines, never speaking up. He’d eventually leave if Lucas ever called out for his help, which was often.
With the time Lucas was forced to spend down in the basement with Kayden, he had no other choice than to become familiar with his new roommate, considering there was nothing else to do. He often questioned Kayden about his past life, hoping to get some sort of pieces of information, but every answer was simply an “I don’t know” or a stare. Lucas eventually gave up on it and merely dedicated his time forming a genuine bond with the boy. He couldn’t bare living like this without a true, hearty connection considering what they were often forced to do to one another. It was vile and often left him sobbing, wanting to avoid Kayden, and he could tell Kayden felt the same way as he became much more timid when Lucas would speak.
Lucas began drawing in the sketchbook he begged Cheren to bring down for him in order to teach Kayden how to draw by himself since according to Kayden, he had never drawn before. He’d also read the boy his comic books that he’d brought along on the trip, since Kayden wasn’t really good at reading either. These things were small, but it loosened the tension they felt between each other, allowing them to feel less bad about what they had to do. Lucas actually felt pretty good about it, since doing these things got Kayden to talk to him, more than before. He was no longer being ignored, and that was really all he wanted.
He didn’t want to be alone in this anymore.
“Kayden, how did you get stuck here?” He asked as the two of them laid on the floor, exhausted from Cheren’s latest visit.
“I don’t kn-know.” Is all Kayden replied.
“Come on dude. You got here somehow. You were homeless and needed a home, right?”
“N-No...”
“So Dean lied?”
“Yes.”
“Then who are you?”
“K-Kayden Vega.”
Lucas felt bile rise into his throat with the sudden realization.
Vega.
He’d heard the name often, he’d knew about it clear as day. A snippet of his weak memory snapped with the sound of the last name, bringing him back to a conversation he’d overheard back from his childhood.
“I don’t know what Lucille is going to do...how does a kid just vanish like that? And her older boy hasn’t seen him anywhere? Lord...” Akira sighed through the phone as Lucas munched on a sandwich, watching Jeopardy as he’d just gotten from school. He was in grade school then, a chubby little monster at its fullest state of being a momma’s boy. THere had been an amber alert about a kid just like him, so all the mothers in the neighborhood couldn’t help but gossip and mourn over the missing child and fear for their own. It was something no one expected to occur in their neighborhood considering how connected every parent was, since everyone’s kids went to the same school. The older mother’s youngest boy had vanished after getting a supposed ride from school but never got home in the end. The search continued for two years before Lucille gave up and decided to leave the state, considering her eldest boy no longer needed her help and there was no hope to ever find her son. Lucas could never recall the name of the boy.
Atleast until now.
“Your last name...is Vega?”
“Y-Yes.”
“...Kayden, does that mean Cheren is your older brother?”
Kayden laid there silently before sitting up.
“Y-You know about me?”
“Well...at school we called Cheren ‘Mr. Vega’...and you were on the news when I was little. You don’t look the same, though.”
“M-m-my hair ch-changed colors. It used to-to be brownish.”
“Yeah, that’s the picture I remember.”
From what Lucas remembered, Kayden was a small little boy with a head of short, puffy brown hair. A tiny, bright faced kid who could probably appear on the box of a hair product. Obviously, he looked different since that was nearly 8 years ago. Lucas groaned, rubbing his face in disgust.
“That’s….awful.”
Kayden laid there, tears spilling down his cheeks.
“So my m-mommy actually knows I-I’m missing?” His voice grew so weak, dripping with a mixture of happiness and shock. Lucas stared at him, his own heart tightening at how helpless he looked.
“Y-yeah.”
A sob escaped his lips before erupting into a wail. Lucas winced, feeling himself involuntarily tremble as the boy began to cry. He looked away, feeling his own eyes water.
“I-I wa-want to go h-home.”
“I do, too.”
---
The two formulated a plan to escape not too long after the realization of Kayden’s origins, with the hopes that it would definitely get them to safety and out of Cheren’s hell home. Lucas refused to look at his mentor anymore without blood running ice cold considering what he was doing to his little brother. It twisted his mind and made him sick to even think that he watched it happen more than once, hating himself for never trying to stop what was happening. He didn’t care that it was happening to him anymore, his focus instantly shifted on getting Kayden the hell out of the house and back to his mother.
The two boys got lucky when Cheren forgot to lock the door, leaving out the house for “business” which allowed the boys to roam the upper floors with ease. And immediately, they began packing to head out to the streets. Lucas had stuffed his belongings into a bag, and gave some clothes to Kayden to wear considering he only had on a pair of boxers and that’s it. Kayden could barely fit into them, but it was better than anything else he had worn prior to the day, so he looked quite fine. They checked if the phones were working, but everything was disconnected as they were the past week.
“Do you k-kn-know where we’re going?” Kayden squeaked as the two of them pushed through the bushes of the woods. He had taken out the flashlight Lucas told him to grab, allowing them to navigate the dark night.
“Nope. Not at all.”
“H-How are we going t-to find help?”
“Well have to come across a store eventually. It’ll be okay.” Lucas had his eyes focused in front of him, they’d be walking through the forest for an uncomfortably long time now. It was incredibly late, possibly 11 at night with the way the sky looked and the silence that hovered above their heads. Distant squawks of a crow as they crunched through the fallen branches, roaming aimlessly. His feet ached and a few branches tore through his legs, leaving him wincing. Kayden staggered behind, often squeaking in terror at the slightest noise. Lucas eventually had to take him by the hand and lead him, as he’d began sobbing and shaking, refusing to take another step.
“What’s wrong, now?” Lucas looked to Kayden as he stood, trembling through tears. The boy gave no response, shaking his head, tightly gripping the flashlight.
“I…..ared…”
“I can’t hear you.”
“I’m s-sc-ared.”
“...” Lucas frowned, pulling him through the bush. “We’ll be okay.”
“No…”
“Yeah, we will. I mean, we’re out here now. And we’re kinda lost, so not even Cheren can find us.”
“W-wh-what if w-w-we’re lost forever?”
“We won’t. We’ll keep walking, and it’ll be light out here soon, so we should be okay.”
I rather be lost than going back there.
“L-Lu-Lucas?”
“Yeah?”
“Wh-What is your mom l-like?”
Lucas blinked and sucked in a deep breath.
“She’s tall. She has curly hair like mine, but way more curlier. Her skin is darker than mine though, like, kinda like Dean’s. Um...she’s super nice. Like really nice. When I show her to you, she’ll probably treat you like her own son. She gives nice hugs since she has long arms and she makes the best cookies, better than her best friend.”
“....she s-so-sounds nice.”
“She is. Can you remember your mom at all?”
Kayden was silent through his sniffles. Lucas looked to him as he shrugged and shook his head quickly.
“...really?”
Kayden nodded.
“Oh. I’m sure she’s just as nice. She probably misses you alot. When we get to my house after my mom comes to get us, she’ll probably call your mom and they’ll probably become friends which means we’ll be able to hang out. I have a Gamecube and a Playstation 2 so it’ll be fun.”
A weak smile appeared on Kayden’s face as he wiped his nose. “D-Did you h-h-have fri-friends at home?”
“Not really. Just this girl who’s the kid of my mom’s best friend, this cat person we found and well, Cheren was my friend until he got mean. Not many people liked me, so yeah.”
He felt himself droop after saying so, an uncomfortable tug in his chest.
“O-Oh.”
“Do you h-” Lucas paused mid-sentence and pinched his nose.
Why would I bother ask that?
“Lucas?”
“Yeah?”
“Ar..Are we friends?”
Lucas looked at him for a second and nodded quickly, feeling his face grow hot.
“Y-Yeah. Definitely. You’re cool.”
For the time he knew Kayden, despite what was happening, Kayden would be pretty set for a friend. Kayden admired his small quirks and respected his need for space and privacy, which had become rare as of late. Even after Lucas would screech at him, Kayden would understand and simply give him the benefit of the doubt. Lucas was able to give him the same amount of patience too, which it seemed he’d never gotten before.
The two of them stopped momentarily as the sound of a car could be heard in the distance. Lucas’s heart fluttered with relief upon hearing it.
“We’re close! Come on.”
And with that, the two of them rushed quickly through the remaining branches, finding themselves standing on the side of a road which seemed bare.
“There’s no buildings out here? Where the fuck are we?” Lucas looked around, gaping as he poked his head down the street. It was dark and seemed to lead down a painfully long path to god knows where. Kayden stood quietly, tightening his grip around Lucas’s hand.
“I-I’m really tired.”
“I am too...um…” Lucas looked around and signaled Kayden to keep following him. They had to come across some sort of building eventually. They couldn’t be this lost. THey couldn’t have gone that far out into the middle of nowhere. In every movie he’d seen, there was always some sort of motel or weird drive-in food stop on streets like this, but there was nothing.
Lucas felt tears gather in his eyes once again as they walked the barren path, often kicking up their pace out of pure fear of what was lurking behind them. He could feel himself becoming weak, his chest growing tight with each step. Holding his breath, he let go of Kayden’s hand and leaned over towards the forest, feeling his mouth water as he blinked through tears.
Kayden watched him heave inhumanly before vomiting, coughing violently before groaning. Terrified, Kayden placed his hand on his back, his shaky hand snapping Lucas back to.
“L-L-Lucas, a-are you okay?”
“Ye-ah” He hacked, leaning over as he breathed heavily. This was too much for him. He felt terrible. It’d been so long since he felt this sick, leaving him woozy in the head. Stifling his coughing, he stumbled past his pile of puke to set his bag down, shakily rummaging through it.
“Put...the light over here.” He wheezed to Kayden, who followed the order. After tossing a few items onto the ground, he found his inhaler and quickly puffed. Unfortunately, there was barely enough to do much for him considering how much he’d been using it frequently.
“W-We need to find someone soon.” He breathed, placing the empty canister back into his bag before standing up shakily. The relief wouldn’t last long.
“A-Are you sick?”
Lucas nodded weakly, taking him by the hand once more before quickly pacing back down the road.
Their walk continued painfully for at least another 10 minutes before a small diner could be spotted in the distance. The sight of it nearly made Lucas pass out with relief, he knew there had to be one out here eventually. The two of them rushed to it, Lucas lagging behind slightly. They must have approached it just in time, considering it seemed as if it were at the verge of closing for the night.
Lucas opened the door groggily, allowing Kayden to step in. From the back of the diner behind a counter, an older man looked up, staring at the two boys. His face quickly shifted at the sight of them.
“We’re closin’ for the night, kiddos.” The man said quietly, setting down a glass he seemed to be cleaning. The sound of his voice petrified Kayden, leaving Lucas to do the talking.
“Can...I b...borrow your phone?” Lucas mumbled, dragging himself toward the man.
“...Are you alright there?”
“I-I just need your phone.”
The man frowned, turning away from Lucas and Kayden. “Hey, Xander? Can ya let these kids borrow the phone? I’m thinkin’ they’re lost.”
A younger blonde-haired boy popped his head from the back door of the diner, giving Lucas and Kayden a good stare.
Lucas stared back, leaning on the nearest table as Kayden stood close to him, shaking violently. His face grew hot with embarrassment as he felt the eyes of the stranger burn into him. He knew he looked like shit, and his wheezing wasn’t helping the situation. But honestly, at this point, Lucas saw his situation as an advantage because if he’d pass out, they’d definitely be saved in some way or another.
“You guys can come back here.” The boy said, his eyes filled with worry. Lucas nodded and dragged Kayden, who hesitated fiercely, along with him into the room.
The room was quite stale and seemed to be apart of their kitchen. Lucas glanced around momentarily before leaning against the nearest wall, closing his eyes as he struggled to gather his breath again.
“Hey...is your friend there alright?” Lucas heard the boy question Kayden.
Shit.
He lifted off the wall but shut his eyes again, feeling himself droop. There was no way Kayden wouldn’t be able to talk to the boy, he was too scared to do so. The only reason Kayden spoke to him was because he managed to get Kayden to feel comfortable with him.
Lucas, get your shit together.
“H…..H….ick…” Kayden squeaked weakly, turning his face away from the boy.
“I can’t hear you.”
“I-I’m sorry.”
“Is he alright? He...looks like he’s gonna pass out.”
“I...ran...out of my inhaler.” Lucas managed to wheeze out, allowing himself to drop to the floor to sit. He tried his best to keep himself from having a coughing fit, knowing it’d leave him vomiting. “Ju-Just let me use the phone.”
The boy looked to Lucas nervously before he walked off, leaving Kayden and Lucas in the room alone.
You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.
Lucas sat up, glancing at Kayden who stood there, shaking, tears dripping down his face.
“K….Kayden...you...need to call my...mom.”
“I can’t.”
“It’s...not that...hard. I remember...the number.”
“I can’t!”
“T-Then...call...the police.”
“L-Lucas, I can’t. I can’t. I can’t. I’m sorry!”
We’re so close.
Lucas shut his eyes once more, bringing his hand to his face to contain his coughing. THe room swayed violently as he opened them again, meeting the face of the blonde-haired boy once more.
“H-Hey, I think your dad is here.”
What?
Kayden looked to him, breathing heavily before looking over the boy’s shoulder.
Lucas looked too, holding himself up.
From past the door, he saw a tall figure standing, frantically speaking to the man who stood behind the counter. Their head was matted and messy as if they’d been scratching through it for hours. Lucas shut his eyes tightly, his chest tightening heavily at who he’d seen.
This was a fucking waste.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“You never told me you were running out of your inhaler.” Cheren’s voice was flat upon Lucas’s ears, causing him to tense more than he already was.
“I...just ran out today.”
“You could have told me earlier.”
“I was...going to tell my mom.”
“You’re an asshole.” Cheren turned a corner sharply, causing Kayden to groan from the backseat. “Do you know how long I’ve been looking for you?”
Lucas stared out the window, wiping slob from the corner of his mouth. He didn’t want to face Cheren.
“I went to grab you guys food, and I came back and you weren’t even there and the backdoor was unlocked. I thought someone came and stole the both of you.”
I wish someone did.
“I...spent all day calling stores asking if they’d seen either of you. And no one saw you. No one at all. I thought I lost you, Lucas.”
Lucas squinted over to Cheren as his voice cracked awkwardly. He stared fiercely at the road, his weak tired eyes hidden behind his glasses. Groaning, Lucas looked away.
“Lucas...do you hate me?”
“...”
“Did Kayden tell you to hate me?”
Lucas shook his head, too tired to reply.
Cheren went silent before a weak noise erupted from him.
“Why...do you hate me? I’ve been doing everything for you. I’ve given you everything you wanted. Are you mad at me for keeping you downstairs and taking Kayden out the house?”
“I...want to go home.”
“You can’t go home!” Cheren spat, causing Lucas to wince.
“Why not?”
“Because I told your mom you wanted to stay here for the rest of the summer and she said it was okay. I thought you wanted to stay with me. You told me you wanted to stay the other week.”
“No, I didn’t!”
“Yes you did! And why do you even want to go back? Your mom doesn’t want you to come home. She was really happy when I told her you wanted to stay longer.”
Lucas stared at him.
“I think she would prefer if you stay with me anyways.”
“I want to go home.”
“Your mom doesn’t want you.”
“Yes she does!”
“No she doesn’t. She thinks you’re stupid just like your classmates think you are. She told me she’s glad your with me because I can make you smarter and give her a break since you never listen to her and you’re mean to her and everyone else.”
“...I…”
Cheren glanced over at him before staring back to the street.
“You don’t listen to me either, so I don’t blame her for feeling that way. You’re a little asshole.”
“No, i’m not.”
“Yes, you are.”
“Fuck you.”
Cheren scoffed, a slight grin growing onto his face. “Watch your fucking mouth, alright?”
His tone grew hot, causing Lucas to shiver.
God, I just want to go home.
“Which one of you planned this whole running away shit in the first place, huh?”
Lucas glared at him through teary eyes before looking back toward the window. Kayden remained silent, only his nasally breaths being heard from the backseat.
“It had to be one of you, unless you planned it together.”
“H...ds”
“What did you say?” Cheren glanced back at Kayden who curled into the seat, covering his face with his hands. He shook his head quickly, growing silent again. Lucas squinted, blinking through tears as Cheren’s voice grew more stern.
He’s worse than my dad.
“Kayden, did you plan this?”
He shook his head again, letting out a whimper.
“So it was Lucas?”
Lucas’s face grew hot as he shrunk into the seat. Cheren was clearly glaring at the side of his head, but he couldn’t bring himself to turn to look at him.
“Lucas.”
“I wanted to...get Kayden to call his mom.”
“My mom?”
“Y-yeah.”
“She’s dead, you dumb fuck. You can’t call dead people.”
Lucas flinched hard at the statement.
How the hell was I supposed to know that she was dead?
“What were you going to tell her, huh? Were you going to tell her that Kayden was alive and with me?”
“I...I don’t know.”
“Did you think she’d come looking for you and Kayden?”
“I...don’t know.”
“She wouldn’t have, because she didn’t want Kayden in the first place.”
Lucas could hear Kayden make a weak noise, he shut his eyes uncomfortably.
That can’t be true. He’s only saying this to make him feel bad.
“She was supposed to get rid of him when he was born, but my mom got too sick from giving birth to him. Why would you make Kayden think he’d be able to go home? You’re an asshole, Lucas.”
“I d-didn’t know!”
“Whatever. You just wanted Kayden to feel stupid, didn’t you? To feel better about yourself? You wanted him to think he’d have a mom like you have one, just to leave him behind?”
“What? No!”
Where the hell is he getting this from?
“Well that’s what it sounds like. Did you think about how Kayden would feel?”
“HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW YOUR MOM WAS DEAD IF YOU NEVER TOLD ME!?” Lucas raising his voice led him into a shaky coughing fit.
Cheren glared at him, his eyes burning. “I told you last year.”
“No...you didn’t!”
“I did, you just never listen to anything I say. You’re an asshole.”
“I’m not!”
“L-Lucas...said mommy..was looking for me.” Kayden’s trembling voice errupted from the backseat.
“You lied to him too?”
“I wasn’t lying when I said that! It was on the news when I was little!”
“My mom wasn’t really looking for him. She just filed a police report because she had to. If she was looking for him, they’d still be talking about him on the news, but they dont. Because no one wants him except me. I’m the only one who’ll be able to take care of Kayden. I’m the only one who loves him.”
“You said you didn’t like Kayden.”
“Why would I ever say that? He’s my brother.”
“That’s fucking gross.”
“...you think Kayden doesn’t deserves love?”
“Thats...that’s not what I’m saying it’s not...cool to...do that to your brother.”
“Kayden likes it. He loves me, unlike you, since you hate me. I bet you hate him too.”
Lucas looked to the backseat, his head spiraling.
Kayden stared at Lucas, his one uncovered eye blazing with an unreadable emotion. His mouth was twisted before he looked away.
Is...he mad at me?
Please don’t listen to him.
The car stopped, startling Lucas until he realized they were simply back at Cheren’s house. His stomach tightened at the sight of the house.
I don’t want to go back in.
“I think all of us need a little rest. It’s been a long night.”
“Ch-Cheren, I want...to go home...I feel sick.”
“I have medicine in the house. You can take that.”
“C-Can I call my mom to tell her to get me another inhaler?”
“I’ll call her myself.”
Kayden had already climbed out of the car and went to the door, silent, not waiting for either of them. Lucas stared after him, his eyes watering heavily.
Why are you going back to him?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
August 2004
“Kayden is sick.”
Lucas stood over the boy who laid, sprawled the ground, unconscious with liquid oozing from his mouth. Cheren stood at the top of the basement steps, his eyes wide with terror at what he was seeing.
“What the fuck happened?” Cheren quickly scurried down the stairs to approach him, noticeably becoming more frantic as Kayden failed to show signs of life.
“I don’t know. I woke up to him puking.” Lucas’s voice was flat, his eyes drooped heavily.
Cheren kneeled to Kayden, feeling for a pulse before letting out a sigh of relief.
“He’s not dead.”
“Oh.”
“Do you know if he took medicine?”
“Yeah. He took all of the medicine in the bottle you gave me.”
“Son of a bitch.”
Cheren lifted the boy over his shoulder, rushing up the steps, pulling Lucas along with him. Lucas couldn’t bring himself to fight the grip, allowing himself to literally be dragged like a ragdoll.
It’d been a while since he last been outside, especially during the day. The second Cheren opened the front door, he squinted and shielded himself from the bright light and heat, leaving him groaning.
Lucas climbed into the passenger seat, letting himself sink down with a sigh. It felt so much more comfortable than what he’d been dealing with the past month. It took Cheren a few minutes to get Kayden buckled in the backseat considering he’d just slump right over before he had the chance to close the back doors.
I should have took it instead.
Lucas shut his eyes as Cheren climbed in, his hands noticeably shaking as he shoved the keys into the ignition.
It isn’t fair.
“Where are we going?” Lucas mumbled, glancing over at Cheren.
It took a moment for him to reply.
“We have to get rid of him.”
“...what?”
“He’s going to die, so we’re going to get rid of him.”
No.
“He...He’s not dead yet. We can take him to the hosp-”
“wE CAN’T! WE CAN’T TAKE HIM TO THE HOSPITAL. I CAN’T TAKE HIM OR THEY’LL KNOW YOU’RE HERE WITH ME. THEY’LL KNOW I HAD HIM THE WHOLE TIME! THEY’LL KNOW I HAD YOU THE WHOLE TIME!! I CAN’T.”
Lucas flinched, expecting to be punched again but nothing came except a yell. Taking in a shaky breath, he sunk into the seat as his chest tightened.
We’re going to kill Kayden?
“Cheren, I...I don’t want to get rid of Kayden.”
“We don’t have a choice, this wouldn’t have happened if you brought the medicine upstairs like I told you to! You fucking idiot!”
“I...I fell asleep.”
I was supposed to take it. Kayden took it from me.
“You’re always fucking falling asleep! It’s always something! For fucks sake!”
Lucas couldn’t bring himself to wrap his head around the concept of downright killing Kayden for the sake of Cheren. He couldn’t.
I’m not a monster.
He’d done enough things in the past, and went through enough things for the sake of him. He was tired. He was tired of Cheren. He was tired of being fucked by him and ignored when he expressed it didn’t feel good. He was tired of having to stare Kayden in the eye as the two of them laid on the dirty basement floor as Cheren left back up the stairs. He was tired of seeing Dean leave the house and ignore his cries for help, sleeping on the floor, not being able to breathe after Cheren would shove him over and not have his inhaler. He was tired of eating the same thing everyday, not being able to leave or do anything on his own.
This wasn’t the vacation he wanted.
Lucas glanced out the window as they sped down the road, neighboring the woods they had ventured through last month.
We were so close to being free.
He glanced into the backseat at Kayden who laid limply, saliva and mucus dripping down his face, occasionally hiccuping as more liquid seeped down his chin.
I’m so sorry.
If he hadn’t had an asthma attack, they would have been saved. Kayden could have lived with him. They could have been roomates in a good way, and Akira could have taken care of him with the love he deserved. They could have grown up together and made sure they felt better about everything that happened, but he ran out of his inhaler and he couldn’t speak up, and they were found and taken back to the hell home and Kayden no longer liked him since he believed what Cheren said.
Lucas laid back into the seat, running his hand over the car door’s handle. He hadn’t put his seat belt on due to Cheren rushing him, and the doors weren’t locked since Cheren was in such a frantic.
He glanced over at Cheren who was crying, tears trickling down his cheeks behind his stupid red glasses.
I hope they kill you too.
And with that, he swung the door open.
It was a relief to know he wouldn’t turn back.