Justin Comes Home

Chapter 10

POV BRIAN

Fuck. Am I still alive? I open my eyes a crack and am in agonizing pain. Then I remember what's happened- I close my eyes again, trying to gauge where Ethan is in proximity to me, hoping he's no where near me. This guy is a psychotic who gets off on inflicting pain- this fucker is worse than Jack, who was usually drunk during his rampages. Ethan is horrifyingly methodical- he's just getting off on hurting me; he's a true sadist. Jack scared me when I was young, pissed me off as I got older, then meant nothing to me once I left the Kinney home; Ethan terrifies me.

I feel the handcuffs cutting into my wrists and ankles, holding me to Ethan's dingy bed and I don't move- I can't. But even if I attempted to and the cuffs made a noise, Ethan would come over and start in on me. Not that he won't anyway, but I try not to draw any attention to myself.

I really can't believe I'm alive- he's fucking beat me till I passed out- repeatedly- and I'm sure my surgery wound has bled deep into the mattress. I feel like the cuffs and his beatings have caused my bones to break in several places and wish as I might, nothing seems to go numb - I just have to wait until I finally, thankfully- eventually- black out. Right now, I feel faint and sick. I'm sweating and it trickles into my eyes. I think I've been here several days, but I really don't know. I've had no food, which is fine- but my mouth is parched, my tongue feels like a shriveled prune.

I just try to focus on Justin, on his Sunshine kisses and on the good times we've had. Because I know I'm going to die here -and soon. And when I take my last breath as Ethan, laughing, inflicts whatever other Medieval torture tactic he chooses to on my shattered, bloody shell of a body- I'll be with my Sunshine. And live on in his soul and heart, as he will mine- so hopefully he will know I didn't abandon him voluntarily.

Fuck.

I startle slightly when I hear a knock at the door. "Who is it?" Ethan barks from the living room.

"Ethan, it's Justin."

Oh fuck no! I want to scream at him that I'm already dead- scream at him to run away from this violent lunatic! Keeping my eyes closed, I hear Ethan come into the room and from the sound of heavy metal scraping along wood, I know he's collecting the gun from the night table. He then rushes into the other room. I open my eyes then and I crane my neck to see; my mouth is so dry, I still can't speak. He goes to the door with the gun aimed at it. I again open my mouth to scream at Justin to leave but only a croak comes out.

"It's open, Justin." The fucker says in a saccharine sweet tone.

I see the door begin to open and in desperation I'm able to somehow find my voice and I scream weakly at Sunshine to NOT come in.

"Brian!!!" Justin cries upon hearing my voice. He rushes in, ignoring my plea and runs almost right into the point of Ethan's gun, not even seeing him- he only hears me.

I start crying silently. I shouldn't have fucking called out to him although the outcome would be the same- he'd still have come in: he wouldn't have left knowing I was most likely here, just like I wouldn't have left him in such a situation, no matter the danger involved.

Ethan grins evilly. "Why, Sunshine found me -- me and my guest, the broken, dying Stud of Liberty Avenue. He's not so beautiful anymore, is he, 'Sunshine'?" He levels the gun at Justin who has the situation now fully assessed; he has stopped in his tracks. He risks a quick glance at me, panic filling his eyes when he sees my condition.

"Listen, Ethan- can we talk about this?" Justin begs- I hear fear in his voice and I know he's trying to mask it. Sunshine's now looking from the gun to me chained to the bed and back. "Please, Ethan- let's work this out- go have coffee and talk…" He pleads. I wish he'd stop looking over at me- I can tell from experience looking at his expression, Ethan's getting angrier and angrier by the second because of it.

"Time for talking is over, dear.." He leers, twisting his face in the most frightening manner.

Then he turns suddenly towards my direction and I hear a pop and an incredible pain shoots into my hip with a sickening crack. Then I hear Justin's anguished scream "NO!!" and simultaneously I hear, "PUT THE GUN DOWN!" A voice I don't recognize. "NOW!"

In absolute agony, I realize he shot me again! He must have shattered my hip… I see Justin and two people I don't know behind Ethan as he approaches me with a frightening sneer on his face- presumably he's coming to finish me off in front of Justin, at close range. He aims and I squeeze my eyes shut when I hear another shot, thinking that I'll die but all that matters is that Justin will be okay.

But instead of another bullet entering my body, I hear a thud next to the bed and open my eyes, I crane my neck as best I can and I see it must be that the cops have shot Ethan. Then I see his arm reach up over the bed with the gun and he's trying to kill me still, even though he's been shot. I squeeze my eyes closed again- and another shot, but this one didn't hit me, either.

I feel cold metal against my side and I look down; the gun has slid against me. I look over and the hand that had been aiming it at me is limp and seemingly lifeless, like a morbid puppet propped against the side of the bed. The cops obviously shot him again.

"BrianBrianBrianBrianBrianBrian!" Justin chants in a panic as he rushes over to the bed where I'm cuffed. I'm only vaguely aware of what's going on now. I'm slipping, I feel it- any adrenaline I was feeding on disappears. All I'm sure of is Justin's voice- he's alive. "OH GOD! Hurry!" He sobs, urging the cops. "Wirecutters! Paramedics! He's been shot again and he looks…" Through the agony, I blearily, hazily wonder at him calling out wirecutters and think maybe it's one of Ethan's tricks and I'm still in hell. Then the last thing I remember is the sun. The beautiful sun over a sky blue sea. My Sunshine.

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