CHAPTER SIX

"What the hell happened?" Alistair spat at me loudly making me cringe into the corner.

His face was red and his eyes were bulging out of his head glaring at me.

"I don't know," I lied, I didn't want to be a part of this, I was good.

If I'm good there's no beating, I learned that a couple years ago.

Waiting for it I flinched.

"Oh no, I'll get you when we get home, now get your ass to the car and I'll meet you out there after I see my son." Alastair said in a low sneer.

Out of fear all I did was nod and run out the scary doors towards the car.

Remembering Colby's cigarettes were in his unlocked car not too far away from this one, I took a quick glance toward the hospital, ran towards Colby's door, opened it grabbed a cigarette from the package from the glove box with the lighter and shut the car door and ran back towards Alastair's.

I carefully put both the cigarette and the lighter in my pocket and waited for him to show up.

I know how much of a beating I'm going to get when we get home.

Usually he hits below the face, this time I don't think I'll be so lucky.

Suddenly the doors opened and the car beeped indicating it's unlocked, I quickly got inside and put on the seatbelt and waited as the big chubby man tried to get into the car.

He looked at me still red-faced and flaring he turned on the ignition and sped out of the parking lot.

I uncomfortably looked out the window with tears rolling down my face, maybe he realized I wasn't a good fit for Colby.

Maybe he found someone better for him and that was my last meal, you know like it says in the bible.

I tried to pray before but I don't think I'm important enough for them to be answered, so I stopped.

Fifteen minutes went by and we were at the big gates to the house. I took a quick glance towards Alastair and if he was strong enough the steering wheel would have crumbled to dust from how tight he was gripping it.

He parked the car in his usual spot and got out to walk to my side before I could undo my seat-belt. He angrily opened the door and with a rip he took my hair and began dragging me into the house.

With surprise I screamed from pain and felt a trickle of blood fall from my scalp.

He opened the sliding doors and continued to drag me through, you could see where his hand was on the glass because it was covered in blood, not just blood, my blood.

This is it; today he is finally going to kill me.

I dug my nails into the white carpet trying to stay on this floor, he kicked me in the face and more blood sprayed everywhere and my sunglasses broke into pieces.

Too bright, I can't see, I began panicking, I began kicking and screaming, the name off my lips I never thought I'd say.

"Colby, Colby I'm scared," Blood and tears, the metallic taste in my mouth and then all the light disappeared and so was the air in my lungs.

Alastair threw me down the stairs and heard a repeating sound of cracking of my skull hitting the concrete stairs.

Once I got my surroundings that big chubby man made it down in seconds kicking me in the stomach over and over, and everything of what I ate today came back up, as well as the blood filling my lungs, choking sucking in as much air before it was taken out of me again.

I began crawling towards my bed, with blood and tears smeared all over my face.

"I'm sorry, please," I begged hoping he would stop.

"I learned my lesson," I added with a breathless gasp.

"N-never again I-I promise," I hiccupped while stuttering from tears wrapping my arms around my knees protecting the rest of my body.

"Fucking better have," Alastair spat while giving me on final good kick before heading back up those squeaky steps that bended under his weight and slammed the door behind him.

It began with a shudder and then went to the rest of my body as tears fell harder that shook me to the core, I began to gasp as I hyperventilated trying to quieten my sobs as I rocked back and forth. 

I began to feel dizzy and felt myself disappearing into the dark abyss of my mind.

Colby's P.O.V

I hissed at the needle going through my skin as it began pulling the wound back together.

I regained consciousness once I got in the surgery room.

I looked around noticing that Chloe was nowhere to be seen, I groggily looked at the doctor.

"Yo, Doc where's the girl that brought me in?" I panicked.

"Your father came and picked her up," He said nonchalantly, my eyes went wide.

"Did you say my father?" I asked clarifying.

"Yes, your mother is in the waiting room," He said, checking his checklist.

"Why are they here?" I asked angrily.

He took off his glasses and looked me in the eye.

"Colby, you are eighteen years old, but you still live with your parents, and they are your next of kin, so basically I had no choice." His ice grey eyes stared straight through me.

"How long was I here?" I questioned getting up, which didn't take me long to realize I had been cuffed to the hospital bed.

"What the fuck?" I screamed pulling against the cuffs.

"Another one of your fathers orders," He said writing on his check board before heading out the door.

"This is bull shit!" I screamed after him.

Suddenly my mother walked in after the doctor exited.

"Colby, how are you feeling? Are you in any pain?" My mother questioned with worry but I couldn't care less about how I was feeling.

"Where is Chloe mom?" I asked back through clenched teeth not answering her question.

She turned away uncomfortably and began organizing the doctors desk to get away from my glaring eyes.

"He took her home," Is all she answered with but her tone of voice told me everything.

"Un-cuff me." I ordered.

"I can't," She said sniffling.

"Mom, let me go." I said a bit louder, getting more angry.

"I can't Colby," She said louder with tears in her eyes when she turned back to face me.

"Why the hell not?" I yelled.

"-Because I don't have the keys, your father does," She explained.

Of course he does, he doesn't trust her to keep me away from Chloe.

"Fuck!" I screamed out of frustration pulling harder against the metal cuffs. 

Chloe's P.O.V

I woke up in my own blood and vomit, I shakily put my hand in my pocket where I placed the two cigarettes, and took them out; one was broken in two the other still fine.

I picked up the non-broken cigarette and placed it between my lips like Colby did in the car, I carefully took the lighter and lit up the lighter with a slide and click of the little red button on the lighter with the word 'Bick'. 

I let the open part of the cigarette and took a deep inhale not expecting what came next.

My lungs were full of smoke. I coughed painfully and loudly wheezing with every cough, and once I caught my breath sitting in my corner I took a small puff and exhaled slowly.

Why does he smoke these things? They taste like poison, yet instead of putting it out I continued to smoke it until it burned my fingers and put it out against the concrete floor and through the end of it under my bed but kept the broken one in my pocket.

I hope Colby is okay.

Colby's P.O.V

I sat on the hospital bed anxious. It has been a week that I've been in this bed and I'm finally being discharged today.

As soon as I get home I'm going to check in on Chloe. 

I hope he doesn't leave her in the basement again. I hope she's in my room sleeping like the angel she is.

My father finally walked in with the keys, and it's the first time I've seen him since I've been here. 

His face looks pretty torn up by what looks like fingernail scratches. He unlocked the cuffs and I rubbed the circulation back into my wrist.

"How is she?" I asked worriedly.

"Don't worry about it, I put that little bitch in her place." He sneered.

A hitch caught my throat but I swallowed it back as I got up and followed him out and into the car.

I stared blankly out the window trying to figure out what he meant when he said he put her in place. Looking at his face it seemed he got it back.

After fifteen minutes the gates swung open and we parked in his usual spot.

I swung open and shut the car door running towards the house, all you can see from where I was standing was red on the white carpet that seemed to be fading with baking soda.

'No, no. This cannot be happening,' I thought, basically screaming her name.

"Chloe!" 

I ran to the locked basement and with a kick I attempted to open it, and then a second kick that made the doors fly off its hinges. 

Running into the dark basement, seeing a clump in a corner, I never ran faster. I was by her side in seconds. Blood and vomit plastered the walls and floors, taking her unconscious body into my arms, she was almost unrecognizable with her face and black and blue bruised body.

She was lighter and thinner then I remembered sickly almost, that's when it clicked that he had been starving her.

I was so angry all I seen was red, but instead on acting on impulses I carried her up the blood stained stairs, kissing her forehead and carrying her up to my room, passing my mother she seen Chloe's body in my hands and completely collapsed out of guilt on her hands and knees in complete devastation.

"Is she..." She cut herself off.

"No she's still breathing," I answered, continuing to carry her up the stairs to my room and locked my door behind me, placing her on my bed gently.

I caressed her swollen cheek as I looked down as she was breathing softly as she slept; I leaned down giving her a kiss on her forehead.

I broke my promise, the one person I would never break my promise to. Putting my hand through her hair I noticed it was caked with dry blood.

"I'll be right back," I whispered in her ear as I gently kissed her still lips.

I got up gently making sure the bed didn't dip too fast and made my way to my door and locked it behind me. I wasn't locking her in, I was locking my father out.

I made it to my mother's room where she kept Chloe's clothes and took out a white dress and placed it over my arm as I looked for a bra and panties to go on her.

I quickly exited their room and cautiously made it to mine.

"What are you doing?" A voice behind me asked, making me jump out of my own skin.

"Jesus Christ," I said looking over my shoulder seeing Jayce behind me.

Jayce was my younger brother; well in a gang sense.

"Did I scare ya Colb?" He said laughing.

"Yeah, you got me," I joked.

"So what are you doing with those clothes, I saw you got it from your parents room," He said nodding to the heap in my hands.

"Oh it's for Chloe," I said, feeling uncomfortable unlocking the door trying to slip in without much talking.

"Is she in there?" He asked, trying to look into the door frame of my bedroom around me.

"Yeah, she is. Alright talk to you later buddy."

I closed the door in his face, locking it quickly.

I turned and placed the clothes neatly on the bed beside her.

I went into the bathroom that's attached to my room and began to run the hot water, placing my hand underneath to make sure it's not too hot.

Going back to the room where she laid I began to undress her, making sure she's okay every second making sure I don't move or unintentionally hurt her. 

Once she was undressed I picked her up and carried her small frame into the bathroom placing her in the water making sure her head doesn't go under.

When the water seems high enough I turned off the faucets and got a soft cloth and rubbed soap until you see the foamy suds.

I took her arm gently over the tub washing her down and continued to make my way down her body.

I want to make her feel as comfortable as I can and let her feel truly clean.

I poured water on her to get all the soap off, then from the corner of the bath I picked up the johnsons shampoo, yes baby shampoo; and doused her hair in it, washing the blood out of her hair.

When she was all clean I unplugged the tub and let the blood and dirt go down the drain, I took a white fluffy towel and wrapped her in it as I picked her up carrying her back to the bed.

I dried her off and began to dress her in the clean bra and panties as well as the white dress and put her head on the pillow, then bring up the blanket to let her sleep.

Kissing her on the forehead once more I then left to make her something to eat.