Note: There is a big overlap between the two viewpoints in this chapter. The differences in the two are intentional. I hope this won't be too confusing or annoying for you.
As always, your comments are most welcome!
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Blue huddled in the dark, trying not to shake too much or he would dislodge the blanket. It was too small, but he finally had it arranged to cover most of him, as long as he stayed curled up and stopped shivering it loose. For the thousandth time, Blue wondered what possessed him to come back to the town he grew up in.
He knew, in theory, what the reason was. It was seeing Harley's sister and the way she obviously loved and cared for her brother. Seeing that, even though it meant he left the place he'd felt the safest since he was fifteen, made him long to at least catch a glimpse of his family. He knew better than to actually make contact with any of his brothers and sisters, but he wanted to see them and know they were doing well.
What a disaster. Blue sniffed and wiped at his nose. It was September now, an eternity since leaving the city and the comfort of Harley's home. Four very long months. Those months felt even longer, at least the last ten weeks of them, because he was cooped up in this basement. Locked in without seeing the sun. Well, he could get out of the basement and go upstairs, but all the curtains were drawn and he didn't dare open them. He also had to keep his ears open for when his captor would come home. The one time Thomas caught him, the lesson was painful and Blue learned it well.
His entire body hurt. For two weeks now Blue struggled with a cold. If he tried to stretch out, he couldn't draw enough air into his lungs, so he stayed sitting up, leaning into the corner to keep upright. He hadn't even been able to get up the stairs to stretch his legs for three days.
A piercing noise suddenly sounded from upstairs. Blue moaned and pressed both hands tight against his throbbing head. Oh, he hurt so much! The noise stopped quickly, but that was replaced by the sound of two men shouting at each other. One voice definitely belonged to Thomas. The other one, while vaguely familiar to Blue, was a mystery. The words were indistinct, even if they were shouted, but they were definitely angry words. One or the other of the men forgot about the alarm when they came in. Blue was as certain of that as he was that Harley was a nice man.
Harley
. Blue wished he could see Harley again. The likelihood of that happening was practically non-existent. He wasn't stupid, though. The damp conditions in the basement would only make his cold worse. It wouldn't take long for him to develop pneumonia and he would die.
"I'll deserve it, too," he whispered out loud. His voice was scratchy and raw. Even the whisper made his throat burn but he considered it worth it. The more he aggravated it, the worse it would get and it would all be over sooner. "Dad was right, I deserve it all."
As he drifted off to sleep, Blue thought about the one time he tried using the phone to get help. He dialled the police station here in town and told them he was being held against his will. The guy who answered the phone laughed and told him to stop with the prank calls. When Blue tried to insist, the man's voice dropped to a harsh whisper. "Hang up now and I won't tell Thomas you're out of the basement and using the phone."
He was stuck here until this Thomas got tired of him, or he died. Somehow, Blue figured the second option was the most likely. If he knew who Thomas was, maybe he could figure out how to get away. For all that Blue lived in this town his whole life, he couldn't remember ever meeting this Thomas before.
The sounds the argument upstairs grew louder and Blue started from his doze and looked over. He could see a little light and the shadows of the men around the door. All of a sudden, the door crashed open and the stranger wind-milled his arms to keep from tumbling down the stairs. Blue's attention was riveted and so was the only one who saw something slip from the man's jacket pocket. It barely missed the stairs and fell into a box filled with old clothes.
"Fucker!" The man was obviously upset as he yelled at Thomas. "Don't think your little 'tutorial' would go undiscovered if something happens to me!"
Blue took a deep breath to ask for some water, but he started coughing instead. When he was under control again, they'd already closed the door. They wouldn't hear him, even if their argument seemed to be over. Either that or they'd moved far enough away for him not to hear it anymore. Oh well. It was unlikely that they would bring him water even if he did ask for it. They never had before.
He was almost asleep again when a thought occurred to him. A box of old clothes! God he could be so stupid sometimes! If he could drag himself over there, he could pull some of the clothes on and be warm. Even if they were dirty or full of holes, it would be better than sitting here naked with a flimsy, inadequate blanket. Thomas would take them away when he came down, but in the meantime Blue would be almost blissfully warm. Maybe he would wait until Thomas came and left again, so he would have them on longer.
"Get up! Come on, you disgusting creature, on your feet!"
Blue would have screamed in pain at the sharp blow of a pointed boot connected with his hip, but all he managed was a raspy whimper. Thomas unerringly hit the same exact spot whenever he did this and it was now so tender that even the gentlest touch hurt terribly. The last time he sneaked a look at the spot, it was nearly black in colour.
"I can't get up. Please, I just can't. I need water, just a sip or two. I'm sick, so sick. I'm dizzy and can't move at all. Water please, just a bit of water."
"He don't look too good there, Thomas."
"Thank you for that brilliant observation, Gibs. I'll just have to get myself dirty and help him up then, won't I?" Blue squeaked in fear and agony as Thomas reached down and pulled him up by the hair. His hair was shorter than ever, the blue cut out, but Thomas still managed to grab hold. "Tell me, do you still think you like men?"
A deep cough wracked Blue's body and he couldn't even summon up the strength to moan at the deep pain in his chest. He tried to turn his head to spit out the phlegm that came up but couldn't manage it. It seemed to stick in his throat, making him gag and then vomit. He hadn't eaten in too long for much to come up and his throat and chest burned from the bile.
Thomas cursed and dropped him, waiting until the fit passed before leaning forward and asking the question again. Blue knew what he should answer. He should just say that he didn't find men attractive at all, that he'd been mistaken about his preferences, and this would all be over. Exactly how it would be over he didn't know, but at least it would be over. That would be the smart thing to do, but Blue couldn't gather his thoughts enough to be smart.
"Well, I certainly don't like you any."
