The day started out like any other. I woke up from another nightmare, drenched in sweat. I stayed in my bed for almost a hour before I finally told myself that it was time to get up. My lungs were aching and my whole body was sore. I decided to make a pot of coffee. As I walked down the stairs a thought popped into my head. I think I'll visit Will today. As I thought that, my lips twitched into a smile. It was hard for me to smile, and when I did, it kind of hurt. As monstrous thoughts and images began to cloud my mind I took a sip of my coffee. The light brown liquid warm and welcoming.
After finishing my coffee I took a shower and got dressed. I knew that Will could be up this early, he was like me. Always waking up from nightmares and never being able to fall back asleep. I decided to walk to Will's house, it wasn't that far from me. The air was crisp, chilly. Dead trees surrounding me, leaves of all the warm colors on the ground in piles. Why are the leaves warm colors? Is it to remind us that the warmth will come back to us? As I finished that thought, I walked up the porch steps to Will's house. I hesitated.
I knocked lightly, just barely loud enough for him to hear it. Golly, I hope he won't be mad at me. His millions of dogs started to bark and the corners of my lips twitched. Will came to the door, fully clothed from once. Normally when I came over this early, he'd be in boxers and a t-shirt and that was it. He smiled, holding his arms open wide. An invitation and request for a hug. Though I wasn't used to them, they made me feel better. Will and I hugged for quite some time. When he pulled away from the embrace, he seemed to smile wider. "Come in!" He said as he walked back into his house. I kept my distance as I always did, fearful that I might make him uncomfortable or mad.
I heard voices. I stopped, planting my feet to the floor. Will must have felt my fear because he turned around quickly and gave me a worried smile. "It's okay." He spoke softly. "They are really nice and won't hurt you, I promise." I nodded and sighed. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I slowly made my way to the kitchen. Sitting at the tiny table were two men. Both in suits. When I walked in both of them turned to look at me. I grew uncomfortable. My palms began to sweat and I felt the color fading from my face. As I felt the urge to puke my guts out, one of them smiled at me.
"Hello." He smiled at me. I slowly nodded in his direction. "And who might you be?" He asked with a polite grin. Even though they shouldn't have, his words stung. No one knows who I am. I thought to myself.
"This is my old friend Chris." Will answered. I silently thanked Will for answering that question. I did't enjoy talking much, especially around people I've never met before.
"You look scared." The other man, the one with the beard, observed aloud. I looked at him with worry in my eyes. "What do you have to be afraid of?" He asked. Again, I felt the hurt of the words. My eyes began to water and I looked down at my feet as Will looked over at me.
"Hey," Will started. "It's okay. He isn't trying to upset you. I promise." I looked back up and wiped my eyes. I nodded and made sure not to make eye contact with anyone. "I know you don't like to talk, so would you like to write on a piece of paper instead?" He asked. I nodded and he smiled at me. Grabbing a notebook and pen, he motioned for me to follow him over to the table. I sat down beside the man with the beard. "Chris isn't much of a talker." He laughed and took a seat beside me.
"And why not?" The man with the beard asked, raising his brow. He looked to me and then at Will.
"He's been through a lot." He kept it vague, and I was thankful for that. The other man, gave a a gentle smile when I looked over at him.
"But he is able to speak, yes?" The bearded man pushed. I looked back over at him. He looked bored, or irritated. Perhaps I have upset him.
"Yes." Will answered. "He's just...He barely talked to me." He admitted. I felt a pain in my heart. I felt bad for not speaking more to Will, but growing up I was told that the things I have to say aren't important and that no one would listen anyway. So what's the point in speaking? Will noticed my sudden shaking and lightly patted my knee. I jumped. I didn't really enjoy it when people touched me. "Sorry!" Will apologized quickly, the guilt in his voice was ringing in my ears. Over and over the word Sorry repeated in my head. I shrugged, letting him know that it's alright.
I began to stare intently at the designs on the wall. After about two minutes I finally heard Will calling my name. Alarmed, my head whipped to his direction, my eyes wide. "You okay?" He asked. The concern in his voice was frightening. I shrugged. I suppose. I thought to myself. My cell phone began to ring playing the song Marry Me A Little, startling me. I don't have any friends, other than Will. Who is calling me? I looked at the caller ID and it read "Unknown". I looked up at Will, my eyes pleading for him to answer it. "I've got it." He reassured me. As he took the phone from my hand I began to question if coming over here was a mistake or not. "Hello?" Will answered. "Who are you?" He paused, looking angry. "Excuse me?" He growled. He pressed a button on my phone and then it was on speaker.
"Hello, Little Boy Blue." A familiar voice called to me. My eyes grew wide and fear struck me like lightning. "Don't look so upset." He chuckled. "Did ya miss me? I sure missed you." There was a long pause before anything else was said. "Still not talking, huh? I guess I did my job well. There is only one good use of your mouth." He laughed again, this time louder. My heart began to beat faster and I started to sweat. "Does your friend, Willy, know about me? About the time we spent together?" My breathing hitched and tears filled my eyes. "That's okay. It'll be our little secret." I stood up quickly, launching the chair I was sitting in far behind me. I looked around the room and at the man in front of me.
I shook my head and felt tears stream down my face as he continued to talk. "Don't cry Little Boy Blue. Didn't I teach you that real men don't cry? Didn't I teach you anything at all?" His voice told me he was angry. "Damn it! You are so pathetic, you know? You are such a disappointment. No wonder mommy and daddy didn't love you. That's why they sold you for money and beat you. That's why they let so many others, besides myself, torture you, rape you and almost kill you-a few times." He sighed. "But don't worry, I'm coming for ya! I'll be there when you least expect it, and I'll show you how to be a real man. I could teach that friend of yours too." Rage filled me, and I growled.
"Don't you fucking touch Will you bastard!" I screamed, putting my head in my hands. I turned around and punched the wall nearest to me. The pain was minimal. His laughing made me feel depressed again, as I realized he had gotten the reaction he wanted.
"Awe, is Little Boy Blue protective over that little nerdy piece of meat? You know he really doesn't like you? He just feels bad for you. You don't mean anything to him. You don't mean anything to anyone." And with that he hung up. I closed my eyes and sighed. Horrifying images filled my mind and I put my hands behind my head. I dropped to my knees and whimpered.
"Chris." I heard Will whisper. I just shook my head. He dropped to his knees in front of me and carefully and shakily grabbed both of my hands. "I won't let him hurt you. No one will." He paused, giving my hands a light squeeze. "And you're my best friend, of course you mean something to me. Don't let him lie to you." I sniffled and hiccuped, trying to get myself to calm down.
"Chris?" I looked up to see the two men with worried expressions. The one with the beard was speaking to me. "If you ever need to talk, here is my card. Feel free to call or pop in at any time, alright?" I slowly took the card from his hand.
"And here is my card, just in case." The other man said, handing me his card. I took note of their names. Chilton and Lecter. Will hugged me tightly, we stayed hugging for a very long time.