The little boy trembled under his father's fist, red eyes staring widely back at him.
"P...please..."
"I am so fuckin' tired of your shit, boy!" His father punched him; blood ran from his nose in a crimson river. "Always grovelin' and whimperin' and cryin'. Fucking pussy piece of shit mother fucker." Another blow, making the boy's vision cloud with bright colors and his head swoon. "Not grateful for everything we do for you, but you fuckin' complain about everything we don't! Fucking piece of shit! You're the fuckin' devil's son! Your whorin' mother fucked good ol' Lucifer one night I was on the road. You stupid son of a bitch!"
"I'm sorry, daddy! I'm sorry!" The small boy sobbed, trying to guard his face.
"Now I'm gonna fuck you just like he fucked her!"
"NO! NO DADDY PLEASE! I...I'LL BE GOOD! I'M SORRY!"
"You think you can fuckin' get out of it? No. I'm gonna do whatever I want to you you little pussy piece of shit."
"NO!" He tried to struggle away from his father, to no avail; the larger man picked him up and threw him onto the bed.
"Did you just DEFY me?! DID YOU TELL ME NO!?"
"N...N...No...D..Daddy...I...I'm begging you...please..."
"Ohh. I like that. Beg."
"H...Huh?" He heard the clink of his father's belt coming out of the loops, felt the cool metal graze his skin.
"BEG ME." His father cried as the hard slap of the leather cracked against the little boy's flesh.
He screamed, tears welling up in the corners of his eyes. "AH! PLEASE!" He shrieked.
Another crack. Another. Another. Until he thought his skin would shrivel up and fall off of his back, his father beat him, forcing him to beg for mercy.
"Take your pants off. You little slut."
The little boy began to shake. "P...Please no, daddy...Please..."
"BASTARD I SAID TAKE THEM OFF!"
More fearful of his father's creativity for torture than what he already knew, he obeyed.
"Now, if you obey, I won't chain you up. Deal?"
He whimpered, trembling uncontrollably with fear. He knew the pain all too well. Knew what was about to happen to him.
Once his father was satisfied and had ridiculed him, he was released from his clutches, resting on the bed where he had just been brutalized.
"D..daddy...Wh...Why do you hurt me...?" The little boy asked, tears brimming in his eyes.
His father shrugged. "Because we were bored one day and we liked the sounds of your screams."
The simple, curt answer would have deeply disturbed any sane man, but it's depravity was lost on his father.
That night, the little boy heard his parents talking in their bedroom, and listened closely. It wasn't often they talked rather than just screamed at each other, and he wondered if there was any love in this god forsaken hell-hole of a household.
"Tim, I'm gettin' bored with him. He ain't nothin' but a money pit. Yeah it's all fun and stuff, but I'm bored with it. It's the same shit all the time."
"We'll figure somethin' out...We could have someone adopt him, y'know. Make us some money, too, finally, instead of just spendin' it all."
"Hey! You're right! You're so smart, baby!"
Hope flittered in the boy's stomach. Would he actually see the other side of life? Would he finally escape this madness?
But then doom overcame his visions of happiness. Would he escape into something much worse? Were his parents the kinder side of society?
It wasn't long until a couple knocked on their door. The little boy was scrubbed clean and put into his best clothes, which were still rags that hung off of his body in a shiftless form.
"Hello, sweetheart..." The woman of the couple knelt in front of him, smiling softly and sweetly. "You're going to be coming home with us. Is that okay with you?"
The boy nervously looked back at his father, who scowled at him. Swallowing heavily, he nodded.
"Wonderful! Have you got your things, honey?"
"I...I only have this..." He turned slightly to show a backpack he was hauling. He spoke quietly, as if everything was a question he didn't know the answer to.
"Well, that's okay. We'll get you some new things, alright?"
The little boy nervously glanced at the woman's husband. He was tall, but had a softness to him that he didn't quite understand. It was alarming contrast between his parents and this new couple.
"Come along, sweetheart. Let's get you back to our home, alright?"
"O...Okay..." The little boy obediently marched beside them. He was loaded into a car and buckled in by the kind woman's soft hands. Hands he noticed were markedly unlike his mother's.
"I forgot to ask you, buddy...What's your name?"
"H...Huh?"
"What do they call you, sweet heart?"
He paused for a moment, looking down abashedly. "Th...They call me all kinds of mean things..."
"Sweetie..."
"M...My Daddy's name is Tim...a...and my Mama's name is...is Harriet, I think...B...But they ain't never called me nothin' but stupid..."
"W...Well what would you like to be called, honey? What's a name you like?"
He thought for a moment, then quietly answered, "O...Otis..."
She smile at him, hoping she would illicit the same response. "I like that too. We'll call you Otis, then."
The drive back to their home seemed like a long one, and Otis dozed off in the back seat. Once they arrived, the woman gently unbuckled him and stroked his face. "We're home, sweetie. Wake up, Otis."
He jolted awake in alarm, pulling away. His eyes were wide with horror and he trembled.
"Shh, sweetie it's okay. It's okay." She reached to caress him once more, but he flinched, tears brimming in those crimson eyes she was already entranced by.
"P...P...Please d...don't hurt me..."
"I would never, sweetie. I would never."
He was led into the house and up to his bedroom. The house wasn't elite, but it certainly was better than his home.
"This is where you'll be staying, little man." The husband said as the door closed behind them. Otis jumped when he heard the latch click, and dread overcame him. "What's the matter, buddy?"
Otis could feel himself trembling as he peered up at the man. "W...W...What're you g...gonna do to me...?"
"What? Nothing...Help you unpack if you want me to. Show you around..." He moved to the closet, opening it and gesturing to the hangers. "Look! These are some of Macie's brother's old clothes. But I think they'll fit you. Why don't you try some on, huh? It'll be fun!"
"O-O-O-Okay..."
"I'll leave for a moment. Just come out when you're ready, okay?"
Otis nodded. He slowly undressed, wincing at the wounds that still remained from his father and mother's abuse. He selected a gray v-neck sweater and jeans. They were unlike anything he'd ever worn- there were no holes in them. They were well-made and sturdy feeling.
He wandered out into the hallway, where the man was standing. "Wow! Look at you!"
"H..Huh?"
"You look nice...Th...That's all..." He sounded confused, concerned.
Dinner was another fiasco entirely. Otis sat at the table, extremely anxious. Would they beat him if he actually ate? Would they beat him if he ate too little? Too much? If he didn't eat? He stared at his plate, his stomach growling. He had never seen so much food in one place before.
"What's wrong? Aren't you hungry?" The woman- Macie- asked.
"I...I...I..." Otis stammered.
"I can hear your stomach growling from over here!" The man laughed. "Don't you like anything?"
"A...A...Am I allowed to eat..." He questioned.
"Wh...Of course honey..." Macie murmured. "Why wouldn't you be?"
"B...B...Because I...I..."
"Whatever reason you're going to come up with isn't true. Eat up. You need to grow up big and strong." The husband answered.
Otis ate slowly, watching them carefully. He covertly stored some of the food in his sweater and stashed it under his bed in his room. He had no idea when he would eat again, and found it best to be prepared in case they starved him.
That night, Macie lovingly tucked him in to his bed. He trembled, flinching as she touched him so sweetly, so tenderly.
"Honey, why are you flinching like that?"
"W...W...What're y...you going to do to me...?"
"Nothing, sweetie..."
"A...A...Ain't you gonna chain me? O...or tie me down?"
"No...? Why would I?" She stroked his face, kissing his forehead. "Goodnight honey. Have a good rest, and we'll see you in the morning, okay?"
"O...Okay..."
"Honey...Would you feel better if I locked the door? It locks from the inside...So you can open it, but we can't..."
He nodded shyly. He heard her click the lock, and it wasn't long before the soft mattress and warm, cozy blankets lulled him to sleep.
