Freeing Damien

PART 1

Mary watched the rain fall against the window. Her wrist twirled nervously, making the wine circle the edges of the glass that was pretty much always in her hands. This time, though, she didn't drink out of the stress young Chris and the twins caused her. She didn't drink out of the knowledge that her marriage with Joseph was ever so slowly crumbling to the ground. No, she was drinking for a completely different reason.

Her gaze carried past Robert's house to the next house over. A single light on the bottom floor was left on, and through a window she could see the silhouette of someone sitting in a chair with their head bowed while another paced back and forth, angrily throwing its hands about. Mary didn't have to open the window or step outside to know what was going on.

Damien's husband Richard was going off on him again.

The two had been high school lovers; Damien being a shy outcast that normally kept to himself, and Richard being one of those stereotypical jocks that was a huge jerk, yet everybody fawned over. Somehow the unlikely opposites weaseled their way into an extremely toxic relationship; mostly for Damien. Back then, poor Dames was already under a lot of stress trying to keep the fact he was transgender from the rest of the school. After he hooked up with Richard, he was under even more stress, doing backflips and jumping through hoops trying to be the perfect girlfriend.

Even back then, Richard was an abusive jerk who got his kicks out of bossing Damien around. He was a sexist pig who believed women belonged in the kitchen and were good for nothing except making babies. Mary had been his friend since the two were little, and Richard had forbidden Damien from making any sort of contact with her, but that didn't stop them from gossiping and catching up whenever they saw each outside of school, either walking down the street or at the supermarket. It was still hard to believe that Damien had accepted Richard's proposal the year after they graduated, but Mary suspected that her beloved friend probably didn't have a say in the matter. Not long after, Lucien was born, and after having endured a pregnancy that made Damien's dysphoria explode to detrimental proportions, he finally worked up the courage to come out to his husband.

Richard did not take the news well. It was then that the physical abuse started. Whenever Mary saw him on the street after that, he always had some new form of injury; either a black eye, or a cut lip, or a new bruise somewhere on his body. It wasn't until he and Richard moved into the same cul-de-sac she and Joseph were living in that Mary was able to see what that asshole jock was doing to his spouse. Every night, the angry shouts would be accompanied by the sound of blows landing.

"You're a fucking woman, and I'm going to fucking prove it to you, you little bitch!", "You're nothing without me!", "You need me a shit-ton more than I need you!", and "Nobody will ever love a tranny like you! You're lucky I put up with your ass!" were some of his more popular lines. It wasn't uncommon for Richard to nag at Damien over his hobbies and interests; throwing away taxidermized animals and insects, insulting his Victorian attire, and destroying some of the books he cherished most. He made Mary's blood boil, and every time Richard would blow up on Damien she wanted nothing more than to storm into their house and take Damien away. Joseph always held her back, though, fearful that Richard wouldn't hesitate to lay hands on her like he laid his hands on her friend. All she could to was sneak over while Richard was either sleeping or at work, and comfort Damien the best she could.

Tonight's argument, however seemed to be especially heated. Between the yelling, the stomping, the smashing of bottles, as well as the landing of blows, Mary was able to wager a guess and say that Richard was drunk. She fumed as she listened. Her grip on her wine glass was so tight that she was surprised that it hadn't shattered.

"That's it!" she snarled, "Someone has to go over there and do something!"

Joseph poke his head in from the kitchen, "I don't think that's a good idea…"

"Really, Joseph? Because I think it's a brilliant fucking idea! Look at Dames! He's destroying him! If this continues, Richard might even wind up killing him!"

Joseph eyed Mary for a moment, silence building between them.

As Joseph opened his mouth to say something, the sound of a door bursting open directed their attention back over towards Damien's house.

"Honey?" They could hear Richard call out, "Wait! I'm sorry!"

Mary flew out the front door in time to watch Damien's figure disappear down the street and out of the cul-de-sac in a dead sprint. Richard was trying to run after him, but gave up just before he could make it to The Coffee Spoon; the athletic ability he had in high school now replaced with cubby limbs and a beer belly. Ignoring the abusive scumbag completely, Mary bolted down the street as she tried to keep her eyes focused on Damien's distant figure through the dark and the rain. Behind her she could hear Joseph running close behind her. Whether it was to offer his support or just to pull Mary back inside, she didn't know, nor did she care. The only thing she cared about was being there for her beloved friend.

As they turned a corner, Mary nearly collided with Craig, who was wrapping up an evening run. Being out in the pouring rain, he was soaked to the bone, but clearly enjoying it. The force of the collision made Mary topple over backwards.

"Damn, that's two for two tonight!" he laughed, helping Mary up off the sidewalk, "First Damien, now you, Mary? Is it a full moon, or something?"

Mary took a moment to catch her breath.

"Craig… you saw Damien?"

"Uh, yeah…" Craig replied, scratching his head, "Dude looked pretty upset. Thought I shouldn't bug him too much."

"Did you see which way he went?"

"Yeah, bro was headed towards the park."

"You're a life-saver, Craig!" Mary let out in an exasperated sigh before she continued running again.

"Catch ya later…" Craig called after her before turning his attention to Joseph, "What was that all about?"

Joseph let out a nervous chuckle, "It's… nothing to worry about. See you and Ashley at the next cook out?"

"You know it, man! Later!"

Joseph took a deep breath and continued to jog after Mary, who was now just a distant shape moving through the rain. Meanwhile, Mary was trying to make sense of what Craig had told her. He'd obviously bumped into Damien during his run, and Craig was able to see that he was upset, but why would Dames head toward the park? It wasn't anywhere near the graveyard—his favorite hangout spot—and Damien wasn't exactly the type to disappear off into the woods, especially in this weather. Perhaps he was just running to get away, with no particular destination in mind; just to run until he couldn't run anymore.

As Mary approached the park, she saw a pair of figures walking down the trail away from the woods. It only took a moment's glance to recognize the man's leather jacket and rugged exterior. Plus, she'd know that dumb-looking little Boston terrier anywhere.

"Robert!"

Robert shot Mary a mischievous smirk as she keeled over, resting her hands on her knees as she struggled to catch her breath. Little Betty bounded up to her with her tail wagging and tongue lolling out of her mouth.

"I'm just seeing everyone tonight. First that gym buff, then that ginger with the corgi, and now you two?"

"Let me guess…" Mary panted, "You're hunting cryptids."

"Aren't I always?"

While the guy served as a great drinking partner for her, Mary still didn't understand his obsession with hunting these mythological creatures. Robert could tell as many bullshit stories as he wanted. Until she saw one of these cryptids with her own two eyes, they'd be nothing but scary stories to her.

"Well, you said you've seen Craig and Brian," she sighed, "Have you see Damien, by chance?"

Robert's face twisted in an expression that was riddled with anger and concern.

"Yeah, actually," he replied, "I'm actually on my way back to the cul-de-sac to give that lowlife wife beater of his a piece of my mind. Dames looked like he was in rough shape."

"Rough how?"

"Looked like he had a black eye, a couple descent sized cuts, not to mention exhausted from running so much. 'Bout damn time he got out of there."

There was no argument about that. Mary had been urging Damien to do something about Richard for years. Call the cops, take Lucien and leave Maple Bay; anything to either get away from him, or get him away from them. But Damien always argued the fact that he was unemployed, forced to play housewife for Richard, even with his dysphoria waging war against it.

"Did you see where he went?" Mary asked, "I just want to make sure he's all right."

Robert let out a groan, "I'm pretty sure things haven't been all right for Damien since he got with that bastard."

"Please, Robert? I just don't want him to be alone anymore. Please tell me which way he went."

"Fine, fine! He took off into the woods when I saw him. Totally thought he was a werewolf for a sec."

"Robert!"

"He's somewhere in the woods, alright? He took off down that trail over there," Robert gestured over to a narrow path that snaked through the trees and disappeared deep into the woods, "I'd hurry though. If you wait too long, you're going to have a snowball's chance in Hell at finding him."

Mary nodded and forced herself to keep running. As Robert continued on his way with Betty trailing along beside him, he and Joseph locked eyes. The rugged man gave the blonde a scowl before making his way out of the park. The two had never really been on good terms, and after seeing what happened to his wife and always having to fabricate a story for the sake of his neighbors, Robert had an unconditional hatred for Joseph.

Joseph, on the other hand, just shot him a triumphant smirk. He knew he had Robert's hands tied, and everyone else in the cul-de-sac was living in ignorant bliss; those having already lost their significant others believing they were all just tragic accidents, and he had his eyes set on Craig's precious "Smashley" next.

By the time Joseph had caught up to Mary, his wife had already collapsed in the middle of the path from exhaustion. They had reached a fork in the trail, and the rain was falling so heavily that any prints that might have been in the dirt had now been washed away.

"Mary," Joseph huffed, kneeling beside her, "I think this is enough. Damien could be anywhere out here. We're just going to get lost if we keep trying to follow him. Let's just go back to the house and wait for him there. I'm sure Damien will come back when he's calmed down a bit."

"I won't do that," Mary snarled, pulling away, "If he comes back to the cul-de-sac on his own, that asshole's going to be waiting for him. Sure, Richard will apologize profusely to him for like an hour, and then try to make it up to him with several rounds of wild money sex, but that isn't going to help him. Tomorrow, things will go back to the way they were. Damien will still be miserable, and Richard will still be a bigoted, misogynistic asswipe. We have to find him!"

"I can help you find him…"

Mary and Joseph turned their heads, looking down the trail where they had just come from. A lanky figure walked at a steady pace towards them, carrying what appeared to be an umbrella in one hand, and a blanket in the other. It took a moment for them to recognize his silver-dyed hair and the gothic make-up that was now smudged and running from the rain.

"Lucien?" Joseph piped up, "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for my dad. Same as you," the youth retorted.

"You know where to find him?" Mary inquired.

"Sure. My dad always comes out here when Richard becomes too much to bear."

Mary and Joseph knew that it wasn't uncommon for Lucien to call his father by name. To him, Richard was a lot of things, but he most definitely didn't see him as a parental figure. As much of a brat Lucien could be at times, he cared about Damien. If anything, he wanted to see him free from Richard's clutches just as badly as Mary did.

"Follow me," Lucien said as he continued down the path.

Mary and Joseph happily obliged, following him as he turned down the fork to the left. The trail widened, snaking between several trees and around boulders before sloping downward into a small hollow. The path dodged past the rotting stump of a fallen oak tree. Even from a distance, the three of them could make out the figure crouched beside it.

"Damien!"

Mary jogged ahead of Joseph and Lucien and threw her arms around her friend's trembling form. Running through the storm had plastered his long, elegant raven hair against his neck, back, and shoulders. His clothes were little more than soaked, dirty rags, either having been torn by any branches that might have caught him, or having been a result of Richard's tantrum. Even through the sound of rain beating against the leaves of the trees, the three of them could hear him sniffling and sobbing

Lucien knelt beside Damien and wrapped the blanket around his shoulders. The action made Damien glance up, the shadow of a black eye visibly showing against his ivory skin.

"Lucien?" he inquired in a cracking voice, strained from endlessly running and crying, "Mary? Joseph? What are y-"

"Do you really have to ask, Dad?" Lucien interrupted, rolling his eyes.

"We came out here to make sure you were safe," Mary stated.

Damien quickly looked away, pulling a sopping wet lock of hair over his bruised eye and coiling it around his index finger.

"I-I'm fine…" he stuttered, "Just a little spat, nothing more…"

Joseph stepped closer to him and knelt in front of him. Gently, and without much resistance from Damien, he pulled his hand away from his face. The bruise was much larger than what could have been seen from him peeking up from his knees. It appeared to be swollen; not so much that the eye was closed, but still enough to keep it from opening all the way. Joseph brushed it lightly with his thumb, and Damien flinched as he let out a painful hiss.

"You call that 'a little spat'?" Mary scoffed.

Damien's eyes fell to his lap, "He… he only does it because…"

"I don't care why he does it, Dames! He harasses you day and night. He beats you when things don't go his way. This is far from all right! There are men sitting in jail cells for doing the things that Richard does to you! You think this is really all right?"

More sobs escaped Damien. Lucien sat down beside him and wrapped his arms comfortingly around his shoulders.

Joseph stood up and pondered for a moment. Smashley was next on his hit list… but that didn't mean anything. So long as there was blood to offer, it didn't matter who went first. Casually, he turned on his heel and made his way back up the path heading out of the woods.

"Where do you think you're going?" Mary called out to him.

Joseph paused for a moment, looked over his shoulder, and smiled, "I'm going to go talk to Richard about this."

"You sure that's a good idea?" Lucien asked, "That asshole isn't really one for chit-chat after these sorts of things."

"I'm sure I'll be just fine, kiddo."

And with that, Joseph jogged further up the path, turned a corner, and was gone.

"That's that, I suppose," Mary stated before turning her attention back to Damien, "You know you're always welcome to stay in our home. It'll at least give you a warm, dry place to rest up until things cool down a bit. Chris and the twins can be little terrors at times, but their bearable."

Damien was silent for a moment. He remembered the threats Richard had made if he ever caught him sneaking over to Mary's, or any of the other neighbor's, again. The first time, he got so angry, Damien was sure he'd go off and shoot one of them, but not before giving him the beating of a life time. Richard had warned that if he ever caught him engaging in "idle gossip", "tarnishing his image", or "making more of a fool out of their family than he was already with his Victorian crap" he'd make sure he'd regret it for the rest of his life. The last thing Damien wanted was for anyone other than him to be hurt.

Lucien rested a hand on top of his shoulder and squeezed it gently, "You should do it."

Damien shot him a questioning glance.

"C'mon, Richard has made both of our lives hell enough. It's time You did something for yourself."

It wasn't the kindness, yet urgency in Lucien's words that provoked Damien. It wasn't the smile that his son showed him and only for him. It was the fact that his son was admitting that Richard was making his life miserable just as much as he was making his own. He could have handled it if it was just him, but the fact that Lucien felt just as hurt as he always did… it killed him.

Damien let out a small sniff and wiped the tears from his eyes, "Alright… but just for tonight."