-7-

Reid was losing his will to live, more quickly than he anticipated. He was tired of the creative side his uncle was developing when it came to the punishment. His uncle hadn't even been at it that long. Reid laid on the bed, his uncle off building some contraption. Reid kept his breathing paced, trying to ignore how he felt. His uncle had been quite persistent, working hard at keeping Reid aroused for quite a bit of time. Reid knew the unspoken punishment if he came before his uncle wanted him to, thus striving to learn self-control.

His mind flashed to his parents leaving, Reid wishing he had said something different, made a better argument. His parents had come into his room about nine in the morning, eager to head out and enjoy their spa weekend. "Reid, stop fighting us," his mother said, smiling. "It's a nice gesture from Jarrod. You two will have fun. He's been occupying your father all week, it's only fair that you two have some time as well. You might not see him for a while."

"But mom! Dad? Come on, this isn't fair," Reid pleaded, eyeing his uncle at the end of the hall.

"You'll be fine. It's only until tomorrow afternoon. We'll be home in time for a late dinner, and you'll be off towards school Monday morning," his dad countered, voice strong.

"I'd rather leave tomorrow night after dinner. That's what I've always done, and it's almost mandatory to come back the night before," Reid said, beginning to panic. He didn't want to be stuck with that monster for the rest of the weekend. "If I go back Sunday night, then I'll be more prepared for my classes Monday morning."

"Oh, Reid, it's a twenty minute drive if that. Prioritize your time. Even getting up at seven will give you plenty of time to make it." His mother was daring Reid to continue his stubbornness.

Reid knew it was a lost cause. He nodded, his mom giving him a kiss on the cheek and a hug, his father giving him a hug. "No trouble now. You are expected to be on your best behavior," his father said.

Reid groaned, cutting his voice short as he saw his uncle glance back at him, almost done hanging a bar and some thick cord. His body was almost back to the normal calm. The man had been quite passionate, eagerly dragging Reid into the guest room, beginning his antics, Reid trying to resist. His uncle jabbed his fist tight in his side though, Reid losing his breath, his uncle launching his mouth over Reid's, plugging his nose, forcing Reid to take his breath from the man. Reid had to comply, the only fresh breath coming from the man breathing through his nose. He finally pulled away, Reid pulling in oxygen eagerly. His uncle slowly slid his hands down, tickling Reid's side, the boy's heart beating away.

The slithering fingers made their way into Reid's pants, but stayed above the fabric of his boxers. He slowly worked his fingers, feeling Reid stiffen, beginning to plant the tender kisses along his collar, bracing himself and sweeping Reid's shirt off in a matter of seconds. Reid flinched as the brick thighs hugged him, pressing the hand tighter around his member. The lips made contact with his shoulders, his uncle shuddering, slowly nipping his way up Reid's neck, playing with the temperature of his breath, Reid's own breath pitching and shuddering, his muscles flexing and responding, the hand below becoming more than just playful, beginning to work with Reid's movements, trying to receive an actual response. Reid scrambled to put his barriers up, knowing he had to ride this out to keep his pants for the next round.

"You ready Air?" the voice called, snapping Reid back to reality, his breath pitching again. He tried shoving the memories down again, the eager man standing above him, arms crossed, grin wide and psychotic. "This is going to be exciting. Which option should I choose? The only sleep you'll be granted is under my permission."

Reid looked around his room, not seeing a ready means of escape. The man turned to glance back at the contraption he made, Reid taking his chance and throwing his hands up, blasting the man, leaping off the bed, taking a long stride for the door before he heard "Oh no you don't!" and greeted the ground with his face.

His uncle laughed as he released Reid's ankle. "What were you planning? Escape? You could have escaped any time you wanted. It wouldn't have been hard. I'm so proud of you for staying. Yet, you still thought about running away from me. That's not a good little boy. Time for some sleep as your punishment before your punishment."

Reid felt his uncle coming, and knew he would fight during this entire thing, even if it killed him. Whether or not there was a god watching over him, he'd be impressed if he was alive by Monday morning.

XXX—X—XXX

He was fading again in pain, sick of being tortured. The sun was beginning to go down, and however many hours still remained. Reid had been fighting, but it was becoming harder with his movements becoming weaker and sluggish. Currently he was hanging upside down from the contraption his uncle built, but at least this was better than other positions. It was harder to pass out, but it was more comfortable. He didn't think he'd been unconscious other than after his parents left... His uncle was reaching his possible sixth or seventh hour into Reid.

"You're improving, Air. Not as many screams, remembering sir, not saying random things or trying to Use on me. I'm very pleased."

Reid felt a line of blood travel down his back, then disappear into his matted hair. Even though the blood was rushing to his head, he was beginning to fade. He felt his uncle smack his bottom though, Reid looking up and seeing a wicked grin, his eyes holding pleasure. "I think some congratulations are in order. Shall we finish up from earlier? You were warming up pretty well."

Passion began to creep into the arctic seas, causing Reid to squirm, trying to pull his arms apart or loosen his ankles tied up by the cord. "No, get away! I'll hurt you if you touch me!"

His uncle bent over, grinning. "You? Hurt me? Didn't we all ready have this discussion? You can't harm me. I'll show you harm. All these years, I've been waiting for you to be old enough to accept and understand your future. We have our own personal bond, and it's time to make ourselves whole. How would you like that?"

His uncle disappeared into the bathroom, coming out with a rag that was wet. He gently wiped off the blood, making sure Reid was clean before he came down. Reid groaned, his uncle standing him up. "Come on. I would hate to smear blood before I had to."

Reid tried to walk on his own, but his balance were a little off with his arms tied behind his back still. His uncle directed him to the guest room, saying, "As much as I would prefer my own personal bedroom to this one, I'm willing to compromise. I mean, the deed is still the deed regardless of surroundings. It's all about the moment and the memories."

"You're a monster, living off other's pain and torment. Its people like you who end up killed by people like me."

"Use your power to get out of this. I dare you."

Reid was having a hard time keeping his head steady. He wasn't going to let this beast have his way with him. His uncle could beat him to a pulp, but there was no way this man was going to force himself on Reid. He had done many other things that came close to crossing the line, but Reid wasn't going to allow himself to be used like this. He let his power simmer, waiting for an opportunity to twist his hands up and blast the bastard. His uncle opened the door, pushing Reid. Reid fell over, and watched his uncle walk around the room, setting some things up and lighting some candles. When he was finished, he came back over and lifted Reid up by the neck.

"Ready, precious?" Reid stared him in the eye, hanging limply. "That's a good boy. Now... Let's place you over here. I want to smell your blood and sweat on my covers. I want to dream of your face."

Reid's heart began to race, his power thudding. Not yet... Not yet... It has to be perfect, otherwise I'm never going to get out of here. His uncle placed him down face first into the covers, positioning himself. Now! Reid released his power, throwing his uncle off of him. Even though Reid was only in his boxers, he didn't care. He stumbled off of the bed and ran for the open door, weight uneven. He ran towards the stairs, unbalanced, trying to hold onto the banister. He fell halfway and tumbled down the rest of the wooden stairs, pain filling his shoulders, wrists, and neck. When he stopped, he could barely move or form any thoughts. He managed to comprehend escape, and moved from there. Feeling sick, he slowly stood, stumbling quickly towards the door, trying to wrap his hands around the latches and handles.

Thunderous footsteps greeted Reid's ear, the blonde frantically flipping the locks and pulling the door, trying to run for his car. He had a spare key if he could get his arms in front of him. He reached the bottom step, a force latching onto his shoulder, before it released, Reid's momentum throwing himself forward, hard.

Reid yelled as he met the concrete with his left shoulder and the side of his face, feeling it scrape while inflicting more damage to his body. He rolled down the path, pain racking his body as he simply lay still in the cool late evening air. His uncle kicked him onto his back, peering down on him.

"That was a nice little punch you gave me there. A little stronger and I wouldn't have caught you. We can't have you escaping though, can we? You're in for it. Twice now?" A deep growl escaped from the man, with ease lifting Reid up and tossing him across his shoulder.

Reid hardly focused on the man. His shoulders were pulsing, heat flaring all the way up his neck and down through his arms and chest.

His face hurt, his entire body was screaming at him, wanting this to stop. The ball of power he shot... he knew it wasn't guaranteed success, but he had hoped that the blast had been stronger. He wished he could force his mind to focus so he could blast his uncle right here, but he held a dangerous chance of inflicting more damage onto himself.

I have to get out... I have to. There's tonight and the first part of tomorrow. He can't last that long; he never has before. I will be alive at the end of this. I hope. Reid closed his eyes and relaxed as they went up the stairs, heading back to Reid's room. Well, at least I pissed him off enough so that he won't rape me. That has to be a plus.

He was dropped to the ground, landing across his shoulders. He groaned, the pain increasing again. His mind was beginning to fade, and when his uncle kicked him across the head, all he felt was his mind tearing itself apart before he was spiraling into darkness.

XXX—X—XXX

When he next began to wake, his mind had a hard time focusing. The side of his skull was throbbing, feeling out of touch with his body. Any movement caused shattering pain all over. He had to move, had to escape from whatever was waiting for him... The thing that put him into this pain. He wanted to drift back into the sweet bliss of unconsciousness. As he tried to pass back out, something poked him, causing the pain once again. He moaned, heart beginning to race. "Ah, good, you're awake. I was afraid I had killed you, and then I was afraid I had put you into a coma."

Who's that? He carefully opened his eyes, seeing the familiar figure in front of him. All pain momentarily forgotten, he squirmed, trying to get away from the man. When he realized that he had a hard time moving away without swinging, he noticed that he was hanging upside down again. "How long was I out?" he mumbled, pain crashing into him like a wave, separating whatever thoughts he had put together.

"That's none of your concern. You had a nice little nap, and it's still even Saturday! Although not for much longer. You're making this difficult for me, Air. I'm trying to have fun, spend some quality bonding time with you, but you're making this hard!"

Reid stayed quiet, beginning to wake up. His uncle was pacing back and forth, hands folded behind his back. Very rarely Reid ever saw his large uncle genuinely frustrated. He was a raging wall, detonated and ready to fire at any moment. He shifted his feet, stepping behind Reid and dropping the cord, Reid smashing his shoulder against the ground, hard. His uncle released his wrists from behind him, stepping in front of Reid.

"If you want to fight me, this is your one opportunity. I'd rather beat you bloody on your terms than mine."

Slowly pushing himself up, Reid smirked. "Sir, what would your terms consist of?"

"Murder."

Reid paused, but finished standing, his uncle giving him a moment to prepare. Reid was bare, his uncle fully dressed. Reid was hardly conscious, his uncle was fairly rested. Reid could use his powers, but then he'd risk wearing himself out and opening himself up to the punishment of the older man. He raised his arms in defense, clearing his mind. He's done this before, he could do it again. Sparring with the man had been common during past summers. His uncle rushed him, Reid barely ducking, trying to bring a fist into the man's side. His uncle pushed his arm down, countering with a fist across Reid's face. He dropped to the floor, struggling to stand back up. His uncle pulled him up, Reid barely able to balance before his sides were punched, a foot planting solidly in his stomach, pushing him back, Reid rolling when he hit the floor. Eyes closed, he vaguely heard the footsteps coming his way.

Something crashed against the back of his thighs, Reid yelling, fists tightening. He was panting, struggling to take in a decent breath. His body felt like it was on fire, another slam crossing the back of his calves. He yelled again, a kick crashing into his left hip. Coughing, he rolled onto his side, trying to look up his uncle.

"You're so pathetic, boy. You can't even take a few punches anymore. What the hell happened? Did I break your spirit or something? You've become quite...pitiful. I'm a little embarrassed for you."

Growling, knowing the truth of the words, Reid pushed himself up and went at his uncle, catching him in the side and punching him in the stomach with his left hand. His uncle grabbed the top of his skull, pulling the blonde off and shoving him back a few steps. Reid went straight back at his uncle, trying to pull his anger forward, let loose all of his problems into the man. He called forth his power, refusing to deal with the man's force. He aimed his fists as accurate as he could, the man finally chuckling, surprising Reid with a kick, crashing against Reid's shoulders. Reid stumbled back, releasing his power, vision growing dark as he tried to catch his breath.

One of his wrists was grabbed, Reid dragged back across the room, his uncle aggressively hanging him up, strapping his wrists behind his back, hoisting him up into the air. Reid yelled, his shoulders jacked behind his back. "No! No, sir, please, may I have my arms in front?"

His uncle laughed. "Boy, why did you try to use your powers on me, then? You were on the right track, but, I'm going to let you hang around and think about your actions. You're ruining the rest of my break, as well as the end of yours. Based on the level of your consciousness, I'm going to be surprised if you make it the next few hours. Good night, Air. Stay pleasant."

Reid heard the door click shut, letting out an audible cry. His shoulders were burning with strain, tears overflowing his eyes. He tried adjusting his arms, but it was useless. If he even tried to reach the ground, he was sure he was going to dislocate his shoulders. He was ready for death to sweep him off his feet. Sadly, this wasn't enough to kill him. His lungs weren't horrible strained, and nothing was broken or bleeding. He was stuck.

Reid took calming breaths, the soreness around his body causing him to black out a little. He could deal with the darkness. The pain in his shoulders was stopping the rest of the dark to come, which he didn't like. Suddenly, he felt cold. He shivered, the pain momentarily leaving. Wondering what was happening, he opened his eyes, a scream escaping his lips before he tried stifling it. Reid stared at the darkling in front of him, the figure coming closer.

Reid tried to move away, but the cord resisted, the dead woman continuing to come closer. She had long black hair, her eyes white, nose the only thing looking normal. Her mouth was melted shut, her skin color dark gray. She wore a low-cut pink shirt, displaying once full breasts. She wore a black mini skirt and black boots. She slowly extended a hand towards him, Reid still trying to get away. He had only seen three others, and never wanted to be this close to one. She briefly touched his cheek, then disappeared. Reid began his silent sobs again, his cheek burning for a second before cooling down.

It took him a while to calm down, his heart racing despite whatever method he tried to relax. He saw his first darkling when he was fourteen, the second one the day before his sixteenth birthday, and the last one was the one Chase had sent. Reid was shaky, his breath returning to normal, his heart thudding away still. Just calm down... It's only a darkling... No, no big deal. Who would've sent it? Chase is the only one that comes to mind, but he's gone. Well... I think he's stupid enough to come back...

Reid cut his thoughts off as his shoulders doubled in pain. He let his breath out, then increased his intake to try to ignore the pain. I don't want to make it through the rest of the night. It hurts! Renewed tears let themselves out as he cried out in a silent yell, the pain overwhelming him. Can I Use to get me out? He looked up, barely seeing the hook. At this angle, he couldn't rotate his hands. They were stuck facing each other, and he couldn't move them without hurting his shoulders even more. I suppose this is the end of me... How lame. No more future. Just a disabled boy, no swimming, riding, nothing. I can't make it!

He did though. He lasted through the night, even passing out once the pain became unbearable. He was woken up with a kick in his side, Reid giving a slight yell, swinging back and forth, his shoulders flaring up again, even worse than earlier as his joints shifted. He was dropped onto the ground, just laying there as tears continued down his face, sweet relief running through his shoulders. It hurt, but it would fade quickly.

"You lasted a lot longer than I thought," his uncle said, nudging Reid with his foot in the ribs.

Reid groaned, not wanting move. The pain was dimming in his shoulders, feeling like cold water on a warm grill.

"It's almost six; I overslept, but apparently you got some sleep as well. It might have ranged between one and three hours, but to your body it was probably fifteen minutes. Your parents will be home this afternoon, so my time is running out. We'll start with two hours. Depending on how you do relates to either a bit more play, you have the honor of cleaning your room, or, oh my, maybe I'll let you sleep while I clean your room? How does that sound?"

Reid laid on the ground, barely listening. He wanted to sleep, and he felt sick from the lack of food, water, sleep, and the stress that his body was under. His uncle was bargaining though. What would he have to do to meet his uncle's standards this time, to allow him to have a moments peace before his parents came back? "Not...not me sleeping...and you, in the room."

"What's the matter boy? Afraid I may..." his uncle leaned close, a flutter of a kiss on his cheek, the mouth moving up to his ear, "rape you?" His uncle leaned back, Reid's head rolling to the side, struggling to keep his eyes open. "Oh, the poor boy's tired. I'll make a deal with you. If I torture you until eight and you prove worthy, we will clean, and I'll leave you be until dinner time. You have to be a good boy though. No screaming."

No, no screaming? Well, that shouldn't be too hard...but he has to have something planned. "Okay," he mumbled, attempting to nod his head and failing.

"Good, good. This shall be enjoyable." His uncle unlocked his arms, moving them in front of Reid. He felt renewed pain fill his shoulders, but it was more of the relieved pain again.

His arms were pulled above his head, the shackles locked, and he was pulled up. Unable to touch the ground once more, he was left swinging in his uncle's clutches. He felt the cool fingers glide around his chest and back, Reid opening his eyes to see his uncle circling him. "What to do first? I want to see blood, but I don't want to clean anymore than I have to. It's hard to get just under the first layer of skin..." His uncle giggled. "You know what I want?"

Reid watched his uncle walk away, digging in a bag he brought. When he turned around, Reid saw a knife and a small torch. "Now, this is going to hurt. No noises for two hours. I'll allow you to breathe hard. That, you can't really control."

Reid watched his uncle burn the tip of the knife, soon touching the glowing blade to Reid's side, Reid hearing a hiss, biting his lower lip to keep from making any noise. The torment continued, his uncle drawing lines on him, the heat just enough to keep any blood from escaping. Sometimes his uncle would cut him, heat the blade, and then cauterize it shut. The entire time Reid saw his uncle smiling, a little neat smile you would give children after you complement them on their homework. A couple of moments almost had Reid yelling, especially as his uncle burned lower. Reid kept freedom in the front of his mind, using that to help ignore the pain. It was a prize he could not afford to lose. He dealt with each little hiss, each little sting upon his smooth flesh. One particular burn left him panting, soon biting his lip and trying to clench his teeth.

Finally, finally, as Reid was on the brink of unconsciousness, he was released. He was dropped to the floor, too weak to move. "You were a very, very good boy. I love causing that kind of pain the most. I loved seeing it in your eyes more than hearing it. Care to help clean up your room? Or would you like a shower and sleep, while trusting me to not violate your beautiful soul?"

Reid laid on the floor, his consciousness threatening to leave him there. "Thank you sir," he breathed out. "I'll, I'll manage a shower, and sleep. Thank you." This is going to hurt...I hope it's worth it. He stood up and stumbled over to his dresser, grabbing a pair of pajamas, boxers, and a shirt. He stumbled to his bathroom, almost falling a couple of times. His guessed his will was the only thing pushing him on.

He turned the water on cold, slightly warm, and slowly took off the remaining pieces of his boxers and stepped under the water, almost screaming as the water touched his cuts and burns. He managed to make an audible gasp, then ragged breathing as his brain awoke for the slight moment. He crumpled to the ground, whatever remaining strength in him leaving. He felt the tears come and saw the water stain red.

He was dying and oh how sweet it felt.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Total revamp, added some, took away some, finally something a little longer...made it more into what I wanted in the first place. Well...almost.