Chapter 9

When Reid woke next, it wasn't to his own doing. He attempted to shake the water off of his face, but the side of his head spiked with pain as soon as he began moving it. He simply sat there, beginning to feel the rest of his body. Head leaning against his chest, he slowly established that he was sitting on a chair, his arms tied behind him to the metal, his ankles tied to the legs of the chair. Hair clumping to the side of his face as the water slid down, he figured he hadn't been out long due to the painful throbbing on the side of his head where Jason had beat him with the butt of the gun.

"How are you feeling, Mr. Garwin?" he heard a male voice ask, soon comprehending that it was Chase. Reid remained silent, soon another round of cold water splashing across his face. "Well?"

"What do you want?" Reid asked, words slurred, not really wanting to think or move.

"Eager to know what's going on, aren't we? Well, since you asked and there's nothing you can do, I suppose I can explain." Reid remained silent and still when he heard Chase's footsteps begin pacing in front of him. "Since I barely managed to escape before, I've been devising different plans on how I can strike revenge on all of you. When I met Jason, he and Melanie were having a rough time. I saw you one night at a party with Melanie, and placed a spell over the two of you so I could continue to keep an eye on you.

"Through the last month the spell has been maturing, and I simply had to wait for the perfect time to capture you. Now, I am able to start with you, and you're going to bring the other brothers to me. Easy enough, right?"

"Not helping you," Reid said, his mind wanting to shut down again.

Chase chuckled. "Oh, we'll see about that. You will get the brothers to come save you one way or another, Reid."

Reid listened to Chase walk away, but soon the footsteps were returning. "Now, I'm going to have some fun, and I'll ask again soon if you're willing to be saved yet."

Reid barely managed to lift his head up, blinking water out of his eyes as he saw Chase holding some rope, a lighter, and a slim piece of wood. Chase walked behind Reid and pulled his head back aggressively, wrapping the rope around his neck and tying it back to the chair. It became harder for Reid to breathe, but he could still get enough oxygen to not pass out. Opening his eyes once more, he saw Chase pocket the lighter, and gently slapped the piece of wood against his palm, Reid noticing how flexible it was.

The first snap of the wood was right across where Reid was shot, causing him to give a short yell of pain. Chase chuckled and whipped across the hole one more time, Reid barely holding in his voice. He refused to show Chase any signs of weakness, although he didn't know how long he'd be able to keep quiet for. Noticing that Reid wasn't going to give in again, Chase began hitting him once more with the board, Reid trying not to count each little snap he felt against his upper body. One particular snap against the base of his throat caused him to grunt in pain, being the desired wish for Chase.

"Is that sound I hear?" Chase asked, his footsteps circling around Reid. "What can I do to get you to yell, to get you to beg for me to stop?"

"My death," Reid whispered, the wood smacking across his face.

"That's not what I wanted to hear, you know?" Another smack across Reid's face, a grunt of pain barely escaping. "Well, if this isn't working, let's try some other things."

Reid heard Chase walk behind him and heard a rustle before a click, Reid realizing that Chase had grabbed the lighter. He felt the heat on his neck, attempting to struggle away from it. "Not a fan of the fire, are we?"

Reid attempted moving his neck, beginning to lose control of the pain and fear. "Don't do this, Chase," Reid said, disbelieving that this was truly happening.

"Or what? You're stuck where you are, and I will get you to call Caleb, who will come and save the day. Now, are you willing to call him yet?"

Chase lit more of the rope around Reid's neck, using his power to guide the smoke into Reid's face. Reid couldn't help but cough, but as much as he was still upset with Caleb, he wasn't about to turn in his own brother. "I won't do it."

"Then I'll simply have more fun until you're ready. Don't worry though. I'll make sure your pretty little blonde head doesn't burn up."

Reid felt the flame grow around his neck, and attempted to break through the rope even though it was too thick. Chase began using on him, different parts of his body flaring up with pain rhythmically. Within minutes, to Reid's discontent, he was letting out short yells whenever the power was used on him, his skin sensitive to the touch. Chase had a steady control on the smoke, flowing it consistently in front of his face still, beginning to make him feel sick. As if Chase could tell, he cut the ropes around Reid and threw him out of the chair, Reid smacking against a wall. When Reid was a little more oriented, he threw up, his body shaking aggressively.

When he felt steadier, he was lifted into the air and pressed against the wall, the power pressed against his throat so he couldn't breathe. "You're making this hard on yourself you know." Reid felt his phone lifted out of his pocket and placed in front of him. "I can go all night long and never tire. All you have to do is make one simple phone call. I'll even do most of the talking if you would like."

Reid could barely keep his eyes open as the phone hung in front of his face, soon calling Caleb. "Let's make this a bit dramatic, shall we?" Chase asked, smiling when he heard Caleb's voice over the phone.

Chase threw his power at Reid, Reid crying out when he felt thousands of needles press into his skin. "Reid?" he could hear, but didn't know if he had the strength to respond.

The bit of power that was pressed against his throat loosened, but Chase took the moment to throw a burst of power at the burned area, Reid blacking out when he felt the force hit his throat, causing him to gag and cough. "Reid? What's going on? Reid?" he heard Caleb shout, Reid forcing his voice to come out.

"It's a trick Caleb, don't come here," Reid said, hoping Caleb heard him.

"Don't ruin the fun now!" Chase yelled, throwing another wave of power at Reid, knocking him in the shoulder and causing Reid to yell. After the shock of the blow began to fade, Reid was gasping in pain, ready to pass out. "Sorry Caleb," Chase said, Reid barely opening his eyes and seeing that Chase was now on the phone with Caleb. "But Reid's not being too cooperative at the moment. He doesn't know how to have fun as I thought he did."

Chase was smiling as Caleb was probably saying something on the other end. "Oh no, Brother dearest, this isn't a trick. Just listen to poor little Reid yourself." Grinning, Chase threw a ball of power at Reid, smacking him in the same part of the shoulder. Before Reid could begin to get over the pain, he was hit in the stomach twice, Reid once again gasping for breath as he was released from the wall and thrown across the room, smacking into what he assumed was the chair he had previously been occupying. He simply laid there, inhaling short breaths as his body was shaking uncontrollably. "What makes you think that I'm going to stop here? You should see him right now, shaking, whining, cringing every time I take a step towards him... Whatever you guys did to him while he was under my spell is quite impressive."

Reid couldn't fully control his body like he was hoping he could. The pain was consuming his mind, though it had leveled off when Chase had stopped hurting him. "You never caught on? The different attitude and personality changes? The excessive need to see his girlfriend? That was all done by my hand."

I have to get my phone back... I can't risk endangering Caleb or anyone else. This is entirely my own fuck up. But I can't move my body! Reid opened his eyes, vision blurry, and slowly began attempting to stand up. He didn't think he'd be able to get his shoulders more than a foot above the ground, but he gained renewed adrenaline when he heard Chase say what he was fearing. "I'm glad I have your attention now. If you don't arrive here within the next thirty minutes, your little brother is a goner."

No! Reid didn't know how he managed, but he pushed himself off of the ground and ran the short distance to Chase, tackling him to the ground. Reid's hand went towards his phone, yelling, "Don't do it Caleb! It's a trap!"

He was wrestling for the phone when he felt a punch hit him up from underneath the jaw. "Stay the fuck out of this, Reid." Chase began a relentless assault on Reid, using the power to hit Reid anywhere that was facing Chase. He soon lost track of if he was yelling or not, if he could see or not, and entirely forgot about everything except the pain. A final blow to his head tied everything up, Reid quickly passing into unconsciousness.

XX—X—X—XX

Freezing water doused Reid's face, causing him to wake up with a start, though his mind quickly stopped when the pain crashed into him again. He simply laid there, his mind only focusing on the pain until another wave of freezing water landed on his face again. "Come on, you've been sleeping for twenty minutes. I have to get you prepared for your brothers."

"I have no brothers..." Reid muttered, beginning to shake from a mixture of the cold water and pain.

"Is that right? Well, we're having some visitors and you are nowhere near suitable. Can you move?"

Reid simply laid there, barely muttering, "No." He wasn't expecting the kick to his hip that was shot at, which caused him to cry out in pain and grab where he was kicked, pain flaring up along his muscles, up into his ribs and across his abs as he moved. He felt the blood that was soaking his shirt and paused, unable to do anything about it.

"That's not the answer I wanted to hear. You better get up or else you're going to get hurt again."

Reid didn't want any more pain. He managed to roll over onto his front and bring his arms under him, hands flat on the ground, but as he tried to move his legs, they simply laid there, muscles burning, unwilling to cooperate. After a few tries of at least pushing himself up, he couldn't move due to his body's excessive shaking, which soon had him receiving a strong kick into his side again. "You're worthless Reid. Just so you know."

He knew he was worthless though. It was the reason why his brothers were continuously mad at him, and how he had even ended up in this situation. And now he had a limited amount of time until the guys came to save his pathetic ass, and would walk into whatever trap that Chase had laid out for them. Reid heard Chase walk over to him and grabbed both his wrists, soon tying his arms behind his back with whatever rope was around. "Caleb I believe is the only one coming, but I at least want you to be a sight for sore eyes when whoever walks in. At least you'll be out of commission for awhile."

Reid simply laid there, unable to fight back. His mind was in too much of a fog to call up his power. Even then, if he were to call it up, the sudden spike in adrenaline would probably make him pass out as soon as he released it. If I need to grab it, I will. It needs to be worthwhile though, otherwise my body may give out on me after a short bit. Reid was brought out of his thoughts when he heard a distinctive click, willing himself to move away from the flame. He couldn't move more than a few inches though, Chase chuckling above him.

"Yes, this is going to be quite fun. What will happen, hmmm?"

"Stop," Reid said, barely able to move in Chase's grip.

"Why should I stop now when I've come this far? I'll stop when I see Caleb die."

Reid could feel the heat from the fire embedding itself through the rope, creeping its way closer to his skin. Chase let go of him and flicked his power across Reid's back, Reid giving a brief yell of pain. It happened a few more times, Reid beginning to panic about the rope as his skin grew warmer. "Are you going to call for help yet, Reid? Are you going to cry? Or are you simply going to bear it like the man you think you are?"

Reid desperately wanted to call for help, but he wasn't about to show any more signs of weakness. Just end it all now, please, just end it all now... Reid felt another slam across his back, just as soon as he heard a door slam open. He heard what he thought was Chase giving a grunt of pain, but Reid couldn't make sense of it. Was Caleb here? Did he bring Tyler and Pogue? Reid struggled to open his eyes, but his body was refusing to listen to any commands.

"You're here! And in under thirty minutes. I'm impressed Caleb, though I see you brought some help."

"You're not going to get away Chase, and you are going to pay for what you've done to Reid."

As much as Reid didn't want to acknowledge it, he was so relieved that they were there that tears almost escaped from his eyes. He didn't feel relieved for very long when the simmering flame around his wrists suddenly spiked, Reid yelling as he felt the flame become larger and catch his shirt on fire. He heard someone running towards him, but Reid was lifted and thrown across the room, the impact with the wall driving the wind from his lungs as his arms and wrists were crushed painfully with his body weight and angle. When he dropped to the floor he simply laid there, trying to regain his breath, though his panic began rising once more as he felt the flame. He flipped onto his back to try to press it out, and vaguely heard someone running over.

"Don't worry Reid, we'll get the fire out. Just work with me." Reid felt a little bit of relief as he realized it was Tyler. Tyler moved him onto his front again, Reid cringing as the pain overwhelmed him again. "You're fine...you're fine..." Tyler muttered, trying to be careful.

"Just...get it to stop..." Reid gasped, beginning to pass out once more.

"Come on Reid, stay with me. Don't pass out just yet."

Reid was breathing quickly, his mind simply consumed by the pain, drifting from piece to piece of his body. Tyler's words barely had any effect on him, but they were strong enough for him to remember that he was going to be all right. He simply laid there, barely listening to what was around him as Tyler quickly put out the rest of the fire and took the ropes off of him.

"Pogue!" Tyler yelled as the ropes came off, Reid wanting to open his eyes and see what happened. He next heard Tyler cry out in pain and collapse next to Reid.

Reid felt his adrenaline spike once more and was able to open his eyes, seeing Tyler leaning against the wall, eyes closed, breath shallow. He looked around the room, vision still blurry he hoped from exhaustion, and saw Caleb and Chase watching each other, with Pogue passed out as well behind Chase, blood coming from his head. What...happened? How did he make Tyler and Pogue pass out so easily?

"You weren't expecting that, were you Brother?" Chase asked, smirk renewing.

"What did you do to them?" Caleb had his power in his hands, ready to release at any split second.

"Only a sample of what fate will be." Reid saw Chase look over at him and his grin widened. "How are you feeling, Reid?"

Caleb took the opportunity and blasted his power at him, Chase barely defending in time. Caleb began sending wave after wave of power at Chase, Reid staring at Caleb. He had a look of exhilaration, determination, and vengeance across his features. Chase soon was on the ground, not moving. Reid watched Caleb walk over to Chase, bend down, and take his pulse. When he seemed satisfied, he walked over to Pogue, trying to wake him up. "Come on Pogue, wake up. Pogue?"

Reid closed his eyes again, breathing out. He never wanted to move or be awake ever. He heard Pogue make a sound, and relaxed a little bit more. If Pogue could be woken up, then they were going to be all right.

"What's going on?" he soon heard Pogue ask.

"Chase is down right now, but we need to get rid of him somehow. Go check on Tyler."

Reid heard footsteps coming their direction, and still managed to cringe away when he heard them approaching, despite his body's protests. "Reid, can you hear me? It's Caleb."

"I know who you are," Reid mumbled, his mind beginning to fade again.

"We're going to get you out of here. It's going to hurt to move, but it's the only way. We're probably going to have to take you to a hospital too, to figure out the extent of your injuries. So, let's get you up and out of here, all right?"

He could hear the shuffle of Caleb's clothes as he bent down, and Tyler's pained groan. "What happened?" Tyler asked, Reid still unable to make his body move.

"Chase knocked you out," Pogue said. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Come on Reid, let's start getting you up," Caleb said softly, placing his arms gently around Reid to pull him up. "Pogue, I'm going to need your help. Let's get him out to the mustang. Tyler, keep an eye on Chase. He should be out for a little while longer at least."

Together, Caleb and Pogue carefully picked Reid up off of his front, the sudden movement causing Reid to go slack in their arms and his mind spin. He felt like he was going to puke, but he figured he could at least make it outside first. He did his best to move with the guys, but his legs were shaking too badly to hold him up for too long.

"I'm not through with him yet," they suddenly heard, Reid managing to twist his head around and watch Chase stand back up while Tyler was running towards Chase, a ball of power forming in his hands. Chase stared straight at Reid, quickly forming a bolt of power and shooting it at them. Reid only had eyes on the shot as he grabbed his own powers, the intensity of it giving him enough strength to push Caleb and Pogue out of the way. Light filled his vision as he felt the shock hit him, an avalanche of pain wiping everything out in his body, his vision and mind soon being covered permanently with darkness.


Well hello there! Wow...so it's been awhile since there's been an update. My bad. I've uploaded this file many times, but apparently i'm way to lazy to work on this. As well as there's one more chapter left, but i really, really don't like the way i ended it so i'm gonna try to find something better. But...to those of you who have reviewed, many, many thanks. I appreciate it, and i hope you enjoyed this chapter. Pretty brutal, tried making it more realistic... The human body is pretty amazing overall. Well...enjoy. Try to update soon to finish this one off.