Just a quick word from your Friendly Neighborhood Authoress:

Finally, I have brought forth the elusive Chapter 10! So, it only took three years. Three years and countless versions, each darker than the last. This is probably the darkest it got, so I went with it. Angst-lovers may embrace it while the rest of you will likely hang me in effigy somewhere.

No beta, this time. I literally dusted off the virtual cobwebs and gave it a couple, quick tweaks.

No spoilers, this time. Just know that it gets pretty bleak. If you like fluffy, you're going to be very disappointed. Also know that Chapter 11 isn't too far behind. It, too, lacks the fluff.

For what it's worth, enjoy!

Chapter Ten

"Well, I've never prayed, but tonight I'm on my knees, yeah. I need to hear some sounds that recognize the pain in me, yeah. I let the melody shine, let it cleanse my mind, I feel free, now.
But, the airwaves are clean and there's nobody singing to me now."

-The Verve, 1997 (originally from The Rolling Stones)

Louis snapped Riley's flip phone in half and threw the pieces on the floor. He leaned over, placing his large hands on the edge of the bed. He moved in so close that Riley could feel the man's warm breath on his face. A repulsed shudder coursed through his body.

"We can't have anyone listening in, now can we."

Riley's flight response kicked into full gear and he rolled off the other side of the bed. As he tried to run past the end of the bed, toward the door, a large hand grabbed his left arm, stopping him. Riley tried to wriggle free as Louis pinned both his arms, painfully, behind his back.

"Now, now, what have I told you about running from me?" the voice whispered in his ear. "You know that action can have dire consequences, indeed."

"Let go!" Damn, but he hated how his voice trembled, betraying his fear. He shuddered, again, as he felt Louis' body press up to his back. The closeness, the terrifyingly familiar touch, the man's smell all ganged up on his psyche, triggering long-buried memories. He felt the panic rise within him and hoped that it didn't register on his face. He didn't want to give this sicko the satisfaction of being in control.

"Now, now, one might think you're not happy to see me. "Did you think you would get away so easily?"

"I certainly hope so," Riley said as he brought his elbow back, hard. Louis cried out in pain, releasing Riley's arms.

Riley again ran for the door. This time, he had placed his hand, firmly, on the lever when a sharp, painful blow descended between his shoulder blades. He went down on his knees, the wind having been knocked out of him. Two strong hands pulled him, roughly, to his feet.

"Now, now, Master Landley, it would be in your best interest to cooperate, lest your suffering become much worse," Burton said.

"It would be in your best interest to screw yourself!" Riley spat back. A vice grip landed on his neck, completely cutting off his air supply. He tried to pry the vice-like hand off, but to no avail.

"It looks like someone has developed quite the little attitude," Louis said in a condescending tone. "What happened to that obedient little boy that I used to know?"

Riley leveled his fiercest glare at Louis. He grew up and now he wants to kick your ass! As much as he didn't want to give the sicko the satisfaction of having control, Riley couldn't help but struggle for air as he tried in vain to release the grip. A predatory grin spread across Louis' face, sending shivers up Riley's spine. Black pinpricks began to assault Riley's vision. He only had seconds and he knew it. However, he was strangely calm. His only regret was that he wouldn't be able to say good-bye to Ben and Abigail.

"Enough, you fool!" Burton bellowed. "Now, let go of him!"

The chokehold abruptly released and the hand restraining his arm let go. Riley doubled over, greedily sucking oxygen into his burning lungs. His head swam, no doubt a sign that he had already exerted his weakened body too much for one day. He saw a motion out of the corner of his eye and felt the sharp pain as Burton stabbed the syringe into his arm and released its contents.

Fear consumed him, but he couldn't demean himself by letting it show. "Gee, Burton, this arsenic thing is getting old. You seriously lack imagination."

"You never did know when to shut your mouth," the elderly man replied, coldly. "I spent too many years cleaning up after you and your despicable family to have you ruin everything, now."

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't pretend you don't know! I know you went to Rhode Island. I know you met your uncle. All these years, I pegged him for a know-nothing, but he proved to be more of a problem than I thought. We couldn't have that."

Riley was confused, but only for a moment. Then a sickening realization dawned on him. "What did you do to him?"

"I didn't do anything. After all, you and your friend were the ones who had the altercation with him. You were the last people to have seen him alive. How convenient that you just managed to escape mere minutes before the blast."

"You followed us," Riley seethed. He blinked as his surrounding suddenly blurred. He had felt winded before. Now, he felt overwhelmingly tired. He couldn't remember a time when he had been so wiped. What had Burton given him? Whatever it was, he knew he couldn't allow himself to succumb to it.

"Your friend couldn't protect you as well as he thought he could, now could he? I will have to give him credit, though. He was certainly stubborn enough. I didn't think he would ever leave your side long enough to let me finish my task. Of course, there was the messy business of making sure he wouldn't interrupt us. That will teach him to stick his nose where it doesn't belong."

Anger flashed through Riley's brain. "What did you do to Ben?" he croaked out. Horrific, nightmarish images of his friend lying bloodied and beaten filled his mind as well as thoughts of adequate revenge. His friend didn't deserve to be dragged into this and if these bastards had hurt him, there would be sufficient Hell to pay.

"Nothing that he didn't deserve," Burton spat. "He got too close to you and he should have known better. Anyone who ever got close went away, didn't they? We all know that caring about you can have dire consequences."

Hot tears stung the corners of Riley's eyes. He didn't need to be told the obvious. Ben was dead and all because of him he had felt it necessary to help him. All this time, he had taken that help and thrown it right back in Ben's face. He had taken his friend for granted, because he hadn't the courage to let anyone in. Now, he couldn't take it back. He couldn't even apologize. This was all his fault. His sordid past, his worthless life had killed the only real friend he had ever had. His legs buckled, but he braced himself against the wall. He didn't know if it was from his emotions or the drug he had been given. Probably both.

"Of course, he got off easy. By the time Louis is finished with you, you will beg to join him. After all, there are worse things than death."

Panic coursed through Riley's veins like ice water. He summoned all his remaining strength to, again, make a run for the door. Louis easily caught up to him and tackled him roughly to the floor.

"Where do you think you're going? That old codger promised you as my payment and I intend to collect on my debt."

Riley shuddered and he tried to break free, but he was too tired to do much more than succumb to the inevitable. Louis picked up his head by the hair on the back of his head, almost yanking his hair out. Riley didn't even have time to yelp in pain before Louis planted a full kiss on his lips. When the older man drew back, Riley turned his head, gagging in disgust.

"I almost hate to leave you like this, Ryerson, but this isn't my cup of tea. Besides, there is someplace else I simply must be." With that, Burton stepped casually around Riley and Louis and walked out the door. The door clicked softly shut behind him. For Riley, the sound was ominous.

"Now, that he is finally gone, we can have some real fun."

Riley almost vomited. "I wouldn't swing that way if there wasn't a single woman left on this Earth," Riley whispered bitterly. That smart remark only earned him a hard slap to the side of his face. Riley bit his lip to avoid crying out.

"You defiant, little bastard!" Louis snarled. He tried to turn Riley over on his back, but Riley used his last vestiges of strength to fight it. However, it was a losing battle. Louis was a half-foot taller and easily fifty pounds heavier than Riley. Riley's weakened body was no match for the older man. Before he knew it, he stared up at the bland, cream-colored ceiling and Louis' smirking face.

"Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?"

Riley breath caught in his throat as Louis' weight descended onto his body. He wanted to run, but he limbs felt as though they were made of lead. His eyes grew heavy and his head swam. He squeezed his eyes shut as Louis' hands probed his body. It was bad enough that he had to feel what was going on. He certainly didn't have to watch it.

"Just relax. It will be just like old times."

Riley gulped. That was what he had been afraid of. Those summer afternoons and the dusty floor of the old carriage house turned shed. The nightmare played itself out vividly in his mind. Past and present mingled to where he couldn't tell the two apart.

"I have something to show you. It's in the shed."

"You will like this. You'll see."

"Don't tell anyone about what we've done. Awful things happen to little boys who talk too much."

Soon, blessedly, the sensation of Louis' hands roving his body disappeared. Thinking the assault had stopped, Riley dared open his eyes. No, Louis hadn't ceased fondling him or speaking the diatribe of filth as he narrated just what he would do. Riley realized, then, that he could no longer hear the repulsive words. It was suddenly impossible to keep his eyes open. The feeling of the floor beneath him dissipated. He felt like he was floating. All sense of time and place abandoned him. It wouldn't be long, now. Soon, he could his wretched life behind him. What was it worth, anyway, if he lost everything that would make it worth going back to?

His surroundings became blessedly black and peaceful. He had always heard that one would experience a light when dying, but no light was present. He wondered what he would experience. Would anyone be on the "other side" waiting for him? Or would his afterlife be as lonely as his life?

"Riley?"

The voice was barely louder than a whisper and it was cutting, annoyingly, into his peaceful death. It was a bit harder to discern, because of the lack of volume. Still, there was something in it that made his thought process pause.

"Riley, wake up!

Ben! Someone waited for him, after all! He wanted to call out and ask Ben where he was, but he couldn't get his mouth to work. A nagging voice in his mind told him he really needed to open his eyes and he would find his friend.

Ugh! That task was easier said than done. It felt like someone had rubber cemented his eyelids shut. He could only open them to the tiniest of slits."

"Come on, Riley! Open your eyes!"

Riley thought he could note some fear in his voice. What was his friend afraid of? They were dead. Burton couldn't get them, now. However, Abi would be coming in at some point and, boy, she would be pissed that they got there before her."

He felt a light tapping on his cheek. "Riley, don't fade out on me! Wake up!"

Jeez, this guy can't cut me a single break. Why is it so imperative that I wake up? Again, he tried to open his eyes. This time, it wasn't so hard. The light wasn't as excruciating and he was able to open them wider. He opened them about halfway and his breath caught in his throat as he took in the familiar surroundings. What the heck was he doing back in the hotel room?

If I am here, I must be alive. The realization sat like a heavy pit in his stomach. However, he didn't have the time to dwell on it as his shoulders were gripped in an almost painful vice and he gasped. He found himself looking right into Ben Gates' distraught, albeit, bruised face and he flinched, drawing back.

Ben didn't release his hold on him. "Riley, it's okay!"

Riley's head was swimming. Hadn't he been poisoned? How could he still be alive? He felt so overwhelmed and spent. His head dropped forward.

"Stay with me," Ben instructed firmly.

"You're dead. How can you be here?"

Ben regarded him with the most perplexed expression Riley had ever seen on his face. "What are you talking about?"

Riley's eyes darted around the room, furtively, as panic built within. "Where's Louis? Riley muttered.

"He got away. For God's sake, Riley, what happened in here? Jesus Christ, what did he do to you?"

Riley shook his head emphatically, making himself dizzy. He was nowhere near ready to put the experience into words. Words made it real. He would rather leave the event as a figment and, then, he could pretend it never happened. He thought he could hear someone gasping, almost sobbing. It took him several seconds to realize he was the one making those sounds.

"Riley, just calm down," Ben said gently as he tried to help Riley sit up. However, as soon as Ben's arm encircled his lower back, Riley freaked out and tried to move away. However, he didn't get far as his limbs felt like they had been constructed of lead-laden Jell-O. He regarded Ben with a wild-eyed, frightened stare that did nothing to reduce the distressed and haunted look in his friend's eyes.

"Riley, what was that bastard doing, here? You told me he wasn't anyone to worry about."

"He wasn't supposed to be," Riley whispered. A cold hollowness washed over him. This nightmare was supposed to be done. Why did it have to find him, again? Why now? His breath became ragged as the shakes overtook him.

"Riley, calm down," Ben admonished. "Take a deep breath."

Riley tried, but the breath only caused him to choke. Ben's close proximity didn't help matters in the least. His breathing accelerated as panic set in. His rational mind told him he was being ridiculous, but his soul wasn't listening.

"Let go of me and back off, damn it!" The hands immediately released his shoulders and he scooted away. He was still heady and he almost fell over. He closed his eyes and waited for the spell to pass. There was a throbbing pain in his upper back that was getting worse.

An officer approached. "Mr. Gates, I need to ask Mr. Landley some questions."

He just felt so detached. He shook his head, at least, he thought he did. "No, no questions," he mumbled, amazed that he could form sounds that resembled words when he didn't feel in control of his mouth. He couldn't talk about this. When had he been told that? Twenty years ago? Two minutes ago? He couldn't remember. It all blended together in his head.

"We need to get your account of what happened in here. Mr. White says this was a misunderstanding. There is no sign of a break-in and that alone seems to back his account that all of this occurred with Mr. Landley's consent."

Dizzy and suddenly sick to his stomach, he glanced at Ben who looked morally outraged, but he couldn't decide if his friend was angry at him or the cop. Oh, who was he kidding? It had to be him. He had to be incensed at what Riley had allowed to happen to him. He was grown. He shouldn't have submitted like some sniveling child. How pathetic and disgusting am I?

"You can see he's been beaten! He's barely conscious! Look at this room! Are you going to tell me that a struggle didn't occur in here?"

Riley blinked, grogginess taking a firm hold on his body as the drug had finally reached full effectiveness. Never mind that being deprived of oxygen twice had weakened him.

He glanced up at the doorway, where Louis now hovered. He smiled at Riley, with one of the evilest grins Riley had ever seen. Bile rose in his throat and outrage seeped to the surface. For a second, he wanted nothing more than to expose the sicko for who he was. He wanted to tell the officer and Ben that this was the man who had taken everything from him when he was too young to be able to stop it.

However, as he again looked at Ben, he realized that he couldn't. To reveal what had happened would be to sign his friends' death warrants. Ben had already gone through enough for him. He owed it to him and his friends back in Washington to keep his mouth shut. He swallowed back the sick feeling in his gut and turned away so that he couldn't see the abhorrence he was sure would be on Ben's face.

"He didn't do anything wrong," he whispered. Numbness began to set in. The familiar hollowness filled his soul.

"Thank you, Mr. Landley," the officer said coolly as he stood up.

"He isn't in his right mind," Ben argued.

"I can't hold someone without cause," the officer fired back. "Now, unless you can prove what happened or your friend decides to confess or submit to a hospital exam, I have no choice, but to let Mr. White go."

"That man committed a crime!"

"You have no proof! From what I can see, it was an unfortunate circumstance of a consensual act. Furthermore, if you persist in reporting false crimes, Mr. Gates, I will hold you in custody. I believe we are finished here. Good night."

The officer's footsteps receded out the door and the room was quiet. Too quiet. Riley kept his gaze fixed on the floor. He could feel the tension in the air and he knew that if he were to risk a look at Ben, there would be an expression of ire that would put the fires of Hell to shame.

"Why did you lie like that?"

Ben's voice was eerily calm, but Riley still wouldn't look at him. "I wasn't lying." He gasped as Ben gripped his shoulders, painfully, and turned him to face him. Ben shook him, hard. Waves of dizziness poured over him and he almost passed out.

"Don't you dare lie to me! For God's sake, I saw what that son of a bitch tried to do! Don't tell me the details just slipped your mind!"

"Leave it alone, Ben," Riley mumbled. "For God's sake, leave me alone before you get hurt."

"What are you talking about?" Ben's eyes blazed.

Riley tried to stand, but he couldn't even get to his knees before the vertigo hit him full force. Ben caught him before he could face plant into the unforgiving hotel floor. "Just stop," he whimpered. "Don't give a shit about me. It won't do you any favors."

"Riley, you aren't making any sense."

Riley tried to wriggle from Ben's grip, but he felt so weak and tired. "Ben, please just let it go. I'll be fine."

"Fine? Are you serious?" Ben sputtered. "You look like you met up with the business end of a bus and you were nearly raped!"

"I'll be fine!" Riley said, a bit more forcibly and he finally freed himself from Ben's hold. "I just need some space."

"If you think I'm letting you out of my sight, now, you're sadly mistaken!"

"Ben, you're not my father, so back off!" Riley yelled hoarsely, only amplifying the spinning sensation in his head. "I'll be just fine without your smothering!" I've been through this before!

When Ben's face paled and his mouth dropped open, Riley realized he had said that last part out loud. Abject horror poured over him. This was the one thing he did not want. Now, Ben, his best friend, stared back at him with one of the most sickened expressions that Riley had ever seen anyone wear.

"Oh, God!" Riley choked out as he sprang up and vaulted toward the bathroom, vertigo be damned.

Ben's concerned call barely registered in his ears as he dropped to his knees in front of the toilet and heaved up what remained of his hospital breakfast. He couldn't stop and, when he ran out of digested food to lose, he started heaving stomach acid.

He felt something cold and wet on the back of his neck. It was strangely soothing.

"Calm down," Ben said gently, placing his hand on the small of Riley's back.

Riley cried out, drawing away from the touch. Damn that hurt! He lifted his head, his hand over his mouth and looked warily at Ben.

Ben knelt there, stunned, but only for a second. He turned Riley around and pulled down the collar of his sweatshirt. "God, Riley!"

Riley tried to pull away, but his body was in no shape for a fight. "Stop."

Ben gripped Riley's shoulders hard and turned him around to face him. He didn't look angry anymore, but sad. "Damn it, stop this! What the Hell is it going to take for you to let me help you?"

Riley opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn't breathe. Anxiety turned to panic as he couldn't draw a breath and he could see the sadness in Ben's eyes morph into concern, then fear.

"Riley?"

"Back off," Riley whispered between gasps.

Fear melded with confusion. "Riley, what-?"

"Back off!" Riley forced out, a bit more audibly, causing himself to choke. "Don't touch me! Just get away from me!"

Ben blinked, but he let go of Riley's shoulders. Riley gripped the porcelain with white-knuckled hands. The cool surface gave him something stable to grab onto. He bowed his head and squeezed his eyes shut, wishing with all his might that this could just go away.

"How long are you going to make me pay for all those who came before me?" Ben asked softly.

Riley turned sharply to look at him, immediately regretting the dizzying move. "I wasn't-," he began, but Ben raised a hand, effectively cutting him off.

"Whether or not it's your actual intention, you are." Ben stood up and ran a hand through his hair. Riley eyed his every move warily, keeping close eye on his friend's hands. His friend looked so flustered and a touch defeated. Guilt stabbed at Riley's heart. This wasn't fair, not by a long shot. No matter how he thought Ben had used him over the years, the scales had tipped too far, now. For the first time, Riley noticed the huge bruise on Ben's cheek. His friend had gotten injured for him and he swallowed hard.

"Caring about you can have dire consequences."

Another voice came to him, then, from long ago. From a night when he sat in a beat-up, red van listening in as his once best friend regaled his future wife with a vague clue as to what he was about to do.

…Did what was considered wrong, in order to do what they knew was right…

With an aching longing, Riley wished he could be back there. Back before all this, before his present life could be stained with the memory of who he had been. He swallowed as a wrenching sadness socked him. Originally, he had kept Ben at arm's length to protect himself. Now, he had to keep him away to protect him and his family. Now, when he needed his friends' support the most.

"You shouldn't be here," Riley whispered.

Ben turned sharply on his heel. "What?"

"I said you shouldn't be here. This is getting too dangerous." Riley's breathing accelerated again. Damn, he had just started getting it under control!

"It's not like we're new to dangerous situations."

"This is different," Riley said as he slowly, shakily attempted to stand. When he faltered, Ben grabbed his arm out of instinct. Riley shook it off, the touch sending shivers down his spine. He slowly ambled over to the counter and turned on the sink to splash some cold water on his face. "I can't lose you to this."

Ben reached out a hand to Riley's shoulder, but Riley ducked it. "Could you please stop with the touching, already? I can't deal with that, now."

"Sorry," Ben whispered. A pause. "What do you mean by that, anyway? I don't plan on going anywhere and I'm sure my family can say the same."

"I can't afford to lose you guys to this," Riley said, more adamantly. "Ben, you should just go home. Hop the next flight out of here. You have people who care about you, a life to live for. If I lose you guys, because you risked everything to give two shits about my welfare, then I have nothing left to live for. If one of us is going to die out of this, I would rather it be me."

Ben's anguished eyes met Riley's haunted ones through the bathroom mirror. "If you honestly think I would just abandon you here to save my own skin, you learned nothing from The Charlotte. Jesus, kid, I told you we were in this together."

"Why did you save me, then, anyway?" Riley looked mournfully at Ben through the mirror. "Some things are worse than death, Ben. It would have been so much kinder if you had let Ian shoot me."

Ben closed his eyes and drew a deep, shaky breath. "Don't say that."

Riley felt his surroundings sway. A part of him wondered how whatever it was Burton had given him would interact with his arsenic-impaired system. Considering all that had happened, Riley decided he didn't care.

Ben's hand shot out to steady him. "Riley, for Christ's sake, lay down before you fall down!"

Riley threw Ben's hand off his shoulder. All his trauma, his grief, manifested itself as white-hot anger. He was angry at it all; his annoyingly overprotective best friend, his pathetic existence and an awful past that he could not change. Ben may not have been the fairest target, but he was the most convenient.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to touch me before you get a clue?" Riley screamed. Ben drew back, stunned as Riley whirled around to face him head on. "How many times do I have to tell you to back off?"

"I'm just trying to help you."

"You still don't get it. I don't want your damned help! I'm not asking you, Ben, I'm telling you. Go home. You're only going to get yourself killed if you stay here and for what. Ben, my life was never worth saving!" Riley squeezed his eyes shut, listening as Ben opened the bathroom door, but when it didn't click shut, he dared to open his eyes in curiosity. Ben stared at the back of his head, his eyes meeting Riley's through the bathroom mirror.

"What?"

"I don't know. I guess I thought if I looked hard enough, I might see some sign of my best friend. I guess it's in vain. He was never here in the first place." He sighed. "I'm going to call Abi. She's probably worried sick." With that, Ben left the room.

Riley blinked, but the sting of Ben's words failed to penetrate the numbness in his mind. Slowly, he went through the motions of undressing and cleansing himself of the trauma he had again endured. After what felt like forever, he turned the water off and stepped out into the steamy room. He grabbed some clothes from his duffel bag and pulled them on, quickly. Clad in sweatpants and a sweatshirt, he opened the door and stepped into the room.

He could hear Ben's muffled voice. No doubt, he was unsuccessfully trying to convince his wife that he wasn't mortally injured. What had he told her about the rest of it? Riley shook his head. What would it matter, now? He wouldn't be in their lives, anymore.

He needed to lie down. The adrenaline from his outburst had worn off. He ambled toward his bed, noting that the evidence of his earlier meltdown had been picked up. He lay down on top of the covers, in a fetal position. He tuned out Ben's phone conversation, the dark thoughts infiltrating his mind. After all, anyone who went out of their way to care about him went away. First it was his birth mother, then his father's wife and, then Julie. Ben was the latest in a very short line and he would certainly be the last.

If there is a God, please let this end. That was his last conscious thought before his weakened body succumbed to sleep.

"Just look at him! Acknowledge him! You can't ignore this!"

The voice was pleading, tearful and feminine, but Riley didn't recognize it. However, he was too safe and warm to care. Wherever he was, he could stay there. Forever. He wished he could see what was going on, but he something covered his head, shielding his eyes.

"I want nothing to do with that abomination!"

That voice was decidedly familiar. His father's coldness chilled him to the bone.

"He is not an abomination!" the woman spat back.

"I cannot afford this in my life, right now. I have told you that! I offered you money."

"I don't want your money. I want you to accept our son. I want us to be a family."

Riley's breath caught in his throat. This was his birth mother!

"You are certainly deranged!" his father yelled. "Get out of here before I call the police."

"You didn't have any problem with me when you were combing the beach, looking for a young piece of ass!"

There was a loud smack and the terrifying sensations of tumbling and falling. He heard his father shout, "Oh my God!"

Then there was blackness. Nothing, but blackness. All of a sudden, the floor under him tilted. He had been standing, but he was knocked down to his hands and knees. The motion was disorienting and gave him a touch of vertigo. He closed his eyes for a moment to alleviate the dizziness. When he opened them, he gasped at the all-too-familiar surroundings.

He was in Cibola. He looked down and his stomach flip-flopped. He was on that infernal seesaw platform, the one that had given him nightmares for nearly two months. He looked up, just in time to see Ben vault from the platform to the desiccated remains of the rope ladder. A quick glance around told Riley that he was the only remaining soul on the platform.

This wasn't good. "Okay, you guys can help me off here any time!" he shouted.

Ben peered down at him from the ledge, appearing nonchalant. "I can't help you if you won't let me."

A support snapped sending the platform pivoting sharply to one side. "Ben, knock off the jokes! I'm not kidding! I'm in some serious shit, here!"

Ben disappeared from Riley's view. An agonizing moment later, the golden idol was pushed from the ledge to the platform. Riley managed to vault it. Barely. If he had been any shorter, he would have been in trouble. He leapt and grabbed the bottom of the rope ladder seconds before the massive platform completely splintered and broke apart.

"Riley!"

Riley looked up. It was Ben, looking at him anxiously, one arm outstretched.

"Take my hand!"

Riley reached up as far as he could, but Ben was too far up. "I can't reach you!"

Ben swung himself back over the side of the ledge and climbed a bit down the ladder. He stretched his arm out further. "Come on, kid! Reach!"

Riley tried to climb up a rung of the ladder, only to have it snap under his foot. He lost his balance and plummeted. He grabbed onto the first rung on his way down. He held it tightly as his body dangled over the deep, dark precipice.

"Ben, help me!" Riley screamed.

Ben climbed down as far as he dared. He held onto the rung with one hand and reached toward Riley with the other. His eyes were pleading.

Riley reached up one hand, tentatively. He was able to reach Ben, this time and the older man gripped his hand tightly. He helped pull Riley up to a safe rung, which Riley clung to as he tried to catch his breath.

"You're safe, now. Follow me."

Riley followed Ben up the ladder to the ledge. As he swung one leg over the edge, a chunk of Earth gave way, sending him falling back. Ben whirled around, reaching for him, but he wasn't quite fast enough. Riley fell off the ledge and plummeted into the darkness, screaming…

He landed with a hard thud. It hurt, but it wasn't as bone crushing as he thought it might be. His eyes flew open and the next scream died in his throat the silhouettes of the hotel furniture peeked out from the darkness. It was a dream. It had only been another horrible dream.

Consumed by the shakes, he buried his face in his hands. He wanted this all to be over. He was tired of the nightmares and ugly reminders of the life he had tried so desperately to forget.

As the mental fog of sleep, sedative and disillusionment evaporated, he heard water running. He lifted his head and looked up at Ben's bed. The covers had been thrown over the side. The bed was empty.

He stood and looked at the clock. It was only a few minutes after five a.m. Riley frowned, coming to a resolution of his own. He grabbed his computer and the papers that Ben must have carefully placed on his bedside table the night before. He didn't care about the rest of his stuff. He grabbed his coat from the dining chair and Ben's car keys from the table. He would reimburse the man later for the rental car. He fished his wallet and the key ring the lawyer had given him out of his coat and removed the key card, placing it on the table.

He walked to the door, but something inside made him pause. He looked over his shoulder at the closed bathroom door. He expected Ben to charge into the room, all spit and vinegar, demanding to know what Riley had up his sleeve. Riley found himself wanting his friend to put on such a display, to show that he cared.

But, this wasn't Ben's fight. He had to deal with this alone, come what may. With a heavy heart and a nod to the closing of the latest chapter in his sordid life, he quietly opened the door and stepped into the hallway.

"Peace, Ben. It's been real. See you on the flip side," he whispered as the door clicked softly behind him.