"What do you mean you don't know if Brenton is behind the boys' disappearance?" Audrey's mother, Edna asked harshly as she dropped her bags onto the floor loudly. She turned around, glaring at her daughter and Walter. "Of course it was Brenton. I knew from the moment the story came over the News, I called to warn you." She said, looking at her daughter with hurt in her aged, hazel eyes.
"I know, and I told Drake that he was out there. But there's a chance that it wasn't Brenton, that he's just upset and wants to be alone." Audrey didn't believe her own words, but she couldn't stand the thought of her mother being right about this.
"Have you at least called the police?" Edna asked, shaking her head and hiding her face with a sweep of her hand.
Audrey shook her head. "Missing persons can't be filed for twenty-four hours, but they are looking. They know that Brenton is out there."
"And you accepted that?" Edna walked away from her daughter, looking up the stairs towards Meghan's room. "What did you tell her?"
"Nothing really." Audrey confessed. "She's just a little girl, and if we're wrong, I don't want to put that stress on her."
"So you're leaving her in the dark? It's no surprise that she's hiding in her room upset." Edna muttered, pushing the loose grey hairs from her wrinkled face.
Walter slowly approached Edna, knowing that the older woman had never been too fond of him. "Edna, we're doing everything we can." He said carefully.
"You're the man of this family, you should have been protecting them." Edna whispered as she made her way up the stairs, leaving them behind. She walked down the short hallway, her eyes moving over the photographs on the walls. Each frame held a picture of her grandchildren as they had slowly grown over the years. She could still remember holding Drake and Meghan after they'd been born, the summer weekends they had spent with her. She'd even considered Josh her own after Audrey had married his idiot father. There was nothing she wouldn't do for those children, and now two of them were missing.
"Meghan?" Edna asked as she knocked on the young girl's door. "Honey, its Grandma." She tried, still receiving no answer.
"She's angry." Audrey said softly as she joined her mother outside of Meghan's room. "She said we treat her like a little kid, that she's old enough to know."
"She's not a baby anymore Audrey. If you don't trust her, then how can she trust you?" Edna replied as she knocked again. There was still no answer. "She's just as stubborn as you were." Edna muttered as she tried to open the door. "You let her have a lock?"
Audrey offered a tired smile. "She insisted on having one."
'Well, do you have a key?" Edna asked impatiently. She never would have allowed a door lock at that age.
"Just a moment." Audrey uttered before disappearing to her own room, where she kept the spare keys.
Walter had made his way back to their room, trying to hide his anger at what Edna had said. He had grown used to her quips and insults over the years, but her last remark had threatened to send him over the edge. Pushing the door open, his eyes feel upon the old shoe box half pushed into the closet. He knew that box, always had. Among all of Audrey's shoes, there was only one like it, covered in dust with faded men's footwear logos covering it. Only once had he ever looked inside, and he'd never seen her move it.
Picking up the box and sitting on the bed, Walter looked through the aged photographs, at what his family had been before they were his. The children who had become his own with their young smiles, Audrey every bit as beautiful as she was now. Then he saw Brenton and he could feel his anger igniting again. That man had hurt them, had left Audrey in pieces and tried to kill his own son! And still, Audrey kept his photographs close, as if she couldn't let him go for some reason he'd never understood.
Walter looked up as Audrey entered the room, her face frozen in fear as she saw the box in his hands. He didn't know what to say to her, not when she looked so afraid, secret guilt hidden in her deep brown eyes. Within that hint of guilt, Walter realized why she kept the photos, despite what Brenton had done.
"Walter..." Audrey began, slowly stepping toward him.
"You still love him, don't you?" He asked darkly, his voice barely a whisper. He could feel his hands shaking as he stuffed the pictures back into the box and pressed the lid down.
"What?" Audrey asked, shocked at his words. "Walter,"
"You do, that's why you still have the pictures." his voice remained low as he pushed himself off of the bed, their bed. "I understand," he began. He had been her first love, her first husband. He had given her two amazing children.
Audrey strode over to her husband, reaching for his hand and staring with hurt eyes as he jerked it away. "I don't love him." Audrey replied weakly.
He could feel the tension radiating from her, his eyes on hers as the tears formed. "I understand if you do," He repeated. "He was your husband, the father of your children."
"You are the father of our children." Audrey said as she again reached for his hand. "I loved him once, but after what he did,"
"Don't lie to me, Audrey." Walter snapped as he again pulled away from her. He could handle her still having feelings for Brenton, but to have her lie so obviously to him about it just made him more upset. "If he did take our boys, if he's hurting them," Walter sighed heavily. "Then you at least owe me the truth."
Audrey stared back hard, the tears she refused to acknowledge falling across her paled cheeks. "I don't love him." She repeated coldly. "Right now there are more important things that need our attention. Our boys are missing, our daughter has locked herself in her room, and we have no control of whats happening. Those photographs are memories, nothing more."
Walter shook his head, walking past her toward the door. "Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?" He muttered the question as he left the room to try and get Meghan to open her door.
"I don't love him anymore." Audrey repeated to herself as she wrapped her arms around herself, her eyes locked on the old box sitting on their bed. Her feet moved on their own toward it, her fingers lightly tracing over the dusty lid. Walter had never been so serious, so cold toward her. Lifting the box as if it were a small child, holding it tight against her chest, Audrey walked it back to the closet, setting it gently on the floor before shutting the door and hiding it away. "I don't," She shook her head. "I don't love him." She whispered as she turned away from the closet, toward her dresser where the key she'd come to find was hidden.
Walter was standing beside Edna, watching her continue to knock on the door and try to coax Meghan into opening it when Audrey rejoined them. Turning briefly to her daughter for the key, Edna noticed her red, teary eyes and let her anger go. It had been easy to be angry with her daughter when she didn't look at her as a worried mother. "Did you get the key?" She asked gently.
Audrey nodded, handing the small silver skeleton key to her mother. She didn't look at Walter, and she was sure he wasn't sparing her a caring glance. Not after what he had said.
"Meghan, I'm coming in." Edna called through the door before turning the key and pushing the door open.
They all stared with blank faces at the empty room, all of their minds racing to figure out where the child was. Audrey pushed past her husband and mother, eyes frantic as she scanned the room. The blanket on the bed was disturbed, so she knew hat Meghan had been there. Her eyes caught the picture on the computer monitor, Brenton's empty gaze staring back at her and she felt her heartbeat quicken. Not like that, she hadn't wanted Meghan to find out about her father from some article that couldn't fully explain him to her.
Edna had noticed the computer image as well, and had made her way toward Meghan's desk with shaky steps. It didn't take her long to see the note Meghan had left, for her anger to return. "You didn't trust her, and now she's gone." Edna whispered loudly, her voice hard.
"What are you talking about?" Walter demanded as he made his way toward the desk, avoiding the article and picture still on the screen as he reached for the note. He read over it once silently, before his hands crinkled the paper and he read it again aloud.
"Mom, Walter, I know that you think I'm just a kid, that I can't help. But I'm going to find Drake and Josh, and I'm going to help bring them back. Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself! Dad just called me, he wants me to go with him, he said he'd take me to them. I know that you'll be angry, that if I had told you, you wouldn't let me go. He called me with Josh's phone, so I know he wasn't lying. It's okay if you're angry, but don't worry. I'm gonna bring them back. Meghan."
"No," Audrey mumbled the word, searching Walter's face for some sign that he was just being cruel. Seeing the honest fear in his eyes, Audrey bolted out of the room,screaming Meghan's name as she ran down the stairs and out into the heavy rain. Her eyes moved through the haze, desperately searching for her daughter as her hands tore at her auburn hair. "Meghan!" She screamed, falling to her knees in the road as the tears fell over her face.
Looking over the streets again, seeing the despairing rain and its curtain of haze Audrey slammed her first against the asphalt, feeling her knuckles split. "You can't have them," She whispered, her wet hair falling over her face as she shook her head. "Do you hear me Brenton!" She screamed. "You can't have them!"
Walter ran into the road, seeing the car turning the corner and grabbed Audrey's arms, fighting against her struggles as he pulled her out of the street. "Audrey," He yelled over the thunder as he managed to pull her out of the car's path, the driver honking his horn angrily.
"I'll find you Brenton, and if you hurt them, I will kill you." She yelled into the storm, feeling Walter's arms close around her. "He, he took them." She said weakly, trying not to cry.
"I know." Walter said, turning her around and looking into her pained eyes. "But we will get them back, I promise." He could feel her body shaking from rage and cold as he held her close, trying to ease her mind as his raced. He had let his own hurt and jealousy come between them before, and right now, there was no place for those emotions. Not with their children's lives depending on the choices they made.
~.~
Drake felt his head hit the wall behind him, the brief cloud of darkness passing over his eyes as the pain left his head pulsing in pain. His father had slammed him against the wall four, maybe five times now, each time harder then the last as he demanded the beast to show itself. He'd given up trying to convince the deranged man that it wasn't there, he wasn't listening.
Again his back was thrust against the wall, the all too familiar jolt of pain coursing through his spine just before his head connected. How much more of this could his body take? Drake felt Brenton's grip on his shoulders tighten and he knew what was coming. He preemptively closed his eyes and braced himself for the hit, but it didn't come this time. Cautiously, Drake opened his eyes, staring right into his father's as the man searched for something that wasn't there.
"Where is it hiding?" Brenton demanded, his fingers digging into Drake's skin.
Drake shook his head. "I told you, there is no monster." He said on sharp breaths as he tried to hide the pain from his voice.
Brenton backhanded the boy, watching his lip bleed as the prior wound reopened. There were traces of firelight in that blood, proof that the beast had been there recently. He knew that it was hiding, trying to confuse him with his son's body so that he wouldn't kill it. "I know your trick, demon." Brenton growled as he hit the boy again.
He could taste the blood on his tongue, the bitter taste lingering even after he had spit the blood out. "dad, it's me." Drake tried again.
"Liar!" Brenton screamed as he pushed Drake against the wall. "You're a coward hiding behind his face." He snarled, pushing himself to his feet. "Using that dead skin, his empty body." Brenton shook his head, his eyes narrowing as he glared at Drake. "I know you're in there, hoping that those eyes will fool me." He muttered before kicking Drake hard in the stomach.
Drake couldn't help himself, as soon as his father's foot hit him he curled inwards, his eyes squeezed shut against the pain in an attempt to fight back tears. He didn't want to look weak in front of his father, to give in to the delusion. "My name is Drake Parker, I'm your son."
"My son is dead," Brenton snapped. "You are a demon, you took his body and tried to kill my family." He said before hitting the boy again. "You made everyone believe I was crazy, had me locked away to protect yourself." His voice rose as he kicked the boy.
"We used to go play guitar together." Drake said, raising his eyes to Brenton's. "You would watch cartoons with me every Saturday." He winced as his face was struck, the stinging in his cheek intensifying. "You used to smile, when you tried to explain my homework to me and I just wanted to play." He could taste blood again as he accidentally bit his tongue.
"Shut up!" Brenton roared as his hands knotted in his hair. "You aren't Drake!"
"Yes I am!" Drake yelled back, his voice stronger then he felt.
Brenton shook his head, pulling loose long threads of brown hair. "I'll bring you out, you can't hide behind those eyes forever. And when I do, I will send you back to Hell." Brenton promised as he stormed out of the room, slamming the door and growling in frustration.
"Dad?" Meghan's worried voice drifted into the hall, calming his nerves as he followed it to the room where he'd left her with Josh.
Brenton stepped into the room, seeing Josh instantly pull Meghan into his arms as if to protect her. Josh's sharp, dark eyes glared back at him, the rage clear on his face. "Stay away from her."
Brenton chuckled, taking a bold step forward. "You can't keep me from my little girl." He grinned. "Just like you can't protect that monster."
It was everything Josh could do not to push Meghan aside and lunge at Brenton. He'd heard every hit, listened as Drake had tried to make his father see the truth. "The only monster here is you." he said harshly.
Brenton moved forward, grabbing Josh's arm and twisting it back until the boy yelped. In that moment of sharp pain Brenton had gently grabbed Meghan, puling her from Josh's arms and into his own. He looked up at Josh, seeing the anger in his eyes. "Stay back." He ordered.
Josh bit his lip, holding himself back as he watched Brenton kneel before Meghan, smiling at her as if he hadn't been full of anger moments before. As calm as he let himself appear, if Brenton made one move to hurt her he would be ready. He couldn't help Drake from this room, but he would do everything in his power to keep Meghan from experiencing what Drake had.
"What do you need honey?" Brenton asked, looking up into her dark eyes.
"Where's Drake?" She asked. "What, what did you do to him?"
Brenton sighed, pulling Meghan against his chest as he held her tight, his hand running over her messy hair. "He's down the hall. But you have to understand, that's not Drake."
Meghan shook her head. "You hurt him, didn't you?" She'd heard the same sounds Josh had. "I want to see him."
It was Brenton's turn to shake his head. "I can't risk the creature getting to you. I have to draw it out from hiding, otherwise I can't destroy it." He didn't know how to tell someone so young, so deceived by the demons appearance that he had to kill it to save them all.
"Destroy it?" Meghan asked carefully, her small hands gripping her father's arms tightly. "You mean you're going to kill Drake?" She watched her father's face intently, waiting for his answer.
Brenton nodded his head, looking her in the eyes. "I have to."
Meghan felt her calm slipping as she pushed Brenton away from her, her small fists shaking as she glared at him. "You can't kill him! He's not a monster." She yelled, backing away from his reaching hands toward Josh.
"Meghan you don't understand," Brenton replied sternly, putting his foot down hard against the floor.
She shook her head, feeling Josh wrap a protective arm around her as Brenton rose to his feet. It was as they stood together against him that Brenton noticed the shadows in the room shifting to collect at their feet, forming an endless dark pit that threatened to whisk them away were it not for the chains holding them there. The demon knew that they were there, and it was willing to bring itself out of hiding to protect them.
Brenton smiled, the hysterical laughter seeping out in a cruel cackle as he walked out of the room, following the heated footsteps that had burnt themselves into the floor. He knew what he had to do now, how to get the beast to come forward. He wouldn't hurt Meghan, but the other one... Even if he was innocent, the beast was still attached to him.
Drake was leaning against the cool wall, trying to steady his breathing when he heard the steps coming after him again. He closed his eyes, his arms wrapped tightly around himself as he tried to tell himself that Brenton wasn't going to hurt him again, that everything was going to be okay.
For the brief moments he had to himself, he let the darkness against his closed eyes form a picture, anything to take his mind away from the impending pain, and the hurt he all ready felt. He let the sunlight chase away the darkness, and silhouetted against it were his family. His mom and Walter stood smiling, looking at him with sympathetic eyes. Josh and Meghan were there, shoving each other playfully. Drake felt his legs twitch as he thought about joining them there, being safe.
He was pulled away from the happy illusion as Brenton pushed open the door, staring down at him with dark eyes. Without a word Brenton walked over to him, grabbing the chain and unlocking the end attached to the radiator. With his free hand, he grabbed Drake's hair and forced him to stay still as he wrapped the chain around his torso twice before locking the other end to Drake's unchained wrist. "I know your secret." He spat as he forced Drake to his feet and down the hall.
Josh and Meghan were still standing together when Brenton pushed Drake into the room, sending him stumbling to his knees just out of reach of their chains. Hearing the hits and pleading hadn't prepared them for seeing Drake as he was now, bruised and bleeding. His eyes fell upon their own, trying to hide the fear and guilt he felt for them being here.
Brenton stepped forward, tangling his fingers in Drake's hair and jerking his head back. "Now, demon, show yourself or watch them suffer."
Josh immediately pushed Meghan behind himself, his eyes never leaving Drake's. Every fiber of his being wanted to run forward, to protect Drake from whatever further harm Brenton had planned for him. Each protective thought was soon consumed by a feeling of guilt, for not preventing Brenton taking Drake in the first place. It was his fault that this was happening, and he could only hope that they would get out of it alive, that Drake would forgive him.
"Drake..." Meghan whispered from behind Josh's back, her hands gripping his arm tightly as the sight filled her eyes. It was one thing for her to torment her brothers, but she'd never wanted to see either of them hurt like this.
"Don't look Meghan." Drake called to her, trying not to sound like he was begging. She was just a kid, and he didn't want her to see this. Another jerk to his hair had his eyes upon the dirty ceiling, his father at the edge of his vision.
"Show yourself!" He shouted, the spittle flying from his lips.
"There's nothing to show." Drake said though gritted teeth, his voice just as harsh as Brenton's.
Brenton released his hold on Drake's hair and stepped toward the others, his eyes on Josh. "My threats aren't empty, demon." He said coldly as he reached out and hit Josh across the face, sending him stumbling into Meghan.
"Stop it!" Drake yelled, pulling at the heavy chains around his body.
Ignoring the boys demand, Brenton pulled Josh forward and hit him again. "You can stop this." He grunted as he hit Josh over and over, blackening his eyes and leaving his lip bleeding. Josh's protests came out in weak groans as he was hit, his arms failing to deject the blows from his face as Brenton continued to twist the one in his grasp back.
Drake continued to pull at the chains, his tears falling with a freedom he wished he had as he pleaded for Brenton to stop. Meghan was crying as well, her small hands wrapped around Brenton's arm, trying to break his hold on Josh as she silently begged for all of it to end. She hadn't expected it to be so violent, so out of her ability to stop.
Josh could feel the tears burning and blurring his eyes as the pressure on his arm built until finally it snapped, releasing with it a shattering shriek of pain. He felt Brenton quickly let go of his arm, starring in empty horror at what he had done, at the bit of bone pressing against his sleeve. He didn't want to look at it, afraid that acknowledging the broken arm would make him faint. He could all ready feel his stomach churning.
"Does that make you happy, Demon?" Brenton asked, glaring down at Drake.
Drake shook his head, feeling more defeated and useless then he ever had in his life. "No," He whispered.
"Then show yourself. Let me send you back, prevent their pain." Brenton said lightly, trying to coax the demon out.
Drake shook his head, unable to look up. He couldn't bare to look at Josh, his face twisted in pain. "There is no demon." He muttered, knowing that Brenton wouldn't believe him.
Brenton stormed over to Drake, pushing him down with a strong kick and resting his foot over the boy's throat. "Stop denying it." He barked, his eyes glowing with anger.
"Don't hurt him!" Meghan screamed, her eyes wide and pleading. "Please, daddy..."
Brenton turned toward her, his eyes softening as he removed his foot from Drake's throat and stepped closer to her. He flinched as she backed away from him, afraid of what he might do. "Meghan, that's not your brother, why can't you understand that?"
"Because its not true." She said, shaking her head. "Why can't you see it?" She challenged, her eyes alight with quiet rage.
Brenton shook his head. "Stupid child." He muttered as he walked back over to Drake, roughly pulling him up from the floor. "You'll all see it, just as I do." He whispered before pushing Drake out of the room, back to his own. He threw the boy to the floor, taking the second chain from the radiator and wrapping it around his ankle. "How much are you going to let them suffer?"
Drake didn't answer, knowing that his words would sound weak. He could barely breath, and it took everything he had to hold the sobs back.
Brenton spit at the boy, seeing the weakness the demon had acquired living in his skin. It wouldn't be long now, wouldn't take much more to summon the creature forward. He smiled, saying nothing as he turned away and left Drake alone, haunted by the torments that had occurred because of him.
The moment Brenton's footsteps faded from his ears Drake let the sobs out, his entire body shaking. His blurred vision fell upon the faded blood on the floor, then to the fresher drops of his own. He didn't want to look at the blood, but every time he closed his eyes all he could see was Josh's face, his eyes glazed over in pain. Meghan's tears as she had begged their father to stop. It was his fault they were here, because of him that they suffered.
It took all of his remaining strength to push himself off of the floor and against the wall, his eyes looking longingly out the broken window. He'd do anything to be out there, away from his father and the madness in his eyes. Drake caught his transparent reflection in the glass, seeing for the first time the dark bruise on his cheek where Brenton had repeatedly hit him. Looking away from the bruise, his eyes fell into their own reflection, deep pools of pained brown. The longer he looked into them, the clearer the distorted image became. Standing behind him, was the creature he'd seen in his bedroom window. The hunched over mass of writhing flames starred back at him, its toothy grin twisting as it silently laughed at his pain.
"You're not real." Drake whispered, unable to look away.
The creature reached its taloned hand forward, pointing at him as it beckoned him forward. Its eyes lit up as they synced with his own, taking their shape. Drake closed his eyes, trying to banish the illusion when he felt the burning on his shoulder when it had rested its hand. In that moment of terror he screamed, feeling his lungs burn as all of the air left his body. When he finally opened his eyes, the creature was gone.
~.~
Brenton made his way through the house, following the burning footprints towards the basement door. Yanking on the tarnished knob, he pulled the resistant door open, stepping into the darkness beyond and descending the stairs. He didn't look at the bloated bodies that lay at the foot of the stairs, the rigor mortis making them difficult to maneuver around. He didn't know what he was looking for down there, only that the faint traces of firelight had brought him here.
He watched them slither out of sight behind a stack of hastily packed toats, the lids barely on. Ignoring the stench of mold and decay, Brenton dug through each one. Two were full of old clothes, another discarded Christmas decorations. The forth clattered loudly as he dropped it to the floor, the sound of breaking glass ringing in his ears. Lifting the lid, his eyes fell upon countless frames, each holding pictures of Ellen from years ago. She looked better, not strung out and boney as she was now. In almost every photograph she was smiling, a charming older man at her side.
Brenton let the frame he was holding fall to the floor, shattering the fragile glass around his feet. Once, long ago he had smiled like the man in those photos, Audrey too. God how he missed her. Her smile, her voice, the feel of her skin and hair under his hands. In the near complete darkness of the basement, he could almost see her in the traces of light from the small, dirty window. Her hand reaching out to him, begging him to save her. "I'll save you," He whispered to the phantom image. "I promise."
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
A/N: If Walter seems to out of character, it is because I'm writing him very serious, which is a side of him not shown in the actual show. I apologize for how long this chapter took, a lot of work went into it.