I promise you all that it gets happier! Struggle through a couple more chapters of sadness and I promise I'll give you the light! Again, thanks for all the reviews, they mean so much xx


Kenny stiffened at the sound of the wheels rolling towards the house and the slight squeak of tires. He jumped at the sound of his phone vibrating against the wooden table he had throw it on.

'One Message from Stan.'

Kenny didn't have time to read it. He heard the slam of the rusty car door as it shut and his father's tuneless whistle as he approached the house.

Kenny sat down at the table, drumming his fingers and staring intently at the grains of wood that wound themselves like a snake around the lighter pine.

Stuart entered the house.

He grunted at Kenny and went straight for the fridge.

"Your mother won't be back for a while," He muttered, the clatter of bottles sounded as he reached around the fridge, "We had a fight,"

His parents had regular fights like this, she was more bruised than he was but he found it hard to care when she made no effort to protect her children from the same punishment.

"She told me not to have her beer but fuck it," He laughed throatily, banging the beer on the side so that the lid popped off, "It'll be our little secret,"

He winked at Kenny and took a swig, turning to laze about in front of the TV until he got drunk and decided to beat up his kids.

Kenny's blue eyes darkened.

"Is that what you told Karen?"

Although Kenny couldn't see it, Stuart froze. Slowly he turned towards his son.

"What the fuck did you just say?" Stuarts face was a mottled red and a huge vein stuck out in his tree trunk like neck but his voice was terrifyingly calm.

"I said, is that what you told Karen?" Kenny turned around in his chair, a saccharine sweet smile plastered dangerously across his face. "When you touched her and told her not to tell anyone,"

In one swift movement Stuart had grabbed his son's throat and lifted him into the air, beer bottle still clutched tightly in one mammoth hand. With a sickening crunch Stuart slammed Kenny onto the table, squeezing his neck tightly. Kenny scratched at his fathers giant hand tightening around his throat as he attempted to pull in air.

Abruptly, the table leg gave way with a creak and Kenny was free from the giants grip. Grabbing Stuart's shoulders he hoisted his crushing body from his own, pouncing to his feet to deliver a swift and graceful kick to his father's ribs.

Stuart lashed out and yanked Kenny's ankle, watching with sick glee as Kenny dropped like a ton of bricks. Spasming somewhat as his head connected with the table, Kenny was vertical for a moment before he collided with the floor, his head ricocheting off of the linoleum floor. Kenny noticed a woodlouse crawl past his ear before he was again hoisted to his feet.

He felt the nineteenth punch of the day connect with his jaw and spin him clumsily to the left hand side, he drew out of his suffocating, underwater world just long enough to stop himself smashing into the wall.

His head pounded and he discovered he had bitten his tongue, hot blood spurted into his mouth and he sucked curiously at the wound.

The shadow of his father brought him back to reality and Kenny tried to summon the energy to clear his head and deliver a punch but it seemed his father was done.

It was quiet enough to hear the tiny dots of rain that were beginning to fall, like pebbles in a tin can. Quiet enough to hear the labored breathing from his father as his shadow drew closer. Quiet enough to hear the blood pulse through Kenny's veins, fast and red hot.

Stuart towered over his son, glaring down at the prey with the eyes of a vulture, just waiting for his victim to give up the fight.

"Are you quite done with your fucking disgusting accusations?" Stuart placed his face so close that Kenny could smell the beer clinging to his breath.

Kenny stared upwards at his dad and spat.

Flecks of bloody spit dotted Stuart's face, he recoiled slightly and gingerly touched his fingers to his cheek, smearing Kenny's hate across his face. That was all Kenny needed.

With a guttural roar Kenny shouldered Stuart across the room until his back met with a thwack on the door, he felt it give way as it opened slightly but wasted no time. He delivered a rage driven blow to his father's face, marring his blotchy skin. Kenny gripped Stuart's shirt with screaming white knuckles as he punched him again and again. Stuart's jaw clicked and his face soon went slack, blood trickling down his engorged lips but Kenny did not let up. He was unaware of the stinging in his eyes as they began to form tears of incessant anger as he felt the connection between bone and bone. His knuckles had split and he was beginning to slow down, slowly, until finally he stopped. It was over.

Kenny was flipped by his father as soon as he relaxed the assault. With a graceful twirl that was almost like a dance Kenny was pinned against the door.

It was fast.

He knew that because he barely heard the sound of glass smashing before the pain in his neck began to burn.

The door gave way and Kenny stumbled, delirious into the rain. Carefully he raised a hand to his neck, an obstruction jutted out from the connection between his neck and shoulder. A smashed beer bottle. The jagged sides of the make-shift weapon were buried deep inside his neck and the soft, thin skin near his collar bone.

Kenny coughed and his mouth tasted like blood.

"Kenny?" He heard a voice from behind him, "I came to apologise,"

Red stood in the pouring rain, her cherry hair stuck solemnly to her face. She screamed as he turned and it felt like the world was tearing.

Kenny felt his knees grow weaker as he faltered down the path towards her, she didn't stop her choking sobs as he fell into her arms, the dead weight dragging them both down.

"Oh god," She hissed as he sputtered a deep red blood that was the color of wine.

He was underwater again and everything was numb. A tingling feeling he knew so well radiated from his blood stained shoulder, Red hadn't removed the bottle so it just oozed perpetually, soaking into his shirt and down his chest, staining him. Kenny felt her tiny hands near the wound, sliding in his gore, staining her. His limb spasmed and grabbed her hand, holding it tightly in place as he looked hopelessly into her eyes.

Blood was running down the side of his lip now and he opened his mouth to speak.

"Remember," He wheezed, quiet against the thrashing of the rain, "Remember me,"

Red shook her head, her eyes glassy and her tears mixed with rain, she didn't understand.

"Don't do this Kenny," She cried, trying, in some way, to stop the process that had already been set in motion.

Kenny crushed her tiny wrist in protest, he didn't want to die needlessly again.

"Please, remember this time," He was unaware he was crying and that his words were barely audible but he saw her bob her fiery head in acknowledgment and she sucked in more breath to fuel her panicked crying.

He dropped her hand,spitting and coughing blood, dotting Red's face as she bent over him, it ran down his cheeks and chin as he began to convulse violently; the wet slap of air and liquid mixed with the sound of rain plummeting to the pavement as he desperately struggled to breathe, despite the fact nerves, veins and probably an artery had been severed and he was bleeding out. Kenny gurgled futilely as he strained to pull in the breaths so crucial to his survival. His eyes rolled into the back of his head as his fingers dug into Red's skin leaving marks the color of her hair, shuddering in an unstoppable frenzy of shock.

As Kenny's eyes fluttered close and he allowed the darkness to seep into his body and mind Red pressed on in her mission to bring him back; but he was a leaky faucet she just couldn't fix. Her hands slid in the mess as Kenny's grip went slack on her arm and his eyes closed, his face now a mottled white, although his heart still beating.

Kenny could hear her barking into her cell phone as she called the ambulance, crying frantically and screaming in frustration as she was asked to repeat something a fifth time. Her scared voice was getting softer and softer as Kenny drifted away.

"Well I don't know what happened..." She paused, "I've no idea where his parents are..." Was the last thing Kenny heard before his mind shut down.