Chapter 15: Not Alone
"Hey, kid, what ya doing under there"
"Kid"
Eric opened his eyes. He shut them instantly again as the light radiating from the room reflected into them.
"Wha...what happened?"
"You tell me kid, you're the one sleeping under a hospital bed"
He tried opening his eyes again, only slower. There was a man in front of him, probably in his early forties. He had a short gray beard and longish kind of hair. He wore dirty overalls and there was a mop and bucket leaning on the side of the doorframe behind him.
"You're...you're the cleaner guy"
"If you say so", he replied.
"It's not good to sleep under your bed you know"
"I wasn't, I mean I was in my bed, I was having a nightmare and then..." Eric stopped in the middle of what he was saying.
He looked down at himself. Looking for any signs that last night hadn't just been a dream. There were no new bruises, no new cuts. But then he suddenly noticed something. Something, which made him gasp with panic. Right there imprinted on his arm was five marks in the shape of fingerprints!
"No, it can't be" he whispered to himself.
"What's wrong kid?" asked the bearded stranger.
"I...I need to get out of here, it's not safe, it's not safe..." and with that he jumped out from under the bed and began to run.
He could hear the sound of the cleaner's voice echo after him to stop, but he didn't care. He had to get out of there.
He ran and he ran until he found the exit of the hospital and then he ran some more. He didn't stop until he could run no more. He breathed heavily, and rested his hands on his knees as he panted loudly.
He looked around him. The hospital was nowhere in sight. He knew where he was though. He was on baker's street. What a place for him to stop on. This place was known for its gangs of ruffians and drug dealers. He stuck out like a sore thumb. Still wearing his light blue hospital gown, he looked a real mess too. His body still hadn't totally recovered from the home life he thought he had escaped.
"What am I going to do now?" he asked himself.
Bakers Street was only a few miles from his school. He could go find Donna. She would help him. He should have stayed at the hospital. He should have stayed and tried to tell the doctors what had happened.
"They wouldn't believe me, why would they, no one believes what I tell them, no believed me about mom" he thought to himself as he had finally caught his breath and carried on making his way towards his school.
He heard some laughs coming from behind him. He turned his head to see who it was.
"Did you escape from the crazed people asylum" came an unfamiliar voice from an unfamiliar face.
"Who cares if he did or not, he's on our territory, and I don't like it" It was another unknown person, a rather large teenage boy. This time the boy came from in front of him.
He turned around. He wasn't afraid of them. He'd probably been through ten times worse than anything they could do to him.
"I'm just passing through to get to the school, and if you don't mind I'd like to get going" He walked forward and began to edge past the slightly larger boy. "I don't think so, little boy" he sneered.
Eric stopped. He was sick of this happening. Couldn't people just leave him alone?
"Fine, go ahead, beat the crap out of me if it'll make you happy! As you can see I'm a little used to it," he said emphasizing on all the bruises not concealed by his hospital gown, which still stained his body.
Eric didn't look threatened at all. By this time in his life he had gotten used to the pain. And he didn't care what they did to him.
The group of boys were now staring at him.
"GO ON THEN, I'M SURE IT'LL MAKE YOU FEEL BIG!"
They still just stood there, not moving, glancing at each other and then back to him.
"ISN'T THAT WHAT YOU WANTED, WHAT YOU STOPPED ME FOR!"
Eric could see they weren't going to do anything to him and began to run down the road again.
He looked back after he'd been running for a minute or two to see them still standing in the same place they were when he left.
"Hm, that was easy," he said out loud, but only to himself.
Somehow he pushed himself to keep on running until soon, he could see his school up ahead of him. He slowed down and made his way towards the path, which led to the school gates. He was almost there when a hand covered his mouth and the person in whom the hand belonged to dragged him down into a dark eerie alleyway.
He tried to squeak out a cry for help. But the hand held his lips tightly closed together. His heart began to race. He was so close. He was almost there. Eric began to kick out with his legs; it had worked with Red, maybe it would work now. The hand suddenly let go.
"Don't run," said a voice. It sounded familiar.
"I needed to say I'm sorry"
He looked up to see the boy who had stopped him not that long ago.
"You know there are easier ways to do that, like not dragging me down a dark alleyway"
"Yer, I'm sorry about that too, I wasn't thinking now or before" he paused.
He extended his hand to Eric. "My name is Daniel" he exclaimed.
Eric wouldn't shake his hand.
"That's ok, I wouldn't shake hands with me either"
Eric didn't trust this guy but for some reason he went along with the conversation anyway.
"Eric, my name's Eric" he said eyeing him wearily.
The stranger spoke again. "Listen, I really am sorry about before, it's just, well that's what me and the guys do, I felt bad, for you know..." he sort of trailed off and stared at the ground. This act was all too familiar to Eric.
"Are you ashamed?" he asked.
"What?" the older boy questioned.
"Are ashamed of what you did?"
"I guess, well I wish I hadn't threatened you"
"I...I forgive you" Eric said, trying to give Daniel a sincere smile. He didn't know why he'd said that. But he felt it was the truth.
"You do?"
Eric nodded his head. "Just promise me you wont do that to the next guy who just happens to end up on your so called territory"
Daniel smiled. "I promise"
"I still don't understand why you didn't beat me up, why instead you come after me just to apologize"
Daniel stared at the ground once more. "I don't know, like I said, I felt bad"
"Is that the only reason?" Eric asked curiously. He was starting to sound like his psychiatrist.
The brown haired teenager didn't reply at first. But then after a moment he sighed and began.
"I came after you, because...because I saw myself in you, the way I was years ago and your right, I guess it did make me feel big, feel tough, feel like I was in control..." he paused again.
"Until I began hanging out with my mates, the guys, I felt like I was always being controlled, never my own person. I guess I went the wrong way about trying to get that control, I didn't have it, I never had it"
He stopped and Eric saw something he didn't expect to see, not from this young man, this young man who looked too tough to do what he was doing at this precise moment. Eric noticed he had tears forming in his eyes.
"I don't know who did what ever they did to you, but I do know that now I'm not alone, I didn't think there was anyone who felt the same kind of pain, the same kind of pain that I feel"
He looked at Eric again.
"Who's handprint is that?" he asked rubbing his arms like it were he who had suffered the bruises which Red had conflicted upon Eric's arm.
Eric looked down at his arm and at Red's handprint.
He didn't know why but he felt he should tell this stranger, this boy who not more than an hour ago had threatened him.
"My father" he replied, distancing himself from Daniel.
Daniel began to pull up his sleeve. He came slightly closer to Eric so he could see the large angry bruise, which stretched across his arm. Eric's eyes widened.
"Fathers hey, can't live with them, can live without em"
Eric still stared at his arm speechless.
"You're not alone Eric" he said smiling. "You're not alone"
Well tell me if you like this and want me to continue! Or if there are any mistakes which you think you can correct, your reviews are very important to me, so please just be bothered to click that little button named 'Go' and review!!! Please. Cya luv Cesca, x
"Hey, kid, what ya doing under there"
"Kid"
Eric opened his eyes. He shut them instantly again as the light radiating from the room reflected into them.
"Wha...what happened?"
"You tell me kid, you're the one sleeping under a hospital bed"
He tried opening his eyes again, only slower. There was a man in front of him, probably in his early forties. He had a short gray beard and longish kind of hair. He wore dirty overalls and there was a mop and bucket leaning on the side of the doorframe behind him.
"You're...you're the cleaner guy"
"If you say so", he replied.
"It's not good to sleep under your bed you know"
"I wasn't, I mean I was in my bed, I was having a nightmare and then..." Eric stopped in the middle of what he was saying.
He looked down at himself. Looking for any signs that last night hadn't just been a dream. There were no new bruises, no new cuts. But then he suddenly noticed something. Something, which made him gasp with panic. Right there imprinted on his arm was five marks in the shape of fingerprints!
"No, it can't be" he whispered to himself.
"What's wrong kid?" asked the bearded stranger.
"I...I need to get out of here, it's not safe, it's not safe..." and with that he jumped out from under the bed and began to run.
He could hear the sound of the cleaner's voice echo after him to stop, but he didn't care. He had to get out of there.
He ran and he ran until he found the exit of the hospital and then he ran some more. He didn't stop until he could run no more. He breathed heavily, and rested his hands on his knees as he panted loudly.
He looked around him. The hospital was nowhere in sight. He knew where he was though. He was on baker's street. What a place for him to stop on. This place was known for its gangs of ruffians and drug dealers. He stuck out like a sore thumb. Still wearing his light blue hospital gown, he looked a real mess too. His body still hadn't totally recovered from the home life he thought he had escaped.
"What am I going to do now?" he asked himself.
Bakers Street was only a few miles from his school. He could go find Donna. She would help him. He should have stayed at the hospital. He should have stayed and tried to tell the doctors what had happened.
"They wouldn't believe me, why would they, no one believes what I tell them, no believed me about mom" he thought to himself as he had finally caught his breath and carried on making his way towards his school.
He heard some laughs coming from behind him. He turned his head to see who it was.
"Did you escape from the crazed people asylum" came an unfamiliar voice from an unfamiliar face.
"Who cares if he did or not, he's on our territory, and I don't like it" It was another unknown person, a rather large teenage boy. This time the boy came from in front of him.
He turned around. He wasn't afraid of them. He'd probably been through ten times worse than anything they could do to him.
"I'm just passing through to get to the school, and if you don't mind I'd like to get going" He walked forward and began to edge past the slightly larger boy. "I don't think so, little boy" he sneered.
Eric stopped. He was sick of this happening. Couldn't people just leave him alone?
"Fine, go ahead, beat the crap out of me if it'll make you happy! As you can see I'm a little used to it," he said emphasizing on all the bruises not concealed by his hospital gown, which still stained his body.
Eric didn't look threatened at all. By this time in his life he had gotten used to the pain. And he didn't care what they did to him.
The group of boys were now staring at him.
"GO ON THEN, I'M SURE IT'LL MAKE YOU FEEL BIG!"
They still just stood there, not moving, glancing at each other and then back to him.
"ISN'T THAT WHAT YOU WANTED, WHAT YOU STOPPED ME FOR!"
Eric could see they weren't going to do anything to him and began to run down the road again.
He looked back after he'd been running for a minute or two to see them still standing in the same place they were when he left.
"Hm, that was easy," he said out loud, but only to himself.
Somehow he pushed himself to keep on running until soon, he could see his school up ahead of him. He slowed down and made his way towards the path, which led to the school gates. He was almost there when a hand covered his mouth and the person in whom the hand belonged to dragged him down into a dark eerie alleyway.
He tried to squeak out a cry for help. But the hand held his lips tightly closed together. His heart began to race. He was so close. He was almost there. Eric began to kick out with his legs; it had worked with Red, maybe it would work now. The hand suddenly let go.
"Don't run," said a voice. It sounded familiar.
"I needed to say I'm sorry"
He looked up to see the boy who had stopped him not that long ago.
"You know there are easier ways to do that, like not dragging me down a dark alleyway"
"Yer, I'm sorry about that too, I wasn't thinking now or before" he paused.
He extended his hand to Eric. "My name is Daniel" he exclaimed.
Eric wouldn't shake his hand.
"That's ok, I wouldn't shake hands with me either"
Eric didn't trust this guy but for some reason he went along with the conversation anyway.
"Eric, my name's Eric" he said eyeing him wearily.
The stranger spoke again. "Listen, I really am sorry about before, it's just, well that's what me and the guys do, I felt bad, for you know..." he sort of trailed off and stared at the ground. This act was all too familiar to Eric.
"Are you ashamed?" he asked.
"What?" the older boy questioned.
"Are ashamed of what you did?"
"I guess, well I wish I hadn't threatened you"
"I...I forgive you" Eric said, trying to give Daniel a sincere smile. He didn't know why he'd said that. But he felt it was the truth.
"You do?"
Eric nodded his head. "Just promise me you wont do that to the next guy who just happens to end up on your so called territory"
Daniel smiled. "I promise"
"I still don't understand why you didn't beat me up, why instead you come after me just to apologize"
Daniel stared at the ground once more. "I don't know, like I said, I felt bad"
"Is that the only reason?" Eric asked curiously. He was starting to sound like his psychiatrist.
The brown haired teenager didn't reply at first. But then after a moment he sighed and began.
"I came after you, because...because I saw myself in you, the way I was years ago and your right, I guess it did make me feel big, feel tough, feel like I was in control..." he paused again.
"Until I began hanging out with my mates, the guys, I felt like I was always being controlled, never my own person. I guess I went the wrong way about trying to get that control, I didn't have it, I never had it"
He stopped and Eric saw something he didn't expect to see, not from this young man, this young man who looked too tough to do what he was doing at this precise moment. Eric noticed he had tears forming in his eyes.
"I don't know who did what ever they did to you, but I do know that now I'm not alone, I didn't think there was anyone who felt the same kind of pain, the same kind of pain that I feel"
He looked at Eric again.
"Who's handprint is that?" he asked rubbing his arms like it were he who had suffered the bruises which Red had conflicted upon Eric's arm.
Eric looked down at his arm and at Red's handprint.
He didn't know why but he felt he should tell this stranger, this boy who not more than an hour ago had threatened him.
"My father" he replied, distancing himself from Daniel.
Daniel began to pull up his sleeve. He came slightly closer to Eric so he could see the large angry bruise, which stretched across his arm. Eric's eyes widened.
"Fathers hey, can't live with them, can live without em"
Eric still stared at his arm speechless.
"You're not alone Eric" he said smiling. "You're not alone"
Well tell me if you like this and want me to continue! Or if there are any mistakes which you think you can correct, your reviews are very important to me, so please just be bothered to click that little button named 'Go' and review!!! Please. Cya luv Cesca, x