Hey everyone, me again! Thanks for all your great reveiws - and what did I say about making me feel guilty? No more pleading looks! Umm, ok the person that read this through for me said I should give people a warning. Warning: this chapter contains domestic violence and nasty bits. Just thought you might want to know. And how I've left this chappie... please don't kill me! Love you! Here's chapter 13 - it's getting worse!
They froze at the sound of the engine.
"Come on." Filled with fear they tried to hurry Hunter up, but his legs were too stiff and cramped as well as beaten. He couldn't go any faster.
"Maggie, stay back," came Phil's voice from the hall. "There's someone here."
They heard him go into the kitchen before approaching the stairs to the basement. Phil hit a switch outside the open door which Tori and Blake had not seen. The basement was flooded with a bright light that made them shield their eyes.
"What the hell is going on?" Phil asked, his voice steady but with a menacing undertone to it.
The three of them froze.
"I asked a question. I expect an answer." Phil said evenly.
Something in Blake snapped. "We came to rescue Hunter. No one should treat a dog like the way you've been treating him," he yelled at Phil.
There was a flash of anger across Phil's face and in a second he was right in front of them. There was murder in his eyes. Hunter saw it.
"Please, don't hurt them," he said quickly. "It was my fault. I asked them to come…" he knew as soon as the words were out of his mouth that he was going to suffer for them but he didn't care. He couldn't let anyone hurt Blake.
Phil stared at him. "Liar." he said, quietly at first, then yelling it. Hunter tried to take a step back, but Phil gave him a helping shove before he could find a stable place to put his foot. He fell backwards, cracking his head off the stone stairs on the way down. He heard Tori scream. He lay at the bottom, stunned, but only for a few seconds as Tori screamed again. Hunter got up slowly, his head spinning. He gingerly felt the back of it with tips of his fingers. They came away red with blood.
"Leave them alone." he yelled up to where Phil had raised a fist at Tori. To his surprise, Phil did stop. Suddenly Phil was down the remaining stairs and right in front of Hunter. Tori and Blake saw him punch Hunter in the side. Hunter's eyes widened in shock and he turned pale – it was only when Phil drew back his arm that they saw the fist had a now-bloody knife in it. Hunter staggered back, clutching his left side. Blood seeped between his fingers. He leaned against the wall, the room blurring in front of his eyes.
"That'll teach you to lie to me." Phil growled.
"No!" Blake made to run down to his brother, but Tori grabbed him, her own eyes wide with fright.
"No Blake," she said. Her hands were shaking.
Phil turned to them, the knife still in his hand dripping blood, Hunter's blood, onto the dirty basement floor.
"Come on, please," she almost begged Blake, who was standing there staring at his brother.
Hunter, scared that Blake would do something stupid, gathered together the remains of his strength and stood up away from the wall. He forced himself to walk over to the bottom of the stairs.
"I'll be fine," he told them through gritted teeth. "Just go. I don't want you to get hurt for me."
Blake looked at him. Hunter, biting his lip, nodded. "Go, I'll be fine," he repeated.
Tori, pulling Blake slightly behind her, gave Hunter a weak smile and walked up the stairs. Blake reluctantly followed.
Phil pushed past Hunter and followed them up the stairs.
"Don't hurt them," his voice was barely whisper. Phil gave no indication that he had heard.
Hunter stood there until they were out of sight, then his strength failed him. He'd lost a lot of blood, and on top of that he'd had no food or water for almost a day. His legs gave way and, still clutching the bleeding wound in his side, he collapsed onto the dirty floor.
Phil followed Tori and Blake up the stairs and into the hallway.
"Hold it there," he said.
They slowly turned to face him.
"If you breathe a word of this to anyone, your friend down there is as good as dead. Y'hear?"
Shaking and pale, they both nodded. Even Blake wasn't going to argue with him at that moment.
"Now clear off. I don't want to see your faces around here again."
Once Tori and Blake were clear of the house they broke into a run. They were late for training, but both of them knew that after what they had to say, training would be forgotten.
Phil made his way back down to the basement. Hunter was in a barely-conscious heap at the bottom of the stair. His eyes were only slits and the blood had formed a puddle where he lay. Phil rolled him onto his back.
"Maggie." he called up the stairs. "Get me the emergency kit will ya?" Hunter's breathing was shallow and ragged and his skin was cold and clammy. Phil ripped Hunter's shirt away from the wound and inspected it with practiced hands. It wasn't deep, but it was bleeding heavily. Maggie came down with the emergency kit and some rags. She knew what to do. This wasn't the first time something like this had happened. Phil nodded and told her to go and get the dinner ready. Not even bothering to clean the wound, Phil stuffed some rags into it and then bandaged it shut. Hunter moaned and stirred slightly.
"Water," he croaked.
Phil stood and dragged him to a corner where a thin mattress had been put and dumped him on it. "I'll leave you to the monsters," he hissed, before he walking up the stairs, turning off the light, and locking the door.
Hunter lay alone in the dark, shivering and shaking, lost in his own private nightmare until finally all consciousness was lost……
