Chapter 16.

"You fucking bastard!" Maria was merciless. It was as though all the rage she had ever experienced in life was thrown down on Rocky as she kicked him wherever her feet landed. In the ribs, in the gut- everywhere. The demented girl was shouting profanities out the ass. She didn't even seem to be talking to Rocky, her words seemed to belong to someone else's ears.

"Ooof!" Rocky scrunched into a ball, holding tightly to his bare stomach, his clothes long since ripped off of him when they were outside returning to the prison of a home, bits of his skin had gone with it because of her long finger nails piercing his skin. Blood dripped from his mouth after he had been kicked in the stomach one last time.

"You're such a fucking liar!" The girl spat. "I give you ever goddamned thing I have and all you do is defy me!" She kicked him again.

He definitely heard a snap after that one. He had broken a rib. The pain was eating his side now and Rocky just wished the beating would end. "Maria I..."

"Did I say you could speak slaaaave!" The girl grabbed a chunk of his hair and smashing her face into his she screamed.

"I'm sor-..."

"SHUT UUUUP!" She slammed Rocky's head onto the cold hard floor of his cell. She had dragged him back to her place, literally, kicking and screaming.

No one seemed to hear him, and if they did they ignored it. Just as they seemed to ignore his silent pleas for help his entire life. Was it true? Could it be true that no one cared about him but his family? But if they cared, than where are they now? While he's in this mess... Are they looking for him at all?

"Knock it off!" Rocky yelled from Sam's mind.

Maria paused her beating for a moment, but then continued. Her fist balling up, she punched Rocky in the face. It had been like this for, as far as Rocky could feel, a solid hour.

"I said STOP IT!" He shouted again.

Maria was tossed across the room. It only seemed to fuel her fire. "You dare... use your power against me?" She stood from where she landed. "Than let's see how much fun you have... alone... wondering when someone will come to save you. I guarantee that you'll be coming upstairs to me when you realize that I'm all you have, and always have been." Titling her head back the girl began to laugh. It was throaty as though it weren't her own.

Rocky heard the rattling sound before he felt the chains clamp onto his ankles and wrist. He was dragged across the floor, the flesh from his shoulder, hip and buttocks tearing in the process. He cried out in pain but said nothing to the girl who, after latching him to the bed, was departing the cell. Maria left the door open, both of them. But she turned out the lights. Even the orange one that kept him company in the hall way.

"HEEEELP MEEEEEE!" He was stuck to the bed. Chained from arms to feet at the head boards. Naked, and exposed to the world, a world that never looked in on him in the first place. If they could see him now, they would laugh. They would laugh long and hard. "HEEEELP!" He turned his head to the side coughing on the blood that had tried going down his throat. Opening his mouth, he let it drain onto the pillow beside him. "...Somebody please... help me..."

Robbie was in a cab now watching the scenery go by. Canada was no colder than he'd expect it to be, and he was glad be brought his larger coat. He was almost about to snap at the driver to go faster when he saw a road block up ahead.

"Fuck." He muttered.

"It's happening all over the place." The driver said, chewing on a piece of, what looked to be a plastic straw. "There's a blizzard coming in. They've been shutting down roads left and right. I doubt we'll be able to get very far from here, you want me to take you to a hotel or someplace?"

Robbie almost thought about just walking to his aunts house. But he knew that would get him nowhere. "Ummm, what about someplace with a phone. Do you know anywhere?"

"There's a diner not far from here. How 'bout that? I could even wait outside for you."

Robbie smiled at the man through the rear view mirror. But he shook his head. "No thanks. I think I can take it from here, I came to see my aunt- in fact..." He reached into his pocket. "Maybe you can help me with something. You must see a lot that goes on here, so," leaning over the chair, he showed the driver a mini picture of Rocky. "Have you seen this boy? His name is Sam, but he also goes by Rocky?"

"That boy?" The man took the picture looking it over. "Naaah, can't say that I have."

"Are you sure? Here," he flipped on the over head light. "It's kind of dark in here, get a good look at him."

The man looked at the picture again. "I'm pretty sure, I've never seen him... Trust me, with eyes like that if I did see him I'd look the other way." He handed the picture back.

"Eyes like what?" Robbie looked down at the picture. The driver was right, regardless the smile that looked to be vibrant and happy, Rocky's eyes looked cold and distant.

"He your friend or something? He run away?" The man ran a hand through his dark hair. His blue eyes stayed on Robbie in the rear view.

"He was... well, we- me and his parents think he may have been kidnapped or something. He just turned up missing about two weeks ago."

"Two weeks?" The man let out a sound of disbelief. "In my old neighborhood if someone is missing for that long they're either dead... or they don't wanna be found."

The car wheeled over to a diner then parked. Looking into the back seat, the man frowned. "You sure you don't want me to wait out here for you."

"Yeah, I'm sure. My aunt lives somewhere around here. I'll find it." Getting out of the car, Robbie thanked the man and paid him his cab fair. Hoisting his bag around his shoulders he walked into the diner. The cabby looked after him a moment, but eventually drove away slowly down the road. It was pushing 6 in the morning now. Robbie hadn't had a thing to eat since he left so he was glad that he had spotted a diner and that it was open this time of day.

The mixed group of people looked Robbie over before going back to their own business. The woman behind the counter gave him a warm smile and took out her note pad as he approached the counter.

"Hey cutie, what can I get you?"" She asked. A pencil was slid from her blonde bun of hair.

Robbie looked her over wondering how old she was to still look that adorable. But her blond hair somehow managed to remind him of Rocky and it only made him sad again. Usually he would flirt the pants off a girl this cute. But right now, he just felt like throwing up.

"What's the matter, hun'?" She asked. Her voice was full of concern for someone she didn't even know. But it was early and there were a ton of stiffs in the room. It was probably just good entertainment to hear about someone's problems.

Robbie took the cup of offered coffee from her, thanking her with his eyes. "Jeanie," he read from her tag. Sighing into his cup he spoke again. "I lost someone, who I didn't even know would mean this much to me... He's been missing for two weeks now and... If this fails, I don't know if I'll ever get him back." The sad eyes of his reflection glared back at him.

"Shoot." Jeanie sympathized. "Well, what's he look like, maybe I've seen him?"

Taking out the picture for a second time, he shoved it across the counter as though it were made of fine glass. "His name is Sam, but he also goes by Rocky. Maybe he came in here? I mean- it seems unlikely that he'd be out of state but... you just never know."

The woman looked long and hard at the picture, a lot harder than the cabby did. Jeanie stared into the boys face, seeing maybe someone she knew that was missing, or thinking of someone she loves that could be missing and a tear fell from her eye.

"Miss?" Robbie held her hand.

"Honey, I tell you... I haven't seen this boy but... he makes me sad looking at him." Handing the picture back, Jeanie wipes her tears with the back of her hand. "It breaks my heart to see such a bright looking boy turn up missing." Looking Robbie in the eyes, she nods. "Where you from?"

"Originally, I'm from here. But my family moved to Connecticut long ago... But I live in L.A. now, which is where I met Rocky."

"So you're friends from the city." She continued composing herself as she spoke.

"Yeah, born and raised there he told me." Robbie looked at the picture one last time before stuffing it back into his pocket.

"Hmm, well... All I can say is I'll keep an eye out for him."

"Thank you..." He took another sip from his hot coffee. It felt nice, it woke him up making him feel more alert. "May I put up some posters in the windows. Just incase."

"Oh sure!" She waved him on.

"Because his father said that he'd see to it that commercials ran in every state but I haven't seen any so far." The brunette was getting up from his seat.

"Oh, I'm happy to help you."

Nodding, Robbie thanked then walked to the windows at the front of the diner. Opening his back pack, he fished out ten of them, placing them all a good enough distance from the others so that they were seen, not ignored. "Thank you Miss Jeanie." He waved to her before exiting.

"Your welcome honey. I hope you find your friend."

So do I. Thought the boy. He pushed the door open, rubbing his arms from the cold. He was beginning to wonder if this coat was warm enough for the blizzard that was coming in. It didn't matter. He would soon be at his aunts place and surely she'd let him stay there.

"Better get moving then."

Back in L.A.

An officer that took the high way patrol road past the store a fifth time that morning. He was sure that no one was in the store right now. He had seen that car parked outside of the place every day and every night for two weeks. Now unless someone stole the thing, someone who worked at the Price Right, was stealing supplies early in the morning and trying to get away with it.

Pulling his car into the lot the man wheeled his car up next to the vehicle. It looked kind of creepy up close, kind of like it had been abandoned or something. But this was no time to lose his nerve. Besides, he didn't believe in such things to make him scared. Maybe it was because the car had a bad aura around it? He believed in bad karma, that junk stuck to everything.

The car parked behind the one in the lot. He frowned and stared at it. Yup, definitely bad karma. Staying inside his car, the man picked up his radio and beeped the station. "I'd like to report a car parked illegally at a store lot, maybe someone could come out and tow it. License reads, 111 SRD. I'm by the Price Right store."

There was silence for a moment. Then static as the man replied. "Could you read the plate over again?"

"111 SRD. Location, Price Right."

"We'll be right there. Officer Mayfield don't let that car out of your sight, we're sending forensics to check it out."

"Forensics?" The man asked confused. What was needed to be looked at. Besides the bad vibes it was giving off, it seemed like any normal car to him.

"Officer Mayfield, you may be entitled to a promotion for this find."

The man smiled at that. He knew one day his time would come when he became more than just a patrol officer. His ship has finally sailed. "Thanks Banks. Over." Hanging up his phone, Officer Mayfield looked over the once spooky parked car. It now looked like a golden four wheeled badge of recognition. And he couldn't wait to cash in.

"111 SRD, I don't know what makes you so special, but I'm glad I found you."

Robbie walked up to his aunts house. A chill ran down his spine. The large place always used to scare him as a kid. It was too tall for one, to forbidding. There was no friendly atmosphere around it at all. How could such a sweet woman live in such a spooky looking place? It had once belonged to a man who was obsessed with the thoughts that the world was coming to an end. The man had a bomb shelter built underneath the place, right under ground!

He and his cousin were horrified to go down there whenever he visited. Coren said it was waay to scary for her and Robbie, being as young as he was believed there to be monsters down there. It was insane to begin with. With the weather conditions, it must be freezing down there. For that guy to fear the end of the world, he sure wasn't thinking. But aunt Marissa had kept the doors locked anyway, so even if they wanted to, they couldn't explore below the house.

The rest of the home was gorgeous. It looked like an old Italian home, with it window doors that latched from the inside, and its cozy little fire place. He liked that much. And his aunt always kept it warm.

Pressing the door bell, it chimed through the silent morning. No company but the biting wind outside. It took a moment, but a very bitter tone came through the door.

"Who is it!" It called.

That didn't sound like his aunt. Though, he had never heard her upset before, so who knew. "Uh... It's me... Aunt Marissa... Your nephew Robbie." Silence. "Aunt Marissa!" More silence.

After a moment, the door creaked open, and a busty dark haired woman stood infront of the door. Her cold icy eyes looked down at her nephew with both confusion and... anger? Couldn't be.

"Robert sweetie, its so nice to see you... why don't you come in..." She stepped aside for the boy.

His aunt was acting strangely, but he figured it was the cold weather, and the blizzard coming in. It would make anyone nuts. Not to mention he had probably just woken her up. But he couldn't help but feel something tingle in the air as the door closed behind him.

Thump.