Chapter One: Unexpected Rescue
"I'm gonna go and get us something to eat, so you're in charge till I get back, Peter. Stop giving me that look, Kaylin," Madison said, not even glancing at her younger sister while retrieving two twenties from the dipper bag, but knowing the look on her face. "He's older."
"By two bloody minutes!"
"Not the point," she said firmly, shoving the bills into her pocket before looking Kaylin in the eye. They had hitchhiked to and had been roaming the city for almost two weeks now because finding a safe place to hide five kids wasn't easy. They refused to go to CPS because they would more than likely be separated. They knew there were cases were people took in whole families of children but there were just as many cases where the foster homes turn out as bad if not worse than the actual home. Madison was not willing to risk that.
They couldn't go to a safe house because the house would call CPS and it wasn't like they had any real friends, nor could they go to a neighbor's house. Their father was too well known and liked all throughout out the state to prevent him from getting them back. That was what seriously baffled Madison. How could anyone with two eyes not see what an ass their father was? The massive amounts of bruises and cuts weren't proof enough? Madison had tried a few times to get people to believe her but they would always just sadly patted her shoulder, shook their head and said something to the effect of "Of course dear, of course." Then they would call her father who would immediately rush over to get her, because he was of course extremely concerned about where his beloved daughter had been.
"She's just still so upset about losing Leyla," he would say, placing a dominating hand on her shoulder and arm. He would usher her to the car, and put her in. She would hear him explain to the neighbor how worried he was because they had stopped eating and now she was creating these wild stories about him hurting her. "I know she misses her mother but I am really starting to worry about these bruises I'm finding on her…." The neighbor would just put a hand on his shoulder and give him some encouraging words and tell him to take care of the kids. Oh he would take care of them alright… the second the front door closed every time he brought her back he would take care of them real good.
Sure outside of the house he was all smiles and laughs, and nauseatingly bragged nonstop about his children. Their father was the ultimate neighborhood nice guy. People at work loved him even more than the neighbors. He was a big hit at the neighbor's BBQ's with his magic tricks and was never known to turn a "friend" down for a loan. Lovely; every Tom, Dick and Harry could borrow a couple hundred bucks to pay for their car to get fixed but he couldn't spend $20.00 on groceries for his own children. He had friends all over the state; even here in New York but at least here they would be less likely to be caught because of it being such a big town.
And yet still Madison was not willing to risk it so she did not sneak out during the main day light hours to get food. They stuck to the allies during the day and the streets during the night, sleeping where ever they could find some place relatively safe. They had been able to extract about four thousand dollars from their father's account (yay for deserted ATMs!) before destroying the card and, thanks to 8 percent interest rates; they emptied Madison's account of another $3,950.
Madison frowned and sighed at the annoyed and angry look on Kaylin's face, "Peter is the man of the family now, Kay, and whether you want to admit it or not, a little bit more capable of protecting you guys. It's not that you're a weak wall flower and you know that is not what I meant. I need you to watch over Brian and Molly and I need Peter to watch over you ok? That is what brothers do." Seeing her words were falling on deaf ears Madison sighed and placed her hands on Kaylin's shoulders. "Please, Kaylin; I need you to watch over the little kids. Let Peter worry about everything else. Ok? Please, Kay? For me?"
"Fine," Kaylin didn't sound happy but Madison knew that she would do as she asked.
"Thank you," Madison gave a quick kiss and hug to each sibling, and promised to be back just after dusk. She left the ally to search for a near by grocery store or deli. They hadn't eaten since yesterday morning so they were more than entitled to a good meal. Not to mention Brain was running low on diapers. Madison wrinkled her nose; diapers were of top priority when thinking about the alternative.
Madison soon made her way back to the ally with her treasures in hand. Two sacks filled with deli sandwiches, bottled waters, a pack of diapers and several jars of baby food. And for a special treat a case of grape soda and a box of chocolate chip cookies. They should have enough food for at least two days. Madison smiled as she thought of the look on her brothers' and sisters' faces when she showed them the cookies and soda. It was just past dusk when Madison entered the ally. She frowned when no one answered her. Madison knew that she had told them to hide if they heard someone come down the ally but she had called them so they should have known it was ok to come out.
"Peter? Kaylin?" she called again, moving further into the darkness. "Molly? Guys, where are you? This is not funny anymore."
Madison heard a groan behind a dumpster. She quickly went over in hopes to find her siblings but only saw the moving form a punk who looked like he'd had his ass whipped real good. She dropped her bags and grabbed the man by his shirt collar, hoisted him up and slammed him up against the brick wall he had been leaning up against, her underestimated strength and pure adrenaline working in her advantage.
"Who are you?"
"Someone you shouldn't mess with, Bitch," he shot. She rolled her eyes. Like he could do anything to her in his current state. Madison eyed him carefully, finally settling on dragon shaped tattoo on his collar bone. Her eyes grew large; she knew that symbol. She slammed him again.
"Where are my brothers and sisters!" she snarled.
"Wouldn't you like to know," he grinned with a mocking cruelty.
Madison figured that a direct approach would be a better way of getting the information she needed. She proceeded to swiftly and roughly bring her knee cap to the man's groin twice, causing him to buckle over in pain.
"The freaks took 'em!" he gasped through uneasy breaths. "You'd think it would have been easier to rip off a couple of kids."
"What freaks!" Madison's eye blazed with fury as she slammed him back against to wall, "If they are hurt I swear…"
"Lady, you'd better worry more about yourself gettin' hurt," a cold voice sneered behind her.
Madison turned around to face three more men standing behind her. They also all looked as though they had had a thorough beating but were obviously better off. Purple dragons were tattooed to various parts of them. She released her victim, letting him crumple to the ground in pain from her blows, and faced the three new comers. Her green eyes narrowed at them.
She looked at them coldly and said in a frigid calmness, "I don't suppose you have seen four children wondering around?"
"Four, eh?" the largest man grinned wickedly at her. "Ain't those the brats we tried pickin' up an hour ago?"
Madison's mind started racing. Picked up? An hour ago? Damn!
"Where are they?" she asked even colder, her eyes promising death to anyone who had the unfortunate of messing with her.
"Our friendly neighborhood freaks took 'em," he sneered. "Don't know where. They'll probably make short work of the two little punks but I wouldn't be surprised if they kept the chicks around for…special personal uses. I actually wouldn't of minded a go with that little blonde chick…"
Madison lost all sense of reasoning right then and there as she lunged at the sneering son of a bitch and landed a solid punch on his face, sending him stumbling backwards. Madison's eyes widened as she stood in her attack pose. She just hit a psycho gang banger who could easily bench press her with one arm. Smart move… The man looked at the blood on his hand that was dripping from his nose, "Get 'er!"
A flash of her brother's and sister's faces in her mind being loaded up in a truck or something and taken away by a bunch of nuts fueled her adrenaline and fury. The two minions dove at Madison but she easily dodged them giving her a chance to get into another fighting stance, "Come on!" she shouted.
"Well lookie here boys, the little ally cat wants to fight back," the leader smirked.
The goons made another go for her but this time she landed several punches and kicks. Elbowing one in the nose, round house kicking one in the chest, and rendering the last one probably fertiless, Madison panted for breath. She had never taken on anyone let alone three at a time before, and with the fourth one starting to come around she knew crap was about to hit the fan. Damn! She swore in her mind. She had back herself into a corner too.
"Here kitty, kitty, kitty," sneered the leader.
The two lackeys grabbed and pinned Madison up against the wall as the leader advanced, cracking his knuckles.
"What do you think we should do with her?" the lackey to her right asked.
"I think we should enjoy her company a bit," the leader said. "What do you boys think?" At the jeers of his two comrades he smirked down Madison. "But first we need to teach this little hell cat some manners." He delivered a very forceful punch to Madison's gut, nearly causing her to vomit up the nothingness in her stomach. It was fallowed by several more punches and slaps. With blood gushing from her nose and lip and more cuts and bruises covering her face and body, Madison slumped forward. "Had enough?" Madison groaned in response, she couldn't even open her right eye now. "You ready to be a good girl now?"
Madison's mind jumped back into alertness at this and started thrashing the best she could as the two goons held her firmly to the wall while their leader reached for the fly of his pants. He forced Madison into a kiss but reeled back and nursed the bleeding lip she had just bitten. "Bitch!" he decked her hard across the head, rendering her almost unconscious.
"Why unbutton your pants when you have nothing to show for it?" she smirked, warily, which gained her another punch. She slumped to the ground, unable to stand. Her mind was screaming at her to stop antagonizing the walking mountain but her pure stubborn sarcasm wouldn't let her. "What? I'm sorry I just don't like women in that way. No need to get offended."
The dragon group leader looked livid as he grabbed Madison by her hoodie jacket front and hoisted her up with one arm while drawing the other arm back for a punch. "Say 'goodnight', Ally Cat"
"Goodnight, Ally Crap."
Madison's body hit the ally floor with a thud. She felt a pair of strong arms hosting her into them. Not knowing, nor caring where the arms were taking her, Madison slipped into unconsciousness with a streak of orange smeared across her vision and the sound of groans and moans of pain ringing in the back of her mind.