Chapter 6:

Zack froze. They took him? Who did? Where was Cody?

"Drew and the rest of them. I don't know. I'm s…so…" Tapeworm coughed hoarsely, more blood coming from out of his mouth. "I'm sorr…sorry," he managed to gasp. "I… I couldn't… stop…th-them…" He coughed weakly, his coughs turning to soft whimpers.

Zack felt his body come alive again. He had thought there was so much worse. But how could they come? he tried reminding himself. They're in jail. The both of them. They're not going to hurt Cody again.

But someone else already had.

Zack thought back about how much he had hated Drew—ever since he was twelve. Three years of hate.

After Cody had disappeared, Zack realized how mean Drew had always been to his brother. So he hated him—mainly to take his mind off the fact that Cody was gone.

It seemed just like Drew to do something like this.

Attack Tapeworm—who everybody knew would not hurt anybody or anything, including mosquitoes and ants—and take Cody—someone completely vulnerable. Zack was going to kill him.

But first he had to take care of Tapeworm.

Draping one of Tapeworm's arms over his shoulder, Zack pulled him up to his feet, trying not to hurt him. He wasn't successful, seeing that Tapeworm let out a small yelp of pain.

"Come on, buddy," Zack said, pulling Tapeworm upright, which was rather hard, seeing that Tapeworm was quite a bit taller than him.

Together, they managed to limp to the office, where a nurse bustled out and immediately started seeing to Tapeworm. Zack left as they called an ambulance.

Tapeworm would be alright. But what about Cody?

xxx

Zack ran as fast as he could. Out near the football field—that's where Drew always was.

He reached an empty field—the only thing new was the grass stains on his sneakers. Oh God, where could they be? If they weren't here, he didn't know where they were.

"Darn it!" he yelled, kicking the football shed—a metal shack where all the supplies were kept. "Cody, where are you?"

He turned to leave, but heard a small whimper from inside the shed. Oh God, this could not be good.

He ran around to the front of the shed, trying to pull the knob open. Shoot! What was this?

The handle, a cheap rusty metal wire, was tied around it. Zack tried to pull it apart, but Drew and his friends had managed to smash it together so that it was almost impossible to open.

"Cody?" Zack asked. He heard a small groan. "Cody, I'm going to knock this door down, ok? I want you to move over where it won't hit you, ok Cody?"

If Cody had heard, there was no answer.

"Ok, Cody. I'm going to hit it now," Zack backed up and ran as fast as he could. Gathering speed, he managed to collide with the rusty metal door, managing to open it a pretty significant distance. As the coach would say, "Zack you should have tried out for football."

He kicked the door hard—the wire handle breaking. He ran in to find his twin, bound and gagged, trembling, with a trickle of blood coming from his forehead.

"Oh God, Cody."

It wasn't the pain that bugged Zack. It wasn't the blood. It wasn't even the crude gag made out of duct tape and the dirty rope that bound Cody's hands and feet. It wasn't the dirty dog chain that was tied to his neck that made him gasp for breath. It was the defeated look in Cody's eyes—the look that Zack had been trying to erase for the last couple of days.

And it was back.

Before Zack knew what he was doing, he was running over to his brother, sobbing and choking through his tears, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

He managed to pull off the dog chain which had formed bloody bruises around Cody's neck, watching Cody's eyes arise in panic.

"It's ok," he whispered, and he managed to take it off as gently as he could.

He took off the piece of duct tape. He untied the ropes and then grasped Cody and brought him close to his chest. "I'm sorry Cody. I'm so sorry."

Cody was shaking uncontrollably, grabbing frantically onto Zack's shoulders as if he couldn't believe he was there. "You promised Zack, you promised."

Zack raised his brother's chin with one hand, trying to meet Cody's eyes. Cody glanced down. "I know Cody. I'm sorry."

xxx

"HOW COULD YOU LET THAT HAPPEN?" Carey was yelling at Zack, who was standing still in the middle of the room.

"I told you, Mom, I didn't mean for that to happen! I had to go to the bathroom so I had to ask Tapeworm--"

"Why did you ask Tapeworm? I told you NOT to let him out of your sight!"

"I told you Mom, I'm sorry, ok? There's nothing I can do about it!"

"You should have watched him!"

"How many times do I have to say sorry, Mom? You think I wanted him to get hurt? I love him Mom, I love him! I didn't want that to happen!"

"Well, you sure let it happen," said Carey, wiping a tear from her eye. She turned around angrily, "You could have stopped it!"

"How was I supposed to know Mom? You think I thought that if I went to the bathroom that this would happen? If I had known, I'd never go to the bathroom again—my God, Mom, I would have peed in my pants if I'd known! I didn't want this!"

"Stop trying to defend yourself!" yelled Carey. "It's your fault!"

"No it's not!" Zack was shouting back. "It's not! Life was so much easier before Cody came back! It was so much better!"

"Don't you DARE say that!"

"It's the truth Mom! It was! Life was so much easier and better! I wish he'd never come back! He's only brought us pain and hardship!" Zack panted, breathing hard. Then he realized the extent of what he had said.

"Oh God, no."

He turned around to see a horrified looking Cody standing in the doorway of the twins' shared room, the bruises that decorated his face and the fragileness of his frame. His eyes were suddenly lifeless. Cody's lip trembled and he turned to run away, tears already coursing their way down his cheeks.

"Oh God. Oh no. Please don't think that Cody. I didn't mean it! I didn't mean it!"

It was too late. Cody was gone—hiding in that place where nobody could hurt him—inside himself. He had closed himself off to Zack, off to everyone… afraid to be hurt again.

Sort of lame. Sorry.

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