Fighting for Survival

By Samantha Tragedy

Chapter 4 This time

A/N I don't own. Don't sue. Sorry it took so long but look! you know who called and it's longer and i will update again next weekend!

"Dad! Please tell me what happened! Tell me who called!" Seth was frustrated with everyone. He wanted his brother back. Ryan had been gone now for almost 16 hours and no one had seen or heard from him.

"Seth, I-" Sandy was cut off by the ringing of his phone. Seth sighed in annoyance as the ever present ring tone. Sandy held up his hand, telling Seth to be patent. However, patience is not one of Seth's strong pionts. He was on the way out the door to head to Summer's so they could go looking looking together when he heard-

"What? You saw him? Where?" Seth came running back into the kitchen.

"Okay...Yes, thank you so much. I really appriate it." Sandy hung up the phone and Seth looked at him expactantly.

"So?"

"Someone said they spotted him."

"Well, that's great! Where is he?"

"On a bus headed for Atlanta."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Well, if he's not there yet than you can get to him right? You can have a cop meet him before he gets off?"

"Seth. It's just not that simple. Plus he does not need to be in Atlanta right now. Or anywhere else near there for that matter."

"Why?" Seth asked curious of what his dad was still hiding. "That's where Theresa is. At least you'd know he was safe and not going somewhere dangerous."

"Seth, Theresa's not in Atlanta any more."

"What? Why not? Where the hell is she?"

"Seth. Language please."

"Dad! Tell me what your hiding!"

"Seth, Theresa died yesterday okay."

"What?"

"Yea, a drug overdose."

"Oh my God."

"That's not all. They found a suicide note. In it she said she was sorry for lying to Ryan about the baby. It said the baby was somewhere safe now. Where no one could ever hurt him."

"Oh my God. Dad. This is going to kill him."

"I know Seth, I know."

Ryan sat on a bench lost inhis thoughts. He couldn't believe it. There was just no way.

The Cohens actually cared about him. He had seen the news last night. It was now 10 am. The report had said that he was a runaway and a possible danger to himself. Well, that was definatly true at the moment. He had definatly put himself in danger coming back here.

He had bought the ticket for Atlanta but then realized he didn't even know how to find Theresa once he got there. He got off the bus and went for Chino instead. He was on his way to Theresa's old house right now. Hoping maybe her mom would be there and she could tell him how to reach Theresa.

"Well, well, well. Who do we have here?" Ryan turned around slowly reconizing the voice the moment he heard it. oh God no! please no!

"Tell me Ryan, how are the rich people treatin' ya?" It was AJ his mothers boyfriend. Shit. he had to get out of there. He turned to run but AJ, suspecting he was going to. grabbed him around the middle and punched him in the face. Hard.

Ryan, unprepared for the blow, fell to the ground with a sickining crack when his head met concrete. AJ kicked Ryan in the stomach repeatedly until he was positive he had broken a good number of ribs. The he went got in a few more good punchs in to Ryan's face before leaning down to talk to him.

"That's for leaving your mother you worthless piece of shit" Ryan was so out of it by this time his words barely registered.

He watched as AJ slowly walked away. Lying there for a good twenty minutes to make sure he wasn't coming back. He knew he had to get to a phone. But he was afraid to move. Afraid the one of his painfully broken ribs might puncture a lung if it hadn't already.

He tried to get up but when he stood he felt dizzy imediatly and feel to the ground, his head hitting the pavement once again. But this time he lost consiousness. This time he didn't wake up. This time no one was there to help him. This time he was all on his own. For good.