So, I actually really like how this story's turning out, and I've received nothing but positive feedback. I'm glad you guys are liking the story so far, and I want to thank you all for the support. It means more than I can put into words. :) Hope you guys like this chapter... Warning for swearing and physical abuse.
"Kendall, where are you? You know you can't hide from me, right? I'll find you. I always do."
Kendall ran towards his bedroom door as quietly as he could, closing the door shut and locking it, hoping that it would prevent his father from walking into the room. Trying not to panic (but failing miserably), he rushed to his closet and crawled inside, successfully hiding behind all his clothes.
The only sound he could hear at that moment was that of his labored breathing and the faint sound of his heart beating at a rapid pace against his chest. Part of him wanted to get out of there, because the confined space was making him even more anxious, and he was sure that he was in the brink of having a panic attack. However, he couldn't risk his dad finding him. He was absolutely terrified of him.
The sound of the bedroom door handle being shaken, startled him out of his thoughts. He held his breath, panic starting to build up inside him.
"Are you in there, you dirty brat?"
Kendall couldn't help the tears that started to fill his eyes at his father's words. From where he sat in the closet, he could hear the man's desperate attempts to open the door, but suddenly, everything went silent. The silence didn't last long, though, for a crash soon followed, and only seconds later, the closet door was being yanked open, revealing a very red-faced, furious Mr. Knight.
"You little—"
"Please don't hurt me, daddy! Please..." Kendall cried out, the tears now falling from his eyes and making his vision blurry. "I'll do better, I promise..."
In one swift motion, Kenneth reached forward and grabbed the small 7-year-old by his arm, harshly pulling him out of the closet. Kendall fell to the floor with a thud, sobbing loudly, the panic now taking over completely.
"You can do better than a C. What did I tell you would happen if you got anything lower than a B?" the older male questioned as he took the boy by the front of his shirt and lifted him off the ground quite easily.
"T-That I w-would regret i-it..." the blond hiccuped, shaking uncontrollably from fear. "I-I-I'm so sorry!"
"Oh, you will be sorry," the older man snarled as he started to shake Kendall vigorously, proceeding to throw him on the bed. "Take off your shirt."
"N-No!" Kendall started hyperventilating—air didn't seem to fill his lungs. Everything seemed to be closing in on him. His words only made his father even more upset. He raised his hand and slapped Kendall's cheek, earning a scream from the little boy.
"I said take off your shirt."
When Kendall made no move to do as he was being told, his father forced him out of it, then reaching for his own belt, which he raised in the air, ready to hit him with it.
"Next time, you better fucking listen to me," he said through gritted teeth, before pulling his arm back and then forward, the belt making contact with the boy's skin. With each hit, Kendall curled up into a tinier ball, wishing he could just vanish and never be put through anything like this again.
The pain eventually became so unbearable, that he felt like he was about to succumb into unconsciousness. Then...
With a gasp, Kendall shot up in bed, doing his best to catch his breath. His chest moved up and down rapidly, everything around him caving in on him. Actual tears of fear and frustration welled up in his green eyes. He pulled at his hair, rocking back and forth on the mattress, his head between his knees.
His phone started to buzz all of a sudden, indicating that he had an incoming call. He grasped the small device with trembling fingers, trying to read who it was from through his tears. No number, no known name lit up on the screen—the only words present on the screen were 'Private Call.'
"H-Hello?" he answered, not knowing what to expect.
"So nice to hear your voice again, Kendall. Did you miss me?"
Kendall's breathing started to speed up once more, his whole body shaking uncontrollably from head to toe. In a frantic state of panic, he tossed the cell phone to the other side of the room, watching it crash against the wall and down to the floor.
"No no no no..."
The door to his bedroom all of a sudden flew open, making him jump in surprise.
"Kendall? Kendall, what's wrong?" He could hear James' voice calling his name, but he sounded distant. A feeling of dizziness overtook his body—nothing seemed to make sense anymore. He could barely breathe, much less respond to his friend's panicking voice.
"Logan, what's going on?" James asked frantically, turning to the smaller brunette.
Logan rushed to Kendall's side, not giving James an answer. "Kendall, can you hear me?" he questioned the younger teen, who seemed unfocused and like he was not completely there. "Kendall, it's Logan... Logan, Carlos, and James. Can you hear me, buddy? You're safe, Kendall. You're okay," he said in the most calming voice he could muster.
"H-He's everywhere," Kendall stuttered out, the tears continuing to spill from his eyes. "Make him go away, please..."
"Kendall, he's not here. What happened? Did you have a nightmare?" Logan questioned the emotionally drained teen, who nodded his head in response. "It was only a nightmare, Ken. He's not going to touch you again—"
"Um, guys," Carlos interrupted, his eyes on the phone that lay on the floor a few feet away. "Why's his phone on the floor?" He walked towards it and lifted it off the ground, to find that the screen was completely shattered. "Did you do this?" he asked, turning to Kendall, who nodded hesitantly.
"Why?" Logan asked, confusion clear in his voice.
"B-Because."
"Because? Because why?" This time it was James who walked forward and sat down on the edge of the bed, wrapping an arm around Kendall's shoulders. "What happened, Kendall?"
The blond blinked back incoming tears, his gaze turning to his lap. "H-He called. He somehow g-got my number and called."
James clenched his jaw, his hands forming into fists. "I'm going to kill him." He stood up, but was stopped by Carlos, who pushed him back down.
"You're not going anywhere. Hurting him isn't going to do anything, James."
"He deserves it, that fucking bastard. How dare he?"
"James..." It was Kendall's voice that made the brunette turn around and relax, even if only a bit. "Please don't. He'll hurt you... I don't want him to hurt you," Kendall said softly, gripping James' wrist in case he tried to go after his father.
"I won't," James said, his eyes locked with Kendall's, "but that doesn't change the fact that I want to rip his face off and feed it to a dog."
"Did you answer his call?" Logan asked, making Kendall turn in his direction. All eyes were on Kendall at that point.
"M-Maybe, but I didn't mean to. There was no name, no number. I didn't know it was him, until I answered the phone."
"What did he say?"
"He just said it was nice to hear from me again a-and asked if I missed him. T-That's when I threw my phone. I-I didn't want to listen to him."
"It'll be okay," James said, bringing Kendall close by wrapping his arm around his waist. "We'll find out how he got your number, okay? We'll get him out of here."
"How?"
"We'll find a way," the taller boy promised, rubbing a hand up and down Kendall's arm. "He'll soon be gone and away from you and everybody else here, you'll see."
"Please... Just make this nightmare end... I don't want to hear him, I don't want to s-see him. I can't..."
"Shh." James pulled away from Kendall as Logan wrapped his arms around the rambling teen, his head resting against Kendall's shoulder. "It'll be okay. We'll protect you. We will always protect you, just like you've always protected us."
Did you guys like it? I hope you did. If there's anything that you think I can improve on, or anything you'd like to see, let me know, and I'll try to incorporate it into the story. Thanks for reading! :)
~ BigTimeRush-BTR :)