Chapter 4
Separation
Matthew Arnold wrote, 'Eternal Passion! Eternal Pain!'
The hostages were quiet now. They had seen what they had done to the young FBI agent, almost gouged his eyes out. Fear had stopped the crying. They sat in their rows, frozen and afraid, and wondering what was going to happen.
When Aaron had come in to save his friend, one or two of the hostages had thought that this was rescue, and were distraught when Aaron had been beaten and cuffed.
"You!" the tall man pointed to one of his men. "Go and find Gord. He is taking too long."
Aaron thought Gord was likely the dead man in the projection suite.
He had no protection, and he was sure that when they found their man's body, he would have to answer to them.
But first he had to try and help Spence.
Aaron slid the cuffs along the rail to Spencer. So far he had not seen his face, and he was stunned when the younger man turned his head towards his voice.
His face was bruised and cut, with blood dried in streams down his cheeks. But the thing that made Aaron's stomach clench were his eyes.
Spencer held them closed. His eye lids were cut and bloody, around his eyes, swollen and red. The blood was mixed with tears that were running down his cheeks and dripping off his chin.
Oh god, Spence! What have they done to you?
Aaron crawled as close as he could to his lover.
"Spencey, it's Aaron. I'm here, Love." He wanted to put his arms around him, wanted to hold him, cool his eyes, heal him. But he couldn't.
He leaned towards him, and kissed him.
Spencer was shaking and trembling in pain and fear. He pressed his lips to Aaron's.
Aaron put his head on Spencer's shoulder, and nuzzled his soft hair.
"Aaron…."
"I love you, Spence." He whispered. "Just hold on. Help will come."
"Babe, I can't see….I can't see…" Panicking.
"It's alright, Spencey, I'm here, Love. I'm here."
Aaron pulled away from Spence. Spencer cried in protest.
"Babe, please don't go. It's so dark. Stay with me, please!"
It was breaking Aaron apart.
Aaron called to the UnSubs who were at the front of the theatre, talking in low tones.
"Please!" he called to them. "Let me help him!"
One of them glanced over to Aaron, and turned away again
"Please, he could lose his sight." Aaron's eyes were filling with tears now. "Just let me help him!"
At a nod from the tall man, he came over to Aaron.
"I don't know what you think this is, but why should we care if this little freak is blinded or not. As for releasing you, do you think we are stupid?" He pointed to Spence. "Look at it! What does it matter?"
He kicked Spencer under his chin, knocking him off his feet. He cried out loud, as the heavy boot impacted. He had no defence, and he couldn't see it coming. He fell back, cracking his head on the wall. Aaron was helpless. He went close to Spencer again and touched him with his face against Spencer's.
Spencer moaned and shook as Aaron's skin stroked against Spence's.
There was a smear of blood on the wall, and Spence was likely concussed.
"Spence, speak to me. Say something." Aaron rocked against him, nuzzling, whispering.
Spencer couldn't respond. He fought against the pain and the terrible fear of blindness. He remembered a time when Aaron was temporarily sightless, and how scared they both were then. Aaron outwardly had coped in his usual steady way, but Spencer had seen the other side. A terrified and frightened man, whose life was slipping past him.
Spencer tried to claw back some control, to bypass the dread he felt.
He rocked with Aaron.
The door to the theatre banged open as the third UnSub came running back in.
"Gord is dead!" he shouted. "The bastard killed him!"
Very calmly, as if he had all the time in the world, the tall man walked over to Aaron.
"While we await a response to my phone call, Mr. FBI, you are going to come with me."
He pulled Aaron away from Spencer, and made him stand up. Spencer cried out as Aaron left him.
"I am going to show the others what happens to someone who kills one of my men."
Holding Aaron's own gun to his temple, the tall man undid Aaron's cuffs. He pushed Aaron in front of him to the clear area at the front of the theatre.
His remaining two men held Aaron by his wrists, and pulled his arms out straight.
And the beating started.
Spencer could hear the sickening sounds of fists contacting Aaron's skin, and the soft cries as Aaron was beaten in front of the hostages.
The sounds of Aaron in distress pulled Spencer back.
Aaron! Aaron, I want to help you……I am so sorry, My Love!
Aaron was being hurt; Spencer needed to try to help him
He needed to be able to open his eyes a little, just a tiny bit, to test them.
The pain of just moving his eye lids was making him dizzy. He heard Aaron's cries, and with renewed strength, he forced his eyes open.
The torn eyelids parted, triggering new rivulets of scarlet on his cheeks. Tears filled his eyes, blurring the little vision he had, diluting the bloody trails on his face.
He was having to use all his will power to force his eyes to line up with the open lids. He concentrated, his brain screaming for him to leave his eyes to recover.
He feared for Aaron's life. He had to do something.
He briefly thought back to when Aaron had given up his freedom. It had only been because he had heard Spencer scream.
Guilt flooded his consciousness, as he thought of what was happening to Aaron as a consequence.
If only he had been able to endure silently. As it was, he had drawn Aaron into giving himself up, when Spencer was being hurt for the very reason that he would not give him up.
A terrible wicked irony.
Now Aaron needed him.
Spencer closed his eye lids carefully, and started again.
He had to do something.
He heard Aaron's body falling to the floor. He wasn't crying out any more, but the beating continued.
Spencer screamed as loud as he could.
He needed to attract the attention of the UnSubs.
He screamed again.
It worked. They left Aaron and came over to torment Spencer.
"Shut the hell up!"
One of them stood Spencer up, and turned him to face them. A hard punch to the face and his eyes started to bleed and water again.
Oh god. That hurts!...Aaron! Go now. Escape!
Another punch sent Spencer into oblivion.
Aaron heard Spencer scream, and he became vaguely aware that the beating had stopped.
He crawled away from the centre of the open space towards the emergency exit at the front. No-one tried to stop him. He could see the hostages watching him wide eyed, rooting for him, willing him to get away.
Spencer was doing this for him.
He wasn't sure he could move far though. He had broken ribs, and possibly fractured skull. He had taken kicks to the groin and face, and he thought any movement would make him sick.
Spencer wasn't screaming now. The silence was worse than the screaming. Aaron felt a stab of fear.
He crawled the rest of the way to the door.
Please, don't let it be locked!
He pushed against the door, and it swung silently open. He rolled through, and let it swing closed behind him.
For a moment, he lay on his back, his breaths harsh and uneven. He had to take care with the broken ribs. If he damaged a lung, he would be of no help to the hostages or Spencer.
He turned over onto his hands and knees, and looked around for somewhere to go to recover and plan.
There was a cleaner's cupboard to his right. He reached up and tried the door. It opened. Aaron dragged himself inside, and leaned against the door.
The pain in his lower body was dreadful. He leaned over and was violently sick. He held his arms around his chest to support his ribs, but the pain still cut into him.
His body heaved and pitched, as he threw up nothing, leaving him shivering and trembling on his hands and knees. His eyes watered and he was shaking with the effort..
He sat up again, his body exhausted from the beating, and the heaving and gagging left him unable to think straight.
Spencer had 'drawn fire' so that he could escape.
Spencey, Sweetheart, I'm so proud of what you have done today. It just makes me love you so much more. I am going to get you out of here, even if I must die doing it.
He closed his bruised eyes, and tried to think.