Eric's P.O.V
Hours had passed Since Sookie had been inside the shed clueless to the fact that Eric was right under her feet and he could feel the time pass in his bones, as the hours passed the ground grew colder every minute sending chills surging through his body. Eric had gone in and out of consciousness several times throughout the day and he could feel his eyes growing heavy again when the door to the outside world opened again, Eric fought to keep his body still hoping if he seemed to be asleep whoever it was would leave him be but when a hand wrapped around each side of him and pulled him up off of the floor the pain was too much.
The aches in his body was now piercing pain shooting through every muscle and bone, his eyes shot open as he screamed out for the pain to stop when I small flicking noise filled the room with light "Who are you?" Eric voice was weak but the young boy standing in front of him didn't seem like he was the type to answer anyway as, he pulled the gag from Eric's mouth and started wiping at the blood that had dried around it "Earl" the boy said plainly as he continued to assess Eric's wounds. "water" Earl said shaking a bottle in front of his face Eric nodded slowly hissing at the pain the pulsed in his head "is Sookie ok?" he asked swallowing another sip of water, Earl didn't answer turning his back on Eric he continued moving around the underground room arranging bandages and food along a thin white table.
"This will burn" Earl mumbled pouring peroxide on the gash in Eric's forehead before covering it with a bandage, "my dad is crazy" the young boy said more to himself than Eric. The room was quiet for a while as Earl cleaned up Eric and fed him a can of ravioli and some water Eric wasn't sure if the boy was there by choice but as he watched him move around the room being careful not to cause more damage than he had to he knew he wasn't anything like his father. "Is she ok" Eric asked again this time his voice came out clearer, Earl looked away and Eric felt himself getting irritated that the boy couldn't tell her if Sookie was ok or not.
Earl finished cleaning Eric's wounds and cleaned up his mess in silence he still not answering the question Eric continued to ask, he knew the thought of not knowing what was going on with someone you loved was unbearable but he also knew knowing they were in danger and not being able to do anything about it was pure hell. Earl was seven when he lost his mother and no matter who tried to convince him it was a heart attack he knew Alcide was to blame, it was raining outside and storms had always frightened him so the second lightning struck his eyes flew open and he ran to his mother's room where he had always felt safe.
There were many nights when Earl sat in his bed listening to the beatings his mother would get for the simplest of things, just a week before her death his father had lost it because she had forgotten to buy a specific wine that Alcide liked for dinner. His mother was a strong woman stronger than anyone he had ever met until Sookie, Earl had mixed emotions when it came to Sookie he liked her because her warmth and beauty reminded him so much of his mother but he hated her because his mother died for not being Sookie.
The night his mother die Alcide came in late as usual stomping around angry looking for a reason to go off, Earl was snuggled up close to his mother as she protected him from the storm when out of nowhere he was shoved off of the bed and pushed into the corner of the room. The yelling was muffled by the blanket that was wrapped tightly around him but the scream of pain that made it through was something he would never forget, "NO Alcide please NO!" echoed through the room over and over again until there was nothing.
He stayed hidden under the blanket in the corner for what seemed like hours terrified to move until he heard his father's footsteps leaving the room, the front door slammed and a bolt of lightning light up the sky just as Earl threw off the blanket and ran to the bed where his mother laid. "Mommy are you ok?" he called out to her begging her to answer, he laid his head on her chest waiting and when no answer came Earl curled up next her cold body pulling the blanket across the two of them and cried himself to sleep. "is Sookie ok" Eric asked again as Earl tied the gag around his mouth and moved quickly toward the ladder, Eric whimpered his breath catching in his throat making Earl turn halfway up the ladder "she's Alive" he said turning away to wipe the tears that had started to fall from his eyes.
Dear Diary:
It has been two weeks since Alcide showed up and took Eric away and I am starting to think I might never find him or worse that he is dead, the first week was the hardest to find the time to sneak away and search for Eric. The third day I snuck out to search for him I made it halfway through the cemetery when Alcide caught up to me, I hadn't seen him coming until his hands wrapped around my throat slamming me to the ground and dragging me back to the house where he broke down crying and asking why I was running from him. I played along with his phsyco antics telling him that I had come across a picture of my gran earlier that day and became over whelmed with emotion, I finally convinced him that I was only going to visit grans grave because I was missing her so much. Thankfully he believed me and calmed down enough to take his hands from around my throat, later that week I made it out to have lunch with Tara like I promised but of course Alcide insisted that he go with me "we are a couple and its time we act like it" he said puffing his chest out daring me to argue with him about it. His presence really put a wrench in things and the look on Tara's face said it all, I hadn't gotten a chance to tell her the details about my past with Alcide but she knew enough to know something wasn't right. She called the next day with tons of questions and a lecture for me about going back to Alcide and it broke my heart to not tell her I was a prisoner in my own fucked up world. The next couple of days I watched Alcide and Bill going into the old shed out back several times and I just know somewhere inside is the key to where Eric is but I just can't find it, also I have been thinking about letting Earl in on my little search party we have gotten close in the last week and now that Alcide has been spending so much time away with Bill Earl is the only thing keeping me from spending that time searching.
"it has been weeks" she screamed at Alcide who sat ignoring her watching a baseball game " I want proof he alive, people are starting to ask questions" but still her words didn't faze him, Sookie watched as he reached for another beer pop the top off and saluting Bill before drinking it down. "I want proof or I'm gone, I will leave you hear me" she felt the tears welling up in her eyes not able to handle the thought of leaving without knowing if Eric was dead or alive, she stormed into the bedroom slamming the door closed behind her she didn't care about his rules anymore she was losing hope that she would ever find Eric and she was ready to stop playing along.
A few minutes later a knock at the door startled her as she paced the floor, "what" she barked at the door, "Sookie there gone" a pubescent voice said through the door "I'm sorry you can come in Earl." Sookie had grown fond of the young boy and she had done everything she could think of to make him comfortable in her home and keep Alcide from laying a hand on him even if that meant taking a blow she hadn't earned, "where did they go" she asked quietly still pacing the floor trying hard to figure out her next move.
The look on Earls face stopped her in her tracks "what's wrong" Sookie said walking over to stand in front of the young boy, Earl looked at her and the sadness in his eyes made her knees weak "you can't do that, you can't leave" he said falling to pieces in front of her. Sookie didn't know what to say she had no idea that the boy had felt so strongly about her "if I go you can go with me" she blurted out not knowing what she was about to say, Earl sobbed harder wrapping his arms around her waist and squeezing her as if his life depended on it "it will be ok" she said trying to calm him but it didn't work.
Earl sobbed harder unable to catch his breath and Sookie knew there was something deeper than just her presence the boy was talking about "we will go together " she tried again but nothing seemed to calm him, "you, you don't , he will kill you" his legs gave out from underneath him and the two of them collapsed onto the floor. She had no clue what to say Earl was right he would kill her if he found her but he was already killing the only difference was he was killing her slowly by sucking the life out of her, Sookie knew it was only a matter of time before he lost it again especially if she didn't get pregnant soon.
That's what he was planning on and it was only a matter of time before she ran out of birth control and he would have her right where he wanted her. Sookie looked over at the window seat Alcide had been insistent that they have a baby together right away and she was doing everything she could to prevent it, from faking sleep when he came home late to slipping Ambien into his beer. She even pretended to be sick making herself throw up and hiding in the bathroom pretending to have stomach problems and it worked for about three days, Her period was due in a few days so she knew she would at least get a few days away without him wanting to touch her but how long could she keep this up.
Her attention turned back to Earl she knew that if she ran she would have to take him with her or Alcide would take it out on him too "it will all be ok" Sookie said stroking Earls hair and rocking him back and forth, he pushed away from her grabbing her face and making her look into his tear filled eyes "no don't say that, she said that and he killed her." Sookie was stunned his words tore through her chest she knew who the boy was referring to she didn't need to ask Alcide had killed his mother, Earl laid in Sookie's lap as she rocked him and wiped his tears away wanting him to feel safe with her.
Hours passed and with his head in her lap Earl told Sookie how his mother died and why, "we have to kill him" the boy said what he had been thinking for years out loud and Sookie nodded her head and silently agreed. The two of them hadn't noticed the crackling of the pavement or the sound of the two drunken men stumbling up the front stairs and when the front door slammed both of them panicked, Sookie jumped to her feet pulling him with her she ran to the bed shoving the mattress from the bed and throwing Earl to the floor.
"Shit I'm so sorry Earl are you ok" she screamed trying to make it seem as though she had hurt him to explain away the tears, Alcide ran into the room stopping just inside the door taking in the scene in front of him "what the hell are you doing" she walked over grabbing Sookie's arm and turning her toward him "why is he in our bedroom." She looked at him did he really think she would do something with his son she jerked her arm from him backing up as she spoke "I asked him to help me turn the mattress". Sookie didn't have to try to look disgusted by his accusation "you left with Bill and he was the only one here what was I supposed to do," he stood staring from her to his son "are you accusing me of trying something with a child" Sookie blurted out what she was thinking.
Alcide walked toward her grabbing her hand and slapping what looked like a camera in her hand "proof" he said walking over to the mattress and flipping it with ease, Bill helped Earl to his feet and the three men walked out of the room leaving Sookie holding what turned out to be a small video camera in her hand. Her hands started shaking as she walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her, she started feeling sick when she thought about what she might see on the video but this was what she asked for she wanted proof that he was alive and now she had it. She took a few deep breaths trying hard to stay calm as she pushed play on the camera, Sookie's filled with tears as the image of the dark room came into focus and her heart stopped as she realized the bloody man on the screen was Eric. Her body felt limp and her head started to spin "what did they do" she whispered running her fingers over the screen, Sookie slid down the wall slowly curling into a ball in the corner of the bathroom and watched Eric who lay limp his body covered in bandages and dry blood. Her heart ached as she watched him shiver lying face down on the cold dirt floor alone and it was all her fault, something inside Sookie snapped filling her with anger and disgust as she threw the camera across the room.
Sookie's mind going a mile a minute without forming a single thought , she needed to stay calm now that she knew Eric was alive she needed to find him and she couldn't do that if she didn't calm down. She cradled her head in her hands as she lay in a ball in the middle of the bathroom floor trying to erase the images of Eric that were burned into her mind, "calm down just calm down" Sookie told herself over and over but the sound of Alcide laughing as Bill kicked and punched Eric filled the room she quickly picked the camera up and paused it.
She refused to watch them beat on him but she knew she needed to think "focus Sookie" she said looking down at the camera searching the screen for any sign that would tell her where Eric was but it was too late when Alcide started to pound on the door behind him. Sookie jumped dropping the camera she knew what he wanted it was time for him to prove she was his again it was what he had done every time she asked about Eric over the last two weeks, Alcide would force himself on her telling her he loved her and she would lay their picturing Eric and trying not to fight back so that he wouldn't get rough.
"Not this time" Sookie yelled as she unlocked the door yanked it open, she charged him making using all of her anger and hate toward him to knock him off of his feet and it worked as he fell back onto the floor with her on top of him. "Bitch are you crazy" Alcide screamed grabbing a hand full of her hair "I'll kill you" he shook her head back and forth yanking her to the floor with him, Sookie fought hard punching and clawing at him on her way down she could feel his flesh under her nails as she focused on making him bleed.