Chapter 3

Punk had to take his time on that one. If anything happened to this Adam person, it would most likely end up with broken bones and lots of blood. He listened to the uneven breath, his heartbeat racing like crazy in his ribcage.

"Adam? You need to drink this. It is methadone, it's going to help so the fall won't be too hard. You are stronger than you look and we won't let you give up. Trust me because I'm sure I can save you. " Punk said handing him the small container while holding the blone's hand. He could see it would be hard as it had been for others like him but knowing what the guy had been through made him determined to improve Adam's life the best he could.

Adam's mouth was dry; the sheets under his shaky body got completely soaked in a matter of minutes. The liquid was red and thick, tasting a bit like cherry. It kicked in a few minutes later and the fever broke. Phil got a little water in him before he left the room.

Jay was pacing and biting his nail in frustration. Seeing the small dose Punk used on Adam made him jump the man and push him violently against the wall in front of Kofi and Matt. Phil, however, remained calm.

"Son of a bitch! We said no substitutes! What the fuck is wrong with you!" Jason fumed. He released the man from his grip, waiting with difficulty for answers. Phil rearranged his t shirt and chewed on his lip ring; he got a Pepsi out of the fridge and sat down, inviting Jay and the others to do the same.

"I gave him the drug because his body can't go on without a small dose. That's why… He suffers from fever, malnutrition and dehydration. I examined him the best I could and leaving him like this would lead to a total meltdown. His nervous state would induce acceleration of his heart beats and maybe breathing problems. The puking, the sweating and the muscles going wonky is enough of a punishment in my opinion…"

-"He didn't take it, it was forced into him for fuck sake; he shouldn't have to get through this!" Jason yelled. Kofi spoke for the first time in long minutes in his always even and soft voice.

-"Every one, keep it down. Blondie has to sleep, rest as much as he can. And Phil doesn't mean it like that, you know it Jay. We'll go food shopping for you guys, feed him as many times you can and make him drink. Water. Lots of it, like he said. Phil will take your shift as long as it takes for Adam to get better." The African boy patted him in the back and dragged a brooding Matt towards the door. The North Carolinian turned around and stared at the Chicago native.

"And he'll smile while serving booze to drunken people and be happy about it too!" He said with a smirk finally getting a small smile from his Canadian friend as Punk uttered an offended groan.

Adam was in stuck in a bad dream; his body was still shaking despite the meds. He didn't want to stay alone in this small and dark room. The window was covered with deep blue curtains blocking the sunlight, making him feel oppressed even more than he already was. He felt like he was seven again, waiting for Father Joe to come in at night. Waiting for Jay to get his ass kicked trying to defend him against the monster that went bump in the night and entered his bed whenever he felt like it.

He could almost hear his words; smell his sour breath on his skin. He tried screaming but found his voice long gone. His dry sobs echoed against the walls as he felt stomach turned in a never ending evil dance. Before he really registered what was happening, he was bent in an awkward position, filling the bucket left besides his bed. Jay's bed. Jason wouldn't like it when he'd see the mess he made. He wouldn't want him anymore; he would look at him like those guys he met this morning. With pity in their eyes and sadness. He would be disgusted by him, like his clients, like the foster care people.

Jason heard the heaving sounds and ran to him. Adam was clinging to the covers, shaking; his body half on the bed and his head as close to the bucket as he could, vomit dripping from his open mouth.

He made him sit as slowly as he could and went to empty the putrid mix in the toilets before returning to his friend with some cold water and a washing cloth. He took his time, cleaning his face, calming him down with soft shushing sounds like he had done so many years before.

"You're g-gonna hate me, I-I'm bad and dirty. I'm a cheap w-whore. I shouldn't be here, I-I shouldn't bother you. I'm gonna l-leave, now." Adam tried to move away, crying but like the previous night; Jay didn't let go. He kissed his burning forehead and stroked his ACHING back.

"Stop that, it's not your fault. Dave did this to you, Joe did this to you. You needed to be protected and now that you are with us we will protect you!" He whispered with his eyebrows knitted; he placed his lips on Adam's calming him down fast under his touch. He proceeded to administrate some meds from Phil's list to help keep the fever down and the symptoms to a minimum. A few minutes later, the underweight blonde was back asleep with his head on his lap. It didn't take Jason too long to join him, the exhausted bartender resting his chin on his chest.

The house was always making noise, like in those horror movies where psychos or monsters jumped innocent people when they turned their back to danger. But the blonde boys in their tiny beds couldn't turn their backs on this one. And they knew exactly where it was, what form Evil had taken to make them suffer.

"Jay, I-I'm scared! Can I sleep in your bed? Please?" Adam begged, tears already forming in his eyes. Jay hated to see these beautiful green orbs wet. He moved under the covers, making space for his foster brother. Adam snuggled against him still shivering in fear. They knew Joe was angry tonight. He always was when one of the kids broke something. A little guy named Oscar had slipped, trying to get mugs from the shelves for breakfast. And he had paid the price; Joe locked him up seconds after the incident and beat the shit out of him with his belt. The boy hadn't been able to go to school after that and was thrown in the basement to sleep with rats for good measure. All kids in the house had walked on eggshells around the old man ever since. But they knew, in their hearts; that one of them would suffer during the night like almost every other night at the hands of a man with a hunger that could be compared to one of an ogre. They waited in the night, to see who would be the next victim. Each creaking sound made them more nervous. The light in the hallway was their hope and each time Father Joe or Mother Moira walked around and their bodies obscured the light; little hearts stopped for a moment.

Tonight, Adam felt unlucky. He had seen the eerie looks the man gave him before the children went to bed. He watched the light go away, the life escaping him a little as well. Jay cursed under his breath preparing himself to face the stronger adult and his heavy fists.

"You two, faggots! You disgust me. Adam and your girly attitude, you're a worthless whore! And you, little boy… I'm gonna tame you, you little shit. I hope for people out there you end up in a tree like your father. You are weak, boys. You won't find anyone to defend you out there, except for me." Joe Mickens slurred.

The old man was enraged, He blindly took hold of a chair left in a corner of the room and threw it at Jay's face who ducked the heavy wooden seat, letting it shatter the window and crash in the garden. The three people in the room froze for a moment. Then, Joseph Mickens screamed getting back to his feet in a second and grabbing Jay's arm and breaking it in a swift movement. The young boy let out an animalistic scream but it didn't stop the torturer. He hit the back of Jay with the belt he picked up on the floor, tearing the tender flesh and leaving red drops on the hideous dirty beige carpet in the room and the hallway where he dragged the broken boy who fought against the iron grip for what seemed like an eternity.

"You piece of shit have no value, just meat who's going to rot in a cell or die in an alley! This is for the best, trust me!" Mickens said with a wicked smile on his face. He suddenly sent Jason face first on the wall of the staircase dropping to his knees and watching the little body rebound on the hard surface and roll down the stairs like a bloody rag doll.

Jason shouted, sweaty and shivering at the memory. Adam woke up screaming too.

"S-sorry, bad dream… Oh god, Ads… You look terrible." He blurted out. But truth was, the young man felt awful. The screaming only added to the stress and with the combination of the shakes, the fever and the nausea; Adam felt like he was gonna die. And maybe he was, but then again, he'd felt like that before.

"You were dreaming about him, weren't you?" Adam said when his chattering teeth allowed him to speak properly. "I was too, I remember your face… I thought you were gonna bleed to death in that tub. And his face, he looked so happy to have done that to you. And you were so brave and I was… A coward, as usual, the little girly Adam who gets fucked and beaten and is now an official fucking drug addict!" The young man whispered bitterly, staring at the green wall.

"About the time he found us in the same bed, actually." Jay groaned stretching his arm in rememberance. "I don't have many memories about the bathtub incident, the doc said it was the side effects of the concussion. But Nash said they had to take all of you away by force. That you didn't want to leave my side." he said, massaging Adam's scar like he used to when they were kids. When he noticed, the young man tried to take his hand off but long cold fingers pressed against his made him change his mind. They laid there for long minutes, in the damp bed not daring to take their eyes off each other.

"Who's Nash?" finally whispered Adam.

"He is the one person who helped me the most over the last thirteen years. He's a monster who eats more than all of us combined but he is nice and he helped me get get back on my feet after Mickens and again when his friend Ric Flair adopted me. Hell of a guy." the smaller blonde explained

Adam nodded, maybe he'd fear the guy but he still seemed alright next to all those damn rats he had to face who had brutalized him in the last decade.

Lost in contemplation, neither of them heard the front door unlock or the room's door open.

"H-hello guys!" Amy interrupted them. "I didn't want to bother you, but Nash is on his way. They want to discuss, huh, you know… Him!" She said nervously. "I'll take care of him, it's not like it would be a first. Don't worry, I know Punk's program by heart. He used it on Mattie and me, remember?!"

She opened the curtains a little, smiling at Adam. She looked nice and strong with her red hair and badass tattoos covering her arms. And if the blonde had been into women, maybe he would be attracted by those beautiful curves and cat eyes of hers. She went and placed a kiss on his forehead and sat on the edge of the bed.

"I am Amy, Matt's girlfriend and your nurse for this evening… Apparently! Nice to meet you, Blondie! He is prettier than you Jay-Jay! I like him already!" She stroked his hair, smirking at the shorter Canadian.

"Go suck a duck! I'm glad to be the unprettier one!" Jay said as he got up with an apologetic look for his friend. "I'll be back before she smothers you with her boobs! I don't want you to end up like Matt!" He laughed before receiving a pillow on his face.

"Okay, now away with the irony and sarcasm; you're gonna need it when papa Kevin will arrived. He was pissed to hear his "son" had Batista all bruised and bloody. Calling the Brothers of Destruction is not really something he is at ease with, you know that.

Jay shivered at the thought. The brothers were respected and feared but his adoptive father was way worse sometimes. Flair and his wife number four; Jackie adopted Jay after the Mickens episode. The man was tough on his kids and Jason didn't really like him but he had tried. He was honest of course, but cold with those who loved him. Jason spent most of his time with Nash at the station, with his private space in a corner where he could see everything that was going on and learn whatever he could use when he'd leave. How did people think he sold drugs for years without any of them getting caught…

Saving people was a hard job he also learned in that dirty place. Of course Jackie and Ric weren't exactly happy to see him there but they figured he wasn't a burden for them in the meantime. Nash was the one who helped him getting his place, open the bar and taught him how to avoid trouble with local gangs. The old man probably saved his life half a dozen times without even realizing it.

Jay stepped in the shower in a hurry; mentally preparing himself for the ass kicking that was coming his way. He scrubbed his skin massaging his bruised hands that were still purple and red, reminding him of the worthless life he almost took the night before. No one ever told him all lives were worth something. Maybe his mother would have if she'd lived long enough and didn't die after giving birth to him instead.

Loud knocking sounds startled him, almost making him slip on the wet tiles. He grabbed a towel and poked his head out the bathroom door, asking Amy to get it while he dressed.

"You little bastard come and get the door yourself or I'll break it!" Nash was really, REALLY pissed. The man jumped around, putting old clothes on and ran to open it before the giant had his door completely destroyed. He stared and gulped at the massive man with his long silver waves; if looks could kill he'd been struck right there and then.

"Hey, Nash…"