DISCLAIMER: Let it be belong to the beatles. Its a beautiful song, and, I cry alot when I hear it, expecially if Im watching across the universe.
A/N: This chapter didnt come out much like I wanted, but, I still stand by it.
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They were forced out of the kitchen, hearded down the basement stairs, all the while their screams and protests were ignored. They wanted to be by Damien's side, wanted to be wth him. they couldn't belive what they'd seen, didnt want to. If they let it sink in, if they believed it, then it was real.
They were pushed into their cell, the sound of the lock clicking into place echoed against their ears. Ash wrapped his bloody hands around the bars, pulling at them as he screamed. He screamed because he was angry, because he was hurting. He wanted to deny that look in Damien's eyes as he'd died, the blood on his hands, his clothes. Damien's blood.
"Damien!" Ash screamed, falling to his knees and resting his head against the cold bars. "Why...?" he whispered as his tears fell.
Drake didnt know what to do. He'd never watched someone die like that, never seen so much blood. He was shaking as the tears fell down his cheeks, as his legs gave out and he fell to his knees. Damien was gone, he would never be there with them again. His smile wouldnt push them forward, his comfort wouldn't get him through the torments of the day to day.
He stared down at his hands, wishing that he'd have done something, anything. If he'd have been watching closer, maybe he would have been able to help. If only he would have noticed what Damien was doing. "I'm sorry..." he whispered.
Zane patted Drake on the back before going over to Ash, falling to his knees beside him he pulled his friend into a tight hug. He held Ash protectivly as he felt him break down. His own tears fell silently as he tried to look beyond the bars of their prison. There had to be a way out, to be anything they could do to escape this place. A differet way then Damien...
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Brendon stood in his kitchen, looking at the blood as it clotted on the floor around Damien's body. He was beyond angry as he looked at Brent.
"How did this happen?" He asked coldly.
"He must have gotten a knife past us, sir." brent said, trying to sound calm. He knew that he was being blamed for this. "Cut his wrists under the water."
"And the black eye?" brendon asked, looking at the bruise Ash had given Brent.
"Ash..." Brent answered.
"This is inexcusable." brendon said, moving around the body. "Obviously, I've been too easy on you and the others, given you too many freedoms. If it's too hard for you to watch a weakened group of teenagers clean dishes, then maybe you need more laborish tasks, more dicipline."
"Sir," brent cut himself off.
"Their dossages are to be upped." brendon said. "The three of them are to be beaten, then bring Ash up here, he can clean this up. The other two can dig the hole. Benny and Dustin are to take the body out of my house and put it in one of the 'boxes' in the shed. Then you and your lot are to come to my office, I'll deal with you there." Brendon snapped, taking his leave of the kitchen.
He was furious. His investors had taken quite a liking to Damien, and now he was gone. There was still a little over five monthes left until he could bring another boy in to replace him. The doctor who gave him the boys' pills had loved Damien...
He went into his office, slamming the door as he stomped across the floor. This week had been terrible on him, Paul getting arrested, and now this. He felt like he was loosing control over his home, his buisness. The power he'd worked so hard to obtain, to keep over the years was slipping. Perhaps he'd gone soft as he'd gotten comfortable? Well, not anymore.
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The boys watched with sore eyes as the men came down the stairs. Ash was on his feet in moments, his anger overtaking him as he tried to hit the men. Brent took the flogger and swung it at Ash, hitting him across the face in an attempt to get closer.
Ash ignored the blood dripping over his face from the cut just above his eyebrow. He didnt care what they did to him anymore. He wanted to hurt them, to make them feel any amount of pain.
Dustin and Benny took rough holds on Drake and Zane's arms, pulling them out of their cell and pushing them against the wall of the basement. There, they were shackled to the manacles hanging from the walls. It took all four of the men to get ahold of Ash. He never stopoed fighting them.
Once the three of them were restrained, Brent took the flogger and began to hit them. He didnt care if it hurt them, because he knew that Brendon would have no mercy when he punished the rest of them. He ignored Ash's cruel words, the cries of the other two. He hit them until their backs were covered in welts, until the blood had soaked through their shirts and their faces were covered in tears.
Hurt and weakened, they were easier to control. Broken and despaired, they were nothing more then slaves.
Benny and Dustin took Drake and Zane down, forcing them to stand as their legs tried to give out. They were empty now, absent minded shells of the boys they used to be. They forced the boys to walk forward, to march across the large yard toward the cemetary hidden behind the willow tree. Benny went to the shed, grabbing two shovels and throwing them at the boys.
"Dig." he comanded, walking away from them without looking back.
Brent and Richard dragged Ash up the stairs, into the kitchen where Damien's body still lay empty upon the floor. He looked at his fallen friend and fell to his knees, slamming his clenched fists against the floor. he let the tears fall freely, he couldnt have stopped them even if he'd tried.
he felt the length of chain attached to his ankle, felt its weight as it held him back. All he wanted was to hold his friend, his only wish was denied him as Richard slammed a bucket down in front of him.
"Clean it up." he grunted.
"Monsters..." Ash whispered.
Brent kicked him in the stomach, snickering as Ash shuddered in pain.
He watched with empty hatred as Dustin and benny entered the kitchen, jerking Damien's body up and carrying it away. He reached out to them with shaking hands, begging them to leave the body. It didnt matter if he sounded weak, that he was begging, He didnt want them to take Damien away, wasnt ready to completly loose him.
His heart broke as they laughed at him, taking Damien outside and away from him.
Ash stared at the blood on the floor, loosing himself in its dark reflection. He looked into his eyes, watching as the blood from the cut above his eyes dripped down, splashing against the surface. He watched as his tears fell, as he broke down. Hesitantly, he grabbed the bucket and began to scrub.
His hands were covered in Damien's blood, he could feel it against his skin as he tried to wash it away. No matter how much he scrubbed, it was still there. All that was left of his friend, all that remianed of his strength. he'd thought that by being there for Damien he could have prevented this. If he stayed strong, then Damien would to... he didnt blame Damien for taking his life, but he hated him for leaving him like that.
"I would have protected you..." He whispered.
He continued to clean the blood away from the floor, until all of it was gone. Damien was gone... he moved toward the sink to clean the blood out of it when he saw the knife. They had left it there, forgotten about it. He stared down at its dirty blade, picking it up genty he cleaned it off. How easy would it be to follow Damien's lead, to just let everything go?
Ash cursed at himself. He couldnt do it, couldnt leave the others to suffer alone. As carefully as he could, he hid the knife in the band of his pants and rinsed out the sink. One way or another, they were getting out of here.
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They could feel their backs scream in pain as they dug into the soft earth. The welts and cuts streaching, bleeding. The sweat crept into the open wounds, stinging the tender flesh. They didnt say much to each other, just dug while they cried. Tears for the pain, tears for their lost friend.
They watched as Benny and Dustin carried Damien's bod into the shed. Staring at his limp form as it was taken out of sight. He was gone now...
"I'm sorry..." Drake whispered.
"It wasn't your fault." Zane replied, turning back to the hole. "Damien did what he wanted to."
"I should have kept a better eye on him." Drake said bitterly. "If I hadn't froozen up,"
"Dont." Zane said, more sharply then he'd ment to. "There was nothing you could have done. Damien wanted out, we knew it was going to happen eventually." He said through tears.
"Do you think Ash will be okay?" Drake asked, gritting his teeth through the pain of digging.
Zane turned toward the house, "I don't know." he said honestly.
They continued to dig until late in the evening. After the hole was finished they streched their chains as far as possible, gathering as many flowersas their shaking hands could reach, and they spread them over the bottom of the hole. It was all they could do.
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Brent and the others went to Brendon's office that night after locking the younger boys up. They were tense, because they knew they were going to be punished. They stood side by side, hands held behind their backs and expressions empty.
"Shirts off, against the wall." Brendon comanded.
They did as they were told. Each of them removed their black shirts, holding them tightly as they leaned against the wall, waiting. They didnt cry out as the thick leather whip hit them, they barly flinched. They let the pain coarse through them, riding on its waves as they stared emptily at the wall. They'd all been taught from a young age to accept pain for their mistakes, to learn from it.
The welts pulsed against their backs, the blood trickled like an ich. They embraced it, letting it give them that cruel feeling of life. For the four of them, feeling something was better then the emptiness that usually filled their shallow existence.
"I expect better from you all in the future." Brendon said, stepping away from them.
"Yes sir." they answered in unison.
"That'll be all for tonight." he said, waiting for them to put their shirts back on.
Brendon followed them to their room, locking them up for the night before returning to his office. There were angrt letters in his inbow from many of the men who'd prefered Damien. He read through them while rubbing his temples, sending each man an apology. He hated dealing with the deaths of his slaves.
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The boys werent allowed to go to Damien's burial. They were left in their dark cell as the others went out, trying to see out the windows facing the back yard. They watched the pie box as it was carried out of the shed, as it dissapeared behind the weeping branches of the willow tree.
They each said silent prayers for their friend. They couldn't be out there to send him off, but, their words meant more then anything those others might say. They tried not to cry, because they knew that Damien was happy now, that he had gotten what he'd wanted.
They sat together on Damien's bed, talking about him. His smile, his way of looking at the world. They remembered him as he was being burried beneath the earth. Underground, same as them. In a sense, everytime they were down here in the basement, they were close to him. Underground, in the place where he'd felt at ease.
It was during an awkward silence that the melody came to Drake. He closed his eyes, remembering everything he could about Damien as the words came softly out of him.
"When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me Speaking words of wisdom, let it be And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me Speaking words of wisdom, let it be Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be Whisper words of wisdom, let it be
And when the broken hearted people living in the world agree There will be an answer, let it be For though they may be parted, there is still a chance that they will see There will be an answer, let it be..."
Ash and Zane looked up at him, encouraging him to continue as they joined in.
"Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be There will be an answer, let it be Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be Whisper words of wisdom, let it be Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.."
They smiled as they sang, as their tears fell. Damien had ment alot to each of them, They wouldn't let his memory fade, no matter what they faced, no matter how many pills were shoved down their throats. He would live on, through them, for as long as they held out.
"And when the night is cloudy there is still a light that shines on me Shine until tomorrow, let it be I wake up to the sound of music, Mother Mary comes to me Speaking words of wisdom, let it be Let it be, let it be, let it be, yeah, let it be There will be an answer, let it be Let it be, let it be, let it be, yeah, let it be Whisper words of wisdom, let it be..."
They were silent for a long time after the song had finished. The light from the windows drifted upon them, giving them what little warmth it could.
Ash turned toward Drake, smiling sadly. "Thank you." he said softly.
Drake offered him a smile back, nodding.