"Roy! Wake up! Don't you dare die on me!"
Everything dies in this world, but there was always something to wake you up. Or shall I say someone one, say someone like Hughes nagging you to wake up. Slowly opening my eyes, I saw white everywhere. Then saw tubes and monitors hooked into me, and then an unbearable weight on my chest. I look down and see Hughes; his arms crossed covering his eyes and his head resting on my chest.
"M….Maes." He jumped and peered up, only showing his green red rimmed eyes. I managed a small smile and he grabbed my hand.
"I thought you died on me. Don't ever do that again Roy. Scared the shit out of me."
"Where….where am I?'
"In the hospital. You're lucky that I came by your house to drop off some school notes."
"Edward!" I shot up into a sitting position, momentarily in pain. "Where is he! What happened to him!" I looked at Hughes, desperation in my voice, and Hughes looked grim about it.
"I saw him. He was yelling for me to run. I came into your apartment…and there was so much blood. Roy, you shouldn't even be alive, but you are. It's…It's just a miracle that you even…I'm so sorry." He grabbed my hand and squeezed it. I pulled away.
"Where is Edward, Hughes? Where is he?" I leaned towards him, my voice giving out on me. Hughes gave me a pained look and then looked away. "Hughes."
"They took him to a facility. That's all I could get out of witnesses. I'm sorry. I lost him."
I flopped back down on the bed. My eyes betrayed me and a single tear fell down the side of my face. I'd let them get away with Ed. I let them take me down like I was a small dog. A child, just a child was thrusted into my life and I lost him. It was my entire fault. I wrapped my arms around Hughes, and let more tears fall.
It's been six months, and my wounds have almost healed completely. Mrs. Izumi had been replaced with an old geezer named Marco. Clara was always helping me out since her owner had a little crush on me. I swatted the proposal of being her boyfriend out the window months ago, but she seemed to like me more since I had my brain nearly blown out.
I walked home wit Hughes today. When we reached my apartment, we gave a glance around us, quick man hug, and then went our separate ways. I flick on the lights; the place looked really bare since that night. There was still some evidence of the fights months before, but it would soon fade to nothing but a nightmarish memory. Hughes went out searching more, but never found anything useful, so we had to give up. I hated giving up, but there was nothing I could do…until now. I put on a backpack that had some clothes but mostly of money I've saved and mooched off my parents. I had to get away from here. I had to find him.
"Well, better start walking or just get shot again." I muttered. I walked off towards the area that Hughes said 'they' headed to. I don't know how long I walked but I ended up checking into a hotel that night, somewhere near Central. I laid down on the bed, letting myself rest before going out tonight. I got up around nine and headed to the nearest bar. The place was crowded and there were women up on stage doing dances and doing the pole.
"What do you want to drink sir?"
"Um…just a grasshopper please." The bar tender nodded and came back shortly with a green looking drink. Twenty-one or not, I looked older so he never asked for ID. I downed the beverage and asked for another. After seven of those….well I was laughing at random stains, the girls, and kept tripping over my feet. I finally staggered over to the restroom and landed on a blonde girl.
"Sh…shary missh." I burst out laughing and the girl held me up. I looked up and adrenaline started rushing. It was actually one of the thugs that got Ed. He didn't notice me, probably thinking that I was actually dead. I followed the man around till he finally stopped flirting with hookers and took off towards central. I kept my distance, but didn't dare go anywhere near.
He turned off into a general store and I followed shortly after. I looked around and he couldn't be seen. The man behind the counter perked up and waved me over.
"So what's a young man doing out this late? Especially in my shop at this time?" The clock behind him said it was three in the morning.
"Actually, I just got back from a party and I need…" I looked behind him and saw the first thing believable. "…I need some condoms. Those kind." I pointed to the brand behind him and the man nodded.
"Wise choice my good man. Got you a girl huh. Bet she's pretty." He snickered a little and I tried looking bashful, shoving my hands in my pockets and grinning wide.
"Yeah she's something. I wasn't planning on buying anything really, but then I saw this store and told myself, 'I don't want to get her pregnant so I'm going to see if they have anything.' And bam! Here I am buying condoms." I laughed at the thought. The man handed a box over to me and I paid five dollars worth. I turned and started walking out.
"Do come back sometime my good man. And then you can tell how your night went." The man smiled, but his tone said otherwise.
I walked back to the hotel, wondering how I lost the man…and why I bought a box of condoms. There was beef jerky behind him, but I just had to choose condoms damnit. What the hell am I going to do with these….ok there was that girl from class, but bleh.
The next morning I staked out the general store, waiting for that guy. He came out around 1 in the afternoon for a cigarette break. He went into an alleyway and lit up the cigar. Perfect. I jump from a nearby windowsill and bashed his face into the ground. My legs pinned his arms down and my hands covered his mouth, careful so he wouldn't bite. I bent my mouth near his ear.
"What did you do with the boy." Not a question, a statement bitch! I smirked at the remark, but quickly regained my self control.
"What are you talking about?" his mouth was covered enough to hear him, but enough to where he couldn't yell.
"That blonde boy you took from an apartment. Six months ago. Where the fuck is Edward." I could feel the guy smiling.
"Why would I tell a pathetic guy like you that?" I slammed his head into the concrete and he grunt in pain.
"Last time, where the hell is he."
"I'm not telling you." I undid my shirt and tied it around his mouth. He made muffled attempts of yelling, but I grabbed his arm, pulled it far back till I heard a sickening crack. His arm broken at the socket and him screaming into the cloth.
"Tell me where the fuck he is." I felt him struggle, so I grabbed his index finger and broke that to. I hated doing this, but I had to. I had to find Edward. I had to or I might just die. The guy's body relaxed and I took off the shirt, covering his couth with my hand again. "Last time buddy. Where is he."
"Under the general store. Go to the freezer section, and behind a milk jug is a button, push it and you're in."
"How do I get rid of the cashier?"
"Tell him Rugger sent you."
"Thank you for your cooperation." I slammed his face into the concrete again and he was knocked out. I bent over the limp man, picked up his loaded gun, and headed towards the general store. Inside, I looked around the freezer section, and grabbed a milk jug.
"Um sir, that's the personnel section only. You can have the one by it though." I turned towards the guy, and held up the gun to examine it. The cashier froze in place, eyes going wide. "What are you going to do with that?"
"Nothing." I put it in my pocket of my pants and stride over to the man. "Just to tell you that Rugger sent me so if you don't mind, I would like to go meet the chief. See, I'm new to this whole operation and I'm widely known." I turned back around and picked up the milk jug and there was the button. I grinned and pushed it and the freezer isle spun around and I was inside a dark tunnel.
Attentively, I took a step forward. The tunnel became brighter a little and was easier to follow, but I started running when I heard a scream. It sounded so familiar, say as in from the night I technically should have died? I made a quick turn and heard the scream being louder.
"It's gotta be the next door." I huffed to myself trying to keep myself going, despite my legs crying in agony from running. I opened the next door. And fell to my knees. There in front of me was who I was looking for.
"R..roy?" His voice barely audible, and there he was, shackled to a wall. Blood on his body, no clothes, and his ribs and pelvis bone protruding out due to lack of nourishment. His eyes were half closed and tears going down his cheeks. I stumbled up and hobbled over to him, horrified at the scene in front of me.
"Ed…I'll get you down." I reached him and my forehead hit his chest, and a low sound came out of my throat. I reached up and unhooked him, letting him fall into my arms. I sat down with him, our faces buried into each other's shoulder. He held on tightly, as if I was the only thing keeping him down on the ground. His wrists were badly dug into by the shackles when I took his arms off of me.
"How…did you find me?"
"I beat up a guy and broke his arm for you." I grinned at the thought for finally getting payback. I picked up Ed and threw him on my back. "Hang on." He nodded and clung his arms around my neck and legs around my waist so my arms were free.
I ran out the door, and made a right turn to head back the way I came. The tunnel was getting dark and I hit the turn-around door. I felt around and there was no way out of this place. Ed put his hand out and his eyes started glowing and the door turned. I was back in the general store. I looked up at Ed, only to see that he had fainted. The cashier looked at us wide eyed.
"You can't take him out of the holding cell!"
"I was told to. I've been ordered to take him to a newer holding cell." Though I have no idea why he's in a holding cell. "Why? Is he dangerous?"
"Dangerous? Hell yeah! That damned persacom is just a replica to see if the human body can have the knowledge of a computer. All I know is that his right arm and left leg hold the computer components so he's part persacom."
"Oh really….thank you for that knowledge sir." I smiled and held up the gun to the guys head.
"Y…You're not one of them are you. Shit." He held up his arms and lay down on the ground. I put Ed down and tied up the man.
"No offense, but you really shouldn't be in this line of work." I put Ed back on my back and headed out the door. I paused at the door and looked back at the man. I smiled sheepishly. "And thanks for the condoms last night." The man smiled before laughing.
"Nice making your acquaintance to boy." I turned and headed down the street to head back to my hotel room then. I may have 'saved' Ed back there, but what were they doing? That I did not know, but he was safe for now.