Chapter Nine
The air was crisp and cool as Cain hurried along on a chilly mid-spring night. He felt uncomfortable being out so late alone; the sound of his footsteps hitting the pavement sounded too loud to his ears. The only light to see by was the dim and flickering streetlamps, which caused more harm than good, casting long shadows over the empty streets. Cain walked alone, as the streets were deserted; anyone with half a brain was already safely home for the night. His feet were sore from a particularly long shift at the diner where he worked, and he was looking forward to getting home.
The pain caused by the closed wound in his abdomen was nothing more than a dull throb that hit him at the worst of times, and a scowl wormed its way onto his face as he felt the familiar twinge in his side. He tenderly placed a hand on his stomach, absentmindedly feeling around for the scar underneath his clothes; there it was, still foreign to his skin, and he was beginning to wonder if he'd ever get used to it. He didn't really like to think about it.
The emptiness of the street was making Cain feel uneasy, and as a stray cat yowled from across the street, he jumped slightly in surprise, glancing over in that direction but not stopping to investigate. Distracted by the noise while turning the corner, he bumped into a large stranger. "Oh, sorry—shit." The curse was as monotone as the half-hearted apology. Surprise was evident on his face for only a moment before he subdued the shown emotion and stared up into the beady brown orbs of the person who wasn't actually a stranger at all.
The tall, bulky figure of Nico stood barely a foot away, but Cain stood his ground, keeping watch behind him this time to make sure that he didn't get boxed in again. It appeared his foe was alone this time, and Cain found his heartbeat quickening; he was dying to shove his fist into the larger man's face, but he held his temper by a strand. The only satisfaction he found was in the disbelief that flickered in the raven haired man's eyes for a quick moment. It was clear he hadn't been expecting the redhead to survive his last assault.
"I see you're still breathing," Nico growled. "Why is that, Cain?" The way he spat out the redhead's name with such venom almost made Cain flinch. The taller man gave Cain a harsh shove, quickly taking a few steps forward and backing him against the wall, pinning him back. Nico's fingers dug into Cain's shoulders, keeping a tight grasp.
"Back off," Cain challenged with a defiant glare. He grabbed the wrists of the hands that were on his shoulders and yanked them off of him, his eyes narrowing angrily. He wasn't frightened; he could beat Nico in a fight as long as it was one against one. He found himself almost wishing for a chance to start something, but he wouldn't instigate it himself; staying out of fights was something he had promised Abel… although he couldn't help but defend himself if Nico decided to start one.
To the redhead's surprise, and slight disappointment, Nico didn't retaliate violently. In fact, he didn't retaliate at all. The uneasy feeling churning in Cain's gut only grew as the raven-haired man's disturbing sneer began to worm its way back onto his face. "Hmph. I don't need you anymore."
"You never did," Cain muttered bitterly, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.
There was amusement in Nico's warped smile at Cain's misunderstanding of what he had meant. "To get what I want… I don't need you." At that, he turned, not even bothering to give a glance over his shoulder to see Cain's reaction before he began to briskly walk away.
Cain watched him go, stunned still in confusion. Nico hadn't gotten far before the realization hit Cain like a smack in the face. The raven-haired man was no longer interested in getting what he wanted directly; he'd picked a new target, someone who wouldn't know what was coming, someone who Cain had been so desperately trying to protect…
"You—!" Cain sprinted forward in a panic, his arm outstretched to grab Nico before he could get any further. The latter had been expecting this, and stepped aside before Cain could reach him. The surprised redhead whirled around just in time for his opponent to nail him in the side of his jaw with a punch hard enough to make him see stars.
"Stay out of my way," Nico snarled. Cain had no time to recover or respond before another hard punch to the side of his face sent him sprawling to the ground. His head knocked against the side of the brick building as he went, and his vision went blurry. Looking up, he saw Nico's dark, fuzzy shape getting smaller and smaller. He weakly reached up with his hand, but his efforts were in vain, and it wasn't long before his consciousness left him.
It was before dawn that Abel decided to get up on a chilly mid-spring morning. The sky was still dark as he exited his apartment, slipping his jacket over his shoulders to ward off the slight chill that hung in the air. Although it was spring, the mornings were still cold, and small puffs came from his lips as his hot breath hit the cold morning air; the stinging feeling of his cheeks was refreshing. He often awakened this early, enjoying the solitude of the town that always turned so busy once the sun started to make its ascent above the horizon.
He had no clear destination, and he allowed his mind to wander as he leisurely strolled along the paved path beside the streets, and soon found himself thinking of Cain. A small smile unconsciously appeared on his face as he pictured his red-haired partner. He'd often tried to get the other to join him on these morning walks, but the redhead found as much beauty in his pillow as Abel did in the sunrise. The thought alone made him laugh to himself.
As he came to the edge of the large park located in the center of the city, he slowed his pace, and eventually came to a stop. A sense of uneasiness had crept up on him; it was an unusual feeling. Glancing over his shoulder, he was greeted with nothing but empty air. He waited a moment, surveying the area, but still nothing out of the ordinary appeared. With a small shrug, he continued to walk, but couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. When a nearby bird made a shrill call, he jumped, shaken up for a moment at the sudden noise. Suddenly he was unsure whether or not his shivers were only from the cold.
He did his best to ignore the feeling, telling himself he was being paranoid; after all, there was no one out there with him. A bit of nervous laughter came from his lips as Abel continued on his way, walking along the edge of the park that he seemed to have spent a lot of time in since he met Cain. As always, it was deserted except for him; no early-morning walkers joined him as he slowly followed the trail. He wrapped his scarf just a bit tighter around his neck, small puffs of frozen air bursting from his lips every time he let out a breath.
Sunlight streaming into his eyes was what was awoke Cain, and he blinked several times; the white spots slowly faded, and he was able to see clearly, but his drowsiness kept his eyes half-closed. His body was sore as if he had slept wrong, and a terrible headache plagued him. After a few more moments of confusion, he shifted, and noticed that the surface beneath him wasn't that of his soft bed, but of hard concrete. His auburn eyes flew open with realization, and he struggled to climb to his feet, stiff and off balance. The still-empty street was considerably lighter, the sun poking over the horizon; he must have been out for a while. Rubbing his head, he groaned quietly in pain, trying to figure out why he had woken up on the street instead of his apartment. It wasn't a new experience for him, but certainly one he hadn't had in quite a few years.
His first thought was to call Abel, and the name of his partner seemed to trigger the memories of the events that had unfolded the night before. A soft gasp flew from his mouth; while he had been unconscious on the street, anything could have happened to the unsuspecting green-haired man! The threats that Nico had spoken were burned into his mind, but he controlled the panic that threatened to bubble over. He doubted Nico would try anything in Abel's apartment directly—too much security to risk it— but that didn't mean he was safe.
Cain knew that Abel liked to go out early in the mornings. If Nico had been watching him like he had threatened, he knew that too. Struggling to keep his cool, and beginning to fail, he started to sprint towards where he thought Abel might be. The redhead whipped out his cell phone, dialing Abel's number as fast as he could; trying to press the buttons while running, he messed up twice before finally getting the digits entered correctly. The phone rang for what felt like an eternity before there was a soft clicking noise, and then he heard Abel's innocent voice.
Abel had been walking along a smoothly paved path for a few minutes when he decided to stop on one of the many benches that the park offered, taking the opportunity to watch the glowing yellow orb climb up the horizon. Crossing his legs and settling back, he let out another frozen breath, relishing in the peacefulness. It was sudden for his phone to begin ringing, and he frowned, wondering why he had even brought it with him; the frown was gone when he checked the ID, and then he was happy to answer the vibrating device.
"Cain? You're up early," he commented, keeping his gaze on the rising sun. It cast a long shadow behind him that he couldn't see; if he'd turned around, he would noticed that his was not the only one.
"Abel!" He wasn't expecting his name to be called so frantically or so loudly, and he held the phone away from his ear for a moment.
"What? What's wrong?" Abel uncrossed his legs and leaned forward as he sat on the edge of the bench, brow furrowed in immediate concern.
"You have to— get inside, he's—" It was obvious from Cain's panting and frequent pauses that he was running while he tried to talk.
"Who—?" The realization hit Abel too late. He stood quickly, but he hadn't taken three steps before he felt a pair of hands grab at him from behind; one around his abdomen and the other around his neck. Dropping the phone in surprise, he pried at the hand around his neck, squirming and struggling with all his might to free himself from his attacker.
The rough, calloused hands didn't relent despite Abel's protesting. He had tried to use the point of his elbow to attack the person holding him, but the heavy-set man seemed unaffected by Abel's attempts. The hand that was on his neck disappeared for a moment, and he opened his mouth to shout, but before he could get a word out, a soaking wet rag was shoved into his face, covering his mouth and nose. He gagged from the sickly sweet smell that flooded into his nostrils, cutting off his access to fresh air. Forced to breath in the carcinogen, he kicked his leg back in one last effort to break free, nailing the large man behind him in the calf, but once again he wasn't in a position to do any real damage.
His vision began to swim as the chloroform started to take effect, and the sickeningly sweet scent almost made him vomit. A harsh pounding started in his temple, and the sound of his own breathing was suddenly too loud and extremely distorted. He continued to struggle, but he was getting weaker by the second, and his grip on the meaty arm of his attacker started to fail. Cain… Cain! He wanted to yell, and in his mind he was screaming his partner's name, but the rag blocked all air and he didn't have enough to even breathe, much less shout.
He struggled for what seemed like an eternity before he could finally take no more, blackness pricking at the edge of his vision. Panic flared in him as he realized he wasn't going to escape, but soon even that feeling faded into the foggy mess of his mind, and his knees buckled as darkness overwhelmed him.
"Abel? Abel!" Cain shouted into the phone, but received no response except for the faint sounds of rustling and grunting. He cursed out loud; he'd been too late in warning the other, and now he feared tremendously for his partner's life.
He was out of breath from running, but he kept going until he stumbled forward, caught off-guard by a sudden searing heat that ripped through his abdomen. He dropped to his knees, clutching his stomach with both hands, unable to stop a loud groan of pain. The running and irregular breathing while trying to speak had irritated his still-sensitive spot, and he grit his teeth; there were bigger things he had to worry about right now than his wound, and yet it was a few more moments before he could even stand.
Staggering forward as he tried to run, he soon realized that wouldn't be possible, and he slowly limped along, having to use the wall for support. His slow progress was made worse by the fact that he knew every second counted; Abel was in danger, and he had to reach him. He had an idea of where Nico would have taken him; near the end of his time with them, the gang had discovered an abandoned construction lot that contained a half-built building that had never progressed past solid concrete.
Grunting from effort as he moved, he felt the pain beginning to ebb, and suddenly a terrifying thought slipped into his mind. He had assumed that Nico had taken Abel, and was probably pressing him for information, but that might not be the case. The raven-haired brute had been very impatient when trying to force answers out of Cain, and there was no telling what he would do to Abel.
Nico wouldn't kill someone he wanted answers from… would he?