LEFT BEHIND
Breaking
June 17 --- Unknown Location – Unknown Time
Reno was tired and sore. Not just physically, but mentally as well. The little bit of painkiller that he was given had worn off and he was in so much more pain now. His mind wouldn't stop working and thinking about what she planned to do.
It was getting all too much.
Lore had stopped staring at him and was fiddling with something in his hand. He was staring intently at the still form of his sister and her son on the small bed. He had a deep frown on his face.
Reno let out a low moan that he didn't mean too. His arms were so numb were burning. He felt warm and he knew that he had a fever again. He swallowed and it hurt so much as he did so.
Lore looked at him again. "It will be over soon."
It was not comforting thing to hear. It will be over soon. If he had his voice he would have said, "No thanks. I will rather live," or maybe something a mite bit wittier. He didn't fell all that witty right now.
Lore looked back at his sister. "For us all." He twirled something in his fingers and Reno couldn't see what it was. It wasn't the knife that he had earlier, that was still resting on the duffel where the phone rested, inside. "It will be better for us all, to get this all over with."
Reno shuttered. It hurt to move. It hurt to think. Everything hurt. Reno was pretty sure he was breaking. That little bit of freedom that he had of pain and now the rush of it returning to him was almost too much to bear. His throat burned as he swallowed hard again and tried so hard not to cry. He didn't want to cry. He didn't want to be a baby but there was only so much a person could handle.
It had been so long since he made that phone call, why hadn't they come yet? Why hadn't they burst through the door and saved him yet? He felt the tears going down his face and he didn't want to cry.
Damn it, he wanted to be rescued!
This is not the way he wanted to die!
The tears blinded him as he gasped for breath.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and he gasped and tried to move. Mistake. It hurt too much to move. A smooth cloth rubbed over his face, wiping his eyes and cheeks. Lore was looking at him with a soft smile. "Do you need something more for the pain?" he asked.
He nodded.
He was beginning to like Lore. He knew it was probably that stupid psychosis where you start sympathizing with your captors, Stockholm syndrome. He was pretty sure he had that right now, at least toward Lore. The guy may have a Loveless fetish and all, but he had treated him well through his whole incarceration. It was Lira that kept inflicting him with pain and making him sick, nearly bleeding him to death and, the final humiliation, cutting off his hair.
Lore went to the bag again. He was tucked what he was fiddling with in a pouch that was on the arm of his jacket. Reno didn't see what it was again but was grateful to see a potion be brought out of the bag.
"One left," Lore said and shook the bottle. Reno panted. He wanted that bottle. He never wanted a bottle of the awful tasting potion in his life. He knew it was supposed to be for the kid, but the kid had stronger stuff than that to deal with his pain.
Lore opened the bottle and put his hand under his chin. "Drink slow, or you will make yourself sick," Lore said as he put the bottle to his lips.
Reno cried even more as he drank the potion and some of the pain in his throat dissipated to a tolerable thrum of pain.
"Better?"
He nodded. Yeah. It was a little more tolerable now.
A little.
But he still was crying and Lore was wiping the tears off his cheeks again. "Drink a little more," Lore whispered and the bottle was brought to his lips again. "It will be over soon."
Those words again. It was hardly comforting and the bit of poetry that he spouted only made him cry even more.
Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul
Pride is lost
Wings stripped away, the end is nigh
That creepy horrible poem but for once, the words meant something to him. For once he understood what it meant for him and it was not the most pleasant thing to have rambling about his brain.
Lore ran his fingers through his hair. He was trying to be comforting and Reno found that he did appreciate the small bit of comfort.
Yep. He was pretty sure that he had that Stockholm syndrome thing. He was pretty damn sure of it now.
"You are being too soft on him."
He closed his eyes as the hand was removed from his hair. Lira was awake.
The end was nigh.
On there way
June 17 --- 7th Heaven --- PM
Tseng opened the door to let Cloud get into his car.
"I'll take my bike, thank you," he said. He watched as he opened up the sword compartments of his bike and seemed to select a few blades and then put them together before placing them on his back.
Tseng wondered where he got those blades.
"I can explain to you what we are facing on the way if you join us." Tseng said simply. "You must understand what we are facing."
Cloud frowned as he clicked another sword together. How many combinations could he do with those blades? How many swords did you need anyway?
"I don't like the idea of being in the car with you." Cloud said stiffly as he still straddled his bike. "Just tell me what I need to know and I will meet you there.
"It will be easier to explain this way. Shall we," Tseng said. "It is complicated."
Cloud frowned at him and seemed to be thinking about it. Tseng didn't blame him for the mistrust. He had done nothing to earn it from the man. There had been so much deceit in the past it was hard to get past. He just hoped that Cloud would turn off his motorcycle and come with them.
He was relieved when Cloud turned off his bike and dismounted. He had a sword on his back and a smaller sword in his hand. He was still frowining heavily as he walked to the car.
"Don't make me regret this decision," Cloud said as he sat in the car. Tseng closed he door behind him.
Tseng looked at his phone where they were tracking the phone still. It hadn't moved and he hoped that they were still there. It was quickly approaching the deadline that she set when she was twisting his arm behind his back. A last chance to save Reno. He walked around the drivers side and sat behind he wheel. Rude sat in the back seat. Cloud had both swords in the front seat with him and the were cutting the uplostery of the leather seat.
Tseng did not comment on it though.
"How much time do we got?" Cloud said as he adjusted his swords against his legs, tearing up more of the seat. Tseng cringed and kept his mouth shut about the swords ruining his car. He had other things to worry about.
"Ten," Rude said from the back.
"Don't have much time, do we? Aren't we cutting it a little close?" Cloud said as he looked at his phone.
"That is why, we must hurry," Tseng said and started to drive closer to the single that they were tracking.
Tbc
Next chapter…..loveless
