The Dream

The loud rattling of chains from the other bed slowly awoke Blaine. What was Cooper doing? He knew if they made too much noise father would come down. This wasn't the way to get attention, Cooper knew this.

"What are you doing?" Blaine whispered so quietly he was surprised Cooper could hear him.

"I'm breaking out, Blaine. I'm ending this. This shit has been going on for too long." Cooper continued to try and get his chains off.

Blaine didn't answer. Cooper did this at least twice a week, trying to escape. As if escaping was even a possibility! Was Cooper really this naïve? This has been their life for two years now. Even if he managed to break the chains, he would have no chance of getting out of the basement. Blaine was certain. He's tried to escape before, and It's impossible to-

Blaine's thoughts were intruded by the sound of the chains hitting the floor.

"Cooper?" Blaine whispered frantically.

"I'm here. I've almost…got it!" The chains connected to the older boy's ankles collapsed as well.

"What are you doing?" Blaine was so close to screaming out, so close so close so close…

Cooper covered Blaine's mouth so he wouldn't screech, and slowly began to undo his chains as well.

Blaine's protests were muffled until Cooper released the last chain. "You'll get me in trouble!"

"Wake up, Blaine! This isn't right! They're crazy! And I'm going to stop them."

Cooper's determined voice terrified Blaine. What was he going to do?

Blaine watched as Cooper took out a nail file from inside his slipper, and started to jiggle it inside the keyhole that kept the door locked.

The door opened after thirty eight seconds. Blaine counted.

"You need to stay here," Cooper whispered. And for some reason, Blaine listened, and watched his brother jaunt down the extensive hallway leading up the stairs.

Blaine began to wait.

Wait.

Wait.

A crash. A muffled grunt. A distant scream. Then noises Blaine couldn't decipher.

Then loud footsteps. A door opening.

Then nothing.

Blaine waited for Cooper to come back down and get him, or for father to come and put Cooper where he belonged.

But he heard nothing.

Tentatively, gently, Blaine made his way up the stairs to the first floor. The first thing that caught his eye was the front door. It was wide open. What had happened? Did Cooper decide to run off without him? To leave him here? Or did his parents run after him to try and bring him back?

Blaine didn't want to know, yet he continued up the steps to see if his parents were still sleeping.

When Blaine, as quietly as humanly possible, finished his journey up the steps, he stepped in something.

Something wet and sticky.

Blaine knew what it was without having to look, because just a few feet away was a hammer, a bloody hammer. Blaine looked away quickly. He didn't want to continue anymore. He wanted to go back to his basement, to his sanctuary, his home. Nothing could hurt him there, nothing would hurt him there. Blaine couldn't handle this. What had Cooper done?

Suddenly, a retched smell hit Blaine's nostrils. A smell so awful, Blaine had to take two steps back and nearly slipped from the pool of blood at his feet.

The smell persuaded Blaine to continue forward. He needed to know what happened.

It took only a few more steps to find out exactly what happened.

His mother. His beautiful, generous, loving mother who fed him and washed his hair and gave him life was on the floor, dead and beaten until her insides were shown through her white nightgown. Blaine collapsed till he was level with her body, and started to sob outrageously. How could Cooper have done such a thing? This wasn't his brother. His brother wasn't capable of doing something so sick. His mother never…his mother rarely hurt him! Father was the one who-

Blaine halted his thoughts. Was father dead too?

He was. Blaine could smell death coming from their bedroom. Blaine wouldn't allow himself to look. He didn't need to look.

So Cooper had run out to leave Blaine to deal with this. Blaine had no words.

He dialed the police.

Vague memories of flashlights in his face, of arms pulling him to his feet and away from his mother, of questions, loud voices, and large, blinking lights. People were touching him, asking him if he was alright, asking him who did this. It's alright, son, we'll find your brother. He won't hurt anyone else when we get to him, don't worry.

More memories of screams, and then being pulled to the side and saying words like "drowned" and "head" and "so sorry".

Even more memories of his father screaming in his face, saying he needs to be cured, whipping him, burning him, saying he was going to be all good and normal once he was done with Blaine.

Then screaming.