Page 50 of Ashes to Ash’s

“I said back up, you stupid fucker. It’s an artery, that’s what they do.”

“It’s still warm, fucking hell… did you see her eyes go dull? That was awesome. Can I do him now?” He suddenly turned to look at me, and cursed, and I turned to realise the fucker had legged it while I’d been distracted by them.

“Fuck!”

We all legged it out of the large room, spreading out in the hallway to search the many rooms that seemed to sprout from it, like fucking twisted branches.

“Find him!” I didn’t really need to yell that, but I wanted him to hear that we were coming for him. I wanted his fear to be so fucking intense that he froze on the spot, too terrified to move.

“He dies tonight… or ya know, sometime in the next twenty-four hours, if Ethan doesn’t get carried away,” Blaze yelled back, slamming open a door and disappearing inside.

Shit, if we lost this fucker now, I had no idea what’d happen, but it wouldn’t be good. I hesitated in the first empty room I found. Should I call my dads? Wouldn’t they know what to do? Was I too dependent on them for shit like this? Shouldn’t I be able to hunt down and kill a guy without them?

I stepped back into the hallway, running my hand over the wooden door, as inspiration struck. What would my dads do in this instance? Well, that was easy.

Burn. Shit. Up.

Cal

The poor kid was a mess, and who could blame him? He’d been drugged so he could be raped, and even now, while he was still dopey and confused, he had no idea what was going on here, or who the hell we were, so why wouldn’t he be freaking out?

I lifted my hands as he ran from me, curling against the wall, one palm over his eyes as he sobbed.

“Please. I promise we’re not going to hurt you. We’re here to… well, to rescue you, I guess. They won’t hurt you again. They won’t hurt anyone again.”

“I’m dirty,” he sobbed, crumpling onto the floor, tucking himself into the corner, like he wanted to disappear from my sight, or shit, I don’t know, from everywhere? From the world?

I dropped down to my knees beside him, but I made sure no part of me was close enough to touch him. He deserved to feel safe now, because he would be.

“What’s your name, kid?” The boy suddenly froze, peering over his fingers at me, my voice obviously revealing how close I’d come.

“Don’t touch me,” he hissed, and I shook my head, my heart breaking again for how damaged he was, because of them, because of god knows who else. Fuckers. Why couldn’t they just fucking leave people alone to be who they want to be, who they are inside? How the fuck is that hurting anyone?

“I’m Cal… well, Callum, but I guess Ash has me fucking answering to Cal now. Bastard.”

The kid eyed me curiously, and I jabbed a thumb behind me.

“Ash is… he’s back there, looking for… he’s my…” Jesus, why was this shit so hard? Why was it that being back in this place was making me doubt absolutely fucking everything? I knew I was gay and I knew I wanted Ash, that I was with him, so why couldn’t I just fucking say it.

“Fuck this place, I swear to god, it’s fucking evil!”

The kid had flinched, and it wasn’t at my swearing, or the word ‘evil’. He flinched at the fucking G word. I had no idea what the hell he’d gone through before tonight, but nothing bad would ever happen to him again. I’d make sure of it.

“I’m sorry. I’m struggling with being here again, because what almost happened to you happened to me, a few years ago. He tried to fix me too.”

The boy lowered his hand, revealing his whole face again at last, and his blotchy tear stained skin made me clench my fists, as I tried to force the anger down so I wouldn’t scare him.

“You were here?”

I nodded, swallowing hard as bile started to rise in my throat when those memories assaulted me once more.

“He… he’s my uncle-”

“NO!”

“I promise I’m not like him. I hate him. He’s a fucking monster! We’re here to…” I glanced behind me, hearing the occasional yell from Ash or his crazy family, as they searched for uncle fucker.

“What?”