Deadly Obsession - Chapter 3 (Patreon)

Charlie is on his third can of ravioli. He has it all over his fingers and clothes. We end up going to a subway station locking ourselves in the men’s restroom. It’s warm and it’s much better than going home.

I watch Charlie as he eats. The color is already beginning to come back in his cheeks. And his body had stopped shaking. I smile a little as I study him. He really managed to snag a place in empty pit I call my heart. Although he knew I was dangerous and that I hated him, he still looks at me all this time with adoration.

He saw me even when I didn’t want to be seen. My mind slowly wanders on its own and I begin thinking about running away and forgetting my vendetta against my parents. Just me and him. The need to protect him is at the forefront of my mind. Of course I want to kill my parents, but watching how gentle and defenseless he is without me makes me want to be there for him more.

Charlie lets out a deep breath, licking the sauce off his fingers before leaning his head against my shoulder.

“Thank you, Romelo,” he mumbles. He’s still weak so his voice is still very soft. He reminds me of one of those kids that just hit puberty late. His voice is still high pitched and his body is comparable to that of a twigs.

If my parents weren’t apart of the mob, maybe running away would be an option. But because I was born into this miserable family, running away and escaping isn’t an option. But that doesn’t mean that Charlie can’t escape. He can get away.

“Charlie.”

“Hm?”

“What if I let you escape.”

Charlie doesn’t respond and I hear a soft sob. I look down and he’s crying. In the past it would have made me mad. But watching him cry now makes me feel like a failure. I’m not doing my job protecting him if he is crying.

“What’s the matter?” I ask.

“Your mom… she’ll kill my family… she said she would, if..” he trails off.

I don’t need him to finish the sentence. I already know. My mother is psychotic. She stole Charlie for God’s sakes. She will make good on her promise if Charlie leave. So I lay my head back against the dirty tile on the wall, and pull Charlie close to me.

“Shouldn’t we be getting back?” he whispers. I hear the quiver of fear in his voice.

“Not tonight. Get some rest. We’ll go back in the morning.” He nods his head timidly, closing his eyes and going to sleep.

* * * * *

The sun is hiding behind large clouds as we make our way back to the house. Once we arrive I hide the leftover food outside near the wall and walk around to my bedroom window that I left cracked. We both make our way silently inside the house. I’m looking around when I feel small arms closing around me. It takes me a moment to force myself not to react. Charlie’s hugging me.

“Thank you, Romelo,” he whispers. I slowly bring my arms around pulling him away from me.

“You don’t have to thank me, Charlie. We’re brothers now. And I’ll always protect you,” I say. I feel his body slightly tense and when I look at him, he’s looking at the ground with a bright blush on his face.

“Romelo.. There’s something I need to tell-” Before he can get the words out, the door to my bedroom opens and in come both of my parents. They’re screaming and shouting, but I drown them out, my body instantly reacting to protect Charlie.

“Where the hell have you been? Are you trying to run away?!” My mother shouts. She completely ignores me and reaches for Charlie. I grab her arm, pulling her body towards me before bringing my fist across her face causing her to cry out in shock.

“Don’t you fucking touch him,” I hiss.

My father comes out of nowhere tackling me to the ground. He catches me off guard so I go down hard, smacking my head against the hard floor causing stars to dot my vision. He’s screaming at me, and begins pounding my face with his fists.

But I can only focus on Charlie. Another one of my fathers fists come at my face and I catch it holding him off, using the moment to look for Charlie. My mother is holding him by his shoulders shaking him violently.

“What the fuck did you do?! What did you fucking tell him!” she shouts she hits him hard across his face, and he cries out.

“Charlie!” I growl trying to get from my father’s hold.

“I didn’t say anything,” he moans.

He can barely get his words out before my mother kicks him in the stomach, and drags him by his hair.

“I will kill your family! Is that what you want!” she screams at him.

I cry out trying my best to get to him but my father is too heavy and holds me down with ease. He breaks free of my hold in my distracted haze and punches me again. I can taste the blood as it wells up in my mouth.

My mother starts dragging Charlie out of the room by his hair. He’s kicking and screaming and I try my best to get to him, but I can’t. Not with my father beating me the way he is. My father gives me one last good kick and leaves the room. I try my best to keep conscious. I have to get to Charlie. I can hear his screams get softer and softer as my body tries to shut down. I try and stay awake, to crawl to save him, but the pain from my wounds are too great, and I black out.

* * * * *

I jolt awake on the floor. I can already tell by the way my vision is narrowed my left eye is swollen shut. The only light in my room is coming from the moons rays as they shine through the open window which means I’ve been out the whole day. I slowly sit up ignoring the aching pains that shoot through my body. The image of Charlie being dragged from the room flashes through my mind helping me fight through the pain to go and find him.

The house is dark. And quiet. I walk past my parents bedroom, and the door is wide open. But the only one in there is my mother. She’s laying on the bed, obviously having been beaten by my father. I take in her battered state. She looks much worse than usual. I can only wonder what the beating was for this time.

I look around the house with no signs of anyone anywhere. Then I hear muffled speech coming from the basement. I walk to the door, pressing my ear against it and can hear my fathers voice.

“You tell him about this you won’t have to worry about ever seeing your family again. I’ll kill him and them. You understand me?” I step back from the door going to hide when I hear my fathers footsteps coming toward the door. A few seconds later I see him open the door from my hiding place. He walks past me, and out the front door, slamming it with his exit.

I wait a total of five minutes before I open the door, making my way into the basement. The sound of sobs assault my senses as I descend the steps. It’s pitch black down here. I feel around for the light switch, turning it on to illuminate the basement. I gasp in horror when my eyes take in Charlie.

He has a collar around his throat, and a long chain that is linking him to the wall like a dog. There is padding all around him, like they made it into a room. And there’s blood. So much blood. Its runs down his face, coming from scars on his arms and legs, and coming from his lips and nose. His hair that had grown out is chopped down to his scalp in a terrible pattern and his eye is swollen shut while the other is blackened horribly.

He looks up at me, and looks away.

“Charlie,” I whisper. I take a step toward him and he doesn’t respond to me.

“Charlie,” I say a little louder.

“Don’t.” I pause mid-stride. His voice is so soft that I wouldn’t have heard it if I were anyone else. He looks at me with his good eye. Tears are falling over.

“Don’t...,” he whispers. I get closer and notice his right arm is dislocated. I reach out to it, but he flinches away from me.

“I’m just going to fix it. Ok?” I say. He stares at me for a moment, and finally relaxes. I pull my shirt over my head, pressing to his lips.

“Bite on this,” I say. He opens his mouth biting into the cloth. I step next to him, placing my hands on his arm and pushing. The bone snaps back into socket with a loud pop. Charlie groans in pain, biting down hard on my shirt.

I step around him pulling the fabric from his mouth before squatting next to him.

“I’m so sorry,” I say. He keeps his eyes down.

“It’s ok. It’s not your fault,” he murmurs.

He squeezes his eye shut and tries to keep his sob in but fails miserably. I pull him in my arms, trying to offer him some kind of comfort.

“I’m going to get you out of here,” I say. He pushes me, catching me completely off guard. His eyes are hard and determined. Something that I’ve never seen from him before.

“No. I have to keep my family safe. Forget about it, Romelo. I’m never leaving here.” He scoots back against the padded wall, placing his head between his knees, the jangle of chains echoing off the wall.

I stand to leave the room, pausing at the bottom of the stairs.

“I’m getting you out of here, Charlie.”

I don’t wait for his response. I head back up the stairs. If I want to get him out of here, I will have to do so by killing my parents. Tonight was miserably obvious that I am nowhere near strong enough to kill them both. But I will be.

One day, I will be.