Just Like Animals

№ 3

Ricky woke up to a throbbing pain in his head and a a general soreness throughout his whole body.  He started to stretch out a bit, remembering what had happened.  It all seemed so surreal, as if it was a silly prank or just a wild nightmare. 

With some effort, he opened his eyes, being greeted by a cement wall.  It took all his energy to roll over, the flip making his stomach churn again.  Ricky sat up, there being a soft jingle behind him.

It took him a moment to take in the scene, the room being rather dark. He could only assume it was a basement with the small windows up near the unfinished ceiling and the grey cement walls and floor with a metal drain cover in the middle.  There wasn't much stuff around him, just a mattress under his body, two support posts, and an unpainted sheetrock wall opposite him with a ragged doorway.

Ricky shifted a bit, hearing the jingle again.  Above his head was a ring bolt going through the beam, a chain hanging down and wrapping around his neck where it was then padlocked into a loop.  Naturally, he tried to pull it off, it being ever so slightly too small for it to fit over his head and the lock not budging in the slightest. 

He stood up, holding onto the wall as his head pounded.  The blanket that was wrapped around him started to slip, revealing his nearly naked body.  He had been stripped down and cleaned, some of his skin scrubbed raw. He was wearing a pair of boxers that certainly weren't his and we're far too big.  He pulled the blanket tight around himself, trying to stay warm as he stepped off the mattress, testing how far he could walk while on the chain.

There was a creak in the ceiling, signifying someone walking on the floor above.  Ricky retreated to the bed when he heard that someone coming down the stairs, wrapping his arms around his torso to feel some sort of comfort and safety.

Chris came through the doorway, a tote bag over his shoulder.  He squatted down and set the bag on the ground, pulling out a stack of clothes and tossing it towards Ricky, rolling a few water bottles to him too.

"Why did you take my clothes?" Ricky stammered, staring down at the things Chris had given to him.

Chris stood up and grabbed his bag, "You fell in blood, I'm assuming you'd prefer to be clean rather than caked in someone else's bodily fluids." He stated in a rather matter-of-fact way, showing no emotion.  He turned and left, Ricky waiting until he heard him go back upstairs to grab the clothing.  He pulled the flannel shirt on, buttoning it up and slipping the loose pajama pants on. He tugged the socks on too, snuggling back up under his blanket.

He laid there for a bit, thinking of what got him into the situation.  More than ever, he wished Jaime was there by his side.  She would know how to escape, she would've known not to go into the woods in the first place.  Ricky couldn't help but curse himself for whatever it was that he did to drive her away.

"No need to cry." Chris insisted as he came into the room again, Ricky quickly wiping his tears away with the blanket and sniffling a bit, trying to pull himself together.  He didn't want to show weakness.  Chris set a tray down on the floor, sliding it closer to Ricky before sitting down on the floor and pulling a phone out of his pocket.

With a bit of hesitation, Ricky turned his head to look at Chris. "Is that my phone?" He asked, seeing the case on it. Chris nodded and kept typing away.  Ricky got up on his feet, having to steady himself against the wall before approaching Chris.

"Sit back down and eat your dinner." Chris huffed, scooting across the floor a bit until he knew he was out of Ricky's reach. Ricky pulled on the chain, trying to get an arms length from his phone so he could just maybe swipe it.

All the tugging and straining didn't do anything more than hurt Ricky's throat, so he took a few steps back and sat down opposite Chris. "Who are you texting?" He wondered, trying to get a glimpse of the screen.

Chris scoffed and rolled his eyes, "Jaime, she's called you like four times and won't stop texting." He turned the phone so Ricky could see some of the messages and how they kept popping up.

"She's concerned that you're taking the break up too personally and she's worried about your self destructive tendencies." Chris summarized for Ricky, causing him to look away in embarrassment. 

After a few more minutes of texting, Chris got up. "You are now officially taking a trip out town to help clear your head and have quadruple promised that if your emotions start to get the better of you, you will be visiting you parents." He stated, watching as Ricky started to tear up again. 

"Don't cry.  Eat your dinner and then go to sleep. I'll check on you tomorrow morning. If you need anything, well, tell me now." Chris crossed his arms impatiently, waiting while Ricky attempted to compose himself.

With a bit of apprehension, Ricky looked up at Chris' chest, not quite comfortable with making eye contact, "Can I go to the bathroom." He begged.  Chris agreed and walked past Ricky, reaching up to the ceiling and unhooking the chain, holding it tight.

"Come on." He tugged slightly, showing Ricky to the little bathroom on the other side of the plasterboard wall. Ricky went into the bathroom, pulling the door most of the way closed so he could have a bit of privacy.  He did his business and washed his hands, splashing a bit of water on his face and looking in the mirror.

He had a bruise on his cheek from where he had hit his head and a bruise on his neck, presumably from Chris choking him. There was a little tug on the chain and the door opened.

"Are you done?" Chris wondered, Ricky nodding and following him back through the basement to his little bed.

Chris attached the leash to the bolt again, taking a few steps back. "Dinner, then sleep." He reminded, watching Ricky for a moment.

As he started to leave, he turned back briefly. "If you don't eat I'll have to forcefeed you." He threatened. Ricky nodded but didn't touch the tray, watching as Chris left, hearing him go back upstairs.

He looked at the food, feeling rather queasy at the thought of eating anything that could possibly contain meat.  He laid down and rolled over to face the wall, hoping he'd get even a wink of sleep that night.

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