Trapped

Chapter 23

This story is now officially part of Febuwump. Yay! Prompts for this chapter include: head wound, blood loss, nightmares. Enjoy!

It had been exactly a year since Kurtz had driven him up this mountain and locked him into this house of terrors. Just a few weeks ago that Kurtz had shown the video of his dad being...

Jughead gripped the covers tightly. If he stopped he was sure he'd try to strangle Kurtz in his sleep and if he failed the consequences could be fatal.

It all seemed so hopeless now. In all the crime documentaries that he had seen, the victims that had survived had formed some kind of bond with their kidnapper, even if fake. It resulted in the kidnapper feeling sympathy for them, which made it harder for them to inflict pain. At first he thought that he could at the very least ensure that Kurtz would not kill him, or hurt his family. Apparently that was so not the case and now he didn't know if he could or even wanted to pretend.

He stiffened. Kurtz moved on the bed, turning to lay on his side. His breathing was growing uneasy. A nightmare?

Jughead turned his head to look at him. His breath was caught in his throat. Kurtz's face was scrunched up in fear. He almost looked ready to cry. Jughead couldn't look away. After all the times Kurtz had hurt him, humiliated him and left him sobbing on the ground, the sight of him so...human...scared...it was groundbreaking.

Jughead bit down on the inside of his cheeks. Should he...wake him up? Or should he let him suffer in his nightmare? After all the shit he had put Jughead through the past month, finally, it was his time to be afraid; to be trapped in a horrible dream he could not escape from. That moment, Jughead felt a weird surge of power. Maybe he was was a coward, maybe he was as weak and pathetic as Kurtz said he was. But right now, it was Kurtz. Kurtz was the one in fear and pain and it was a bit of a reality check.

Kurtz was a kid. The same age as him. He got nightmares, just like him. He was scared, just like he was. And it dawned on Jughead that if Kurtz was a kid, so was he. He felt so much older though. Because he had to. He had to grow up faster to take care of his dad, to take care of Jellybean. Throughout the years he had always been the one you could count on, always the 'grown-up' in all his relationships. Even with his dad, most of his life he would have to be the adult.

He would have to be the one to make sure there was food on the fridge. He was the one that would have to call a cab for FP when he was drunk on the White Wyrm. He was the one that would dress Jellybean for school, help her sith homework, make her a snack. Was it fair? No. But it was life.

Kurtz whimpered. Jughead blinked. He was holding himself as still as he possibly could.

"No...no, wait" Kurtz whispered in his sleep, his brows furrowed.

Jughead held back his breath. Kurtz's movement only got more erratic and his breathing faster.

"Stop it...sto-stop it...no...Gabe... don't..."

Jughead trembled as cold sweat started forming. It was already freezing in the small cabin. He wanted to bring the blanket up his shoulders but he was too terrified to move. He didn't want to be the reason Kurtz would wake up. He also didn't want to be the one he would take his anger out on.

Kurtz suddenly hissed, his eyes blinking open and Jughead quickly shut his. He forced himself to take long, slow breaths, as if he were sleeping. Silence took over. Jughead could feel his heart bagging on his chest. It was so loud that he was certain Kurtz would be able to hear it.

He jerked, widening his eyes when suddenly arms wrapped around him. Kurtz had laid his head on his chest, right under his chin.

"Sorry I woke you up" he heard Kurtz mumble. His breath tickled his throat and gave him goosebumps all over. He could barely register it over how wrong this situation was.