Pay the Price

Chapter 6- Come Home.

"No... I can't go home..." Christopher muttered, trying to wriggle away from his brother, but Connor had a very tough grip. "They'll kill me if I do." He whispered, now clawing at Connor's arms so he'd be let go. He did end up scratching up Connor's arms very badly as well.

"You have to." Bryson stated, restraining his nephew's arms. "We've waited for you to come home for ten years, we need you home. You want to come home as well. We will protect you. No one will hurt you." He continued in a softer tone, flicking Christopher's very long braid over his shoulders. "We promise."

Christopher stared at his uncle, looking very unsure. Then he looked to Larisa, who was looking sad. Then he looked at his brother, who was a pretty bulky, strong guy. Christopher had zero emotion in his expression. He was completely monotone, and he thought about it.

Finally, he managed to slip away from Connor, standing up straight, but just on one foot. That's when he realised how tall he actually was. He towered over Connor, Bryson, and Larisa. Connor was about one hundred and seventy-five centimetres tall, and Christopher appeared to be one hundred and eighty-seven centimetres tall.

Larisa walked forward, taking Christopher's hands into hers. Finally, an emotion flashed across his face. One of sadness. Larisa moved a hand to his face, stroking his cheek with her thumb, watching as he flinched slightly. His eyelid flickered, and he moved his face away slightly. He still didn't like being touched that much.

"My goodness, you've grown up so much. I wish I could call you a boy since you're so young, but that would be a lie. You're so tall, mature, and very handsome, no matter this eye and these injuries. We've all missed you so dearly and wished for your return every single day since you were taken. Delilah wants to see you, Adhi wants to meet you, we all want you home, angel." She said to him, squeezing his hands lightly. She had always viewed him as her son, and was even going to adopt him, but then he vanished.

"I can't," he looked down, a tear falling down his cheek, going to turn away once more. "They're going to kill me." He said again. He wanted to run away for his safety, but it was quite evident he did want to go with them. He wanted to go home. Connor put his hand on his brother's shoulder, looking at him sadly.

"Please let us bring you back. We want to keep you safe. We want to give you a safe place where you can sleep, eat, play games, feel warmth, learn new things, everything." Connor murmured, wiping away the singular tear that fell down his brother's face.

Even when he was little, he wasn't a very emotional person, and clearly that had not changed at all. No one could blame him. Bryson moved Christopher's hair, all gasping lightly as they saw the left side of his face. Injuries that hadn't healed properly that would need extensive cleaning and treatment. His eye was almost completely shut, and when it would be able to open fully, he'd have trouble seeing out of it.

"Please, Chris." Larisa asked, running her thumbs over his knuckles. "Come home with us." Finally, Christopher relented and agreed.

Of course, because of his ankle injury, none of them would allow him to walk at all. They treated him as he if he was made of thin glass. So, Connor moved in front of his brother, bent his knees, and lifted Christopher onto his back. Then they started walking.

Halfway through the walk, Christopher dozed off from the bouncing movement, occasionally moving his cheek against Connor's hair.

After around half an hour, they made it to the border of the town, where Connor spotted the burned infrastructure. He would've stopped and stared, even cried, but he was very focused on getting his brother to a bed so he could sleep comfortably and under the warmth of a blanket. Even if that meant Connor had to sleep on the floor.

The three, plus a passed-out Christopher, spotted Hernando walking into a motel, so they followed suit, where they were guided to a room. In said room were two queen sized beds, and Connor immediately put Christopher down on the closet one.

Larisa walked over, starting to undo her nephew's long braid, which is when they saw how long his hair was. And how dirty.

"He needs a haircut. And extensive scalp treatment. The dirt is causing a skin rash." She murmured, going to get a bucket and shampoo from the bathroom. She got Connor and Bryson to put Christopher on the ground so she could wash his hair, which she did a very thorough job of. He was deep into sleep, not even stirring as his hair was scrubbed, rinsed, wringed out, combed, and dried with a blow dryer. "We'll reunite him with everyone tomorrow, but let's get rest first."

~

Early in the morning, Connor was the first one awake, but he lie there for three, very long hours. The reason behind it was because Christopher was laying on top of his brother, trying to get as much warmth as he could. And he was in a very deep sleep. He wouldn't be waking up any time soon.

When Bryson woke up, he looked over, chuckling quietly as he saw his eldest nephew looking around awkwardly, just hugging his brother. The sound of the chuckle caught Connor's attention.

"Please help me, Uncle B." He whispered, rubbing his brother's back. "I don't want to accidentally wake him up, but I really need to go to the bathroom."

Bryson tiptoed over, manoeuvring Christopher enough for Connor to shuffle out with as little disturbance as possible. But they didn't realise that even in sleep, Christopher could tell who was who, and he could sense Connor moving away.

Just as Connor was walking to the bathroom, Christopher woke up and looked around. He was prevented from sitting up by his uncle, which began to upset him. The older of the two was back out of the bathroom in a few seconds, drying his hands when he saw his brother awake.

"Do you have a sixth sense or something?" Connor asked, and Christopher nodded with complete seriousness. "Well, do you want more sleep?" Christopher shook his head, then sat up. He spoke no words, just got up, and limped to the bathroom. "Okay then."

Larisa was also awake, taking a box from a delivery person, where there were four sets of folded clothes. Each took a set that fit them and dressed out of their filthy clothes. Except Christopher, who was still in the bathroom.

One thing missing from the box was a set of shoes for Christopher, which meant he'd have to remain barefoot. Though, he seemed fairly equipped considering he could sprint across rocky hills. And when Connor checked his brother's ankle, he noticed thick callouses over Christopher's feet, which equipped him further.

"Chris, you need to change into these." Bryson pushed the box through the door, then left to meet up with his mother, Elizabeth, to discuss what was going to happen that day.

A few minutes after the box was pushed through, Christopher limped out of the bathroom, going to his brother. He was already attached to Connor, which Larisa found to be a good sign as it meant Christopher wasn't terrified of everyone. He was seated on a bed while Larisa brushed and styled his hair in a braid crown. Connor used a cloth to wash Christopher's face, unsurprised when he flinched a few times.

"Ready to meet everyone?" Connor asked his brother, and Christopher stilled. As much as he really wanted to go home, he didn't know how he could face everyone in the family after so long. He hadn't seen them in ten years.