𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐖𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐬 ; ᴿᵒᵇᶦⁿ ᴬʳᵉˡˡᵃⁿᵒ

viii

The Grabber awaited Finney to awaken for hours. The other boys had gone, sulking as they just left the house, wandering the town. As Finn awoke, he was met face to face with the kidnapper. Robin and Jaeden couldn't bare watching, rushing back up the stairs and outside, to sit on the curb once again.

Deciding they had to man up, they agree to go to the Shaw household, wanting to know if anyone knew he was missing. The sun was setting and he wasn't home, it should've alerted someone. The two waited for the moon to rise, and they set off across town, towards the Shaw household where authorities would hopefully had been called.

As they arrive, they were right. They were at the scene where Finn was so close to home, black balloons stuck in a tree above. A few drops of blood were the only thing left, most likely the kidnapper's blood. The Grabber confronted Finney about using his tiny spaceship as a weapon against the man earlier, which the two boys overheard.

Jaeden speaks up, covering his eye as he speaks, grossed out by the weird, squelching noise it made every once in a while. "Can we go visit your mom?"

Robin looks over at Jaeden, a bit taken aback. He hadn't gone back to see his mom because of Jaeden, he was terrified that if he left something would happen or Jaeden would break down seeing the woman who took him in so upset. Robin quietly nods, taking the curly haired boy's hand.

Police chatter and the red and blue lights illuminate the scene, forensics trying to identify the blood left on the sidewalk and get any clues from the small bit of black cloth left behind. It was disgusting, it made Jaeden's stomach flip and turn, he wanted to puke looking at it. He was terrified Finney would end up just like them.

The two hang their heads as they walk all the way across town again, towards the Arellano's rented apartment. As they arrive at the brick building, they walk right through the door, and up the many flights of stairs, up to room B12. Walking in, they see Ms. Arellano sobbing on the couch, a grey blanket covering her, tissues spread around everywhere and a plate of cold food on the table.

"Mi hijo, he can't be dead" She sobs
"My son, he can't be dead"

She rubs her eyes, holding one of Robin's shirts to her chest. It was his Texas Chainsaw Massacre t-shirt, the one he wore often because of his love for the movie. She heald one of Jaeden's string bracelets in her hand as well, sobbing more as she looked down at the items that belonged to her boys. She already lost her husband in Vietnam, and now the police were telling her the boys would've been dead by now. Which wasn't all wrong.

"Robin" She sobs, "Por favor ven a casa"
"Robin, please come home"

Robin chokes on a sob as he approaches his mother, Jaeden standing still at the doorway as he watches the two Arellano's. Robin rushes to his mother's aid, kneeling in front of her in hopes she could just see or hear him, or feel his hands on her shoulders as he spoke, trying to tell her anything that would now help Finney or that they were really gone.

But, nothing. She just sobbed and cried on the couch, her dark hair messy and looked like it hadn't been washed in days. Robin sobs as he hugs his mother with his cold embrace, Jaeden walking over to the two with tears pricking his eyes. She didn't deserve this, she didn't deserve to be all alone.

Jaeden sighs lightly, leaving the bloodied Robin alone with his mother as he walks into the dark haired boy's bedroom. Jaeden looks around the room, blind in one eye now as he looks at the decorated walls, same as they were when they left. The bed was still a mess, the covers not put back properly as always, a few stuffed animals laying on the floor next to the bed on the side where Jaeden slept. The room looked exactly the same, like Ms. Arellano was to scared and terrified to even walk into the room herself to even look at anything right now.

Jaeden couldn't blame her, he felt his legs were bolted to the floor as he stood in the middle of the small room. He creeps towards the bed, slowly sitting down and laying his back down, facing the ceiling. Glow in the dark stars decorated the ceiling, gifted from Finney to Jaeden when they were younger. Finney was always in love with the topic of space, and Jaeden was scared of the dark, so Finn thought of a solution that fit both of them. Jaeden chuckles as he remembers the happy-go-lucky Finney Shaw that wasn't around anymore. He'd become so quiet and he didn't talk as much as he once did.

Jaeden almost sobs as he remembers Finney and Gwen, how fucking horrible they had it, how much they had to get away from that asshole dad of theirs. All Jae ever wanted to do was help them plan an escape to run away and never come back. He had, actually. The notes were still kept at the top of the closet rack, atop the plastic tubs that heald whatever items the boys didn't need immediately but wanted to keep. The curly haired boy sits up, sitting criss-cross on the bed. He stared at the mirror sitting along the wall across from him, a full body mirror, decorated with some stickers and magnets.

He didn't even look like the same person, it was horrifying. Maybe Ms. Arellano was lucky to not be able to see them. He looked so oddly different, he hated change but this was a different level as the person who did this to him kidnapped and tortured him. He'd endured the worst of the worst for Robin to only be able to watch, mortified as he didn't know how someone could do that to a child. That basement would hide their kidnapper's secrets until the end of time. All the screams, shouts, cries, the blood, the tears and sweat.

He'd endured a living hell only to be stuck on this dreadful planet for the rest of time. For what? So he'd just die and never be remembered for anything he had ever done? Running for student council president, setting up fundraisers to help less fortunate people around town, countless hours of community service just to help others. He didn't want to visit the old people's home but he did, every other weekend. He had no reason to but to see smiles on other people's faces.

He swore to God if the phrase 'Gone but never forgotten' was put on his tombstone he'd come back and haunt whoever did it. He couldn't even go out with a bang like he wanted. Like jumping off a cliff or jumping off a tree and dying. He didn't know, he wanted people to actually remember him for something other than being tortured and abused by a kidnapper that haunted the whole town.

His reflection stared back at him through the mirror, tears spilling down his cheeks and pain running through his veins. It was pathetic to feel so selfish about himself while Robin was sobbing and crying with his mom in the next room over, but he was done being such a people pleaser and not worrying about himself. He mattered too.

He could feel horrible about himself and worry about his own health and feel something other than the pressure he put on himself to worry about others. The hard part was actually living up to it, every time he announced he would break free he'd go to his old ways within a day or two.

But this was the end, so fuck it.

AN - Don't Look Away In Anger by Oasis is such a sad bop ugh