Berceuse for The Suffering (Complete)

20. {The Boy 2}

(Trigger warning. The chapter contains thought provoking and disturbing language. Please read with caution. If you're an S/A survivor, skip the chapter.)

***

Two decades ago.

Kaneshia bid farewell to her niece and watched as Billy leaped into the back of Mr. Webber's pickup truck, which was parked just three blocks away. She realized she should have sought permission from her brother before letting Billy join the camping trip, but she didn't want to ask her sister-in-law, who she believed was the cause of her niece's detachment. Despite this, she couldn't bear to see Billy's joyous expression disappear, so she let him go with a smile on her face. Waving goodbye, she entered her house unaware of the events that would soon transpire.

***
Billy laughed, and for the first time in his life, he engaged in a lengthy conversation with teens his age. Stephen, the eighth-grader who had invited him, informed him that they held the camping trip annually to commemorate the formation of their group, which they named the Lost Boys. Billy found it both amusing and significant because Seth, another teen sitting with them, revealed that the group was composed of the town's outcasts, those who felt like they didn't belong. It made perfect sense.
No wonder I feel at ease with them Billy thought to himself as the vehicle rounded a curve and came to a stop in front of a gate with an arch that had the words Irraga Forest Park on it.

"Alright, everyone, are you ready?" Mr. Webber asked as he stepped out of his truck. The teens inside followed suit, and Billy, along with the others who had chosen to ride on the truck's carrier, jumped out.

"I'll help you boys set up your tents, and after that, you're on your own. Now, remember to stay on the forest path and not wander too far. Don't go anywhere without a companion, and for God's sake, don't talk to strangers," Mr. Webber warned.

"Dad, we're not kids," retorted Andy, Mr. Webber's son."Just reminding you, in case you've forgotten," Mr. Webber countered.

Laughter soon followed. Billy and Stephen decided to share a tent since Billy's was huge. It belonged to his aunt. He first declined it when he saw it, but since they had no time to shop for a tent, he yielded. When everything was set up, Mr. Webber bid them goodbye.

As soon as they were alone, Billy's companions began pulling bottles of alcohol from their backpacks. Billy was taken aback but remained silent. "Let's have some fun!" Stephen exclaimed. Before long, Billy experienced his first sip of alcohol.

As the night progressed, the bonfire crackled and the boys laughed. Billy felt a sense of belonging he had never felt before. It was as if he had finally found a place where he belonged, where he was accepted for who he was. The stars twinkled in the sky above as if watching over the lost boys, guiding them with their light.

But little did Billy know, the alcohol was clouding his judgment, making him do things he would never have done sober. As the night wore on, he stumbled through the forest, barely able to see where he was going. He laughed at nothing, and everything, and before he knew it, he had wandered far from the safety of the campsite.

The trees loomed around him, casting monstrous shadows that made him shiver. He knew he should turn back but he didn't want to go back to the campsite, to the safety of the lost boys. He wanted to explore, to find something new, something exciting.

As he stumbled through the forest, he heard a sound, a snapping of a twig. Suddenly, he realized he wasn't alone, he was being watched. He tried to run, but his legs wouldn't move fast enough. Next, he knew, a set of arms wrapped around him and heard the words, "We're getting lucky this month," before he was hit in the head and lost consciousness.