BROTHERS

Chapter 8

As I cautiously make my way down the cold, dimly lit hallway, the eerie sound of hums grows louder, sending shivers down my spine. The air feels heavy with anticipation, and each step feels like an eternity.

My heart races as I approach the door at the end of the hallway. What was I doing? What if I found a dead body? With trembling hands, I reach out and slowly turn the doorknob, the creaking sound echoing through the silence. As the door swings open, my eyes widen in terror as I come face-to-face with a monstrous scene. Tom stood against a wall, his arms chained to the ceiling and his legs chained to the ground.

He had dried blood all over his body and bruises everywhere. He was slouched, his body dangling from the ceiling. "Protect them, protect them, protect them. Save them," he kept repeating. "T-Tom!" I shout out. I run over to him, lifting his face. "Tom, Tom! Wake up!" I cry out. His grotesque features send a jolt of fear through my entire body. His eyes slowly opened. "Bill," he said, smiling down at me.

His voice was raspy, dry, and broken.
"How could they do this to you?" I said, tears streaming down my face. I immediately grab a brick nearby and try to bust the shackles open. "Bill..." Tom says deliriously. "Don't worry, I'm trying," I said, hitting the shackles over and over with the brick. Tom slouches down, his mouth up to my ear. "Run," he said breathlessly.

"W-what..." I said, confused. "You just love looking for trouble," a deep voice says from behind me. I turned around, and Merlin stood before me. A vile look in his eyes. "Don't hurt him!" I said, shielding Tom with my body. Merlin scoffed as he walked up to me and slapped me down to the ground, causing me to hit my head on the concrete. "If I were you, I'd keep quiet. You're lucky I found you and not Leonel, you son of a bitch." He said that, dragging me out of the room.

As I was being taken away, I couldn't help but look back one more time. Tom stayed there, a broken smile on his lips as he nodded me away. "Stay strong," he mouthed to me before the steel doors shut behind me, and Tom was left in the darkness again.

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Walking out, I soon found out that Gustav and Georg were dragged out of the chambers first. It was obvious from their look that they got beat down. A bruise began to form around Georg's eye, and Gustav paled as a ghost. Merlin continued to drag me away, opening the door to my room and pushing me down on the concrete floor. His hand swung at me, slapping me in an instant. "I'm not done with you yet," he said, slamming the steel door shut and locking it behind me.

I began to panic, the visions of Tom downstairs in the chambers flooding my mind. The way his body had scarred all over. I felt sick to my stomach. I felt sick as I saw Tom practically dying. It, most importantly, pained me to see him in his condition. I sat in the corner of the dark, cold concrete floor. "I'm so sorry, Tom," I said, my hands raised to my face in shame. Hot tears ran down my cheek, and I was too angry for words. I was thinking about the way those atrocious, callous monsters had tortured my brother. It sprung a room full of anger and hatred within me.

-TOM'S POV-

I watched as Merlin took Bill away. I tried my best to put on a brave face for him and told him to stay strong, even when I could barely do it. I didn't think I could feel and go through so many emotions, and yet seeing his face and the way his eyes welled with tears as he saw me, I felt ashamed. I was embarrassed that he had to see me like that. Why did he have to find me? Why did he have to?

The door suddenly opens, a screeching sound coming from the rusted metal door. In came Felix and Leonel. "I see you're holding up well," Felix said, staring down at my withered body. "What do you want?" I said, my voice raspy and dry from the lack of water and food. "It seems you had company over. Care to explain that?" Felix asked. "I wasn't aware Bill was in here," I said in a tired voice.