A Red Lighter

Caleb: Rub Raw

I so wasn't looking forward to going home, but waking up at Connors house kicking and screaming was embarrassing as hell. And by the look on Connor's face I thought for sure that I was going to get punished for being such a problem little brat.

The door to the house creaked as I slowly pushed it open. I didn't know if dad would be home or not. And if he was I didn't want to piss him off for being too loud. It only took me a couple of seconds to realize that he wasn't home and my heartbeat slowed a bit with the false sense of safety.

I didn't want to work tonight if worse came to worse I'll just hand him the 100 and say it was a slow night. I peeled my shirt off and crawled into bed, I knew that dad would be home later so I tried to keep on as many layers as possible. But knowing him I'd probably get in trouble for wearing any clothes at all. I swear as soon as my head hit the pillow I was out.

My rest didn't last very long; I was woken suddenly by the feeling of someone crawling on top of me. I turned my head to see who it was, and when I saw dads face it was less than surprising. His fingers were cold as they ran down my bare back.

"Ya know what Caleb" my dad's voice was cold stone sober and I didn't know which was worse, I just hummed my response "It pisses me off that I'm not the only one"

"What do you mean" I asked trying to forget the cold hands on my back

"I mean... you're mine and you will always be mine, but I can't help but get the sense of other people crawling all over you" when I turned my head to look up at him again I noticed something in his hand, it looked like steel wool "So I guess I'll have to scrub it off."

It didn't take me long to realize where this was going, I tried to crawl away but dad just put his hand on the back of my neck and pressed the clump of steel wool hard into my back and dragged it down. I screamed as the rough material ripped my skin and teared it off of my bones. I could feel blood drip down my sides and onto the sheets below us.

"Dad" I yelled as he dragged the wool as if he was scrubbing a pan "DAD PLEASE... PLEASE STOP"

After a few minutes of pointless begging, my entire back was nothing but a bloody mess. The first, second and third layer of skin had been completely erased, I was hoping, no praying that dad was done; that he got his rocks off in torturing his only son and that he'd leave. But when was I ever lucky and as he turned me so my raw back was pressed into the mattress I cried harder. His hands were all bloody and the wool he held in his hand was dripping red onto my stomach.

"I'm sorry" I sobbed my eyes screwed shut "please"

"Not till we're done" my dad's voice was full of amusement and as he pressed the torture device into my stomach.

I don't remember what happened next, but I was being dragged into the kitchen by my hair. My father yelling something I couldn't understand.

"God you're useless" I knelt on the floor as dad dug around in the fridge "only good for a quick fuck" when he stood in front of me with a bottle of lemon juice I was confused, maybe from blood loss or emotional exhaustion "hands and knees" I was quick to comply to his order and as soon as I heard the cap of the bottle flip open it clicked in my head

"No, no, no dad" my pleas were cut short as the lemon juice was poured on to the raw meat of my back.

I screwed my eyes tight and arched what was left of my back as he poured more on, it burned so badly; the lemon juice mixing with blood as it sunk into exposed flesh. A puddle of tears pooled by my hands, as I tried to contain screams. I didn't even know what I did wrong; usually there was reasoning behind why I was being punished.

After five minutes of pure torture with no reaction, safe from a hiss here or there, dad got bored. I stayed on my hands and knees, waiting for dad to tell me to move. He kneeled down behind me and blew cool air over my wound and I couldn't help the wimping sound that crawled up my throat. My back and stomach were still bleeding as he walked out of the kitchen leaving me there without a word.

I slowly picked myself off the ground, trying not to slip in the blood as I made my way to the front door. I grabbed my sweater and my sweater only, forgetting my shoes and my socks, and made my way out of the house.

I knew where I was headed Connor lived about 15 minutes away, but at this rate he could've lived on the other side of the city and I'd still walk there. I knew his dad would be home because it was like ten o'clock at night and I knew I'd be the last person he'd want to see; but I needed to get somewhere I felt safe, or else I'd bleed to death. I walked for about ten minutes before I pulled my sweater over my head. It was the middle of winter and my toes were going blue.

When I finally made it to Connor's house I stood on his porch for about three minutes before I knocked. I couldn't feel my feet, the fibers on my sweater intertwined with the hamburger meat I use to call my back. I could feel the cold night air cooling the blood that soaked through my black sweater. I knew my back and stomach were still bleeding because, even though I couldn't feel my feet, the warmish blood that trickled down my jeans and made it to my feet made my feet tingle.

When the door started to open my heart rate picked up like three beats. And the faster my heart pumped the faster the blood flowed to my skin, causing me to bleed even more.

"You have a lot of balls showing up here" I didn't quite hear what Connors dad was saying

"Caleb" I couldn't take my eyes off Connor's dad even as Connor called my name "Oh my god... dad look"

Suddenly I felt hot and cold at the same time and the urge to pull my sweater off before I tried to itch my way through the fabric became too strong. I gripped the bottom of my shirt and even though it hurt like a bitch to peel it off of my raw skin, I had no choice.

I looked back up at Blake and the world spun behind him, I felt as sweat started to pour down my face, I knew that before I showed up my breathing was uneven but know it was downright none existent it felt like I was trying to breathe through a straw but somebody was pinching it closed. My heart beat painfully in my chest and just as I fell forward, my body shutting down I began to wonder if this was it, this was death.

I felt warm hands grab under my arms and slowly lower me to the ground and just as the black around my vision began to take over completely I couldn't help but wonder what in the world hypovolemic shock was and why the people in the house were yelling about it.

(hypovolemic shock is what you go into when you lose to much blood)