Staying Human

Chapter 25: Fight or Flight

Chapter 25: Fight or Flight

Joey paced back and forth nervously at Scott and Mitch's house waiting to hear from either of them. It had been over a day since Scott left to rescue Mitch and he hadn't heard from him since. Something obviously had gone wrong, Scott had gone in with no backup and Joey just knew he was either dead or captured. Brett could be using Mitch to make Scott cooperate right now for all he knew. He pictured the crazy asshole hurting Mitch and before he realized it he was fuming with anger. He walked into the kitchen for a glass of water to try to calm down and noticed Scott's computer sitting on the table. He tried to walk by it and pretend he didn't see it but he couldn't help his curiousness and his need to help, so he walked over, sat down and opened it. There was no password on the computer and Joey felt a rush of excitement at what popped up when he opened it. It was information on Brett, a lot of information. Pictures of places he had stayed and people he was associated with littered the screen and Joey couldn't stop himself from clicking everywhere. One picture was of a big black guy named Kevin Olusola, apparently an old business partner and Joey assumed he was the one Brett was after since Scott was looking him up, it had to mean something right? He studied the picture for a moment and then noticed Scott had pulled up Brett's credit card information. "Interesting..." Joey mumbled as he clicked on Brett's recent transactions. He felt like a secret agent or something as he sifted through all the info, trying to make sense of it all. He smiled to himself as he noticed the picture of the building where he and Mitch were kept, Scott was extremely smart to figure all of this out. He squinted at the screen when he realized there was another address, and when he clicked on it a picture of a similar building popped up. He compared the two addresses and found that they were on opposite sides of the city which told Joey that must be where Scott went. He sighed and leaned back in the chair thinking about what he should do. He had to do something to help them, he couldn't just leave them to die. He wasn't much help in a fight, but he was pretty good with a gun now. After what happened with Scott and Mitch before he had asked his uncle to teach him how to shoot and over the past year he'd gotten pretty good. But then again he didn't have a gun, although Scott probably did somewhere. He stood up and began searching everywhere he could think to look, Scott had to have at least one gun hidden somewhere right? He walked into Scott and Mitch's room and smiled at the nightstand. He walked over to it and pulled open the drawer to reveal a small handgun with a bunch of bullets littered around it. "I knew it had to be here somewhere." He chuckled and picked it up. It was already loaded but he grabbed all of the bullets anyway just in case and placed the gun in his belt loop. As he walked back down the stairs he realized what he was about to do. Just two days ago he was almost dying because of these two and now he was running right back into the same situation, not the smartest idea. If he had any sense at all he would be headed back to the U.S. right now, away from all of this crap. But apparently he didn't have any sense because he couldn't think of himself leaving without knowing they were ok. But what exactly was he going to do once he got there? Break in, find Scott and Mitch and somehow rescue them while taking out all the other guys...like some James Bond shit? It was a long shot that's for sure but Joey couldn't just sit here and wait, he couldn't let them die. Scott had now saved his life twice and he needed to even out the score board a little. So he would do whatever he could to help them...or at least try to help them.

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Scott leaned against a big tree and watched the crowd of people huddled together around the grave. It was a cloudy, windy day just right for a funeral. There were a few people crying but most of them seemed to not care too much about the person who was dead. He stood there silently listening to the pastor's kind words wondering if he even knew who the person was or if he was just simply doing his job. The prayer finished and Scott moved himself behind the tree as to not be seen by the passing people, they probably wouldn't know who he was if they did see him but he would rather avoid their questions. "What a lovely funeral this was." One elderly lady remarked to her friend.

"It was wasn't it, who was it for again?" Her friend asked. Scott shook his head in dissapointment. He was disgusted that these people could care less about who it was for.

"Isn't it a shame, I mean to die and have no family care about you?" Another woman stated. Scott listened closely feeling their words sting his heart.

"Didn't she have a son though? Yeah I remember him, what was his name?" Her friend asked as they stopped in front of the very tree Scott was hiding behind.

"Seth? Or Sean? I'm not sure, but he left her alone right after his father was killed. Isn't that sad? How could her own child just leave after she loses her husband?" They both shook their heads and walked away leaving Scott to feel horrible about himself; their words stuck into him like daggers. He waited until the crowd had dispersed before he finally walked out from his hiding spot and slowly made his way over to the newly formed grave.

"Martha Hoying..." He whispered as he stared at the tombstone. He sighed and shook his head as the memories of that night came back full force. The night he killed his father was the last time he saw her, and the image of her crying and screaming at him was the only image in his mind. The way his father hurt her, the anger he felt, the blade slipping out of his father's body, all that red. He hadn't meant to do it but his mother didn't seem to care that he saved her from that monster. She called him monster over and over again until he believed he was the monster. He shouldn't have killed his father, maybe if he was still alive his mother wouldn't be dead right now. He closed his eyes and tried to think of earlier memories of her, any happy memory. There it was, he was maybe four and they were at a park. "Mommy where's daddy?" Scott asked as he skipped towards the swing set holding her hand.

"He's gone for the week baby, on business." She replied happily. Scott remembered looking into her eyes that were so bright and full of life. Scott definitely got his eye color from her.

"Just us for a whole week!" He had squeeled which made her laugh.

"That's right, just us." She answered him and lifted him onto the swing. He remembered that whole week as being the best week of his life. It was the only time she was happy, the only time Scott felt that she truely loved him. He opened his eyes and stared at the stone in front of him; the image of her smile fading fast from his mind.

"Mom I'm...I'm so sorry...I should have been there....." He stopped and cleared his throat unable to continue. It was his fault, he should have been there to protect her. He shouldn't have left her alone....

Scott awoke to tears streaming down his cheeks and Mitch rubbing his shoulder. "Baby are you alright? You're crying..." Mitch asked kissing a tear away from Scott's cheek.

"I uh....yeah I'm alright." Scott mumbled. Mitch nuzzled his nose into Scott's neck and sighed.

"You wanna talk about it?" He asked and felt Scott nod. He expected Scott to refuse to talk about it but was surprised when Scott began to explain.

"It was about my mother's funeral. I was there, I was hiding behind a tree and just watching. When it was over, people were walking by and saying stuff like how sad it was that she died and didn't have any family that cared about her. Some people didn't even know who she was." He said in dissapointment. "Someone said it was sad that her only child left her right after her husband was killed...as if I didn't feel bad enough..."

"Babe...." Mitch interrupted him. "She made you leave, it wasn't your fault."

"I know but...it doesn't change how I feel." Scott replied. And how did he feel? He felt like he should have been there to help his mother. He felt like no mtter what he did he would always be the monster. He sighed and kissed Mitch on the forehead, then layed his head on Mitch's.

"I wonder what Joey's thinking, or doing right now..." Mitch mumbled changing the subject. Scott chuckled.

"He's probably worried sick that he hasn't heard from us, but I hope he's staying put." Mitch sat up and looked into Scott's eyes.

"You don't think he would come looking for us do you?" Mitch was suddenly worried about Joey's safety. He almost died already and if he came looking for them...Mitch knew it would end bloody.

"I don't know, but he has to realize he can't really do anything." Scott shrugged and layed down; Mitch following his lead and cuddling close to him.

"I love you Scott." Mitch whispered and kissed Scott's lips.

"I love you more Mitchie..." It didn't matter what kind of situation they were in as long as they were together.