I Don't Think That They'll Understand - Fransykes

Chapter Four

“Oli...Oli.... wake up.... we’re here.” Josh shook Oli’s shoulder gently, waking the boy up. They had reached their most recent destination, a small run down hotel in Canada. Of course, Oli didn't know they were in Canada, having been asleep when Josh's friend helped them cross the border, but what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him. Probably better he didn't know, Josh thought. Made an escape harder.

Oli made an incoherent noise, rolling over in the vehicle, not noticing his restraints were undone. "Coming?" Josh questioned, though it was more of a demand, as Oli knew. But there could be people around. Oli knew the rules when there could be people around. Josh spoke to him as though he were an equal, but Oli knew Josh didn't feel that way about him. But people would be suspicious if it were any other way.

Oli scratched his head as he got up, the bleach from the other day still making his scalp itch. It was odd to look at himself in the mirror and see blonde, rather than the usual darkness, but he kind of liked it. Josh said he did too, one of the few compliments Oli had received from anyone. It was odd, their relationship, because Josh, though psychotic enough to kidnap a child, didn’t treat him much different than an average person would.

Josh rushed him along, leading him towards the hotel room. He brought the boy in, directing him to sit on the chair and wait for him. Just in case, Josh handcuffed the boy to the desk and shut the door, making sure he couldn’t get away. Quickly and as inconspicuously as possible Josh grabbed his small bag and Oli’s backpack out of the trunk. Oli didn’t need the book bag, it didn’t have any clothes or necessities in it, Josh was grabbing it more for appearances.

When he unlocked the door, Oli was nodding off in the chair. He’s so cute when he’s asleep, Josh thought, approaching the boy. He couldn’t decide whether to wake him up and get him ready for bed or not, and he ended up just leaving him, not wishing to disturb the boy. He stripped himself of his clothes, changing into just a loose pair of boxers before climbing into bed.

Neither of the boys knew it, but Oli's iPhone (which had died somewhere near Vermont and New Hampshire) was flooded with calls, texts, Facebook messages, any way people could get in contact with him trying to find him. For the first couple days his parents both thought he was over Lee or Matt's house, but after they hadn't heard from him in three days they called the police.

When it was around midnight, Josh gently untied Oli from the desk and laid him down in the open spot next to where he was sleeping. Oli looked even younger now, his features relaxed and content. Josh wondered who he was seeing in his dreams, if he was there. Lost in thought, he climbed back under the covers and pulled the boy closer to him, something he'd dreamed about doing for months. Nothing could ruin this moment for him. Not how they got there, not what he had to do, nothing.

***

It had been about two weeks, and Josh was treating Oli better than Oli had expected. It was as though he actually cared for him... though someone so sick to kidnap a child probably couldn't care. But it was odd, being 'cared' for, when all his life he had been unwanted. Josh acted concerned when he wouldn't eat, bandaged him when he got hurt, bought him new clothes when his old ones were tatty and worn, all the things someone who cared for someone would do.

But he couldn't care about Oli. No one could. Oli knew, after being told all his life he was worthless, that this would all just be an act before Josh did some sick and twisted thing to him. Killed him, probably, because god knows what else you do with a child you kidnap, but that was something Oli didn't want to think about. Sure, he had thought about killing himself, but the thought of dying from someone else's hands was a completely different thought, one he didn't approve of.

Some days he thought of running, some days he thought of disobeying Josh, some days he thought of nothing at all. He had no clue why Josh wanted him there, but honestly, he was beginning to like the attention Josh gave him. They were trekking through a forest, Josh having parked his car a ways back. Oli wasn’t sure why, but Josh insisted on ‘camping’ tonight, though he wasn’t sure quite what Josh had for supplies, just a large hockey bag he had thrown on his back. Oli felt his stomach rumble, it feeling dissatisfied at being ignored for so long, especially since his food intake had increased a surprising amount since he got on the road with Josh.

Oli considered asking Josh for a granola bar or something, but quickly had second thoughts. Josh may have been treating him decently, but he was still very timid around the man. Oli could sense that Josh was going to snap at any time, even if he himself didn’t realize it, and under the circumstances of their meeting, he was able to believe his intuition very easily. They continued walking, Oli focusing on his footing both so he wouldn’t fall and to try and distract himself from his hunger.

An hour or two later, Josh stopped, spinning in a circle as he examined his surroundings. With a satisfied huff, he set the bag down, stretching himself out, happy to be relieving himself of the weight on his back.

Oli looked around and was a bit confused. This wasn’t a normal campsite like his family had been on before, not a family camper or RV was in sight, it was literally in the middle of the woods. “Here? It’s kind of secluded....” he said, a bit worried that his fears would be realized. No one would be able to hear his screams, no one would be able to find him, unless their tracks weren’t snowed over or melted by the end of the night.

“Yeah? You’ve been camping before right?” Josh asked. the boy nodded. “So you should be used to this?”

“We always go camping in an RV, like road trips and stuff.” Oli replied, playing with a button on the jacket Josh had bought for him when the clothing he was wearing that day had innumerable stains and rips in them.

“Well, then, this should be an adventure!” Josh exclaimed as he heaved open the bag. He pulled out a tarp, handing it to Oli. “You know how to set up a tent?” Oli shook his head, feeling inadequate. “Well then you’re going to learn.” Josh pulled out another bag, this one with a picture of a moderately sized tent on it. “Lay down the tarp,” Josh directed, motioning to an area under a tree, generally flat Oli noted. Oli followed Josh’s direction, and soon they had the tent set up, tarp underneath, and two sleeping bags inside. Oli was starting to feel the effect of the cold, and was eager to get into what he hoped would be a warm sleeping bag, though he had never been camping in the winter so he just hoped Josh would know what he was doing.

Before Josh let Oli get in his sleeping bag, he handed him two pairs of socks, which he directed him to put over the set that had been revealed when he took off his snow boots. Oli may not have camped in the winter before, but Josh had, and he knew how cold it could get. But he couldn’t risk a hotel tonight, not with how much media attention they had gotten today. Someone thought they saw the pair, though Josh knew it wasn’t actually them the person saw. But, of course, that resulted in people being especially attentive today. Even with their altered appearances, if you got a good look it wasn’t hard to recognise the pair. They had switched vehicles at least, once again a favour from the friend who helped them cross the border.

Oli snuggled up inside his sleeping bag, curling his body around itself the best he could in the awkward confinements of his sleeping bag. He felt his stomach rumble again, and this time, in the silence of the two in the tent, Josh heard it too. He was quick to offer Oli a bite to eat, Oli relieved as he had forgotten his hunger in setting up camp. He thanked Josh, before settling back in his sleeping bag.

“Hey, Oli?” Josh asked, his tone soft. Oli shuffled around in his sleeping bag a bit before mumbling a quiet ‘hum.’ Josh thought about asking him questions, digging more into his life, though he wasn’t sure whether the boy would push him away, and he didn’t really want to use force to discover these things. He decided to ignore the temptation for now, instead muttering a quick “Good night, love,” which earned him a ‘g’night’ back, Oli not bothering to question the ‘love’ part as sleep threatened to overtake him.