Gang leader Vs. Gang leader

5

You know that feeling where you just can't do anything anymore? Like, you're so far gone you just can't even move, hell you can't even cry. I've reached that point. I gasp for air, my face and entire head dripping with water over the small bucket in front of me, my bruised and bloody arms tied behind me. I glare up at Zach, some dude in Xander's gang, as he grins evilly. 9 days have passed, that makes a total of fucking 13 days I've been here. It's almost  been the same routine, get tortured for hours, and fall asleep for the cycle to be repeated. Zach grabs the back of my head shoving it into the freezing bucket of water. He holds my head there until I begin thrashing around trying to reach back up for air.

"Zach you've been there since 9, you've been at it for fucking 12 hours." A voice comes from the top of the stairs then leaves. Zach groans loudly and keeps a tight grip on my hair standing up and drags me back to my old shackles. He cuts the rope around my wrists and I fall forward, my arms keeping my face from hitting the ground. He grabs one of my raw and bloody wrists cuffing it to one of the shackles and I try to punch him. He grabs my other wrist quickly and grips it tightly causing me to wince.

"When will you fucking learn?" He cuffs my other wrist and slaps my cheek quick and hard before leaving. "It'll be worse tomorrow because of that little act, Bitch." And with that he slams the door. Darkness again, complete darkness. I groan softly as a wave of pain washes over me and I slump back. I can't do this anymore, I can't, please just let them kill me. I close my eyes dropping my head taking a deep shaky breath. Ever since that talk with Xander, something has changed. Yes, I'm still getting tortured like there's no tomorrow (Might not be for me) but it's not him. He watches and participates sometimes, but he always has someone else do it. Sometimes he even comes down after my torture sessions and sits in silence with me. Before he sits down he cleans me up as best as he can then settles in next to me. I don't dare say one word to him, I was an idiot for sharing that information with him in the first place.

I hear the door open slowly and I clench my fists my body beginning to shake violently. They close the door and soft footsteps walk down the stairs as the turn the light on. It's Xander again, I unclench my fist but my body doesn't stop shaking as he walks over to me. He kneels down, I feel his eyes on me but I don't dare look up. I feel a dry cloth press against my face, he's cleaning me up again. After he dries  my face, he brushes my hair back gently. I hear him sigh softly as I still stare at the floor and he takes the dry cloth running it over my shoulders and chest. Once I'm completely dry he places his finger under my chin lifting it up slightly, I look at him as he presses the top of a water bottle to my lips tilting it so I can drink water. I begin drinking the water quickly, he pulls the bottle away wiping my mouth and closes the bottle. He sets down the water bottle and moves over so his sitting next to me. And we begin sitting in silence.

"Please..." I whisper quietly, I barely even hear myself. My throat is so raw, and hurts so much from screaming. I think I can even taste blood. It was worse before Xander gave me the water.

"Please, what?" I hear his hair rustle as he turns his head to look at me.

"I can't do it anymore, I can't. Please just kill me already." My voice breaks at the end of my sentence as I look at him with pleading eyes. He shakes his head and moves closer to me. The next moment I feel a pair of big warm arms around me, and I freeze in fear. Xander buries his face in my neck taking a deep breath and I look down at his back my mouth slightly open in shock.

"I can't either." He stays in the same position as he mumbles against my neck in a small broken voice. My heart begins beating faster and I take a small shaky breath resting my cheek against his hair. We stay in the same position for while until he let's go and lays on the floor resting his head in my lap just like the first time.

"Tell me." I say leaning against the wall and he looks at me in confusion. "About your brother."

"H-" Xander pauses for a moment and stares at the ceiling as if he's thinking. "... His name was William. He was eight years younger than me and a lunatic. Everyday he would run into my room at 5 am jump on my bed and scream in my ear, hugging me tightly until I woke up. Every fucking morning." Xander laughs quietly running his hand through his hair. "Whenever I asked why he did that he would shrug and run away. That little idiot always did what he wanted even if it meant I had to suffer. He use to throw his toy airplanes at me and when I got angry, I was the one that got in trouble for making him upset... But I loved him, because he was my baby bro. I was the one that took him to his first air show, in fact. Fuck, he had the best reaction on his face all day. And when he got to sit in an actually plane? Oh man, it was like he was going to burst with excitement. It was like all the times we fought and he annoyed me didn't matter because in that moment he was happy-- I was happy." He finishes with a soft sigh smiling slightly, turning his head to look at me.

"Go on." I say letting out a small quiet laugh and he shakes his head sighing.

"That's it really. I mean I could go on and on but we'd be here forever." He laughs.

"I don't mind, go on." I say again looking at him.

"I sometimes wondered where he got all his energy from, definitely not from me. I would always hear him say he wanted to be like me when he grew and I always told him that he didn't. I said that in every single way he was better than I would ever be. Better than I ever could be. But he never accepted it, always covered his ear and began screaming."

"He's adorable."

"Are you kidding me?! Even at a young age he had all the fucking girls around him. While I was stuck with the ugly genes." I laugh quietly at that and he sighs staring at the ceiling and it's quiet for a few moments. "He's dead now. I guess in ways that's good. I wouldn't want him to see me this way, or try to join the gang... And... And at least he's safe."

"I tell that to myself everyday. At least they're safe." I sigh looking down into Xander's eyes and he looks back into mine. He opens his mouth and begins to say something.

"I think, I l-" He sits up quickly and I jump as we hear a loud bang. We both stand up quickly and I grip the chains. We hear another bang and he runs up the stairs and out the door leaving without saying another word. I begin pulling on the chains as I hear yelling and the sound of gunshots. Minutes past and my heart begins racing as I hear everything getting louder. Soon the basement door is kicked open and I step back as people run down the stairs.

"Max! Marissa?!" I yell as they rush over to me and try to open the shackles.

"Sorry we're late." Marissa mumbles as she breaks open on cuff and I shake my head grinning widely. Max breaks the other one and I throw my arms around both of them.

"Missed you, Idiots. Okay time to go." I shove them forward and they run back upstairs and I jog after them. My body is too bruised and battered to do anything else, I'm surprised I'm not on the floor screaming in pain. I make it out of the basement and make my way to the front door to see everyone fighting. I see men from Xander's gang running towards me as I step outside and someone grabs me pulling me away. I stumble after the person as we turn a corner and they throw me forward when a swarm of bullets comes our way. I look up to see Xander and I begin to panic as he grabs my wrist. He gives me a longing look and it's as if the world was frozen for a moment and it was just us. It was just two people, two beaten down and worn out people. And it was as if he felt it too, like I wasn't the only one imagining it. He pulls me towards him wrapping him arms around me as tightly as he can for a second before shoving me away screaming out one word that is I can't make out over the noise.

Run. I think he's saying run. I think he's letting me go...