Saving Link

Chapter Two

Rhett drove home. The tears that filled his eyes blurred his vision, a lot. He didn't notice the car that swerved from the other lane into his. He didn't notice until the two cars had rammed headfirst into each other. Everything went black as Rhett was thrown from his car and onto the pavement. He wavered in and out of consciousness, seeing people surrounding him, flashing lights, and then white. Everything was white. He couldn't hear a thing. 

Rhett had been thrown from his car and landed on the street. His body configured in a strange position, he had badly broken several bones, his head was bleeding. He passed out shortly after the ambulance came. He woke up in a hospital room. Jessie, his beautiful wife, was crying beside his bed. His two sons were looking down at the floor, they seemed to be scared. Link wasn't there. Rhett's heart shattered when he saw that. Would he ever see Link again without forcing it himself? Link never was angry at Rhett for this long. Little did Rhett know where Link really was and that the man he thought was his best friend was actually his best friend's twin.

"J-Jessie?" Rhett spoke, his voice was raspy and quiet. He was wrapped up like a mummy. Jessie looked up and a wave of relief came over her. She ran over to him and kissed him.

"Rhett! You woke up! You're back!" 

"Of course I am. Was I out long?"

"Sweetheart, you were in a coma for two weeks." Rhett's eyes widened when he heard this.

"Two weeks?! D-did Link ever visit?" Rhett hoped he had, but those hopes were shattered when Jessie shook her head. She looked very sad.

"Rhett, he's changed. Boys, I need you to step out for a minute." Locke and Shepherd stood up and went to the hall. They closed the door and Jessie looked up at Rhett, tears in her eyes. "Rhett, he's an abusive alcoholic. He hurt his kids, cheated on Christy... H-he said he never wants to see you again. Any of us. Christy and the kids are in North Carolina. They're going to get divorced." Jessie had started sobbing halfway through her story. Rhett just stared off into the distance. He couldn't believe this. He was in shock.

"R-Rhett? Are you okay?"

Rhett made no reply and kept staring off into the distance. "It's not him. It can't be. Something happened. I'm going to find him. That man is not Link."

One week earlier

Link sat against a wall in the far corner of James' family room. James visited that night. Link had been there for one week. He was getting so thin James had left almost no food for Link and Angel. She had taken good care of him, but couldn't leave the house to get more food. She was too afraid to go anywhere. James always found out and always made her pay for it. Link had waited and waited and waited. Was she truly going to help him escape?

Link woke up to someone slapping him across the face. He groaned and looked up, his mouth covered with tape again. James chuckled and leaned down. He whispered in Link's ear. "Guess who got in a car accident on his way home? That's right, Rhett did. And guess who's wife wants to divorce him because he's cheating on her, he's an alcoholic, and he hurts his children. That's right, Link. You're a complete monster."

Link's heart completely shattered, James truly was destroying his life. He was filled with such anger, his own brother was hurting his family. Physically hurting them. Link stared at James with such fury in his eyes. His arms tightened, fists clenched at his sides. He started to shake with anger and he literally broke the duct tape wrapped around his body. He stood up to James' height and punched him as hard as he could in the face. Blood gushed out of James' nose, and normally that would bother Link, but right now, he was too angry to feel light-headed.

"DON'T YOU EVER TOUCH MY FAMILY! EVER! HURT ME, BUT DON'T YOU TOUCH THEM!" James stood up and punched Link back, even harder. Link's sudden burst of adrenaline fled just as fast as it had come. His body was weakened by the little food it had received. He was so skinny. He fell back after being punched. Angel ran out of her room and gasped at the sight. James' delivered punch after punch to Link's feeble body. Then he stood up and kicked him repeatedly. Link passed out, blood gushing from his nose as well. James spat on Link and patched up his own nose in the bathroom. He walked back.

"Never mess with me, Link. Or you'll regret it as I'm sure you do now. Cross me again and it's gonna get a whole lot worse." James sneered this words at his unconscious brother. He grabbed Link's body and took him to the basement. He removed Link's shirt and taped his wrists and ankles together. "You're gonna pay when you wake up. You will regret breaking my nose."

Angel ran down. "No, don't hurt him anymore! Please! Don't James! Just don't!" James started  to run after Angel, she had taken off running towards the door upstairs. "I'm done with you! Just let me go!" James caught up to her and grabbed her throat, lightly squeezing. 

"If you say one word, ONE WORD, you are done for. You can't escape me, Angel. I will find you and I will kill you if you do or say anything. Go! Get out of here!" Angel ran, Link's one hope of getting free, being saved and taken care of, gone. James went back downstairs and waited for Link to wake up, a wicked smirk plastered across his face.