Song: It Seems- Nothing More
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"You pull the trigger, nothing else matters but you and that gun, and the body in front of it," The Boss gives him a wink.
"I don't..." Andy hesitates.
"You listen here, son." The Boss stands to his full height of 5"7, though still as menacing as anything. "You've been here almost a year. Isn't it embarrassing that you haven't even gotten a gig yet? In all New York?"
Andy's nostrils flare. "I'm not going to kill people," he states.
He knows he's crossed the line. Immediately the Boss has him in a choke hold; his wrinkled and leathery hands wrapping around Andy's neck like a noose.
"You either kill a stranger, or we kill your family," his voice is calm. The calm before a storm. But Andy doesn't know that yet.
"Yes... sir," he manages to spit out. The Boss gives him a sour smile.
"You're gonna be one of our best, boy. I can tell."
And with that, he's gone.
--
"You fucknut! Do you want your whole squadron to see this pathetic attempt at hand on hand combat!"
His trainer grabs at his arm and squeezes. He squeezes harder than Andy ever thought a man could squeeze. He hopes hill never posses this kind of strength. The kind that can be used as a weapon.
"You will punch harder! You will kick stronger! You will kill faster!"
Andy knows the protocol. "I will punch harder!" He yells with as much conviction as he can muster. "I will kick stronger!" He shouts into the night air behind the facility. "I will kill faster!"
That night, Andy lays in bed, thinking about his family, his school, his sister. He thinks about his history teacher, who gave him a second chance every test he took because she knew his potential. He thinks about his best friend, who's as dead as his grandmother.
He cries for his missing youth, then wipes away his tears with anger, weakness is death, the Boss had told him.
"Weakness is death," he whispers into his dark room.
He begins pacing the short length of his room, pondering, planning. He has to get out of here. Not for himself, but for Corey, for his sister Janie, for his parents and even his goddamn history teacher. He has to get out of here for all the boys who can't.
He doesn't even give a second thought to the Boss's threats. Because really, he isn't doing this for his family, but for himself. He hates it here, he can't bring himself to stay here any longer.
He is selfish. And he always will be.
--
"You thought!" The Boss begins laughing, hysterically. "You dumb motherfucker!?" He wipes away a stray tear. He turns to the guard at his side, who holds Andy with his hands behind his back.
"He actually thought! That! He! Could! Escape!"
Andy spits blood at the ground.
"Hmmm? Did you say something?"
Andy blinks. He won't crack. He's scared but he won't show it.
"I didn't think so. Anyways-" The Boss turns to the facility, taking it in as if he's a proud father, which in some sort of sick twisted way, he is.
"What was my promise? I've got so many I can't remember them all!" He chuckles."Let's see.. three lashes? No..." he scrunched his eyebrows dramatically. "A finger hacked off? That isn't it either..." he turns away from Andy placing his hands behind his back."I've got it!" He snaps his fingers. "That lovely little child... what was her name Andy?"
Andy begins struggling against the man holding him.
"...Janie, that's it. What a beautiful little thing she is. I will enjoy her. And so will he." He points to the sky. "...And so will he..." The Boss points to the guard holding Andy with a wicked grin, who smirks back at Andy.
"No!" He pushes hard against the guard, trying anything to get free. "You can't! Stay away from her!"
The guard kicks at his knees, and he falls to the ground. The Boss walks toward his body, laying face down in the mud.
"You imbecile, you thought I was bluffing didn't you?"
Andy spits out the dirt in his mouth. "I'll do anything! Anything! I'll kill anyone!" He's frantic by now.
"Anything?" The Boss crouches in front of him. "Hmmm? Anything? Well in that case..."
"Yes! Yes anything, just don't kill her, just stay away from her."
The Boss gives him a wicked smile. "Well, well."
From then on, the best was the only thing Andy could be. He fought, killed, maimed. He lost his soul, it seemed, somewhere along the way. Somewhere between torturing that history teacher of his. Then using a pistol to kill his neighbor.
They killed his sister anyway. A year later, when it was too late for Andy to become anything other than the killing machine he was made to be.
At sixteen.
--
She is still asleep, after his shower, after his brief look at the news. It seems Jeremy Ritter has a hold on the media, as her story has barely been covered.
He would do anything to be able to take her back to her old life. He knows how much of a selfish man he is, but this isn't for him. It's for her. Jeremy Ritter isn't dead yet, and neither is the facility. They've got influences over North American police forces. As well as facilities stationed all over America and Canada. She will never be safe again, unless she is with him.
If he dared take her back to her small Canadian town, she might get put in jail for something she didn't do, framed by The Boss himself. Or even worst, killed for being associated with him.He knows her life will never be the same. He feels his heart contract at the youth she will lose just as he lost his. And it's all his fault.
He gives her one last glance before leaving the motel room, locking it, and tucking the key in his sweatpants pocket.
He needs to run, needs to get rid of all his pent up energy before he explodes.
He jogs into the thick forest behind the motel. He didn't tell her where he was going, for he'll be back in less than twenty minutes.
Then they will leave, drive as far as they can go until they reach the ocean.
--
I get very emotional writing Andy's history chapters, and I find myself getting way too attached to theses characters! They are my babies! I love them!
Plus FETUS HENRY CAVILL AGHHGH
Peach out 🍑
