Boy next door

Awake

          Gavin's eyes opened slowly. His head was pounding at the base of his skull. He felt dizzy from the pain that radiated from his head down his shoulders. His eyes blurred and focused in the dark room. "Where am I?" He asked aloud looking about. His hands were tied behind his back and was laying on the floor of a dark basement. "Ugh, damn." He mumbled. A sound caught his attention close by. He wiggled his body around on the floor to see Jen tied to a support beam in the basement, with a dirty rag taped in her mouth. "Jen!" He shouted out. She shook her head as to tell him to be quiet. "What the hell happened." He asked, trying to get to his knees. Gavin pushed up off the floor and managed to stand. He could feel sticky blood on his forehead that ran down to his face. Quietly he walked to Jen and using his teeth pulled the tape free from her mouth. "Gavin, what the hell. One moment I am on your deck the next I am waking up in this basement." Jen cried. "Foster, has to be him or his crazy family. I went looking for you and he came to the door crying. Next thing I know I am here too." Gavin told her with tears in his eyes forming. "We are going to die down here Gavin." Jen told him. "No, we are not going to die Jen. Not today. We just need to get your hands free." He told her walking around behind her. He pushed his back up to the pole and worked his hands through the rope to free her. "Gavin, I don't want to die like this. I pictured me dying old and happy. This is not what I had planned." Jen told him through the tears. "Jen, I think I have one hand free." He told her. She pulled her hands and the rope released allowing her a moment to untie the other. "Gavin, you did it. Here, let me get you untied." She told him walking around and pulling his hands and working the rope over. Jen paused a moment as both of them looked up to the ceiling of the basement. "Someone is up there." She told him. "Jen get me untied." He begged her. She turned her attention back to the ropes pulling and tugging. "There, got it." She told him. Gavin pulled and released his hands from the binding. "Let's get out of here." He told Gavin turning to find a window or door. "Jen wait. Listen." He paused in the quiet. Their attention turned to sounds from above. "Why couldn't you be a good boy like your brother? You are a disgrace to the family. We raised you right, we gave you everything you needed. Sheltered you from the evil in the world, and this is how you repay us. You break out of the house sneak around just to be a whore with some guy. He don't love you, he never loved you. You are just a plaything to him." A woman's voice called out. "Is that Foster's mother?" Jen asked quietly. "I guess, I never heard or saw her." Gavin replied. "Now you know why we kept you locked in your room. It was for your own good. Now because you were a whore we have to punish you and those people." A man's voice spoke. Jen looked at Gavin eyes wide. "Father?" Gavin questioned. "Aren't you glad I am not like him mom and dad? I knew I should have drown you in the creek when we were kids." A younger male voice spoke. Gavins head quickly turned to Jen. "They are so abusive to him Gavin." Jen told. "He said they were not the nicest people in the world, but I never expected this." He replied. "Your so called friends, will need to be disposed of. Your brother already took care of that one homo, and there is another one in the shed in the back yard." The woman's voice spoke again. "I am disappointed in you Foster. After all of the therapy and church you still turned out an abomination." The man's voice spoke. "Gavin, do you think they are talking about Collin in the shed?" Jen asked. "I think so." Gavin replied holding her hand. "Who is the other person?" She asked. "I can only guess the guy I dated a while back. He just vanished." Gavin replied. "Do you think they killed him?" She asked. "Judging from where we are and the conversation I think those people are total crazies and I wouldn't put it past them. We need to get Collin out of the shed and get the hell out of here." Gavin told Jen. "There is a window back there we might can get out." Jen told him pointing to the small window.

They crossed the basement quietly as the argument upstairs continued. "There" She said pulling on the latch. "Got it." Jen told him pulling it open quietly. "I can see the shed." She turned telling Gavin. They paused a moment looking across the basement. The conversation was becoming more violent. "No mother, I didn't mean to. It is who I am." Foster's voice sounding full of fear and tears shouted. The sound of a loud smack followed by a thud of a body landing on the floor above. "Shit." Jen said aloud. "Jen, get out the window and get Collin." Gavin told her. "Gavin no. You can't" She told him. "Jen we can't leave him up there to go through that." Gavin replied. "Gavin, love. Let's get out of here, call the police and let them deal with it. Those people are going to kill us otherwise. Please." Jen begged. "OK, let's get out of here." He told her turning and motioning for her to climb up and out.

Jen emerged from the window pulling herself across the damp grass. "Gavin give me your hand." She told him turning and reaching for him. He reached up and gripped pushing off the wall and sliding up to the window. "I'm good. Get Collin." He told her. Jen turned and looked to see the shed close by. She ran to it pulling open the doors to see Collin tied to a weight bench, his face covered in blood. "Collin, oh God no. Wake up, Please wake up." Gavin could hear her as he pulled up halfway out of the window. Jen turned and looked back to Gavin crying. "He's dead." She cried. "Just go, get to the phone." Gavin told her pulling one leg out. Jen turned as Gavin's face grew white. "Gavin come on." Jen shouted. "Run!" he cried as he let out a harsh cry. "Gavin no!" She shouted running to him, as his body was being pulled back through the window, his hands grasping at the grass. Jen reached his hands but he was pulled back inside before she could grab him.