Alive

Hostage

My arms were aching, it was a lot heavier than it looked. I was already tired from the running. I tried to aim as best I could but it was getting more difficult by the second. I had my sights on the target. Before I had the chance to do what I needed to do a gust of wind shot across my path, blowing my hair, blurring my vision. I took a deep breath and fired anyway, believing I wouldn't miss.

BANG!

The bullet raced out of the gun quicker than the wind, I watched as it flew right past my target hitting a tree instead.

"Well done, you missed." A voice behind me patronized my actions. I turned around and saw him smiling. He was so smug I hated everything about him. "Now give me that back," he snatched the weapon out of my hands, he was a lot stronger than me and more aggressive.

"I was just practising," I muttered, i stared at the target I missed not wanting to look at him.

"You've got nothing to practise for. Now get inside and make your mother and I dinner." He grabbed my arm pulling me towards him, I looked at his face in disgust with his violent attitude. He dragged me inside the house I hated calling my home. I was forced into the kitchen and thrown up against the side. "Dinner now." He said before leaving the room. I felt so horrible, I wanted to take that gun and empty it into him stomach causing him unbearable pain. But my imagination of his slow death was all I had.

I finished making the devil dinner and served it to him like a slave. My mom sat there and said nothing like always. She was oblivious to all of it. After my father died she took in any man that would have her and now we're stuck with this fool but I can't leave. She deserves better and so does my younger brother. He doesn't need this in his life.

He sat there watching the tv with his gun on the stand next to him. I watched it for a while thinking about his death.

"Do you need something?" He said plainly obviously wanting me to leave and so I did. I walked upstairs and went to my box bedroom. I sat on the window ledge and looked outside. It was just fields and fields. They went on for ages. We basically lived in the middle of nowhere. I dropped out of school, which was not my choice, to stay at home and look after that demon downstairs. I'm like a hostage in my own house.
We all moved out here when my mom got with him. I wish I had just took my brother and left but she's the legal guardian and she's not leaving so I'm stuck.

I went and checked on my brother who was reading the same book he found 3 years ago.

"Hey buddy."
"Hey Cas," he replied not taking his eyes from the words on the page.
"How you feeling today?"
"A little bit better."
"Do you think you'll go to school tomorrow?"
"Yes I want to." He put him book down and sat up on his mattress. "Jay keeps asking to come round here but I don't want to keep saying no." He said shyly.
"Ok listen, Mom and Mick are going out Thursday and they should be out all day, Jay can come round then, I'll tidy the house and you play on the fields if you want." I wanted him to have a normal childhood so I tried my best to be a great role model to him. He leaned forward and hugged me and then he looked sad again. "What's the problem Leo?"
"We have nothing to play with." He looked down and played with his hands.
"I'll sort something out, I promise." He smiled and gave me another hug before picking his book back up.

I left his room and went back to mine. I didn't know what I was going to do. I didn't have a job or any money and 2 days to find something for Leo otherwise he'll just be disappointed and I hated that. The only thing I could do was take some of Micks money from his hidden cash stash. I knew where it was from watching him throughout the years. It was going to be very dangerous and if he found out it would not end well but for Leo i would risk it all even to make him happy for one day. I was going to steal the money one way or another.