Living In The Past (Gabriel)

I Won't Be Okay

 Gabriel stepped off the curb and crossed the street, hands stuffed in his pocket. He was headed to his therapist appointment. He had dark circles under his eyes this time from nightmares keeping him awake the night before.

"I'm Gabriel Shurley? I have an appointment with Ellen?" He said to the lady at the front desk, though it was pointless. She already knew him, given he had already been there several times.

"First door." She smiled, gestured. He quietly thanked her before heading to that door, knocking once before heading in, sitting down on the couch. He fidgeted with the zipper on his jacket, biting his lip.

Soon, Ellen was there and she sat down, getting out her clipboard as usual and smiling warmly. "Hello, Gabe. You been feeling better?"

He shrugged and looked up at her. "So, so. Nightmares are getting worse."

"That's understandable and to be expected. Contrary to popular belief, something like this takes time to get over." She smiled, sympathetically, before writing something down. "So, where did we leave off, last time... Ah, yes, you were telling me about... Hell?"

Gabriel frowned. This was her form of therapy. He told her everything that he'd been through. He had to admit, it actually helped. Kept him from staying permanently shut in his own mind. Especially since he had no one to tell. "Oh, yeah. Hell was... it was an experience. You got sent down to hell for a variety of reasons. It wasn't even really a place. It was more an extreme punishment. I was only sent down once..."

"Up. Up!" A guard ordered Gabriel, yanking him up.

The omega woke up, very confused, before crying out in pain as the guard squeezed his arm tightly. "I said, up!" Gabriel immediately got up before he was hurt more, wrapping his arms around himself as a chain was attached to the collar around his neck.

"Where are we going?" He mumbled before getting backhanded across the face.

"Did I tell you that you could speak?!" The guard growled as Gabriel held his face, whimpering. He shook his head, looking down. He didn't dare say he was sorry before being yanked out of his cell. He silently followed the guard to a room, biting his lip after a moment.

Once in the room, his eyes widened as he looked around. The room was bathed in red light and had about fifty people sitting at tables, eating. They had masks covering their eyes and were all chatting. Their voices were drowned out by Gabriel's own fear as his chain was attached to the wall by a chair.

"Sit." He was shoved into the chair and tied to it. He didn't struggle, already knowing it was useless. He just took deep breaths and settled in for whatever torture he was going to be subjected to.

After a moment, the chatter died down when a man entered the room, grinning. Gabriel didn't hear what he was saying, his own heartbeat drowning out noise. His heart was pounding. He couldn't see straight. He closed his eyes to fix his vision before deciding to keep them closed.

That didn't last long, however, as soon, the man yanked his hair. "Open your eyes, you little bitch. Come on, let everyone see those eyes. Everyone can smell the fear rolling off you."

Gabriel tried not to recoil in fear and disgust, blinking open his eyes. "S-sir--" He was cut off by another backhand.

"Nobody told you to speak, whore." He growled, putting a gag in Gabriel's mouth. Gabriel's eyes widened at the insult and pain and he cried out again when his hair was yanked, again. "Now. Keep your eyes open. Got it?"