Learn to Love Again - Stampy and Squid

Chapter 5 - Escape

Stampy's POV

     All I can feel are Squid's arms around me, as I lay there in the morning light.  He asked me to stay with him, so I did.  He basically fell asleep in my arms, so I just crawled in with him.  I slept the best I had slept in a long time.

     I really want to stay with him.  I've never wanted anything more in my life.  But I have things to do.  Sighing, I detach myself from him.  Trying not to wake him, I begin to tiptoe out of the room, still lost in a strong sense of euphoria.

     Bed sheets rustle behind me.  'Where're you going?'  Squid says groggily.

     "I have to... Just... I have to do stuff."  For some reason I'm embarrised at being caught in bed with him, by him.  I blush and continue walking out of the room, without looking behind me. 

     As I'm going through the door, I hear a vicious thump on the ground.  I start and turn around quickly, only to see squid half naked on the floor.  He groans, and I quickly turn away, supressing a smile, that quickly turns to one of embarissment again.  All he was wearing was his boxers last night?  I slept in the same bed as him!

     Quickly I walk out of the room, leaving Squid to get himself off the floor and dressed. Nearly running through the kitchen, I sprint out the front door as fast as I can, breathing in the fresh air of the evening.  For once, it's not raining or cold, it's perfect.  I sit down on my knees.  How can I go from being so happy, to being distressed in such a short time?  I glace up as a yellow car drives past slowly, as if it's looking at me before speeding up, sending a whoosh of air towards me.  I sit back against a wall of the terraced street that Squid lives on. 

     No matter how embarissed I am, it was still the best sleep I've ever had.  I think I might be falling in love with Squid.  We've only been together a few days, but I really like him.  I think I do love him.  I stand up again, sighing.  This trip has been the best trip of my life, but the worst all at the same time.  I just hope that it'll get better soon.

     The noise of a car sounds again, startling me out of my thoughts.  I stare at it as it slows down suspiciously, before noticing the yellow colour.  It's the same car as before!  

     Nervously, I wait to see if my theory's true.  What does he want with us?  Sure enough, the yellow car drives by again, slowing down in front f the house before stopping completely.  I jump up and run into Squid's house, slamming the door behind me.  I deadlock it using the key beside the door, and lean up against it.  Squid comes round the corner of the room, frowning.

     "What's up mate?"  He looks curiously at me.

     "There was a car that kept driving past this house.  It's just stopped outside.  It's probably nothing."  I look down at the ground.

     Squid's reaction is immediate.  Eyes widening, he runs to the window, flicking open the curtain.  The look on his face is enough to make me go over to him and wrap my arms around him.  He turns to face me, meeting my eyes before quickly crashing his lips to mine. 

     He kisses me with everything he's got, and I kiss him back, pulling him closer to me.  He makes a weird noise in the back of his throat, almost like a groan.  He pulls away even faster with a blush, releasing me slightly.

     "We - we've got to go."  Squid grabs me and pulls me up the stairs to his bedroom, brabbing a small backpack on the way.  "Go get your things."  I just stare at him, shocked.  What is he doing?  "Go!" 

     Stumbling slightly, I hastily make my way down the hall to the bedroom I'm staying in.  My things lay neatly in a pile on the bed, next to my suitcase.  Grabbing the clothes and stuffing them in there, I rush down to Squid's room only to collide with him in the hallway.

     "Come on!"  He says more urgently, grabbing my hand again.  I hear a loud bang on the front door.  Squid swears violently, before pulling me out the back way.  He leads me through a small door into a small garden area.  Still not letting go of my hand, he grabs a small ladder from where it lies on the ground, half covered in grass.  Pulling at a rung angrily, he finally disloges it.  Well, half of it.  Three of the rungs remain on the ground still attached to a post, while his hand clutches at the one remaining rung.  Squid swears even more loudly, kicking the ladder away in frustration.  I squeeze his hand, trying to reassure him, but all he does is shake my hand off.

     Slightly hurt, I back off, letting him rage.  He kicks the fence, making a large dent in it before simply scrambling over it.  Any trace of his earlier sickness is gone, replaced with anger.  Not knowing what else to do, I jump over the tin fence, joining him on the other side. 

     "Are you going to tell me what the HELL is happening?"  I almost shout at him.  He'd just dragged me out a door and over a fence to escape a seemingly invisable enemy!  What the hell is going on?

     If Squid hears me, he ignores me.  Taking off at a run, he sprints down the narrow alley we came out in.  He disappears around the corner. 

     "Squid!"  I run after him, praying that I could still see him.  I have no idea how to find my way around this place without him.  It's like being in another world. 

     My feet thud against the footpath, stumbling over cracks every now and then.  I break out into the main street with relief, letting out a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding in.  I'm claustrophobic, so anywhere small freaks me out.

     After a quick scan of the street, I notice Squid leaning up against a brick wall, in the same position I was in just before everything started to go crazy.  Tentatively, I walk over to him.

     "Squid?"  I ask softly.  He looks up at me, and I'm shocked to see his face wet with tears.

     "I'm so sorry Stamps...  I just..  My father..."  He bursts into tears again.  I just stand there.  Did his own father do this to him?  Why would anyone want to hurt Squid?  He was the nicest person I'd ever met!  Who in their right mind would hurt him?  I sit down next to him putting my arm around him, pulling him closer to me.

     After what seems like hours, his sobs subside into silence.  I pull his face up to face mine.

     "Please tell me what's happening."  I try to look serious, but looking again at the green-ish bruises covering half of his face, I can't help but soften.  He looks down at the floor.

     "My dad always abused me as a child.  Every time I did something lightly wrong or made a mistake, I would get slammed into the wall.  He did that to my mother too, as well as...  forcing her to do it with him...  until she..."  He looks up to the sky.  "Until she committed suicide."  His voice shakes.  I squeeze him gently.  Geez.  Why didn't he ever tell me?  That's horrible. 

     "As soon as I was 18 I escaped and he had no idea where I went, until now."  I nod in understanding.  He was the one who hurt him yesterday, giving him horrible wounds.  That's probably where he got the other wounds on his stomach, too.  I feel a surge of anger towards his father, who ever he is.  How dare he...

     "You do realise we can't go back to my house, at least not until I do something about my dad."

     "We,"  I say.

     "What?"

     "Until we do something about your dad.  I'm with you too, until the end."

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Hope you enjoyed :)  Sorry if it was a bit all over the place...  I dedicated this chapter to Maisymoodles for creating this books amazing cover.  THANKKKK YOUUU :D :D :D :D :D :D