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Chase

This is a story kind of based around a dream I had last night...it was a f**king  weird dream...that I don't remember most of. This happens in a story where some of the sides are in their late teens and are living in a group on the streets, and they've been having trouble with another group.

Chase's PoV

     I lay, shivering, in a hollow in the dirt near a tree, trying to sleep. This a common occurrence among me and my friends, we're just a group of teenagers who left our parents behind. For reason, of course. They were all abusive. This group is a sort of refuge for abused teenagers. There's only a few of us here, less than twenty. We have a few main camps in the woods that we rotate between, trying to stay away from the group that's constantly hunting for us. We never understood their motives for doing such, they just do. When they find a camp, we abandon that place, only coming back once to get whatever supplies are left days later. 

     I hear the crunch of footsteps approaching. Maybe one of the group members went to...no, that's multiple people. Okay, maybe...no, that's like twenty people. I realize the other group might have found us, but there's a path not too far away, maybe they're just walking down that...?

"Hey, do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Dude, there's somebody over there."

"What are you talking about?"

"Right there, through those bushes. You don't hear anything?"

"No, nothing. What are you talking about?" 

"Come on, we'll take a look."

     I hear footsteps fading, and I relax slightly. They must have left. I start to fall asleep again, until I hear footsteps sprinting, and I mean full on sprinting, in our direction. I barely have enough time to sit up before the bushes are forced aside. I scrambled to my feet, but hesitated a few seconds before starting to run away. It was definitely the group that had been attacking us for years. They know we've been abused, and half the time they don't physically hurt us, just threaten that they will and trigger memories of our parents.

     I get a few feet into the undergrowth before my foot catches on a root and I'm thrown to the ground. I gasp softly as pain shoots through my leg, I landed badly when I fell, I hope I didn't break anything. I try to crawl into the undergrowth to hide, but something pulls me back by my collar before I could. I panic, trying to pull myself free and knowing that one of them caught me. I don't want to know the mental pain I'm about to feel. 

     "P-please...d-don't h-hurt m-me..." I whimpered, knowing that a shaking voice would not help. I stopped trying to pull myself free, knowing they aren't going to let me go. I feel tears start to fall down my face, but I don't say anything. This was something my dad always did...all the time...he hated it when you tried to escape from him. If you did, you'd be beaten either nearly unconscious or actually unconscious. Me and my brothers suffered for years until my oldest brother finally realized how horribly we were being treated and had all of us run away. We found this group, then only a few people, and have stayed with them since, only a couple people joined after us.

     Pain suddenly explodes through my already injured leg, along with a loud crack. Whoever had a hold on me had kicked my leg, hard. It was definitely broken. I let out a pained cry, unable to hide it in sudden pain. The person let go of me, shoving me forward. I stumble, landing on my bad leg before landing hard on the ground. I felt pain from several spots on my body, and dimly realized I was being kicked, though I was fading between present and memories. I couldn't decide which was more painful. I almost pass out after a particularly hard kick to my head. I hear ringing in my ears, and it's too dark to see much of anything. I see blurs moving...are more people coming to attack me...? 

     I try to see what's going on, but I can't see much of anything. I don't remember it being this dark...and why are sounds so dim? Why can I barely hear? I realize that everything has morphed into both shades of gray and fuzzy lines. What's that warmth I feel? It was cold...wasn't it...? I feel myself go limp, seconds before my consciousness fades completely.

     Pain. That's the first thing I register as consciousness returns. I crack my eyes open, only to close them at the harsh sunlight. "Chase? Are you awake?" A heavily accented voice asks next to me. It's my brother, Anti. I tried to respond, but all that came out was a barely noticeable mumble. I felt something warm rest against my hand. "There's nobody else and I just want to tell you this...I know I seem cold and uncaring toward your, hell, toward all of our brothers, but I'm not. I do care. And I...I really hope you live. Th-that was..." His voice gave out. I've never heard him sound this scared. Was it really that bad? Bad enough that he hopes I live? I have to let him know I'm alive. 

     I force my eyes open again, fighting the urge to close them as I looked over at him. Anti was crying. Actually crying. I've never seen him cry. Not when dad would beat him, not when dad beat any of us. That is extremely worrying. I tried to say something again, but couldn't make a sound. Anti looked relieved that I was alive. I looked around, realizing that what I saw earlier was not daylight, but the lights of a hospital. I'm in a hospital. That's when I notice the beeping of a heart rate monitor. How close did I come to dying? I look at Anti again. "What...happened..." I manged, even though I could barely understand it. Anti paused for a moment, looking down at me with sorrow and sympathy in his eyes. "Chase...you..." Anti paused, I could tell he was struggling to stay strong for me. 

*Anti's PoV*

     This question throws me. What am I supposed to tell him? That he was beaten almost to death when he was caught? That he needed surgery multiple times and still isn't expected to live long? "Chase, you...you almost died...and...you...you might not survive..." I finally respond, looking down at him. He looks confused more than anything. "It was...that bad...?" He asks, sounding more confused. Did he not realize how badly he was beaten? "What do you remember?" I ask, trying to see how correctly he remembered what had happened. He thought for a couple moments. 

     "I remember hearing talking...and then running...I got up and tried to run but I stumbled over a root...somebody grabbed my shirt...and I don't remember exactly what happened after that, I was fading in and out of a flashback..." He trailed off, and it almost hurt how little he remembered. I sighed, I might as well tell him. "The first part of that was correct...the other gang found our camp and you were one of the first to leave. Everybody sprinted in different directions, and I was running when I heard a soft thump, you falling, then you asking somebody not to hurt you, then a loud crack and you yelling out. I tried to get to you, but it was hard to get to you through the undergrowth...I was almost too late when I found you..." My voice shook and I had to look away to not start crying. I could see how he'd looked...being kicked, lying motionless on his side, covered in blood...he'd been barely even breathing. He was looking up at me but didn't see me. I could tell he didn't recognize me.

This is probably worthy of being it's own book, and there will definitely be a part two. Eventually, at least. Not right now. But there will be.