No Pills

Just tonight

*Charlie's P.O.V*

There are two hands in the safe.

"Get gloves, a hammer, and a knife," Leo utters.

When I return with the items, he wears the gloves and starts hammering the knife through the tattooless, fisted hand. As a line of blood emerges, I frown at its strange, crystallised nature.

"Dad used some weird chemicals," Leo mutters, hammering at the thumb. When there is a cut halfway through, he presses his body to the thumb, tiptoes, and then makes a swift -

"Oh -" I look away just as bone cracking resonates. Leo exhales, and there's another crack sound.

"Leo -"

"It could be in here. Wait." He sounds dead. I watch his eyes slant in concentration.

Another crack. The thumb falls. Leo picks it up and laughs sadly.

"What is it, Leo?"

"This," he peels a little skin to show a Ben 10 pen drive.

I frown. "Yours?"

Leo nods, staggering away from the hands. I follow him to his room, where he plugs it into his laptop.

After some seconds of scrolling through films, he finds a video with a black thumbnail. Leo clicks.

His Dad appears, smiling.

"If you see this video, it means you are disobedient. I told you to stop your silly investigations, but you didn't. You thought you knew better than the man who raised you, huh? Well, you don't."

Then, the hitman moves the camera upwards, bringing to view a naked teen boy sprawled on his desk. "I thought you would come home early like the first time, but since you haven't, here's a little movie to catch you up to speed. Grab some popcorn."

Leo shudders.

His father grabs a butcher's knife. In one hit, he breaks the boy's hand off.

I look away. "Leo, turn it off."

"See how tiny his hands are, and yet he dared to hit you -"

"Leo, please, turn it off."

"No. See." Leo points to the tattoo.

I gasp because it is the same as that of the right hand from the safe.

Leo's dad pauses, looks right into the camera, and says, "You already know I'm doing this because I love you. This is a reminder-"

I shut the laptop. Leo glares at me, but I take off my gloves and hug him.

A moment of heartbeating passes.

"Charlie, don't comfort me. Get out."

"No. I'm not leaving you."

"Charlie, let go -" Leo pushes me off. We stare at each other, and he yells, "Get out!"

I shake my head.

"Dude, are you mental? I got Mordecai killed! Get out!"

"You are not the one cutting him."

"Charlie -"

"Just explain to me -"

"Charlie, GET OUT!" He tries to shove me again, but I am tired of being pushed around.

I pin him.

He kicks and screams, but I won't let go. I won't.

"TAKERU, YOU DESERVED BETTER! THAT MAN DID NOT LOVE YOU! HE TRIED TO BREAK YOU! I WON'T LET HIM BREAK YOU! WHAT LOVE? WHAT LOVE DOES HE KNOW? HUH?"