We were doomed from the Start.(CLOSED)

[DeadnotSleeping]

He said he was ok. He was tied up, rope pressing into his wounded flesh, and his son still said he was ok.


Nie knew he was lying. That he was trying to calm him down. But he simply couldn’t bear the sight and the knowledge what was happening… the hysterical laughter still bubbled in his throat. He tried to choke it back, only a few sounds escaping.


At least they were close. They weren’t entirely separated. This was almost a comforting idea…


The man stood by his word and returned on the morning, stepping inside already with weapon in hand. He snorted.


“Let’s chat then, little soldier. How did you want to take my land this time? Tell me…”

 

[CharlieBoyyy]

The man is scarily big... Johnny sized almost. And the weapon... Let's just say it's kill me instantly.


He ripped of my gag and I gasp for air.


I shook my head


"Mate, what don't you understand. We were CAPTIVES of Johnnys. I was a SLAVE. We were tortured whipped. We don't want your land!" My voice goes much more gentle and sad "we just needed shelter."

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

“Bullshit!” roared the man, backhanding Mitchell with such force that the chair moved. Nigel shouted, springing to his feet, then falling over again, hitting the floor hard. He wanted to punch that man, no matter how big he was. He couldn’t even stand up. No way…


“Please, don’t!” he begged again, no matter how futile it was. “Don’t hurt my son… he is injured so much already…”


“Shut up, infected!” the man turned toward him, gun still aimed at his son, and looked over him in a surprise. Then he chuckled.


“Bloody hell. You really can’t move, can ya? Sucks. Stay there, or I’ll blow your head off. Back to the little soldier boy. Who the hell is this Johnny?! And why would I believe any of this shit?”

 

[CharlieBoyyy]

"Dad, please, don't move " I say shaking my head. Still a bit dizzy from the backhand.


"Johnny! You know John... Oh yeah. That wasn't his real name was it... The... The bloke who owns that place... Him". I say with an ounce of desperation in my voice.

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

The farmer looked over the boy in surprise. His eyes moved rapidly back and forth for a moment.


“Ah. You mean Commander Wilter. That’s not Johnny. He’s a Rupert” he spat as he told the name. He looked hesitant for a moment. “Captives and slaves. You know, it really sounds like something he would do… I cannot see why he would get you as one, though…”


He glanced to the broken man on the floor, then, after making sure he had no way to escape, turned back to the boy.


“Stay there, ‘Dad’. You, kid. Explain it more. What the hell happened?”

 

[CharlieBoyyy]

My entire life story tumbles out of my mouth at a million miles a second...


"He captured me years back, with my brother. Told me it was a commune for safety, the payment for safety was everyday beatings. I couldn't take it so I told my brother that I was planning to escape. Only Jon.. Rupert... Overheard this and well hung my brother on a tree in front of me. But I escaped because. Well because. Then I met up with this legend here" I nod at Nigel "we got on, we cared for each other we found this house that we'd lived in for weeks. We bonded. Became Father and Son. But then he came along and retook ha prisoner, me... And took Nigel as well. I was forced down to my underwear, which are outside your front door right now, I was whipped, beaten, hung from meat hooks, stabbed, injected. They did even worse stuff to Nigel. Like Branding. But Nigel has cancer, so he's really sick, but he was treated at the hospital in there a bit too. I managed to escape with a soldier disguise... Hence my attire right now... But I had to hide to wait for my Dad. But the only way to get out was to stage another hanging but to attract a herd first so that we could run, then drive away. Which we did. And now we're here"


I catch my breath. I wasn't sure what I'd just said. I just knew I'd told the truth.

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

The farmer listened in stunned silence, face turning more and more horrified as he listened on. He was still aiming his gun to the boy, but now wavering, seemingly uncertain in what to do as the youngster told him what happened. Why there were there, in that particular outfit.


He knew that the commander was cruel. He sometimes took prisoners, just to torture them for the hell of it. What the boy said didn’t sound so far-fetched… it was miserable. Horrible. But far from entirely unbelievable. He said it with such force, such hateful determination when he was talking about the commander…


He remembered how badly was pissed off Wilter, just a few years back, wanting to find an escaped slave. He searched for the kid here, too. He had to shoot at him to send him away. And torture was something that he would do – somehow, he never had any kind of repercussion for that. He fought in Afghanistan and in a few more countries around a world; he was decorated enough to do what he wants… especially after the End…


The farmer wasn’t entirely convinced still. That man, Nigel, looked like he was on the last legs in fighting with the infection, and losing hard…. his burnt face was almost pale under the butchered looking hair. And he seemed to has a fever, which the infected had. The boy said he was sick with cancer, that was a reasonable cause, but still…


Ah. There was a bunch of dirtied, bloody bandages right next to the chair.


The man decided. He went behind the chair, and still holding the barrel to the nape of the kid’s neck, he released him from the ropes, then grabbed him and rudely stripped down the shirt for a bit; then the bandages, instinctively careful to not to ruin them. He looked at the wounds and injuries with a horrified and disgusted face.


“Holy shit. These look nasty… This certainly looks like his handiwork” he decided, and stepped back, throwing the shirt back to the kid. He was still wary. The man looked to be in a dangerous state. But if they said the truth and he wasn’t infected, just dying with cancer…


Shitty luck. He didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell to survive.


He growled.


“Go next to… Nigel, then. Show me he is not infected. That he hasn’t have bites…” he said, trailing off in the end. “Wait, why did you call him legend?… that doesn’t make sense… I have no idea who this is…”


Nie was trembling; he couldn’t keep his body upright. He was shaking from fear that the man would really hurt his son, just because of the uniform… and he wasn’t able to move a finger.


Listening to Mitchell was painful. The boy suffered so much, innocently… he knew all of this, after all, but hearing them again just reminded the dentist how much was his son hurt… and mostly by that horrible man. Commander Rupert Wilter… he still had no idea who the man was, even though that man insisted he knows him. Strange…


The dentist closed his eyes for a moment, relieved, when the man released his son from the cruel bonds. He tried to at least sit up, but failed miserably…

 

[CharlieBoyyy]

I stood up slowly, tentatively. If not from the gun in my neck m, but for the pain. I was pretty sure he'd opened up some of the wounds on my back and the pain was immense.


I look at the farmer with a slight fear in my eyes. Why was he still suspicious?


Oh god just let us go





I walk slowly on the creaky floorboards to my Father. I give him a reassuring smile and hug him. I wanted to hug him anyway and this seemed the perfect time.


"Everything is going to be okay" I whispered into his ear. Then I released him from my and stood back up, giving the farmer an uneasy smile. I was shaking with fear. I needed the farmer to believe me. Or he would kill the dentist before he... Would change

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

Watching Mitchell moving so painfully was torturous. The poor boy was already hurt so much… and now that farmer with the gun injured him even more. Nie was worried sick, looking at his son, trying to assess the new damage. He couldn’t… and this made him fear for the kid even more, the guilt burning deeper and deeper by the moment.


He was shaking when the boy hugged him, but tried to response in kind… it took a truckload of effort to lift his hand, but he managed somehow, without shrieking in pain. He was hoping that the farmer would believe them finally. He wanted to check his son’s wounds… he was sure they’ve opened from the cruel treatment…


The farmer stood there, watching the display, still aiming at the pair. He wasn’t sure what to think of all of this. The boy’s hair and outfit suggested military, even if he looked too scrawny… well, in these times maybe they just took what they could. And while those marks looked wile, it was mainly beating and whip marks. Commander Wilter was fond of physical punishment, maybe it was just discipline…


Hm. The hug seemed sincere… no one in their right mind would touch and hug an infected one, right?...


…unless… the boy already spent quite a few hours in a car, in enclosed place with the man he called father. Maybe he was immune to that fungus shit. It sounded reasonable…


“Show me there are no bite marks. Strip him” he instructed angrily, realizing that maybe he is still not out of the water. He held his shotgun ready to fire. If the infected turns unexpectedly, he’ll be able to pump it full of lead from this distance…

 

[CharlieBoyyy]

I look around hoping someone would come in and tell all for me... Of course that didn't happen.


Slowly I took off my shirt. There was a touch of blood on the back of it


Great. Reopened whelts...


I then removed my boots and trousers and quickly remembering my lack of underwear, I cover what I can with my hand. I was a mess of a body.

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

Nigel was shaking with anger, now, as the man forced his son to strip. He saw how bloody Mitchell’s back was… his throat started to clench up. This man was almost as cruel as ‘Johnny’, even if only from ignorance…


“See… he is not infected… please” the dentist tried to rise himself a bit. He only managed to prop himself up a little, arms shaking wildly from even only this little effort. “Please… let me… dress his wounds… let him dress up…”


It was pure anguish to watch his son being treated like this. It pained him even more. He had to help him somehow, but he was too weak to move and do it…


“You sound foreign” said the farmer, suspiciously eyeing the boy. “You both sound foreign…”


The farmer inspected the soldier boy again, this time more thoroughly. Well, there were several bleeding marks, but the origin of each looked very clear. Whip marks. Cuts and stabs by knives. Burns. All of them had only one mark of origin, so no injuries for masking any of suspicious. No curved shapes; all sharply angled.


No bites. No claw marks. He didn’t check his crotch, though, as he was quite sure that if was anything there, the boy would be nothing more than a screaming ball of pain.


“You can dress up. Jesus, you’ve been put through the works. I wonder what transgression warrants this” he commented, then looked to the other man. The one who was very obviously infected.


“Now, you. Undress. If you’re really not infected, show me.”


Nie jerked, shaking his head. At first he tried to deny the order, but the warning cla-chink of the pumped shotgun made him rethink it. No way the lead seeds wouldn’t hit his son, too, from this distance… he tried to move, but with no much avail.


“I… I cannot… I can’t really…”


The man eyed the infected suspiciously. Then, he frowned.


“Help him, kid. Fast.”

 

[CharlieBoyyy]

"Please... He's dying" I say doing the last button of my trousers.


But the gun did not let.


"I'm sorry, Da" I say to my father as I gently hoist him up propping his arm around me.


I take off his shirt. The brand marks make me want to vomit. They make me angry. But I persevere. I take down the man's trousers to reveal marks even if never seen before. I cover my mouth, tears rolling down my face.


I hug my father "you've been through too much" I say to him.

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

Nie tried to smile through all that pain, leaning into his son’s support. He felt too weak to move even a little bit, but at least he was close to Mitchell. He wanted to help him so much… he wanted to ease the pain the boy felt. He was powerless to do anything.


He soldiered through the stripping without making a sound, all too worried what the man with the gun would do… it was difficult, his own wounds opened up yesterday from that bumpy ride, and the bandages rubbed the brand marks raw… but he understood that no matter how shameful it was, they had to do this. To survive.


He couldn’t look at his son, though, when Mitchell revealed the marks below his belt, too… every single shameful remnant of the punishment he served for murdering his town. He just tried to move closer to the boy, despite the pain, as much as he could… he made him cry again…


The farmer watched the scene with a strange feeling. The tender way that two treated each other really suggested familiarity, real love, although not romantically… it looked out of place with the boy’s uniform. The almost skeletal form of the burnt man suggested he had a bigger frame before, which confused the farmer.


Well… no bite marks from down the waist, there were only ugly, years-old scars, which looked very disturbing on the paled caramel skin, but nothing there. If the man still wasn’t turned, the bite marks couldn’t be amongst all that.


As the soldier boy embraced his “father”, he covered up a lot of the more recent looking injuries, though. That might be for hiding the bite marks…


Well. Time to act for himself. The farmer took a step forward, then reached down, tearing out the dentist from the boy’s arm, his other hand still aiming the gun firmly.


The burnt man yelped from the pain, and went limp; most likely, he passed out. The farmer didn’t care. He just started to examine the convoluted mass of brandings and wounds on the man, still keeping his arm keenly on aim…

 

[CharlieBoyyy]

"Be careful with him. Please. He's passed out. You can't do this he'll die. He needs medical attention. Fast."


I plead with the farmer. Only to get a gun in my face again. I wince looking at my fathers broken body. Even more broken than I thought.


I try to hold back tears of fear and pain but it was superficial. I cry like I've never cried before. I bend over double in a mass of salty tears.

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

The farmer already started to inspect the wounds on the prone form. He felt disgusted touching the feverishly hot, crushed, almost skeletal body with the crude looking marks… he raised one eyebrow when he saw the long, stretching inscription.


“Murderer? And what are these brands? Christ, this looks like…”


Then he looked up with shock on his face, as the boy broke down in hysterical tears. He just watched him, confused, with not really understanding this reaction at first. The boy said this wasn’t his real father, then he showed this much affection, and now…


The tears, the crying made him feel strange. He wanted to shut the boy up. He wanted the crying to cease… and parental instincts took over, finally. He threw the gun aside so he could reach out to grab the soldier boy’s shoulder as gently as possible, remembering in time to the welts.


“Hey… hey, hey… kid… don’t cry… please…” he felt damned strange. Guilty. Suddenly, he was sure the kid really tried to tell the truth. And he did bad now… he looked down to the crushed man on the ground, remembering how the guy begged for his “son” before. “Fuck… hey! Calm down! For Christ’s sake! I won’t hurt him, really! But I have to check this guy for bite marks… please, don’t cry… Hey… you can help…”

 

[CharlieBoyyy]

I looked at the farmer completely broken. "He's been through so much. It's al been too much for us. He's not infected. I know that. Please just put him back in the chair"


I wipe away my tears and snivel my nose. I must have looked absolutely pathetic.


The man's hand on my shoulder felt... Strange. I knew it was caring but I still felt scared of it. I think I was scared of everything.

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

The farmer started to feel really guilty. He tried to caress the boy’s cropped hair, vaguely remembering that they used to do this to calm down crying people. The kid looked so completely wasted over all of this…


“Hey… it’s going to be okay…” he sighed, looking down to the broken body on the floor. Crap. He felt like a monster. The earlier suspicion still remained. “I’ll check on him, don’t worry, kid… hey… don’t cry… But putting him back into the chair… not sure that’s good. I’ll bring down a blanket. And some water. Please… don’t cry… I won’t hurt you, okay?”


He leaned back, trying to quickly look over the unconscious man. He wasn’t so sure the kid said the truth, he looked like he loved his “daddy”, but as he inspected the wounds with as much gentleness as his shovel sized palms could muster, he slowly realized the kid said the truth.


“He didn’t even said he was tortured, too” he murmured, looking up at the soldier boy. “Calm down, okay? I won’t kill you. He is not infected.”

 

[CharlieBoyyy]

"Thank. Thank you" I sign with relief and try to steady myself as the relief nearly knocked me off my feet


I looked at the almost dead looking body on the floor. With pure fear in my eyes I looked at the farmer


"Please you e got to help us!"


(In the car (not driving) so will be slow broken and nervous)

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

The farmer watched the boy, still confused by his tears. The kid was so panicked. Made him feel uncomfortable. He wanted them away.


But he still felt a bit guilty. He caused the man to faint, after all.


"You should dress him up" he said uncertainly. "Well... not the shirt yet. I think you should clean those wounds out. I'll bring some water and herbs. You can bandage him up. I'll even give you a blanket. Then I want you two gone."


There. Good Samaritan and all that. The farmer stood up, grabbing the gun, and slinging it to his back, he went to fetch the water and all.

 

[CharlieBoyyy]

I nod to the farmer, more relieved than anything.


I go to Nigel's side and redress his legs but leave his shirt. Water wasn't going to work, the skin was rubbed red raw. I'd have to be really really careful with him. But he could drink.


I prop him up still sat on the floor carefully and crouch near him.

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

The farmer returned quite a few minutes later, arms full. The shotgun was still on his back, but he didn't touch it. Just gave a gallon bottle of water and a bowl to the boy, before plopping down next to them.


"I'll cut up this sheet for bandages. You can use them. Here, this herbal mix was used by even my great-grandparents. Good for open wounds."


He still felt uncomfortably guilty. He was also considering the circumstances. If these two fled from the soldiers, then they would be on their trails soon.


"Bandage him up and get out" he said a bit angrily.

 

[CharlieBoyyy]

"I understand" I say with a slight breath "but, thank you all the same. Sorry we startled and disturbed you. We'll be gone soon. Thanks again"


I played on the farmers heartstrings a little. But it wasn't a lie.


I rubbed the open wounds with the thick green sludge that was made from herbs. But it smelt really good.


I then took the bandages from the farmer and redressed Nigel's wounds. Carefully. One after the other.


"I think we should be heading off" I say as casually as if I'd visited my grandma. "Thanks again."

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

Those eyes made him uncomfortable. The farmer stirred, watching the soldier boy taking care of his “father”. He looked so lost, while trying to be brave. It was strange.


“I… I can give you a tent. Nothing too fancy. But it will be dry.” he said, with reluctance, but he had to say something. Anything that made him feel less like a monster and a bit more like a human. He still wanted them to be gone. Looking at the soldier boy made him feel disturbed, filling him with guilt.


“And… I’ll help you carry him out. And your stuff, too… and this blanket. Maybe it helps a bit…”

 

[CharlieBoyyy]

"You're too kind" I say genuinely greatful. I zipped up my backpack and threw it into my back.


Then I helped the farmer pick my father up. We both lifted him to the car and I buckled him in. I stormed his cheek on the way out. I put the backpack in the back seats.


The farmer handed me some more things and I put them with the backpack. I got into the car, buckled up and switched on the ignition. The weather was hot now, not like yesterday. It was good to continue our long journey.


"Thanks again sir" I say bowing my head slightly after winding down the window. I do a slight wave and knock the car into reverse. The journey was just beginning.

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

“There is a small town towards the north. There was. About two hundred miles away. Might find some supplies there” grumbled the farmer, still feeling guilty. “Infestation might not be that bad by now. Road is blocked on a few places, though. You’ll have to move stuff around. Good luck.”


When the soldier boy waved, he waved back, watching as the kid drove away, then sighed, like a stone was rolling off his chest.


He was in peace again.


He grumbled, realizing he will have to mask the vehicle’s trail so he won’t be bothered again, but he didn’t start cursing. Just went to the back to fetch the garden tools…


Nie was awoken by the pain.


They were moving, and he opened his eyes and stared dazedly ahead before realizing how the situation changed. He jerked, trying to move his head, searching for his son.


“…Mitchell?...”