Silent Ground Part 2

by Quil Carter

  An excited, but weak noise of happiness sounded from Kel’s chattering lips when he saw those golden arches on the horizon. Sasha pulled in and carefully navigated the drive-thru without crashing, and ordered their food. Kel was given his which he immediately began tearing apart, and even though Sasha could feel the fatigue creeping in on him, he was eating the food with a smile on his face.

  “Bet the food has never tasted better, huh?” Sasha said. Kel had polished off the first sausage and egg McMuffin, in between huge bites of hash brown and gulps of orange juice, and was now nibbling on the second.

  Kel nodded, his cheeks full. “I’m going to remember this meal for the rest of my life,” he said, and continued eating.

  But as they were entering into Cranden, Kel became quiet. Sasha, his own half-finished McMuffin in his hand, glanced over at him, a look of concern. “Are you okay, bud?”

  Kel shook his head. “I ate too quickly,” he said in a quiet voice. “Took too much energy… I don’t feel real well.”

  Sasha stopped at a stop light and reached over to put a hand on Kel’s head.

  He sucked in a breath. “Your forehead is on fire,” Sasha said grimly. “We’ll be at the hospital soon. We’re just going to stop in at Lex’s so he can come with us when you’re admitted. You don’t have any identification. They won’t stop you from coming in… but they’ll eventually need to see some.”

  Kel nodded weakly. “Okay, Sashy,” he said. He wrapped his good arm around his waist and grimaced. “I really don’t feel good.”

  “We’ll be there soon,” Sasha whispered. Then he got an idea. Sasha brought his arm up to his teeth and bit through an old cut that Kheva had made. Without hesitation, he broke the scab, ignoring the pain, and glanced over at Kel. “Take off your seat belt and lean down. It’ll make you feel better, and you should drink before you’re admitted anyway.”

  Kel clicked off his seat belt, and after some adjusting so he wasn’t putting weight on anything broken, he leaned down and took Sasha’s bleeding arm into his mouth. Kel’s mind seemed to relax then, the anxious anxiety becoming dimmer as he consumed Sasha’s blood.

  Ten minutes later, Sasha pulled off of the highway and onto the road that would lead him to Lex’s house, his old apartment. And even though his brain had been consumed with worry over Kel’s state, the moment he turned onto the road and saw Lex’s house in the distance, his heart began to beat like crazy.

  He was almost there… Holy fucking shit, he was almost there.

  “I’ll… I’ll just run in and get him,” Sasha said breathlessly, cold waves of electric static going up and down his body like his veins were powerlines. “How are you feeling? Did the blood help?”

  Sasha glanced down and his heart seized. Kel’s eyes were barely open; they were staring off into nothing. “Kel?” he said quickly. “Kel? We’re almost there.”

  “Okay,” Kel said faintly. There was blood smudged around his lips, but he was no longer drinking. His body was limp, his gaze glassy. Kel was fading and fast.

  “Fuck,” Sasha whispered. “Hold on, don’t go to sleep. Alright? We’re almost there.”

  “Okay,” Kel said again. “I just hurt… and I’m tired but I won’t – I won’t sleep.”

  Sasha pressed on the accelerator for the last several houses, then, with his body coated in frozen anxiety, he pulled into Lex’s driveway and put the truck into neutral.

  This is it. Holy fucking shit. This is it.

  “I’ll be right back, Keli,” Sasha said. He put a hand on Kel’s head, then pulled the sleeve of his jacket over the bleeding wound, and opened the truck door.

  Sasha ran to the steps, then sped up them. There was no ignoring the trembling in his hands, the nervous anxiety ripping his insides to shreds, Sasha accepted it and pushed it away, then knocked on the door.

  Voices, there were voices inside. Sasha recognized both of them. He tried to control his breathing but it was no use, Sasha was a wreck and he knew it.

  Then the door… it swung open.

  And there was Jobe, wearing only boxer shorts but holding a bundle of clothes, and behind him Lex in a beige bath robe. They both looked at Sasha with eyes as wide as a full moon, before Jobe burst into tears, and Lex pushed past him to take Sasha into his arms.

  “We were so worried,” Lex cried. His arms constricted Sasha, crushing him to his chest, and then to Sasha’s left, an inconsolable Jobe appeared and hugged him too. “You have no fucking idea. No fucking idea how worried we’ve been. What we know… Oh, fuck, Sasha I’m so glad you’re okay.”

  “I am… I’m okay,” Sasha said. He tried to break Lex’s hold but it was like unwrapping an anaconda. “Uncle Lex… I need you guys to come with me. I have someone who’s gravely injured. He doesn’t have any I.D and I need to get him into a––”

  “ROB!” an unfamiliar male voice suddenly cried. “ROBBY!?”

  Oh shit.

  Sasha swore and pushed Lex away. He looked behind him and saw some strange guy speeding down the stairs towards Kheva’s truck. “NO!” Sasha yelled, both anger and protectiveness surging through him. “Stay away from him!”

  “Sash?” Sasha heard Jobe say, but he was already gone. Sasha ran down the stairs, just as the stranger opened the ajar driver’s side door and cried out.

  “Leave him alone!” Sasha snarled. He ran to the kid and grabbed his shoulder then wrenched him back. It was in that moment that he realized just who it was, the kid with the pixie cut and the glasses that had confronted Kel in the Walmart.

  “What the fuck did you do to him?” the man wailed, tears bursting from his eyes. “Robby? Baby? It’s me…”

  “I fucking said get away from him!” Sasha yelled. He stood in front of the door his arms outstretched, hoping that Kel wouldn’t be able to see him.

  Then Lex and Jobe appeared, both looking bewildered and in shock. Sasha didn’t have time to explain anything to them, Kel had to get to a hospital.

  He… fuck, he hadn’t made a noise when the strange man was there. When he was in the Walmart he’d been freaking out so bad Sasha had had to cloak his mind.

  “I can’t explain anything right now,” Sasha said hurriedly. When he saw that Jobe was holding back the sobbing man, Sasha stepped away from the driver’s side door so Lex could see Kel inside. “He’s my friend. He has a broken leg and arm at least, and more. He fell down the stairs, over three days ago. Uncle Lex, please, don’t make me say more just help me get him to the hospital. I’m begging you.”

  Lex stared at Sasha, then his green eyes, the same shade of dark green as his nephew’s, flickered behind him to where Kel was. He paled. “That’s… that’s Kel?” he whispered. “Where’s Kheva?”

  It was weird hearing Lex use their names, but indeed, Kheva had met both Lex and Jobe at that Walmart. “He’s back at the lake, where – where I’ve been,” Sasha said. He got into the truck. “Please, get in. Don’t mind the serval, he’s tame. Jobe? Come on.”

  “… Serval?” Lex sputtered, then Sasha heard him gasp. “Holy shit, that’s a serval.”

  “I want to see Rob!” Sasha’s attention was drawn away from his uncle when he heard the stranger sob. “I want to fucking see him!”

  Sasha’s temper blew. He got out of the truck, stalked up to the whining piece of shit and grabbed his shoulder, clenching it hard. “I don’t give a fuck who you are,” Sasha snarled. “But he doesn’t know you. You’re fucking confusing him, you idiot. Shut up and stop making this harder than it already is!”

  The pixie-haired man, tears streaming down his flushed cheeks, shook his head. “What did he do to him?” he whimpered.

  “Sash… go with Lex and I’ll follow behind,” Jobe said. He ran to Lex and handed him the bundle of clothes he’d been carrying. “I’ll calm him down. He’s our friend, Nate’s been trying to help us get you back.”

  Sasha wanted Jobe to come with them, but there was no time to cater to wants. “Thank, Jobe,” Sasha said. He gave Jobe a thankful smile,
then turned and sprinted back to the truck.

  “Kel? Kel, can you hear me?” Lex said. Sasha was now speeding down the road, the hospital thankfully only a few minutes away. Lex had changed in the backseat and was now leaned forward patting Kel’s cheek. “Holy shit, Sasha… his arm.”

  “His leg isn’t any better,” Sasha said grimly. “I haven’t seen what’s under the clothes but I know it’s bad. Three fucking days… three fucking days he was out there.”

  Kel suddenly released a whimper. Sasha looked down to see him giving Sasha a pitiful look.

  “Don’t worry, we’re almost there,” Sasha said, shoving strength into his words. “How about for all the time you’re in the hospital… I’ll bring you fast-food. Whatever you want.”

  Kel’s sad and despondent look didn’t change, but he did say in a weak whisper. “Really?”

  Sasha nodded. “We’ll get McDonalds and A&W. Wendy’s too. Oh, maybe you’d like KFC? I can get you some extra crispy chicken, with fries and gravy.”

  And there was the faint smile, it was crooked, but it was there. “Promise?”

  “Yeah, Keli,” Sasha said. He put a hand on Kel’s head and stroked back his dirty hair. “I promise.”

  Out of the rear-view mirror, Sasha caught a glance at his uncle, a look of both confusion and awe on his face. He said nothing though, Lex only watched, and whatever his own inner thoughts were, he kept them to himself.

  When Sasha parked into Emergency, Lex got out and ran ahead. Sasha got out too and opened the passenger side door. Soon, two doctors appeared with a stretcher being wheeled behind them.

  “Sashy?” Kel whined when he saw them. He looked downright terrified, his dark blue eyes flickering around as he tried to take everything in.

  “It’ll be okay,” Sasha said. He took Kel’s good hand and slowly helped him sit up. “They’re going to take care of you. I’ll have to leave your side while they check you over, but as soon as they let me, I’ll be right there. Okay?”

  “I’ll help him out of the truck,” one of the doctors said. “I heard you fell? You were lost for three days?”

  Kel stared at him with a frightened look and scrunched back.

  “He’s…” Sasha didn’t want to say it, but he didn’t have a choice. “He’s a bit delayed and he’s scared right now. I live with him in a rural area; he’s not used to people.”

  “He’s mentally challenged?” the doctor asked.

  Kel’s lower lip stuck out, but Sasha had no choice but to nod. “Yeah, he is in some sense, but in every other way he’s brilliant.” Sasha stepped back as they helped Kel out of the truck. “Just please be overly kind to him. Explain everything that’s going on. As soon as you can, let me be beside him.”

  The doctor nodded, at least he seemed to be understanding. “What happened to him? Why did it take so long to get him here?”

  “He fell off of a cliff,” Sasha explained. “He was out exploring and he wandered too far. We were gone at the time; we didn’t even know he was lost.”

  It was thought up on the fly, but it worked and it made sense. The doctor nodded, then he and the second doctor helped Kel onto the stretcher.

  “Okay, Keli. You have to go with the doctors, but I’ll be right back as soon as I can.”

  “Don’t… don’t forget Jye, okay? Will Jye be okay?” Kel asked as the doctors began to wheel him away.

  “He’ll be fine, hun,” Sasha said, and again he forced another smile. “Don’t you worry. Be good, okay?”

  “Okay…”

  When Kel was out sight, Sasha felt his legs begin to wobble. He managed to walk back to the truck, then he leaned against it and placed his hands on his knees.

  He’d done it… he’d gotten Kel to the hospital, alive and at least alert. From the moment he’d found Jye in the dungeon room trying to bring Kel more blankets, up until now, his mind had been overdrive, hyper focused on one goal, and one goal only: Save Kel.

  And now that he’d done it, now that Kel was safe and his life out of Sasha’s hands, the exhaustion hit him like a brick wall.

  “Sash? Are you okay?” Lex asked. He sprinted to Sasha and put a hand on his shoulder. “You look as pale as Kel… Fuck, what happened? What is all of this? Jesus, are you okay?”

  Sasha tried to nod. “I’ve just… I’ve just had a really long night,” Sasha whispered. “I…” He turned around and saw Jye crouched down in the back seat, his brown eyes large and his body language timid and scared. “I have to get the cat to my apartment. I don’t know if he’s ever been off the property. I need… I think I…” Sasha’s eyes closed as the dizziness hit him. Lex noticed and swore, his head shaking back and forth.

  “I’ll drive us back to the house… I know the doctor that took Kel, I’ll get him to call me once you can see him. Right now, we need to take care of you, and we’ll put the cat in your apartment.”

  Sasha nodded, a surge of appreciation hitting him. “Thanks, Uncle Lex.”

  Lex swore again, and put his arms around Sasha. “I’m just so fucking glad you’re okay. I’m so relieved we have you back.”

  Lex, I love you, I missed you… but… you don’t have me back.

  At least not permanently…

  I’m sorry.

  Lex waved at Jobe who was driving Lex’s car into the parking lot beside the emergency entrance. Sasha wasn’t happy at all when he saw that Nate idiot in the front seat, a desperate look on him. At least Kel was far away from him now; it was bad enough Kel was alone and probably terrified. He didn’t need that asshole confusing him.

  “Have you been eating?” Lex asked on the drive home. “You’re injured.” He swallowed hard as he said this. “Are you okay?”

  Sasha, feeling faint and dizzy, nodded. “It’s just exhaustion,” he said. “I’ve been in panic-mode since last night. It’s a long way from the lake property to here, and I had to drive through the damn hurricane we had last night.”

  Lex slowly nodded, his hand gripping the steering wheel tight. It looked like he wanted to say volumes to his nephew, but every time the words formed on his tongue, he swallowed them down and said nothing.

  Sasha could feel Lex’s eyes on him, and in his mind, he began to wonder just how much he was planning on telling Lex and Jobe.

  What the fuck do I say?

  Or more importantly…

  …what the fuck do they already know?

  Sasha would’ve never thought there would be so much anxiety attached to coming home. When he originally dreamed of being reunited with Jobe and Lex, it was a celebration, tears of happiness and relief. No longer would he have to endure being beaten, forced against his will, starved, living in fear and sleeping outside. He would be safe.

  And now… it was so much different. He was scared of what they knew. Who was Nate? Did Nate know about nightcrawlers since he knew Rob before all of this? Did Jobe and Lex know? Did Kheva tell them?

  They arrived home in silence, and walked into Lex’s house. Sasha didn’t know what to say, or even where to start. His mind had been on Kel for so long, what he was planning on doing after hadn’t really entered the equation.

  “We left your apartment how it was; Jobe was staying in it though,” Lex said. He handed Sasha a cup of tea. They usually didn’t drink tea in the house but it was still grey outside, and Lex was probably looking for something to distract them both. “I, ah, I stayed in it too. We missed you, bug.”

  Sasha stared down at his cup of tea. “I’m sorry…” he said slowly.

  “You – Jesus, Sash, you don’t need to apologize,” Lex whispered. “We know he wouldn’t let you escape. Right…?”

  Sasha nodded, his eyes still fixed on the mug. “I even tried once. I drove the truck into a ditch and was chased into the woods.” Lex’s mouth twisted to the side, his eyes cradling many emotions. “I was caught, of course. He can find me easily.”

  “Not this time,” Lex said with confidence. “We’re going to move if we have to. Kheva won’t find any of us. And if�
� I mean, if we can get Rob back from Kel, he can come too. No one has to go back with Kheva.”

  Sasha’s stomach churned like a cement mixer. He knew what he wanted to say––that he had to go back to see if Kheva was okay, but… not now. How could be explain it enough to make him not sound insane?

  So instead, he touched upon another topic that he needed answers to. “What do you know about Kel?” he asked, then with hesitation, great hesitation, he added: “And… well, what do you know about all of this in general?”

  The sounds of the house, ones that the human ear usually didn’t pick up unless it was dead quiet, became amplified. Sasha could hear the rain splattering against the window pane, the low hum of the fridge, and even the tapping of claws as Friskie wandered over with his tail up in the air.

  “You – you’re a… nightcrawler?”

  The contents of Sasha’s churning stomach became ice. What he would do to have Kheva here right now. Kheva would know what to say, how to explain it. There was nothing he was proud of more than being a nightcrawler. But right now, Sasha just felt awkward and weird, a strange science experiment that just had a spotlight shone on it.

  “Yeah,” Sasha said quietly, then there was a sting, a brush over an open wound that Sasha had temporarily forgotten he had. “I’m not crazy. You know that now… right?”

  Lex swore under his breath, and there was a sigh. “Buggy, I’m sorry… I’m really fucking sorry for everything that happened. For what I did. I was just… I was so fucking worried about you.”

  Sasha nodded, still staring into his tea. “I know,” he said quietly. “I was pretty fucked up at the time. On the outside looking in, it looked like I was losing my mind. But…” The memories of what had happened that night, the despair Sasha had felt, the feeling of being isolated, misunderstood, called insane when all he needed was someone who understood, came rushing back. “But I wish you would’ve just believed me, instead of trying to ship me off to some nut house.”

  “Sasha… you were cutting yourself, you were drinking…” Sasha’s face began to burn. “…well you know.”