TORMENT (Harry Potter Sequel)

Chapter Thirty Five

Tom couldn't feel his body. Everything was numb. Where even was he? When did he get here?

Slowly but surely he regained control of his body and forced his tired eyes open. His vision was still bleary and he couldn't move his limbs but his mind was turning back on so he was becoming more aware of his surroundings.

He was lying down on the floor- a dirty floor, there was litter all around him- lying face up with a burnt cigarette in his hand. The room he was in was incredibly dirty, the bulb that was barely illuminating the room was shining a shade of green. Somewhere in the room he could hear a TV playing. It must've been stuck on one of those old movie channels the whole time while he was sleeping. He could make out what they were saying on the screen- not that the words meant anything.

"-What has that got to do with anything?"

"Everything! Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate and hate... leads to suffering."

Another voice interupted the program, "Get the fuck up."

Tom suddenly remembered what he'd been doing here. He pulled his head up from the floor, getting slightly dizzy from doing so. An annoyed frown- his only expression- took its usual position on his countenance. He didn't say anything.

"You really stayed here the whole night, the fuck?"

Tom had never seen this man before. He assumed he was another one of Dushane's gang members. Again, he didn't reply. He never spoke anymore in general. He stretched slightly. His head hurt from sleeping in an uncomfortable position. He didn't care; he'd been sleeping in uncomfortable positions his whole life. He yawned as he stepped through the littered floors of the apartment and stumbled towards the kitchen.

"Woah, woah, what are you doing, you can't go in there-"
The man Tom had never seen before ran up to intercept him. Tom admired his bravery- he was about twice the size of him and yet he still tried to stop him.

"Stop."
Now that was a voice Tom recognised. The man stopped and let Tom go through. Dushane had entered the apartment accompanied by a few other of his gang members and walked up to the guy who he'd told to stop.

"I don't know what you was thinking trynna stop him but there's no point," he said cynically. Tom looked tiredly down at the people who'd just entered the apartment.

"Did you, for real, stay here the whole night?" he looked around the disgusting looking apartment, "Here?"

Tom nodded while still frowning. He didn't care. There was only one thing on his mind right now.

"You was going to the kitchen to get yourself some more huh?" Dushane walked past Tom to the kitchen counter and opened it, producing a brown bag. Without turning back around to Tom he continued, "Don't ya think ya have enough? Ya know you gotta pay it back, right?" Tom didn't respond. Dushane laughed, "Always not talking huh?" He turned around and handed Tom the bag, "This your third bag this week. Ninth this month, twelfth since ya started coming to me. My generosity ain't gon last forever," Dushane's face grew darker with each word. Tom grabbed the bag out of his hand and started walking toward the door. The gang members stepped in front of the exit, blocking his path.

Tom finally spoke, "Move," it was a simple word but you could hear the ferocity in it. Tom's voice had grown more gravelly; it sounded darker and colder than it ever did before.

"Do it," Dushane called out his order from the kitchen, "But listen here," he walked up to right behind Tom, "I been real nice to you, cos of Dante that little bitch, cos you a big guy, cos you new. Many reasons. But I can't be nice to you forever. So make sure you pay the money back quickly. Cos it don't matter how big you are when you're fighting a bullet."