A Dark World

Chapter 8

He somehow made it home last night. This morning he's still so sore and achy. Luckily, he didn't have to be at the hideout today if he didn't want to.

Though sitting around here and moping didn't seem like the best idea either. He just didn't want to see Charlie's face today. He spends the morning drinking coffee and sulking, contemplating whether this life was worth living or not. So far, it's NOT.

Let's face it, he's living a lie. It's terrible here...but what can he do? Nothings gonna magically come and change that fact.

Unless...

His mind drifts to the card the doctor gave him. Undoubtedly a silly doctor wouldn't make that much of a difference in his life...but is it worth trying anyways? It's better than sitting around here sulking all day.

Where was that card? Oh yeah! That day...when O'Riley was angry...he picked up the card before he left. It's in those jeans. Which have since been washed. He finds the jeans, fishing out the card. Thankfully it's dry and readable. It has an address on it and a phone number. He grabs his cellphone, which he rarely uses, and calls the number.
He can feel his heart beating loudly as the phone rings, until finally a males voice answers.

Helk: "Hello, this is Doctor Helk."

There's silence. What does he even say now? Suddenly he realizes he's not even breathing...
Ugh! Say something you idiot!

Crip: "H-hi...this is Everett Wilson."

Helk: "Mr. Wilson! Hello! What do you need?"

Crip: "I uh...I was just wondering if I could try your...methods.."

Helk: "Absolutely! I'd love to help you further, but I will need to see you in person. Is that alright?"

Crip: "Y-yes..I can come to the address on the card."

Helk: "Wonderful! I'll see you soon then!"

He was certainly a happy fellow. Still, soon may not be the right words. He hasn't even tapped it into the gps yet.

Once he does he realizes it's not a bad walk. He sets out, locking up the apartment on his way out. It doesn't take too long for him to reach the building. It's...smaller than he expected.

He doesn't even get into the door, Doctor Helk is standing right inside, hurrying him in with this grin on his face.

They head straight into the back, and Helk makes him sit in this black chair.

Helk: "Comfortable? I can turn the light off if needed, or maybe add some background noise?"

Crip: "What? N-no, I mean, I'm fine."

Helk: "Alright, well..for now I figured we could talk. Tell me what's troubling you Mr. Wilson."

Ah. That's right. What's he supposed to say? He can't just say "Hey I'm actually in a gang and I'm getting fucked every other day."

Crip: "Maybe I should start in the past?"

Helk: "If you want to, that's perfectly fine."

There's silence, and Crip feels like he has to vomit for a minute.

Crip: "My mother was a prostitute."

Helks eyes widen a bit, and he leans in slightly, as if he's ready for this story.

Crip: "My father paid her to keep the baby..me, alive. She gave birth and continued to hold me over my fathers head for more money. Well one day, he took her to court and got custody of me. I lived with him for a while after that. I grew up helping him work on vehicles. He loved this one truck, he called it his project. I helped him with it from scratch."

He can't help but smile slightly, remembering his father, but that slight smile drops pretty fast as he continues.

Crip: "I was just a stupid kid...I got inside of the truck one day, while my dad was underneath...I must've pulled the gear somehow..I'm not even sure how I did it or what happened, but...the truck went into reverse and ran my father over. He got stuck under there, and I remember hearing him screaming from inside the truck.
I didn't know what to do, so I got out and waited, listening to him cry for help. I had no idea how to use a phone, or where his even was. So I waited...and eventually he stopped making sounds...When grandma came home, she saw he was....dead. I had gotten back into the truck, and fell asleep there. She called me a....little terror. She refused to keep me after that, and I ended up back into the custody of my mother."

Helk: "You don't remember because it was very traumatic for you. You were only a child, and had no business being in a vehicle that was on. Your father merely had a lapse in judgement. It was not your fault, at all."

Crip swallows the lump in his throat.

Helk: "Please, continue. I feel there's so much more you'd like to tell me."

Crip: "My mother wasn't interested in me...I was useless as far as money went. Until one day, she found a way for me to be useful. I was asleep, in my room, and I felt something touching me. When I opened my eyes it was an old man. He was in my room, rubbing against me, and touching me in very private places. I screamed, and cried, but mother never came to save me. When he was done, he went into the living room and then left. My mother stepped in my doorway with a hand full of cash, and said "be useful, make mommy some money now, or else you'll have to live on the streets."

Helk looked saddened.

Crip: "She continued to "pimp me out" until I was a teenager...Then I got away from her."

Helk: "How'd you do that?"

Crip: "Hm?"

Helk: "How'd you get away from her?"

Crip falls silent. This was where the story was supposed to end.

Helk: "As your therapist, anything you say doesn't leave this room. I will die with your secrets."

Crip: "All of them?"

Helk: "All of them."

Even from the law? That's what he wanted to ask but...did it really matter at this point? Maybe going to jail would be a blessing after all...

Crip: "I joined my first gang. I was good at it, what we did back then...The boss really liked me, but I soon found out they were a lot like the old men that used to come into my room as a kid. They all wanted sex. I slept around, but the boss didn't like it very much. One day he decided I wasn't useful unless I was having sex with him, but I refused to be "just his" and I ended up getting gang raped. He took a pipe and busted my ankle, and I haven't walked right since."

Helk: "How cruel...but you survived."

Crip: "I did. My friend helped me out of there. He's the only reason I'm alive to this day. I feel like I owe him my life, but I also feel like he takes advantage of it daily...."

Helk: "Oh Mr. Wilson..what he did for you was great, but you don't have to continue to owe him. If that was his intentions when saving you, perhaps he is not such a great friend after all."

Crip: "Yeah. I think you may be right about that."

Helk: "Anything else you'd like to add?"

Crip swallows yet again, feeling the lump returning. Helk was easy to talk to for sure...but he can't say that cop was right. He can't trust Helk.

Crip: "Not at this time. Maybe another day?"

Helk smiles at that.

Helk: "Very well. No payment necessary and no date required. You just call me when you're ready to move forward."

With that, Crip leaves the clinic.