Devils and Demons

Chapter 6

Cade
I walk into the house silently. Everyone is in bed by now. It was really late. I walk to the room that is supposedly mine. It had been a week and I had yet to get a beating.

It was unnerving.

I wonder why I came back. I should've just stayed at the fort and slept there. I was too tired to walk back now. I stare at the bed. Maybe it would be safe to sleep here.

No. It was never safe to sleep in one of the houses. Sure, I would pass out, but I didn't count that as sleeping. I look at the door. Maybe I could lock it and sleep for an hour or two.

Two was the most I could sleep. I had to be out of the house by 4:30 after all. Anything later than 4:30 was too risky and sure, I didn't want a beating, but I expected it if they caught me.

It was 1:10 right now. I had been awake for 23 hours for days. Only getting a two hour break between every 24 hours. The bed was right there so I could sleep.

But they could easily come in since there was no lock. I look at the clock. 1:15. I was losing time. Precious time to sleep and I didn't want to sleep on the floor.

So for the first time in years, I willingly get on a bed.

()

I wake up to footsteps. I was so comfortable and warm and sleepy. I open my eyes and my heart jumps. I was in a bed. A bed.

Footsteps. Bed. Did it happen again? No I didn't hurt. I don't think so. Why was I in a bed? Oh, I was so tired that I just laid down instead of going to the fort.

I look at the clock. 5. It was 5 how in the world did I sleep that long. I get out of the bed panicking. I slept for 4 hours. I didn't let myself sleep that long in the fort and I was safe there.

The people here were huge and could easily hurt me more than the others. They could easily hurt me more than the foster monsters. My chest starts to hurt and I can't breathe right but I had to get out.

I had to get out of the room, out of the house. I had to get out before they found me. Before they saw me. They were going to beat me until I couldn't move for weeks.

I stumble to the window but I don't have my backpack. If I left it, they would have it. I had so little that it was precious, but the footsteps were getting closer.

My backpack had the skateboard. Why did I take it off? When did I take it off? It was by the door. The footsteps were closer. The window was open and I was quickly losing the ability to breathe and move.

I jump out the window and run while I can. My ankle screams because I landed wrong, but I can't stop. I run and have no idea where I'm going.

I run and I run into a forest, but I trip and before I can get up, it gets to be too much. I can't breathe at all, I can move but I had to get away. Get away from them. I wasn't far enough away. They could still find me.

I curl up and try to breathe, but I can't. They were going to come and punish me. Why did I sleep? And on a bed? It was a death wish. Something's on my face but I can't move enough to wipe it off.

I still had the urge to run away but I couldn't move. Everything was so close and I couldn't stop shaking. Eventually, a darkness comes to the edge of my vision, and soon takes me into it's hold.

()

I wake up in the forest. It had to be around midday by now because it was very bright. I look around but don't see anyone or anything. Not even my backpack.

Their goes everything I own. Alice and Mark have probably broken down my skateboard to parts. Wait. I wasn't with Alice and Mark anymore. I was with the Demons.

They were too rich to break it down. They would have just thrown it away.

I got up and keep walking on the forest. I should be able to find my way around. Another hour passes before I find the tree that begins the trail to the fort.

You know, I had never really thought about the fort. It was oddly familiar though. I walk down the path and get to the fort.

Same four walls. I walk in and look around trying to see past the graffiti. Where did I know this place from. There were some spots I had painted red to show us that a wall had been broken down there.

I had fallen through one when we first got here. We had broken down the walls and then I fell through the floor so we avoided stepping on those.

It could have been a house. Maybe a cabin. It was like a lot of things though and the memory was fuzzy. I push away the thoughts and go through the floorboards.

I pull on my mask and grab my paint. I painted way too much, but instead of doing schoolwork, I sketched and this is where I put those sketches. The only class I had a passing grade in was Art. I should probably get back to school instead of skipping day after day.

I should care, but the foster monsters were gonna beat me anyway, so why try. Its not like I was gonna live long enough for it to matter. Whether by their hands or by mine.

I end up painting a phoenix . Instead of orange and red and all those colors, it was dark colors like most of my paintings. Black and Midnight blue, and forest green. I had blood red though and white for contrast.

I sit down on the couch looking at the wall. How could I go back to the Demon house? They probably knew I slept. They probably knew it was on a bed too.

Then they would think I was a whore and for that reason do it. I hated it. It hurt but the good thing was I didn't remember it. Not much anyway.

I paint more and soon realize I was almost out of black. I would have to buy more. I smile and shake my head remembering the last time I tried to buy my own paint. Ears got so mad; Eyes too.

At some point the sun went down but it didn't matter if I could see my painting or not. I was still doing it. Blending the colors together with my fingers at points. I loved painting in the dark. It always came out better when I couldn't see it.

"You should get home"

I whirl around only to back away from the light. Why did they just have to turn on the light? After a few seconds I open my eyes enough to see Ears. I take off my mask so I he can hear me talking.

"Turn that off" I mumble.

He chuckles but turns it off. "Come on, you should get home."

I start to sign but he can't see, so might as well talk. "I don't have a home"

" Of course you got a home kid. I know you haven't been with the Vinci's much, but they do care about you"

I scoff at the idea of my 'caretaker' actually caring about me. Ears sighs when he hears me scoff. But we both go silent when we hear twigs snap.

It had to be Eyes. No one else was supposed to know about this place. It was my only sanctuary.

"Hey look at this!" Yells a voice I've never heard before but that is familiar at the same time.

"This graffiti is sick!" Another voice says.

I look at Ears and both of us jump at my stuff that's out. I put the mask and paint under a floorboard as the voices get louder.

Ears looks at me and nods. He jumps out the window. It was maybe a 3 foot fall. Nothing like the one I did this morning. 

Light floods in and someone screams something but I'm too focused on getting out. I jump out the window and run. Someone had found it. Now I had nowhere.