The Boy in the Walls

Chapter 20

Liam was really, Really, REALLY not having a good day. He looked up at his captor through the metal bars of his confines. The human seemed to be muttering things to itself incoherently as it walked. Liam didn't know what was going on, did the human set the traps intentionally? If so then why didn't it just grab Liam right away, instead of going through the hassle of bringing him to...wherever they were going.

The cage jostled unexpectedly causing the young borrower to fall against the cold rusty bars. Liam squeaked pitifully, his fluff covered tail wrapping around him beneath his shirt. The borrower curled up in a ball and tried to stay calm. Quiet sobs escaped the pained boy as he lay pathetically on cold and smoggy metal.

"Please don't kill me please don't kill me please don't kill me" he heard the incessant mutterings of the frightened boy. His heart wrenched in his chest, an overwhelming urge to protect the little guy filled him fully.

Gabriel looked at the tiny boy with pity, he really was trying to walk as carefully as possible but he couldn't help jostling the boy a few times due to a missed footfall. The tiny little dude was pretty banged up from what he could see, yet another thing he would have to help with after he freed the borrower.

After what seemed like ages, Gabriel finally reached his home. He rushed down to the basement and placed the cage on a nearby table. Then Gabe shuffled through his toolbox trying to find the wire cutters.

Liam peered through the rusted bars of his cage in an attempt to see what the human was doing. He flinched when two hands, one grasping a sharp metal tool, came into view, followed by the ginormous head of the human. Liam scuttled back as far as he could away from the human until he hit the opposite wall.  The massive hands were shifting all around the confinement and seemed to be cutting wires in specific places. Suddenly the wall to Liam's right fell off loudly and clattered down. Liam pushed himself away from the new opening whimpering with wide eyes.

Gabriel shifted the trap to where the opening was facing him. The little borrower was cowering in the corner of the cage. Well this was no good, there was no way he could treat the borrowers wounds if he couldn't even see them. He had to confront the borrower.

"Hey, it's okay. I won't hurt you see" the human held up its hands in a gentle gesture. Liam focused on their movements before curling in tighter on himself. "Listen, I just want to help you, your hurt right?" The hands moved closed to the curled up borrower.

Liam's entire body tensed. He knew the human was bluffing, why in the world wouldn't it be? He started to shake like a leaf and his breathing grew panicked. His eyes slammed shut as he braced himself for the rough, grimy, fleshy and sweaty grasp of the human. Any second now he would be squashed like a bug. Liam began to hyperventilate. It was going to happen, he was going to die. Just as the tip of the humans finger was about to touting him Liam shrieked out.

"I don't want to die!!" Tears welled in his eyes, as he anticipated the blow. But nothing happened. Liam subconsciously counted to ten before the human spoke.

"It's okay, you're not going to die. See?" Liam peeked through his tear filled eyes and saw the humans hand laid next to him, completely relaxed and unmoving except for the occasional nervous twitch. He gasped at the sudden proximity but dared not make any sudden movements. "I won't hurt you, I just want to help"

Until then, the borrower had been focusing on Gabe's hands, but now the boy looked up. His small teal irises locked with Gabriel's and time seemed to stop. Even with the big tears that filled his eyes, and the reddening around his nose and eyes, the boy was beautiful. He had soft features, a light sparkling of freckles scattered about his body, and though his cloths were well worn, they suited him. Gabriel blushed after a minuet had passed and he was still staring.

Liam's whole body was buzzing. Looking into the humans strangely colored eyes was both terrifying and exhilarating. He couldn't stop, he took in the vast landscape for the humans face. The dark skin tone that was highly contrasted by his strawberry blonde hair. The wide frames of his glasses rested upon the humans strong face like a crown. Then the human blushed unexpectedly and looked away. Liam was slightly confused as to why, but didn't think too hard about it.

"Um, so let's start over" the human said snapping out of the temporary daze they had both been in. "My name is Gabriel, but you can call me Gabe" he nervously scratched the back of his neck with his free hand.

Liam didn't really know how to respond. He knew he wasn't supposed to speak to humans and was begrudging to anyway. He decided to just stay silent. This human didn't know about borrowers and Liam couldn't -no wouldn't- tell him.

Gabriel awkwardly waited the borrowers response, then finally caught the hint "oh, sorry I guess you probably don't wanna talk to me. I forgot Oliver mentioned that you borrowers had a code or something"

Liam snapped to attention. A million questions filled his mind. He decided to speak after all he touched the hand next to him and spoke. "O-Oliver?" Was all the little borrower could squeak out.

Gabriel froze. He looked at the tiny boy. Contact. Gabriel froze, the tiny boy had just willingly touched him. He blushed profusely and shuddered out a response "y-yeah.. uh he's this other little dude I met a little while ago and uhm...yeah"

Liam sat pondering. It couldn't be the same Oliver that was his brother, that would be an impossible coincidence. But there was this inkling of hope, this small gut feeling. "What did he-did he look like?"

"Oh, the borrower, uhm, blonde with blue eyes?" Gabriel didn't see what the borrower was leading to but he continued, not wanting to stop talking to the boy. "And he was about your age."

That was his brother, Liam just knew it. "H-how do you know him?"