before the beyond | ziall boyxboy

0.3

What would you lot think of me doing a lil' one shot thing?

SONG OF THE CHAPTER: Jackie and Wilson- Hozier

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The trainer was a meaty man, whose face had been the same crimson shade for as long as Zayn could remember. His stubby, calloused hands held the same tainted brown whip they always had; the view of him stood in the dim room with his crooked nose outlined by his grimace of a smile had haunted Zayn throughout his younger years. He yelled orders at the boys like there was no tomorrow, the stitches blotted about their bodies straining and their wounds peeling apart with the stretch of muscles. The echo of stomachs rumbling and the muted thuds of their bare feet against the concrete filled Zayn's ears like a worn out recording. The crusted feeling of dried blood against his temple almost making him cringe, though the pain he's already in is already doing that.

Liam's large stature was a few paces ahead, word was that he was to be transferred to another arena. Which would not be surprising seeing how much extra nutrients he has been given and the amount of screen time he's had. The coach stood in the centre of the hall, they were running the distance of half the arena in laps, the facility being buried beneath the arena with minimal lighting. The ringing in his ear almost relaxed him when it came on, like a soothing lullaby to drown out the pain and thuds surrounding him. His pulse was thrumming through his legs, thawing at his ankles and clenching at his torn up stomach. His eyes were drifting about the room haphazardly and his legs uncoordinatedly pushing him onwards.

The whistle blew, sending Zayn's head spinning and his mind whirring. The trainer held a grubby hand up towards the cluster of scrawny boys.

"Mr Horan is attending the training later today. We need you on your best. The showers are open for the next half an hour. Off!" He bellowed, the thick Welsh twinge to his voice making his words almost indistinguishable, though the years with the man had led to the understanding of his words and being able to decipher his jumbled sayings when he came in drunk. The showers were rarely open, only for special occasions such as this, or once a month when the smell of the boys started to become far too foul and potent. There was at least sixty or so boys in his group today, and only around fifteen showers. So they had to be quick.

The bathroom stunk of mildew and dust, and now of the clogging dirt in the shower drains. Zayn watched Liam slink into a cubicle towards the left, where other slightly meatier lads were gathered. Trickles of blood filtered along the cracks in the floor with a mixture of water and muck, making Zayn's stomach lurch. He was nearer the back of the crowd, but felt no need to worry about not being able to shower as the lads were being very fast and efficient in their washes.

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Niall stayed indifferent, though the muck on the underside of his freshly polished shoes was of slight concern, as he was led through the winding halls of underneath the arena. He had been overwhelmed at an early hour that morning by Louis, who had taught him all about runners and how they were trained and how they got into the business. It all seemed rather dirty for a business so huge, they were taken in as children and pushed to their limits to see whether or not they held the potential. And even though those old enough risk their lives every night, not a single penny is held to their name; and if any is, the owner of their arena had all rights to it. It was messy, and controversial in Niall's opinion and not something he wanted to get into. But he had no choice, Greg had been whisked away to hold a Fix in Ireland that his father passed down so the arena went to the blonde, no matter what.

The doors clanged open with a spray of dust and sand, the heaving breaths of the group of lanky lads filled the room and sprung off all four walls with a haunting hesitation. His blue eyes scanned the room with slight disgust and curiosity. The smell was void of any sanitation, though the overwhelming scent of dull soap seeped from the boys' bodies as they stumbled past.