Ecesis | Peter Parker

02- Anything For You

I woke up to a piercing headache. I could feel tight tension wrapped around my neck as I finally opened my eyes and soaked in my surroundings.

I was standing, pressed against a concrete wall, while the only thing that was keeping me up straight was the collar that was bolted on the wall and wrapped around my neck.

I lifted up my hands and lightly touched the metal collar with the tips of my middle and index fingers. I froze once I realized what it was.

It was another shock collar.

I instantly lifted my feet up from the floor but I soon couldn't breathe from being choked nearly to death by the collar.

I gasped for air as I brought my feet back down and felt as the floor wobbled beneath me.
I glanced down and from what I could see, was a small red step stool.

I started to sweat. It felt as if the collar was getting tighter and squeezing my throat as I took another breath. I closed my eyes and tried to calm down.
But I couldn't.
My breaths were getting shaky and my body was even shakier.
Tears were streaming down my face as I could do nothing but stand there on the wobbly stool while being bolted to the concrete wall.

I pressed the palms of my hands against the wall and barely sensed anything, but jerked my hands away from the wall so I couldn't activate the collar.
I was sobbing and couldn't understand why.
I was terrified. I was forced into another situation where I had to wear a collar like a dog.
And instead of being yanked back by a leash, I was electrocuted until I yielded. I had no choice but to obey.

I thought that this was how I was going to die and I was convinced of it. The psychopaths were going to keep me locked up in this four-walled concrete prison until I starved to death and then they'd use my body for experiments. I just knew it. It was the only explanation for the situation.

"Alger?"

I turned my head as much as it allowed and saw what made me want to cry harder. It was Peter. He was bolted to the wall adjacent to mine by metal cuffs fastened to his wrists that were set so close to the floor that he had to sit on his knees and had his arms stretched so far out that they were forcing him to hunch backwards. And I knew that his arms were in terrible pain.
His head was hung low but he was staring at me; dark circles around his eyes and all color drained out of his face.

"P-Peter! What'd they do to you?" I sniffled as my voice cracked.

"You've been out cold for too long... for too long." He shook his head and sighed. "H-He... My mind-"

"What did he do?"

"I suppose it's because you were still unconscious and he needed something to do to pass the time." He lifted his head and I felt my heart sink to the floor. He had been crying. "He went inside my mind and wouldn't get out. He kept playing bad memories, and some of them weren't even mine."

"That bastard," I whispered to myself, "That prick!"

"It's okay, Alger. It's over now." He breathed heavily as he tried to keep himself from tearing up. "I-I just want to get out of here."

"Me too." I stood there in silence. It was all my fault. It was because of me that Peter was brought here. And now he was being tortured because the telepath decided that me being unconscious wasn't the perfect time to get inside my head.

I had to get him out of here. He didn't deserve to go through any of this. I, however, did.
For him to get out alive, I was willing to risk anything.

And I did.

The nails from my thumbs stabbed into the sides of my neck as I gripped my hands into the tight space between my neck and the collar.

I kicked the stool away and lifted up my legs once more. I rose them up high and thrusted them down toward the floor as hard as I could.

I felt the bolts rip out of the wall and my butt slammed against the cold concrete floor.
I released my grip from the collar and tried to keep my feet and hands off of the ground.

"A-Alger!? What are you doing?"

I took a deep breath and prepared myself for what was about to come.
Like ripping off a bandage, I quickly set both my feet on the ground and bit my tongue to keep me from screaming as the collar started to shock the life out of me.

I slowly stood up as the shocking increased. I looked at Peter as he stared back at me wide eyed.

"Alger, stop! The veins in your neck and face are lighting up bright blue!"

I began to step toward him. My knees were buckling and I could barely stay conscious due to the pain, but I made my way to him.
I grabbed onto the left cuff as I knelt down beside him.

The shocks were getting worse. I groaned when I wanted to scream. It was getting to the point where my vision was being blinded by a bright blue light.
But I couldn't let that stop me now.

I closed my eyes and gripped onto the cuff with my shaky hand. I manipulated it to unlatch itself from the wall as I swiftly pulled the cuff from the metal links.

A burst of electricity shot into my neck. I groaned loudly and had to let go for a second. I felt as his arm fell to his side and the metal cuff clanged when it hit the floor.

"Alger?" He whispered.

"Shhh!" I opened my eyes and leaned over and weakly grabbed the other cuff. I manipulated that one too and I pulled it off the wall.

I let go as another shock more powerful than the last shot into my neck. His other arm fell to his side and he moved his arms in order to get the blood flowing again.

I collapsed onto his lap and laid there as the shocks just kept getting worse. I shook as the buzz of my collar deafened my ears.

He grabbed onto me and lifted me up as he slowly rose to his feet. I tried to beg for him to keep me on the floor. For me to lay there and suffer as he found a way for him to escape. But he held me in his arms instead.

I closed my eyes again as the pain was too unbearable to handle. I experienced a lot of forms of pain in my lifetime, but I just couldn't handle being electrocuted. The buzz of the collar was getting so loud that I no longer could hear anything.

I felt as Peter limped to what I assumed was the door. I shook in his arms and waited for him to get us out of the prison.

He stopped limping. I felt as he stood still in place.
I forced my eyes to open and I tried to look around.

We were in the throne room.