Eli was barely staying afloat before the apocalypse. Working long shifts, taking care of his younger brother, and just trying to figure out what to do with his life.
When he finds his mom trying to take a chunk out of her youngest son though, Eli...
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The room was dark and musty as I peeled my eyes open, wincing as pain blossomed throughout my skull. Raising my hand to my head, I was abruptly halted, my hands bound behind me on a pole.
Yanking against the zip ties and ropes bound multiple times around my wrists that were already being rubbed raw.
I was sitting on shattered, bloody glass, whether the blood was mine or not I'm not sure at this point, my body numb to the pain as I struggled against my binds.
"Don't bother," A voice croaked out, partially behind me. Struggling to turn my head I shifted in my spot, dragging myself on the jagged edges of the glass, wanting to see who else was in here with me.
"I already tried." She scoffed, I struggled to take in a breath, my lungs threatening to combust from the lack of air. There, sitting in a position much like I was, was Red.
Bruised eyes, bloodied wrists from struggling to get free. Head hanging as she weakly looked at me. "They're monsters." She whispered, choking on her tears. "Eli, I don't want this. I want to eat ice cream again, I want to hear my sister complaining about homework and having to study for tests, I wanted to embarrass her on her first date. I want a normal life again, not this, anything but this." She sobbed, her head bowing breaking eye contact with me.
Cuts littered her skin, whether they were from the own glass she was sitting on or the people that had brought us here, only time would tell. I wanted to embrace her in my arms and tell her it would be okay, remind her of the two lone books that were laid on her bed waiting for her to pick up and devour when we got back. I didn't want her exposed to people like this, I would get us out.
"Don't give up," I whispered back to her, seeing the bruising on her body and tired state. "Don't give up on us." Her glassy eyes turned up to look at me as she gave me a slight nod.
Two men entered the room sometime later, Red and I sitting in the silence the darkroom provided. I had been trying to find something to get us free, but all that was left of the glass was the tiny shards too small to hold between my fingers.
One was still wearing the black get up, while the larger man was wearing regular clothing holding a bottle of gin in his hands.
"You're up, good." The man in black said, staying in his spot by the door. The bigger man roamed around the room, his boots crunching on the glass ridden ground that was biting into my own skin. "The girl said you were the leader of sorts, that if we got her," He nodded towards Red. "You would come running."
The roaming man snorted. "Always been into redheads?" He cocked his head to the side, lewdly eying Red, my Red. "Heard they got a temper, wonder if it'll show if we get past this quiet layer." He laughed to himself as the masked man shook his head sighing.
"The others are coming, I thought you wanted the Asian, Lou." He addressed the man.
"Maybe I want them both and the kid." He chuckled as I lurched forward, my arms pulling painfully against the binds, cutting deeply into my wrists.
