Ghost City

2

A/N: Above is a little art I created out of boredom but thought I'd share since I liked the outcome of it 🤣 Also decided to give two chapters today 😊

"You've been kidnapped for over a year, yet there aren't any physical injuries besides this wound you have?" my father frowned as he watched Damien suspiciously.

Damien completely lifted his shirt, revealing the bruises on his torso as he said, "Like I said, they mostly threatened to kill Aurora and Sagacity when I refused to comply, but that doesn't mean I don't have any physical injuries. Times when I was a bit hard headed, they'd best me with socks filled with God-knows-what."

"What did you have to comply to?" My father asked.

"They wanted information- everything I knew about my father and his followers," Damien answered. "Apparently, there are more members out there that weren't tracked down. When I told them I knew nothing, I was tortured and forced to remember faces I had seen from my childhood. Sometimes, I found myself inventing shit in my head, and when I did, I was beaten again. Besides the socks and punches, I was also drugged up a few times."

My dad then demanded, "Walk me through your exact method of escape."

Chiming in, Rico said, "No disrespect, Carter, but it's like you're interrogating my nephew."

My dad shrugged, "That's because I am. I need to make sure his story adds up."

Damien frowned, "You think I ran away from my fiancé and daughter and then beat myself up? And all for what, Nic-"

"Don't you dare," my father warned. "It's Carter for you. Quite frankly, I know a lot about kidnapping and torture. What you explain is lightweight, so unless these people had some reason to spare your pretty face, I don't understand why they took torturing you so lightly."

Surprising everyone, Nico agreed, "That's facts. I don't buy it either."

Damien frowned, "What reason would I have to lie?"

"You tell me," Nico shrugged. "Tell us more about your escape."

Damien huffed while staring at us all. He then answered, "I was kept in a basement in an abandoned house about three hours out. At around 5 P.M, a guy named Alfredo would come to give me an injection because that's the time the morning injection, which they started giving me since the beginning of this month, would wear off, so I planned for him to come and attacked him by playing weak. When he got ready to inject me, I fought him off, got stabbed by a pocket knife that he carried, and stabbed him with the injection. I was fortunate enough to find his car in front. I hot-wired the car and drove off. That was pretty much it."

I frowned, "No guards?"

He shook his head, and my father frowned as well while asking, "What amateurs kidnapped you and why weren't you able to escape sooner?"

"The place used to be heavily guarded, but once the injections started, less guards were brought in," Damien answered. "The first drug was effective in knocking me out while the second was effective in making me paralyzed for a while, so I guess they no longer felt the need to supervise me. Alfredo was running a bit late on the injection today. By the time he came in to give me the injection, I had mustered up enough strength to attack him."

Rico sighed, "Damn, I'm sorry you went through that, lil man."

Damien nodded towards his uncle before turning his attention to my father. "Any more questions?" he asked, attitude clear in his voice.

While giving Damien a bad eye, my father instructed the doctor to check out his wound. Although I was sure I fixed Damien up pretty well, I was no professional, so I didn't take my father bringing a doctor to aid Damien as any sign of disrespect.

My dad then asked, "Where's the abandoned house?"

"I can take you there," Damien said, and my father watched him with a suspicious eye. "For Christ's sake! What the fuck can I honestly do to you? You'd take me down in a minute or less!"

"Glad you know," my dad said before taking out his phone and sending a quick text. "Once Doctor Michaels is done attending to you, we'll head out."

With a quick nod, Damien agreed, "Okay." My dad, Rico, and Nico then walked away to speak amongst themselves in private, and I went to check up on Aurora. I found her still seated and munching on popcorn as she watched the Disney animation that Damien had put on for her. I then found myself studying Damien. His hair was messy, and he had grown out his beard, but it was in need of grooming and a shape up. Still, he looked shockingly great. He looked a bit taller, or maybe I had simply forgotten how tall he was, and he was somehow still fit. He didn't have completely apparent muscles like he used to, but he was still mostly toned. His skin was still very clear and radiant, which was not of the unexpected. He could go through hell and come back with perfect skin. His jawline was stronger now and fit him well, and he overall looked mature and messily handsome in his bloody shirt and blood stained sweats.

I looked down at the ring on my finger and frowned as I wondered if he still has feelings for me. I kept the ring on in hope that he would one day return, although my father had been convinced that he died or simply ran away. There were no traces to track him down when he was gone. It was as if he had vanished into thin air. Now, he appeared out of thin air, along with so many questions that I knew everyone had for him.

So much had changed since Damien disappeared, and I wondered if things would ever be the same between us. Had he ever thought about me during his days of torture? Yet again, how could he not when his kidnappers often used that against him?