Category : Books-Fiction

Sub Category : Romance

Author's notes. 
Warning, content mildly triggering, contains mild abuse, read at own risk. Don't read if you are sensitive to the subject, Thank you! 
Chapter 19
          Chris opened his eyes to find himself back in the hell of a home once again. He doesn't remember how filthy the place was during his last visit but it definitely hurt his eyes more than it did the last time. He wondered how in just the space of a day, the place could become worst, more rubbish has piled up and the place looked like it's been wreaked by a hurricane and a tsunami at the same time. 
          Chris's eyes automatically drifted to the direction where he first saw the boy sitting on the ground. The TV was still in it's dead condition with the familiar crack running across the screen and the remote was laying somewhere amongst the pile of filth but the boy was no where to be found. 
          Chris subcontiously looked for a light switch as the room he was in was dark, he found one in no time but no matter how many times he tried to flick it on, no light came on.
          Being careful not to step on anything, Chris made his way into the kitchen where he last saw the boy under the kitchen table. He had hoped he would find the boy but when he bend down to look under the table, nothing but a pile of rubbish greeted him, what did he expect anyway? 
          Chris heard the flicker of a switch in a distance and his head sprung around to the source of the sound. He followed the sound to the back of the apartment where he found the boy, balancing himself on top of a stool, hand barely reaching the lightswtich of the bathroom, even though he was tiptoeing on the stool. 
           When the light failed to come alive despite the boy's efforts, he jumped off the stool and ran to the living room, the stool in one hand. 
          Chris watched in amusement as the boy placed the stool down and climbed atop it. This time, proving a little easier for the boy to reach as this switch wasn't situated as high as the one for the bathroom. The boy flipped the switch many times and just as Chris had tried to earlier with the one in the kitchen, nothing worked. 
          “None of them are working, isn’t it?” Chris asked softly, Just like the TV, he thought. 
          Expectedly, the boy gave up trying and when he got off the stool, Chris could see the boy's shoulder slump to an all time low. The boy took a nervous glance outside and Chris suddenly understood the boy's frantic efforts to light up the house. 
           The boy was afraid of the dark. The sun was setting, darkness would befall any moment and none of the lights in the house seems to be working. 
           He followed the boy's eyes land on the room where the arguing came from during his last visit. This time it was quiet and there seemed to be no one in there. But the boy definitely knew something that Chris didn't because Chris saw the boy timidly yet determinedly walked towards the room. Chris followed closely behind. 
           The boy knock on the door, lightly and gently. When there was no answer, the boy knocked louder. Chris could see how scarily thin the boy's wrists were and it definitely looked to Chris as though the extra strength the boy had to exert to knock harder seemed to put a strain on the boy, that was only skin and bones. The door opened and a man appeared, grumbling incoherently at the sight of the boy.
          “What do you want?! You Stupid Brat!” The man yelled and flung his hand at the boy, knocking the poor boy onto the ground. 
           Chris saw red, anger rising through every cell in him as he ran over to the boy, he squatted beside the boy and not knowing where to put his hands, Chris only clenched his fists.
          “What the hell is your problem?! He only wanted to ask you something!” Chris yelled at the man, which expectantly fell on deaf's ear. He wondered how could anyone be this cruel. 
          The man spat on the ground before yelling, his words laced with venom, it sent shivers down Chris's spine, “Tsk! Don’t bother me! I’m busy, get out of here you stupid brat.” The man insulted before walking back into the room, slamming the door shut behind him. The door rattled violently, threatening to fall out of its hinges. 
          Chris stared daggers at the door, he was almost about to burst open the door and give the man on the other side a piece of his mind when he heard a whimper from the little helpless soul still laying on the ground.
          Chris brought his attention back to the boy, he saw the boy holding onto his right elbow that was probably bruising when it come into contact with the hard ground. Chris must have been too caught up with his emotions to notice when the boy started crying but when he finally managed to catch a glimpse of the boy's face, there was a long trail of tears falling from his cheeks. Chris's heart broke when he saw the boy bring a hand up to his mouth to drown out any sobs that threatened to escape his mouth, fearing they might be heard by the monster in the other room. 

All Rights Reserved @ 2018 by Anne Teng
Author's Notes. 
I'm sorry if this chapter is mildy depressing. I hope you're still doing fine after reading it! 
. 
. 
. 
. 
. 
.
.