Page 25 of Carver

The boy didn't respond, but followed Carver anyway, so he figured that was the right choice. When they made it to the main area, there were several people milling about. It was later in the morning, so he wasn't surprised to see quite a few people up. The boy stopped, his wide eyes taking in all the bodies.

When Carver felt the grip on his hand tighten almost painfully, he looked to the boy and then in the direction of his gaze. He saw the women huddled around some of the men with plates of food.

"Are you hungry?" Carver asked.

The boy took a step back. Carver could feel sweat on his palm. He knew it wasn't his, and with the way the boy's bottom lip began to quiver, Carver could sense the storm brewing.

In the next second, the boy released his hand and ran back the way they came. Carver jolted and followed him, careful not to run so the boy didn't think he was being chased.

When he went back to the room, he found it empty again. This time, he went right around the bed to see if the boy was there, but he wasn't. He opened the bathroom too, though it was another dead end.

Carver nearly groaned in frustration.Where could he have gone?

It was then he heard a thump in the closet. He opened the door to see the boy curled up in a ball. Carver wanted to pull the boy out to ask him what was wrong, but the sound of Fury clearing his throat behind him drew his attention. He pivoted to look at the other man.

"Boss," he said. “I was on my way back when I heard that there was an issue with the boy running away.”

Carver nodded. "Yes. He split as soon as he saw the women feeding the men.”

Fury nodded, stepping into the room. “I figured that was the case considering his abuser was a woman.”

It made sense. The missing pieces in Carver's mind slipped into place at Fury's words.

How could he have been so stupid?Of course that was the reason the boy panicked.

It would cause issues if he had to tell the women to leave. At the same time, he didn't know if the boy would even trust him to leave the room again. As it was, the closet seemed to be a safe space.

Carver wondered if it was because it mimicked the boy's cage. It would make sense for him to go back to what he knew rather than to face the unknown.

Eleven

Why didthis man call him sweet boy? Was he being sincere? Or was this a ruse to convince him to follow their orders?

It seemed likely it was the last option. He’d seen how the others acted around the stranger. They listened to his every word like little soldiers. It was the same with the peopleshehad in the house.

He wouldn’t be fooled again.

They might have stopped his actions the first time, but he was prepared to do whatever it took to not be trapped again.

Though… they did offer to get him a collar. His had been gone when he’d woken up. Since it never came off, he felt naked without it.

And then there were all the people around. Why had the man taken him to that room? They’d all stared at him with curious eyes.

He knew what happened when people were curious.

Shaking away the thought, he curled tighter into a ball in the closet. He’d stay there as long as he could. It wouldn’t be forever though. Soon he’d need to use the restroom. And eventually they’d want him to eat.

His plan was to hold out as long as he could. Death by starvation would suck, but it was better than living in a world built to torment him.

The darkness of the closet played with his emotions. Though he’d slept for hours already, he could feel his body wanting to sink into the comfort of it all over again.

But he knew sleep by medication and sleep by choice weren’t the same.

One was dreamless.

The other was filled with nightmares.

Twelve