“Why are we even listening to you? When have you ever had a good idea?”

“Because I’m the eldest, this will all be mine soon.”

“Uhmm…did we all forget about Alex?”

Stryard’ s body felt like a bag of bricks in quicksand, his head was spinning and the harder he tried to pin point the voices around him the longer the swords in his brain became.

“Forget Alex”

“But why bring Alda-Cassidy into this”

What are they saying? Stryard’s head felt like it was splitting in several different directions at his attempt to focus on one voice at a time.

“None of you came up with a plan and now you’re acting like a bunch of cowards. Trying to use me as an escape goat for your actions.”

“This is a bit far Lizzie”

“Cameron!”

“Well, this is going smoothly. I thought we were just going to scare him.”

Nothing around Stryard was making any sense. This was different than his usually nightmares. Why would he imagine his siblings as demons or maybe they’re kidnappers that have eerie similar voices to his family. If that was the case he could find his way home. He doesn’t know why he knows, but anyone that was not his family he could get away from. Any place that wasn’t home he could find his way back.

“I think he’s waking up.”

“What should we do?”

“We should stop this.”

“Gabe, punch him.”

“Just give him some more drugs.”

"We’re out."

"Let's leave."

"Fuck, such a waste of time."

The pain in Stryard head began to subside along with the weight of hundred elephants. “What’s going on?” He tried to rub his head, but then realized he couldn’t lift his arms past his waist from rest. He tugged a few times, more aggressive than the last. The sounds of chains rattling added to the throbbing in his head and he couldn’t even rub it.

“Gabby what are you doing?”

Gabby? Maybe she would help. “Gabriella? Help me.” He looked up. He saw nothing. Was it dark? Was His eyes covered? Did the what ever happened to him affect his eyesight. “Gabriella?” he pleaded again before a stinging pain slashed across his neck past his collar bone. He winced away from the source sucking in air in the process. There wasn’t even enough chain on his ankle to fall back from his knee. His knee so sore from however long he was stuck unconscious in a slumped kneeling position. What is happening he hates the dark?

“Finishing, touches!” he heard his sister say before the creak of an old closing forced shallowly buried memories to the surface. “father.” He whispered to nothing as his heart picked up pace. Where is he? When is he? “Alex!” he called “Alex! I don’t want to play anymore.” Stryard was quickly running out of air needed to fill his lungs. “Alex!! I’ll be good. I’ll do what you want.” Stryard wanted to cry. His body wasted all his water on sweat and saliva for his mouth to dry out through his labored breathe until he slumped over hitting his head on the dirt almost hard enough for it to bruise. “No one ever came when I wanted.”