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Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

Michael trembled with fear as he wrapped himself up tighter in his cloak and hid in the corner. He listened with trepidation to Jacob and Peter getting closer and closer while they laughed about how they were going to kill the monster.

Him.

He was the monster they were hunting.

Why did they want to hurt him? Michael didn't even know who they were and only knew their names because of Amelia telling him stories about them. He had never done anything to either of these boys, or to anyone else in the world, but they were here, in his space, with clubs and they wanted to hit him with them.

Michael couldn't see them from his hiding space but his heart beat harder and harder as their footsteps grew nearer. He looked through the darkness beneath his hood and forgot to breathe for a moment when one of the boys came around the crate he was hiding behind.

"Shit! I found him!" Michael recognized Jacob's voice.

"Why's he back there hiding?" Peter questioned, coming to stand beside Jacob.

"I don't know..." Jacob reached out with the wooden club in his hand and poked Michael with it. Michael whimpered and curled up tighter into the corner. "Come on, monster!" Jacob urged, poking him harder. "Do something!"

Michael shook his head thankful that his face was hidden by the hood of his cloak, "Go away," he whispered.

"It talks!" Peter exclaimed. "I think it's a person, Jacob. Maybe we should leave it alone."

Michael hoped that Jacob would listen to Peter. He hoped they'd both walk away and simply forget that he was up here.

But it seemed that Jacob had other ideas. Painful ideas. He snorted at Peter's suggestion and then swung his club The thick piece of wood caught Michael hard in the arm. Pain resonated through his body and Michael cried out.

"Stop, Jacob..." Peter urged uncertainly, his face growing a bit green.

Jacob whirled around to face him, "Either you help me or I'll hit you too!" He warned and Michael could tell that he meant every word.

Peter swallowed hard, clearly he believed Jacob too. The younger boy nodded slowly. Before Michael could beg for mercy they descended on him.

Each whack of those clubs against his body sent his stomach rolling. Michael felt tears slipping down his cheeks as they assaulted him. Somehow he managed to climb to his feet and shove himself between them, knocking them back. He fled but they were behind him, laughing, jeering, telling him he was going to die.

Michael had to get away!

He dragged himself across the attic and saw the open door. He could go that way. He could leave. He could be out of the attic and away from here. Allie would help him.

Michael tried to take a step toward freedom but froze. He couldn't. He couldn't leave the attic. The attic was home. He had no idea what waited for him outside that door.

"We've got you now, you monster!" Jacob yelled and Michael felt the crushing blow land upon his stooped back. He cried out with pain and went down hard. Michael closed his eyes and curled up in a ball as blow after blow landed upon his already battered body. He closed his eyes tight and prayed the pain would end. He thought of Allie; he pictured her face and tried to ignore the abuse that his body was taking.

He thought of her brown eyes looking at him with such love and held on to that image, only releasing it after one of the clubs made a direct impact with his face and then another with the back of his head.