Piccoletto

Luca's Defeat

Ercole was panicking. After all the torture he had put Luca through, the smaller boy had always pushed through and somehow had enough strength to stay defiant to Ercole's commands. His body was covered in bruises and healing cuts. But the worst part was the wound. Ercole hated to admit it, but it was deep. Deeper than he would feel comfortable leaving Luca alone with. But now Luca had passed out. His body was completely limp, his face completely discolored with a pale, grey tint.

Ercole held Luca in his arms, looking between him and the showerhead just meters away. If he wanted to, he could bathe Luca right now without having to worry about Luca fighting back. But something was wrong. Luca's breathing had slowed substantially. After counting, Ercole figured out that Luca's breath would come every four to five seconds, lasting three seconds for a mere inhale. He knew that something was off about it. Fortunately, he knew what fainting was. Why Luca fainted was still a mystery. Maybe he hadn't eaten enough, or was dehydrated. Ercole had given him some food earlier, so maybe it just wasn't enough? Luca couldn't have fainted from the fear of bathing. That was impossible! How could someone be scared of a bath?

Ercole set Luca up so his back leaned against the wall, with his legs straightened out on the floor of the cellar. Ercole made sure he was still breathing before running up the stairs that led to inside the house. He came back with a messily made sandwich and a large glass of water. He set the food next to Luca as he crouched down, putting a hand under Luca's neck to tip his head back. He grabbed the glass of water next to him and carefully tried tipping it into Luca's mouth.

"Come on, Piccoletto," Ercole said, still holding his head up. "Take a sip."

He spilled just a few droplets into Luca's open mouth, but something strange happened after Luca let out a gurgled cough. The droplets that landed around his lips turned a weird tealish color. Ercole raised a brow as he wiped his fingers over the water, making the color go away. Strange. Ercole put down the glass of water and with his free hand, began shaking Luca's shoulder.

"Wake up," Ercole said, shaking Luca harder. "Come on, Piccoletto, open your eyes!"

The shaking began to work, as Luca's eyelids began to flutter as he took a sudden inhale. Ercole silently rejoiced at Luca's awakening and kept shaking him. He realized that the heavy amounts of duct tape binding his wrists and more loosely on his ankles were tightening around Luca's skin, making the area around it very red. Maybe it was cutting off his circulation?

Ercole pulled out his army knife, which still brandishing Luca's blood and began to cut through the duct tape as Luca continued to stir.

"That's it," Ercole said, taking off the tape. "Come on, open your eyes."

Luca began to gain consciousness as his breathing began to quicken and he slightly moved his knees. Ercole was glad to see that he was quickly regaining color as his head began to find strength to hold itself up.

"What happened?" Luca asked groggily as he began to sit himself up.

"You fainted," Ercole said. "From being such a child."

Luca began to understand what was happening, and what had happened. But he was too tired to react.

"What's that?" he asked, finally feeling his lower limbs.

Ercole sighed. "When you don't eat enough, you faint. So eat."

Ercole pushed the plate with the messily made sandwich towards Luca. Luca wanted nothing to do with it. Maybe it was true. He'd only had one meal in the last day, but still, his stomach didn't want food. But if he didn't eat it he knew that he would be forced. What would it matter if he fought back? As soon as he was better again he'd be dragged back to the shower to be killed.