Jack

“Asshole!” I shrieked as a black Mercedes shot past me at 80 mph and right through a puddle of mud, the yucky brown substance splashing all over my clothes. I held up the middle finger, even though the driver couldn’t see it anymore, and muttered under my breath, before trying to clean myself up. Which obviously didn’t work and I created even more of a mess on my white shirt. Good job, Jack. I groaned and gave up.

It was nearly two in the morning and I was walking home on my own in rain because Rian, my best friend, had taken my car to drive home with this chick he had met at the bar earlier. To be more precise, he took it because he wanted to get into the girl's pants and forgot about me. He tends to completely wipe out my existence at those times, when his dick takes over his brain. I wasn’t being bitter. Well, maybe a little. I wasn’t exactly having the time of my life. Yet I couldn’t really blame him, the chick in question was rather cute. Not that I swing that way, but I could still appreciate her looks. Maybe Rian had finally found a girlfriend.

Ever since we graduated from high school, I’d wake up in the middle of the night to Rian whining about how girls sucked and how he’d never get into a serious relationship. His family always asked him if he had finally met someone and it would always get on his nerves. He’d even go as far as to start wondering whether he should start dating guys. Rian’s problem was that he always went for the girls who wanted nothing more than to hook up and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him, even though hearing him babble about turning gay was quite entertaining.

However, Rian was also the reason why I found myself wandering all the way from South Charles Street to my house on the other side of the city, alone, wet and with only my earbuds to keep me company. I hated that bastard. I unlocked my iPod and went through the list of albums, finally settling on Green Day’s ¡UNO! and then slipping it back into my pocket.

I pulled my hand through my already messy, dripping hair and sighed. I was a 23-year-old with no proper job, no boyfriend and no plans for my future. The only two indubitable things I did have were a house I shared with my best (annoying) friend and a mostly fucked up relationship with my parents.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved my parents and they loved me (at least my mum did), plus they were the reason I had survived this far. On the other hand, I felt like they spoilt me to the core of my soul when I was a kid and now I had finally grown to see how that was a horrifying thing. They paid for everything – for my studies, for my house, even for my new car – and I grew too dependent on them. I was messed up and a rebel too. I understood that but couldn’t figure out what I was supposed to do to change that.

I walked past an empty park and continued my tiresome journey, head filling with even more thoughts. My watch showed thirty past two and my body was finally starting to show the effects of being out while drenched to the skin. I wrapped my jacket tighter around my body to keep myself from shivering and my earbuds started blasting Green Day’s Warning.

“Is it the cop, or am I the one that's really dangerous, sanitation, expiration date, question everything,” I hummed to myself, a smirk crossing my features. This was one of my favourites and a Green Day classic, so I had learnt to play it on my guitar as well, often performing it at a local bar.

In fact, I would rather enjoy leaving my shitty life behind to become a musician. It had always been a dream of mine, ever since the first years of my adolescence when I started listening to my all time favourite Blink and ordered my parents to buy me a guitar. They obviously complied and soon I started losing myself to the world of music. It kept me strong and brought me up – changed me from the complete douche I was before to the person that was now trying to find the right way in his life. I guess it gave me reasonability. The only problem was that the music business was very competitive and I didn’t know if I could ever pull through.

With my hands shoved deep into my pockets and a stupid smile plastered over my face, I didn’t see the three dark figures closing the distance behind me. Quite ironic.

“Or shut up and be a victim of authority.. Warning, live without warning,” I murmured with my eyes closed, before my breath hitched and I realized that something was, in fact, very, very wrong. That, or I was becoming paranoid.

I pulled out one of my earbuds as I swung around, only to get thrown down onto the wet pavement. “What the fuck are you-” I got cut off when a fist collided with my face, knocking my head against the hard pavement. I whimpered and curled up as my gaze turned white before a sharp pain shot through my head and the pure white turned into red.

“Get the car!” one of the figures shouted and it was the last thing I heard before I blacked out completely.

-

I groaned and winced, pain shooting through my head and then the rest of my body. My sides hurt like hell, my back was completely stiff and I had no memories whatsoever of why the hell every inch of my body was aching. “Fuck,” I breathed out. It took me a while but I gradually became used to the uncomfortable feeling in my hips and chest and decided to open my eyes. However, when I did, I was welcomed by darkness. Wait. What?
“Hey.”

I froze as soon as the word reached my ears, the events of the previous night finally emerging from my memories.Well, fuck. I should’ve third-wheeled Rian and the chick. I tried to move my hands but was greeted by the sound of my handcuffs rattling against a metal bar. The logical conclusion was to try and sit up, so that was precisely what I did. I quickly pulled myself up, the feeling of the sharp cuffs around my wrists becoming more obvious. However, I didn’t expect another wave of pain to shoot through me. Through my head, to be specific. “Fucking hell,” I cried out, slumping back down onto what could only be a cold, hard floor.

“You alright?” the voice from before asked.

I couldn’t help but let out a shaky laugh in response. “Have been better. Head feels like mashed potatoes.”

The owner of the voice sighed. “Sorry about that, it wasn’t planned. I just happen to know someone who apparently can’t control himself and his strength.”

“I can feel that,” I winced again as I tried to sit up once more, this time being careful to do it slowly. Are you really making small talk with a possible maniac? “Do I get an explanation?”

“Sorry, Barakat. I’m just here to make sure you’re alright,” the voice stated.

I flinched when I heard my last name leave the stranger’s lips. “I’m the opposite of alright, thank you.” The panic building up in my head was threatening to come loose as I heard my blood pumping through my veins, all traces of pain leaving my body. “Can I at least know if I should start bidding farewell to my life?” I tried to take deep breaths to keep myself calm. This is no time for losing control, Jack.

“Dude, we’re not serial killers!” the stranger exclaimed, almost chirped, losing their harsh act and I laughed through my panic because they seemed offended and that had to be one of the most hilarious things I had ever witnessed.

“Alright,” I uttered. “Kidnapping for ransom, then. I guess I can deal with that,” I whispered more to myself than to anyone else, hoping to calm myself down. My hands started to tremble and my deep breaths turned into gasps, no matter how hard I tried to relax. I felt a pair of hands touch my shoulders and momentarily shrugged them off.

“Get the hell away,” I cried and tried to take control of my frantic breathing. The hands immediately let go of me and I thought I heard footsteps leaving the room. I pulled my legs closer to my body, despite the discomfort it caused, and shut my eyes tightly behind the blindfold. It’s just a panic attack, just a panic attack, I’m not dying, I’ll be fine.

The footsteps returned.

Jesus Christ. I’m pathetic.

The next second I felt warmth from a body that pressed against my right side and a hand sneaked around my shoulders.

And fucked as well.
I tried to pull away, but the grip held me in place. “I told you to fuck off, y-you’re not fucking helping!” I shouted.

“No, you didn’t,” a new voice stated. The mix of sweetness and composure the voice held made me relax for a second (not that I would ever admit that), but the touch still felt uncomfortable and was definitely not helping.

“Deep breaths, you can do it,” the voice whispered. I felt the person leave my side and sit down in front of me, both of their palms now on my shoulders. “Deep breaths,” they repeated.

“I’m trying,” I whimpered, pulling air into my lungs.

“No, you’re not, come on,” the person said and I felt like punching them.

“I-I am, fuck off,” I cried out, annoyed by this whole pathetic situation.

The hands left my shoulders and for a second I was sure my kidnappers had decided I was going to die of a heart attack and just left me to it, when a palm collided with my cheek. It wasn’t too rough, but just enough to leave me agape and my cheek stinging.

Did they just fucking slap me?
I gasped and glared through my blindfold. “What the fuck was that for!?”

“You weren’t listening to me. Welcome back,” the person said with what could only be a smile in their voice and got up. I heard two pairs of footsteps and the creak of doors before a key was turned and silence surrounded me. I continued taking steady breaths until I felt safe again, pressing my back against the cool wall behind me. What the hell had I got myself into?

I took a deep breath and froze, trying to hear if there was someone else near me. There was nothing but dead silence. I stayed still for a couple more minutes until I was sure there was no one around me before letting out a breath of relief and lying back down onto the uncomfortable floor, despite the pain. My hands were still above my head, cuffed to a metal bar, reminding me that I’d wake up feeling even more tired.

I considered screaming and shouting because, well, perhaps there was someone who could hear me and that was also what people did in most of the mainstream films, but that just seemed too illogical. I was here, so this whole thing had been planned and all I could do for now was just deal with it and try to figure out how I could get myself free without becoming someone’s punching bag. More importantly, I wanted to understand why the hell this happened to me and what exactly was going on.

“That’s what you get for being a failure,” I muttered to myself, unaware of the dark brown eyes looking at me.

Notes

so like.. -awkward wave-
nearly two years later i realized this fic is actually worth another go..
and so, hello y'all

i edited the first two chapters into one and changed a couple of things here and there, but guess what the most exciting part is? huh? hUH?
ilovetea's gonna write alex. so be prepared to have your minds blown.
-shamelessly pours compliments all over her-

-guilty x