Slowly, the weeks have gone by. Winter has changed into spring, which means we have been spending more time out and about, getting to know some of the locals. This place isn't that big, maybe a little over a hundred people. Most of the houses are unoccupied, making some parts of the town lonelier.
Luckily, our house sits right on the beach, the sand greeting your feet one you clamber down the stairs. Remy's new favorite thing to do is run out there when I leave the room for a second, giving me a heart attack when I come back to an empty room and a swinging back door.
Viola has gone from a little baby to someone who is almost crawling. Usually, she is a happy little girl, content to play with Remy or hold her self up on all fours as she tries to crawl. But lately, she has has been pretty clingy. Anna told me that she is probably teething, and she won't stop being fussy until the tooth breaks through.
Suffice to say, Finn and I have not had the room to ourselves for the past week. Viola refuses to sleep in her crib, only sleeping the whole night when she is in bed with us. By morning, she either has half the bed to herself or is lying across me or Finn.
It is this lack of quality sleep that I blame for not paying attention to my surroundings. But, I honestly wasn't expecting for two of the guards to jump me.
The hostility in the town has been growing. All of the residents here are tired of the asshole guards. Half of the guards are either great people or neutral, seeing as they have families of their own to care for. It is only the younger ones, the ones who obviously were not on base for long, who have no respect for anyone.
The women here are terrified of those guards, having been threatened, either sexually or physically, by them. My sister and her friends refuse to walk by themselves, and Mary has not left the house in weeks. The fact that she is five months pregnant does not see to dismay them, either. But they have never outright attacked someone, and that is the only reason Derek and the other guards have not thrown them out.
But, I never thought they would overtly attack me. That is the only excuse I have- along with not getting a good night's sleep due to a squirmy baby- for not noticing the two assholes following me.
Remy is holding my hand, babbling about how much fun he had with his friends at the park. It has become a bit of a ritual, the moms bringing the little ones to the park every other morning. Viola is whining in her stroller, not liking that she is not in my arms, but I needed a break from carrying her around.
"Hey faggot," someone yells from behind me.
Instantly, I freeze, my hand tightening on Remy's as footsteps approach. Turning, I see two of the overly buff guards who like to torture us, snide smiles on their faces as they close the distance between me and my children. Adrenaline rushes through me, and all I want to do is run. There is no way I could outpace them. Not with a three-year-old and a stroller.
Remy instantly curls closer to me as the guys approach, hiding behind my legs.
"What are doing out without your body guard?" the other guy asks, his mouth curling up in a smirk. "Must be real sure of himself, that you're really homo for him."
"Oh, but don't worry, we'll fix that for you."
Before I have a chance to react, they lunge for me, ripping me away from Remy, the stroller falling over in the hassle. Both of my babies are screaming, Remy trying to chase after me and Viola wailing as her stroller lays sideways on the ground.
"Let me go, assholes," I yell, kicking any part of them I can. They just grip me tighter, punching me in the stomach when I manage to land a kick to one of their shins. Remy is still running after us, and I manage to choke out a brief, "Remy, run!" before the bigger guy backhands me.
Remy turns tail and sprints up the street, running as fast as his little legs can carry him before he disappears from sight. The biggest guard eventually ends up just picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder, making it even harder for me to get away.
I know where they are taking me, I can recognize this part of town immediately. No one lives in these houses, them being completely empty. Dread starts to settle in my stomach.
The smaller brute- the one with the molester mustache- ushers the other guy over to the back yard of one of the abandoned houses. It is only when we are out of sight that he throws me down on the ground, all the air in my lungs leaving my body as I hit the ground hard. A kick is landed onto my side, making me curl in on myself, trying desperately to breathe and shield myself at the same time.
"Now, pretty boy," the mustache guard says, leaning down so he is only inches from my face. "You better stay still, or we're going to drag this out even longer."
"Fuck off," I spit out- well, more like wheeze- but I don't flinch away from his gaze.
The bigger brute shoves my face back into the ground, making it difficult for me to breathe. The rustling of clothing has my eyes widening. The reality of what is happening sinks in, and I push myself up as hard as I can. The movement catches the guard by surprise, his foot slipping away from me. I manage to scramble a whole three feet before my legs are kicked out from under me, and I am dragged back.
"Let go of me, you fucking asshole!" I yell, my legs kicking as I try to get him to let me go.
It doesn't work, only resulting in him twisting my leg in a way that it shouldn't. A cry of pain leaves me, and this only seems to spur them on even more, delight sparkling in their dark eyes.
The mustache guard has his pants already undone, his underwear straining from his excitement. "You hold him down. I get first round."
My breath is getting harder to take in, my heart pounding in fear. They are too big for me, and I have no chance of fighting them off, no matter how much adrenaline is currently pumping through me.
"Make it quick," the bigger brute says pulling out a knife and using it to cut away my pants and underwear. My ass is completely on display, making the mustache guard giggle in a way that has me cringing. One of them lands a hand on my ass, squeezing hard enough that I know there will be a bruise there tomorrow.
"Oh, I can't wait to destroy this."
"Move away, or I will blow your fucking head off."
Both of the guards still at the feminine voice. I would recognize that voice anywhere, have been hearing my sister curse like a sailor and protecting me from school yard bullies since I was only three feet tall.
"You aren't going to shoot-"
A loud bang rings through the air, and the mustache guard lets out a high pitched scream, his hand leaving my ass as he flails back from being shot.
"Try me again, you fucking ass wipe." The sound of her cocking her gun again, preparing for another shot, makes her intentions clear.
The brute lets out an angered growl, giving me one last harsh shove before moving away from me. Once I am free of them, I immediately scramble away, my pants falling away completely once I stand up. My face is wet from tears I hadn't realized had fallen, and I am still trembling from the fear of what was about to happen.
Anna is standing less than ten feet away, a few of her friends standing behind her, all with guns pointed at the two guards. Erika steps forward, wrapping me in a blanket before pulling me into a tight hug.
"You two come with us," Anna says, not moving until the guards start to walk. Erika whispers something to Anna, but I can't think, my mind becoming cloudy. It is like I can see and hear everything that is going on, but my mind can't understand. Erika seems to understand, though, because her and my sister look at me with wide, worried eyes.
"Erika's going to take you home, Ally," she says, using the name she had given me when I was first born and she had trouble pronouncing my name. "We'll make sure these fuckers are taken care of, don't you worry.
And I don't because my sister is ruthless when someone crosses her. She steps forward, placing a soft kiss on my forehead before going back over to the two guards. Her and two other women start nudging them with the guns, over in the direction of the main guard house. Derek should be there.
"Come on, sweetie, let's get you home." Erika starts to lead me down the path back to the beach house, not rushing me at all, which I appreciate since my legs are still trembling. "You're lucky Remy came to the playground to get us. He'll be happy to see that you're okay."
My mind starts to clear when she talks about Remy, instantly my body tensing in worry. "What about Viola? Oh god, she is probably still in her stroller that they knocked over."
She gives me a small squeeze, guiding me up the stairs once we reach my house. "Oh no, we saw her when we got there. Alisha brought both of them to Finn at the school house."
"That's- thank you," I murmur, and Erika just hums.
The front door flies open, and Alena's eyes are wide as she takes me in. "Oh, thank god you're okay."
She pulls me into a tight hug, and Erika transfers me over to her, giving me a quiet goodbye before walking back down the stairs. Alena quickly closes the door once we are both inside, locking it behind her.
Cries come from upstairs, and I pull myself up the stairs, worry still churning in my gut. Finn is pacing the room, Remy and Viola both in his arms, seeing as they are both screaming. He must hear me come in because he whips around to see me.
"Alden," he breathes, eyes wide. "Are you alright? God, I'm so sorry that I wasn't there with you."
"I'm fine," I say, making my way over to the couch before collapsing on it. Remy squirms away from Finn, flinging himself at me as he continues to sob. He is trying to talk, but it is impossible to make out his words through his tears. Finn joins me on the couch, Viola being transferred over to my arms. She buries her face in my neck, tears wetting my skin. "And you shouldn't have to be there to protect me, Finn."
"I know," he says, words rough. "But with those assholes around... And with what they did to you." His hand brushes softly against my cheek where I was backhanded, making me wince in pain. "If Derek doesn't kick them out, then I will take care of them myself."
Grabbing his hand, I pull it to my lips, placing a kiss on the back of it. "No, you won't. We aren't going to stoop to their level."
"Alden-"
Giving his hand a squeeze, I cut off whatever he was about to say. "We are better than them."
"Always with the saving," he murmurs, and a laugh bubbles out of me, catching us both by surprise.
It isn't a subject to laugh about. I don't want the guards to be shown any mercy, but I won't let Finn stoop to their level. I survived their attack, and now they have to deal with the wrath of my older sister.
The front door opens, footsteps coming up the stairs. Anna makes her way into the room, collapsing on the arm chair closest to me. A satisfied smile in on her face, making something settle inside me. "They're gone, Alden."
"Really?" I whisper, and Anna just nods her head. "Yeah, once Derek heard what they did, he completely lost it. The guards kicked them, and everyone who agreed with them out. It wasn't easy, but they did it."
"What if they come back, though?" I ask, immediately thinking of the future threats.
"Oh, they won't be coming back," she says. Knowing I won't like her answer, I don't ask for clarification.
"Alden, let me look you over," Alena says, sitting on the coffee table in front of me.
She waits until I nod before reaching over to gently prod at my cheek. "Not broken, thank god," she murmurs. She goes to pull the blanket away once she looks over my torso, determining that I am just bruised, nothing too serious. My hands tighten on the blanket, knowing that I am still naked underneath. Her brows crinkle in confusion, but she must see something on my face because she lets her hand fall away.
"I think you should just get some rest," she says, her eyes still filled with worry. "All of you."
Finn just nods his head, helping me to stand up from the couch since I have two children in my arms who refuse to be put down. He readjusts the blanket when it starts to slip, tucking the edge inside.
Anna steps up to me, brushing my hair out of my face. "It's going to be better here, Alden. We're going to make this place a real home." She gives me a gentle hug before walking back down the stairs that lead to the front door.
"Do you believe her?" Finn asks once we are settled in bed, me with clean sweats on, and the little ones passed out between us.
My sister has always been fiercely protective, never backing down from a threat. Those guards pushed her over the edge, and it seemed like everyone here was tired of them. I am a little afraid of the monsters that still linger outside the walls, more so now that we have fewer guards. But, we are finally free of our torturers. To me, that is worth it.
Pulling up the blanket, I relax into the mattress, Finn's hand massaging the bottom of my back. "Yes, I believe her."