Travis.
6 years ago.
14 years old.
I ran. Faster. Harder.
Don't kill anyone, Cameron's words this morning ran through my head. Aim for the legs.
I turned the corner in the night, using the street sign to whip myself around.
Stay out of sight.
The car in front of me was going faster and my legs were going numb. But all I could focus on was their taillights illuminated red, I couldn't lose them.
Ben was in the backseat of the car with Dacostas.
It was supposed to be a quick job. Just intercept two Dacosta members that were stealing from us and then go back to the house.
But as soon as I shot one of them in the leg, two others had snuck up from behind Ben and I's hiding spot.
One threw my gun out of my hand and the other grabbed Ben.
"Which one do we take?" the guy said, holding a handful of Ben's hair and twisting his neck in the process.
"The quiet one. The crazy one will cause too many problems."
The guy ran, dragging Ben with him. I kicked the guy holding me down in the nuts and pushed him off me as he fell. I scooped up my gun and started sprinting after Ben.
Cameron was around here. So was Finn. Plus a few other Caseys I tried to ignore. I hated most of them but right now they could deal with the job we were supposed to do. I had to get to Ben. They were supposed to come out as soon as I shot the two guys in the legs but I only shot one and I couldn't wait around.
He got thrown in a waiting car.
The guy drove past the one I shot down and I saw a few of the Caseys but I didn't care. It sounded louder than it should've been and in the back of my mind, I wondered if the Dacostas had set us up because there were too many people on the street now.
"Cameron!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. I didn't care if he was busy. I was busier.
But I didn't have time to look around for Cameron to see where he was, if he was close, or to tell him what was going on. If I lost track of the car, I would lose Ben and I promised nothing would ever happen to him.
Cameron and Finn had given us the same promise. All of the bad Caseys that we hated, they'd had gotten rid of. He said we didn't need them. Cameron got a house. A real one, a tiny one and let Ben and I move in there with him to keep us safe. He said I had too good of a shot and it would make the bad people mad. He said we were safe there and sometimes I believed him.
He didn't let Ben and I go on jobs alone and he promised me I didn't have to talk to any of the other Casey members. Cameron had promised that the others still here were good but I couldn't bring myself to trust them. Everyone I could trust, I could count on one hand. So when I was around the others, I stayed quiet. A lot of them thought something was wrong with me. They thought I was crazy. Tom told everyone I was messed up in the head and the Dacostas thought so, too. I didn't care. It meant everyone stayed away from me.
But now they were stealing Ben.
"Cameron!"
The car was swerving back and forth like Ben was giving them hell. They shouldn't have ever thought he was quiet.
I took out my gun and shot at the car tires but I missed. My hand was bouncing too hard from running and I couldn't catch my breath to steady it and it was dark. Someone barreled into my side, knocking me off the ground. I felt a body on top of mine as we skidded on the concrete street. I heard a gun shot go off at the same time but I didn't know who it was. Was it me?
The ground scraped against my body with a vengeance more intense than I expected.
They punched me hard enough that I heard a ringing in my ears. I took a deep breath in and tried to blink to clear my head. Finally, I saw a glimpse of the person's face and they weren't anyone I knew so I shot them in the shoulder. My hands were clenched around the gun. The person crumbled off me and I took off running again. I didn't have to go far. The car was stopped, the front half indented from running into a light post.
My hands shook as I ran.
He needed to be okay. Ben needed to be okay and alive and smiling and I needed to hear his voice.
I couldn't breathe as I reached the car.
Someone was there already. Cameron.
I watched as he yanked the back seat door open and pulled someone out. They fell to the ground and tried to get away but Cameron was on them, punching them again and again. I looked into the car and saw Ben. A light glow was on him from the light pole and his face was split open and bruising. The guy in the front seat groaned and tried to push himself out but I lifted my gun and shot him two times without thinking.
Cameron looked up at the noise and paused. I shot the guy he was fighting and fell on the ground as my legs finally gave out. My knees were probably going to be bruised from the impact but I could barely feel it right now.
"Ben?" I asked.
He grunted, waving his hand in the air to tell me he was alive but he didn't move his body any.
My vision started to blur and the world started to tilt as I saw the Dacosta in front of me, still in the car and not breathing anymore. I tried to take a deep breath but it felt like it couldn't reach my lungs.
This was the third body I'd killed.
My eyes glanced over to the one that had been under Cameron. Fourth.
Cameron was gone but I could hear him yelling to people. He was looking for Finn.
I fell back on the ground, not able to sit up anymore. My head rested against the concrete and the cold felt nice but it wasn't enough. The world was still askew and why did it hurt to breathe so much and how long could I go before I passed out from not breathing? I took another deep breath but it was doing nothing and was I shaking or shivering? I reached into my pocket and pulled out one of the pills I had in there, swallowing it dry.
I tried to move my head but I couldn't so I stayed on the ground, staring up at the starry sky.
The ground was wet but it was okay because I could feel my lungs filling finally and a haze was starting to takeover my head and then I wouldn't care about any of this and I wouldn't want to puke anymore. I was still trembling. Was it my body or my heart shaking so hard?
A thud sounded in the distance but I didn't care. I couldn't move. I didn't want to move. I wanted to forget every second of this night because Ben was okay now and I wanted to numb myself to all of the other bad parts. I didn't want these memories. The pills helped with that.
"Travis."
I could feel the effects of the pill running through my system.
"You're bleeding."
Oh. Unfortunate.
It would be okay.
I strained my eyes to look at the ground. Blood was around me. There was a lot.
"I am, huh?" I laughed.
And then I couldn't stop laughing and smiling and my grief was getting buried, buried, buried.
I let out a breathe and stared at the sky.
"We have to get you up. Annabeth's coming."
I shook my head. I couldn't move. I should, Ben's voice said I should and I didn't want to upset him.
"Let me sleep," I said.
Ben's face came in few, blocking the stars. He was standing, that was nice. That was good. Everything got quieter but I wasn't sure if it was the fighting that quieted or the rushing sound in my head.
"Goddammit." Cameron was back.
"He's been shot." Ben pointed out.
I laughed again.
"I think it just grazed him. Let's get him to Eli." That was Finn. I should say hi.
"Help me get him in the car." Cameron cut me off when I opened my mouth to greet Finn.
"Home," I said and I could feel the smile on my face. I didn't want to see Eli. I was fine. I wanted to go to our home.
But they were picking me up and then I was in the backseat of a car and Ben was holding my head.
"You look like shit," I told him.
"You look worse," he said and I laughed.
Ben reached in my pocket and took the pills I had in there.
"He took one of these," Ben held the pill out at whoever was in the car. "I don't know if that's changes how to fix his wound."
I couldn't look up to see who else was here. I didn't want to look up to see. I was happy and I wanted to stay like this.
Someone's hand came into my line of vision and took the pills from Ben.
"Where'd he get these? How'd you know he had them? How long has he had these?" Cameron rattled off questions to Ben like I wasn't right here and couldn't answer for myself when I had a working mouth right here, hello.
I cleared my throat.
"He steals them when we go on delivery runs," Ben answered.
"Hey, hey, hi, hello. Those are mine," I said when they weren't given back to Ben.
"Drive faster, Annabeth," Finn said. "I think Cameron might kill Travis right here."
"He's going to kill me," Cameron corrected.
I wasn't going to kill Cameron. I trusted Cameron. Maybe he found out I broke his rule. I hoped not. I didn't want to tell him I didn't shoot those guys in the legs.
I laughed, "Did you get shot, too? I heard I was. Maybe we can be blood brothers. Bullet brothers. Ben and I are blood brothers. Ben's my brother. Ben, hi."
Ben's worried face just looked down at me as he brushed his hand over my forehead.
"Fix your face," I told him before closing my eyes.
Pain woke me up.
I screamed.
More pain. White hot, my side was on fire.
I opened my eyes, surveying where I was.
On my back. Inside. Living room. Our small living room. Annabeth. Ben. Alcohol.
I reached for it and put the bottle of whatever it was up to my lips, taking a few chugs as my side lit up with more pain.
Annabeth was hovering over my side, she was causing this. I drew my free hand back to knock her away but Ben grabbed my fist.
The jerking of my body caused me to close my eyes and clench my jaw tight.
"Breathe," Annabeth coaxed.
"Go fuck your way back to hell," I hissed because what was happening?
"I'm stitching you up where you got shot. Hold still or should I just let you bleed out?"
I let out a ragged breath and took another sip of the alcohol. "I thought I dreamed that."
"That was probably the drugs making you think that," Annabeth snapped and the next stitch hurt.
I didn't say anything to that because I could still feel the happiness dancing under my skin, under the pain she was causing.
"Where are the others?" I asked.
"Cameron found the rest of your stash and threw it out," Ben answered, ignoring my question.
My head slumped back on the pillow they had placed under it before I woke up.
I looked at Ben.
"Your face is still gross."
"I'm so sorry," he said with a glare.
"You shouldn't be drinking," Annabeth said and Ben took the bottle out of my hands.
"I shouldn't be doing a lot of things," I said, not being able to stop the laughter when another round of pain hit me. "That stings."
"Will you watch him tonight?" Annabeth asked, "I don't want him to rip these open."
"Yes," I answered but I didn't know who she was talking about but okay sure, whatever.
Ben groaned. "Yeah, I will."
Annabeth finally finished and I told them I didn't need help standing up and I was fine and I could do it but they wouldn't let go of my arms as I stood up.
"Oh, I'm going to feel this in the morning," I said because my whole chest ached now that I was vertical again.
They walked me to my room, my feet stumbling, and placed me on the bed. I groaned the whole way down to my pillow.
"This is what happens when you get shot. Don't make a habit of this," she said before she looked to Ben for a second and left the room.
Ben laid down in my bed and crossed his feet at the ankles. I was blocked between the wall and him.
"If you need to get up, tell me. Otherwise, you're stuck here."
I scoffed because like I was stuck. Yeah, right.
But the thought of actually moving on my own sent dread through my body. My limps had stopped being my own long ago.
"What do you think's going to happen to us?" Ben asked.
That was much too dreadful of a question and I bit my tongue to keep the accidental smile off my face.
"You'll probably be something boring like an accountant," I said. "I'll be famous and bring excitement back into your cubicle."
Ben laughed. "Famous for being a dumbass."
"You're the dumbass," I said. "You got kidnapped."
"You got shot, that's worse," he laughed.
I joined him with my first intentional laugh in hours.
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Hope you liked this chapter! What do you think so far of young Travis?
Have a good day and don't forget to smile! <33