Prologue

Rule 1: Don't make a sound

Rule 2: Don't show emotion

Rule 3: Don't look him in the eyes

These were the ironclad rules his dad disciplined into him, not everything was like this when Chase was firstborn. His parents were very caring, everything changed when his mom got hit by a drunk driver and became brain dead. His dad lost it, taking care of his brain dead wife and a child who just reached 4, he started relying on drugs as an escape from all the stress, but when all that wasn't enough, he started to torment his only son at 5

The torment started with verbal abuse as in blaming the son for all the mistakes and saying he was a mistake, putting him down when he showed him his drawings, and not feeding him properly. Then his dad decided that wasn't enough, he moved the young 5 years old out of his room and into a small closet under a staircase, moreover his dad "homeschooled" him. Home school usually consisted of physical abuse, as in pushing and spankings. During all this was when his dad established his rules for Chase.

"Rule 1: Don't make a sound, rule 2: Don't show emotion, Rule 3: Don't look at me, got it you little shit." his dad said with just with hatred.

"Yes, Fath-", before Chase could even finish his sentence, he was smacked and fell to the floor.

"Did I say to speak?", his dad said with anger.

Chase now realizing this wasn't his dad anymore it was a monster, he shook his head up and down trying to appease this monster.

"Good at least the little shit knows English, now go back to your fucking room." His dad said while slamming his hand on the table. Chase knowing his dad is angry rushes back to his closet, that night something changed in him, maybe from all the physical and psychological abuse he had a mental breakdown, he turned to selective mutism, it fit perfectly for what his dad wanted.

Ever since that day his dad would beat and whip him for his home school education, his dad would also rarely feed him and only gave him his leftovers or scraps. On Chase's 9th birthday, his dad chose to take away even more of his rights, it started with taking away toilet privileges Chase could only use a bucket, later on, he even took his right to take showers, Chase had to take "shower when it was raining that was his only choice.

His dad even started to force his son to stay awake for days on days on end, eventually, Chase even got used to that, he would stay up for up to 5 days on end.

Sadly, Chase's mother soon passed away, at the age of 14. At the funeral, there were only two people, Chase, and his dad, his dad didn't even cry and just looked at the sky as if asking God why this was happening, while Chase could only look at the ground. When they got home his dad beat him for about and 5 hours with anything he could find, from anything to a chair to a lamp. Chase took it all without even a whimper. He was used to something like this, maybe not for 5 hours but regardless was used to his dad's anger. At the peak of his anger, he grabbed a knife and said.

"Mistake, mistake, mistake", his dad was repeating it over and over until he stopped and smiled and looked at Chase and said with a sinister grin "Hey mistake, I think it's about time you get branded, get the fuck up and take off your shirt", Chase did as his father wanted slowly getting up and struggling due to all the blood on the floor when he did get he took off his shirt and threw it on the floor just as his father commanded.

Then his father walked over to Chase and grabbed him by the neck and slammed him on the floor face first, and started to laugh, and started to write out the word mistake on Chase's back, Chase knew not to scream or cry and took all the pain the best he could.

"Hey piece of shit this looks pretty good, I went in the wrong profession, I should've been a fucking artist, I probably could've been the next Leonardo da Vinci, I mean, to be honest, you should be honored, you're my first work!"

"Hey how about we make this a tradition, for your mother's death anniversary, every year we add a new scar, how about it?" Chase could only shake his head up and down while trying to hide his pain. "Alright, I'm tired cleanup, this mess you little shit."

Age 15, Chase got another scar, this time on his forearm, which looks like a happy face, age 16 a sad face on his other forearm.

This year something special happened Chase got another scar this time on his stomach which seemed to spell out bastard, "Damn Chase you're looking good, looking like a real badass, are you happy?" Chase raises his forearm with a happy face on it. "Well good thing you're happy you little shit", just as Chase's dad finished saying that, he slipes on the blood of Chase, and accidentally stabs himself, "FUCK, FUCK, FUCK," he says over and over, "HEY YOU LITTLE SHIT FUCKING HELP ME GOD DAMN IT!", Chase stares at the knife which is impaled near his dad's heart. Chases start, to back step away, knowing he can't help his dad. "COME BACK HERE YOU SHIT" he starts to get up the best he can and then falls again this time face down and the knife impales through his dad's heart fully. All Chase can do is just watch as blood seems to endlessly flow out of his dad, Chase knows he's dead. Still, it's hard for him to accept it, his dad is dead, but who is Chase without his dad.

Chase eventually falls to the ground and puts his head between his knees and just stares at his dad, still with a stoic face, as if to pay memento to dad's rules. Then all of a sudden a voice comes out of nowhere.

"I'm sorry, young child."