Chapters-243


Basement


Aries's POV


*ContinuationOfFlashback...*
"Aries..." Jay-jay called me in a whisper.
I opened my eyes but it was too dark and I couldn't see anything.
My back was cold and that's when I realized I was lying on the floor.
I slowly got up.
"Jay... Where are you?"
Someone grabbed my arm. "Aries."
I knew it was him. I took his hand and pulled him closer to me.
I hugged him tightly.
"Where are we?" His voice was shaking. "Where did the
men take us?"
I don't remember much of what happened. Because of my absence
earlier, they made me sleep with a handkerchief that had a strange smell.
I just don't know what they did to Jay-jay.
"Did they hurt you?"
"N-no..."
I was scared. I was scared of what would happen to us. I could feel
Jay feeling the same way but he was trying to steady himself.
It was so quiet and all I could hear was our breathing. Add
to that the loud beating of my heart. I felt like I was losing myself in
this place.
"There's a window." Jay-jay said.
I looked at what he pointed to. There was a small window but it was too
high. It was almost touching the ceiling.
It was also because of that window that light was coming in.
It was already morning and that was when it became clear where we were.
It looked like our basement at home. There were piles of stuff, there was
a sofa set that looked old to me. There were boxes of clothes and some
stuff. A whole body mirror and an old TV that didn't seem to be
working.
"Can you reach it?" He asked me.
I tried to climb up on the boxes to reach it but we heard
a loud metal noise. That was followed by footsteps and the sound of a key.
I quickly went down and approached Jay. I hid him behind me and
waited for whoever would come inside.
The door opened and the man following me appeared.
He was carrying a tray full of food and a gallon of water.
"Eat." He said before closing the door behind him.
He placed it on the old coffee table and sat on the sofa
with his feet up. He simply pointed to the side of him for us to sit.
"Sit down... Eat." He said without any appetite.
"Who are you?" I asked.
He smiled slightly and simply pointed to the mirror. I didn't
understand. What was in the mirror?
"Why don't you look?" He said.
Jay-jay and I looked at each other but before I could take a step,
he whispered something that stopped me.
"Make up."
My heart beat fast and hard. There were some
things going through my mind and all of them pointed to this man.
Could it be possible...no!
"Aries." He called me and stood up. "...Let's change names."
I stepped back and so did Jay. He moved his seat and stepped
closer to me.
"Your mother really meant what she said. She didn't really
introduce me to you."
I swallowed as he gradually became serious and his gaze shifted
to Jay-jay who was behind me.
I tried to hide him behind me which made him laugh a little.
"I'll be back here, please eat your fill." He said and turned his back on us.
He walked out the door and I heard the sound of keys again.
Followed by the sound of steel hitting the wall.
I couldn't help but soften. I didn't even look for
my father because I thought he was dead.
Days passed but Jay-jay and I were still here. I don't know if
Mom and I were trying to find us.
"Stop that." I told Jay-jay.
He must have opened all the piles of boxes. He used everything
he could to break the small window and open the
door. Our voices were hoarse as we shouted for help.
But nothing happens. We're still stock here.
"Jay! You're just lying around."
I looked at him when he didn't answer.
All I saw were piles of boxes but he wasn't there.
"Jay?"
I stood up from the floor and went to where he was from earlier.
"Jay? What-?" I stopped when I saw him inside the big box. He was already asleep that's why he wasn't
answering. He had some clothes
wrapped around him as a blanket. He'd been lying around for a while so he must have been tired. I keep saying
that we'll get home too but it doesn't seem like that 's going to happen. I didn't want to lose hope. While
watching Jay, I suddenly had an idea. I quickly arranged the boxes and put back the ones he had scattered. I
also put everything back in order. I just hoped this would work! As I expected, he brought food again. I covered
Jay's mouth to make sure he wouldn't make any noise. When I opened the door, I heard some footsteps. "Kids!
Eat!" He called to us as if calling a child on the street. He whistled and walked around a bit. I also heard him
open the door of the small bathroom. I heard footsteps approaching our place again. Even the knocking over
of some boxes and it gradually picked up speed. "Shut up! He must have escaped!" He shouted and ran away.
I didn't hear him close the door so I immediately went out followed by Jay-jay. As I expected, he would think
we had escaped. "Look... he's gone?" Jay asked me. I nodded in response even though I honestly wasn't sure.
I walked to the door and peeked outside. A concrete staircase appeared before me. "I'll go first." I said as I
stepped onto the stairs. I moved slowly and when I reached the top, I saw a steel door - it looked like the steel
we heard whenever he brought us food. It was also open. I peeked first and to make sure there was no one
around I motioned for Jay to come closer but it didn't seem necessary because when I turned around he was
behind me. "Sorry, I couldn't wait any longer." He said with a smile. We slowly walked out. We were in a wide
hallway. I couldn't hear anything so I had the courage to walk. I peeked through the nearest window. "Where
are we?" Jay whispered to me. I shook my head. "I don't know." All I could see was a wide sugarcane field. If
I'm not mistaken, we were inside a big house and we were locked in the basement. I looked around. I wasn't
sure where we were going. I couldn't think straight. My heart was beating fast and I felt like I was going crazy
every time we stayed here. It was our chance to escape but I still couldn't think straight. I was panicking. Think
Aries! "Aries... s-there's something....coming." Jay said trembling. I was even more panicked. I looked around
or places to hide but all I saw were walls. Damn it! I had no choice but to run somewhere. I was pulling Jay
and not letting go. We turned to where we could turn, climbed the stairs and entered which room. I didn't know
where we were anymore. I was forced to stop, gasping for breath. My eyes were darting around due to fatigue
and hunger. "Aries! There's a door!" He said excitedly while pointing to a door not far away. Without thinking
twice, I ran towards it but before I could touch the doorknob, Jay let go of me. I turned around and stopped.
He saw us! Jay was holding me and had a knife pointed at my neck. He was very angry as he looked at me.
"I'm looking for someone to look for!" A strong slap knocked me down. My face went numb and I had difficulty
moving. "You're a smart kid! But you won't understand me!" He said angrily . "...your adoptive parents are
willing to pay a lot, so why would I let you go?" Is that all? Money? He took us away from our family for
money? Why did he introduce himself to me if that was really his only target. "And you!" He pointed to Jay who
was behind him being held by another man. "...I'll make you pay for your mother's foolishness to me!" He
added and pulled Jay. "Let me go!" He shouted. "F-let her go!" I shouted while trying to stand up. I heard her
laugh. "I'll let you go now. When I get the money, you two won't be together again, so make the most of it!" She
pushed Jay towards me like a rock. I caught her but we both fell together due to weakness. She smiled
devilishly at me before finally leaving with another man. We were silent as they left but not long after I heard
Jay sobbing. She was crying and I couldn't help but cry because of our situation. I was so weak, I couldn't
even defend Jay-jay. I'm her older brother, I should be the one she can lean on but I was the first one to give up
between the two of us. I'm useless. "I-I want to go home." She said. That's what I wanted too but I didn't know
how. "Sorry." Was all I could say. "Your sorry won't change anything." I was stunned by what she said. I slowly
got up and looked at her with a look of surprise. "I know you're upset but don't talk like that." He got up and
looked at me with a wicked look. "What do you want me to say? 'Everything will be okay' even though it really
isn't, is that it?" He wiped his tears. "...I keep hearing that over and over again but everything is never really
okay!" "Do you really want to hear the truth? Oh come on! 'WE WILL NOT BE OK!' That's it! Are you happy?!" I
don't know how long I've been awake but I can't rest. I feel strange. I've been scared before but I'm more
scared now for some reason I don't know. My breathing is also getting tight even though no one is choking
me. It's dark and the only light we have is the light coming through the window . There's a light bulb on the
ceiling but it looks like the switch is outside . Jay is sleeping soundly next to me. I envy him because he still
manages to sleep despite our situation. He hasn't talked to me since our last fight. I want to get out of here.
What if it's true that he's going to break us up? What will happen to us? To Jay-jay? I heard the iron door open
rom outside. I knew he was coming so I immediately woke Jay up. "What?!" He answered me annoyed and
turned his back on me. "Jay! Get up-." I didn't finish what I was going to say because the door suddenly
opened. He was carrying handcuffs and a handkerchief. Every step he took towards me was fast so I stood up
and leaned against the wall behind me. Jay was still sleeping and didn't seem to hear anything. "It's time...
that Angelo paid me a lot." He said with a smile. He's going to bring me back? What about Jay? He can't be left
here. "No! I don't want to! I won't leave Jay here!" I shouted at him. Suddenly he grabbed my arm and tried to
pull me away from Jay. He tried to attach the handcuffs to me. I struggled and struggled. "Let me go!" "Don't
fight!" "No, I don't want to!" I couldn't help it anymore when he put the handcuffs on one of my hands. I
panicked and screamed. "Shit! Jay-jay!" "Shut up!" He said and tried to cover my mouth. "No!" We both froze
when we heard a car horn. He looked at the door and seemed scared. I immediately realized that he wasn't
expecting that car horn. It might not be from his companions. Someone else! "Help! Somebody help us!" "Shut
up, he said!" "Brother Angelo! Mama!" "You're a fool!" He said angrily and slapped me. "Jay! Wake up please!" I
couldn't stand the pain anymore. It was more important to me to escape from this man. He reached for one of
my hands to attach one side of the handcuffs but suddenly someone pushed him away from me. Not hard but
enough to separate us. "What are you doing to Aries?!" Jay-jay asked angrily. I thought he wouldn't get up. I
had to think of a way to not leave him here. He pointed at Jay. "Don't interfere!" Before he could get close to
me again, Jay pushed him away but that wasn't enough. He grabbed his arm and pushed him away like a toy .
"Jay-jay!" I shouted and came closer to him. Even though I couldn't see him properly, I was already pulling the
monster away. He was trying to put the handcuffs on one of my hands again. "Let go of Aries!" Jay-jay! He
grabbed us and tried to pull my hand away from the handcuffs. He kept hitting the other hand. I took the
opportunity to fight back. I kicked him everywhere he was going. "What?! Stop it, you child!" "Let go," Aries
said! "Let go of me! I'm not leaving without Jay!" Something came to my mind and I kicked him in his
possession. He fell to his knees in pain but was still holding on to us. Jay wasted no time and bit his arm. His
scream became louder because of the double pain. I was able to let go but Jay-jay didn't and with the speed
of the incident, I only managed to blink. He slapped Jay with all his strength and threw him near the door. I
could see that his head hit but I didn't know if he was crushed. "JAY!" I shouted and was about to come closer
but he also got up on his own. He was holding his head to face me. There was blood flowing from it and he
didn't look good. I didn't hesitate to approach him. He looked at his hand and suddenly he trembled in fear. "W-
there's a lot of b-blood!" I picked up the handkerchief the monster was carrying from the floor that was
supposed to be used on me. I covered it with his head wound. "Don't be afraid... We'll treat it." I said and
looked around. The monster was still writhing in pain. It was a good opportunity for us to leave but I was
panicking about what was happening. I need to stop the bleeding from his wound. The handcuffs on my hand
were getting in the way so I took them off first. They weren't that tight so I was able to slip my hand through
without any difficulty . I left them next to Jay. I stood up and went over to the boxes. I was hoping I could use
something for the wound. I had almost thrown all the stuff away but I still couldn't find anything. I had already
pulled myself together. What should I do? Jay might get hurt. "Hey kid." The monster called to me as he slowly
stood up. I prepared myself to fight him. I wasn't going to feed on fear anymore. I had to protect my brother. I
looked behind him when I saw Jay standing up. He was holding the handcuffs in his right hand. The monster
seemed to notice what I was looking at so he looked at me too and just as he turned around the handcuffs hit
his jaw. Jay punched him while wearing the handcuffs in his fist like brass knuckles. He fell down with blood
pouring from his jaw and neck. His skin was cut by the handcuffs. I stepped back. Something was wrong! Why
was Jay like this? His emotions were 
mixed. He was angry but the fear was still there and his eyes seemed
lifeless. I slowly approached him. "J-jay?" His gaze shifted to me. I couldn't understand what was happening
to him. Just a moment ago he couldn't move because of the blood coming from him but now he didn't seem
to be moving at all. I was about to take another step closer when I heard the monster speak. "B-beast, you're a
b-child." He was trying to stand up. Blood was continuously coming out of his jaw. He was turning pale and
looked like he was going to collapse at any moment. We heard the sound of the siren. I knew they were from
the police and it looked like they were just nearby. I turned my gaze back to the monster and he was crawling
away. I faced Jay again but I was shocked when he attacked me with the handcuffs. I stepped back and
dodged but I lost my balance. I sat down on the floor. "Jay! What are you doing?!" He was crying and seemed
to be afraid of something. I backed away as he slowly took steps towards me. He quickly raised his fist to
punch me again but I was able to dodge and it hit the glass behind me. The glass broke and the piece fell
quickly. He let go of the handcuffs and I saw blood on his fist. He looked hurt. "Jay. What the...." He was
whispering something but I couldn't hear it properly. He was saying some words but I couldn't make them out.
"W-it's going to hurt...." was one of the things he said. He fell to his knees while holding his bloody hand. "W-
don't..." he whispered again. "Jay." I tried to get closer to him but his hand was quick to pick up the piece of
glass. He didn't hesitate to stab me with it. I bit my arm so it hit. "Argh!" I screamed when I felt the pain. "You're
going to hurt me too. All of you." He said while crying. "N-no. I won't do that." My voice almost begged him. He
took another step closer to me. I couldn't back down. He stabbed me again. I couldn't block it anymore. It hit
me below my left chest. I screamed loudly. I grabbed Jay's arm to stop him but I felt his grip sink deeper into
my flesh. "JAY! STOP!" It felt like my skin and flesh were being torn apart. I couldn't take it anymore so even
though it was against my will, I kicked him away from me. I felt the piece of glass being pulled out of my flesh.
It hurt! It was too much! But that wasn't the only feeling I had. My breathing was getting tight and I could
already taste blood in my mouth. "J-jay! What the f--k is happening to you?! H-don't you recognize me ?" She
was crying and holding the piece of glass tightly. She slowly looked at me. I thought she was going to stop but
she raised her hand again to stab me. "Jay-jay! It's me! WAAAGGG!" I couldn't resist anymore so I felt it sink
into my flesh again. My vision was getting blurry. I couldn't breathe or move anymore. I guess I'm just here.
Why did you do this to me Jay?