The bat caught me across my lower stomach. Unpleasant, but luckily not somewhere that would cause too much damage.
The kid winced, sucking in his breath.
If I had a chance of getting someone to help me, he was it.
The problem was that the older guy would never let that slide.
"Fuck," he hissed a couple minutes later, his phone ringing in his pocket. He reached for it, cursing again. "I have to take this, little man. Here, have some fun," he demanded, handing the bat to the kid and strolling out of the building.
"Hey, it's alright," I told him as he stared helplessly down at the bat. "You don't need to beat someone with a bat to prove you're a man," I told him.
He glanced at me, then around me where his friend or mentor or whoever the fuck he was was talking on the phone. I couldn't make out any words, just the stressed sound of his speech.
The kid's hands tightened on the bat. He even managed to raise it, cock it back, before his shoulders slumped, unable to find the stomach to do it.
He lowered the bat down at his side as he walked around the mostly empty space, going over toward the small storage cabinet at my side, running his hand over the items there.
My cell, long dead. My wallet. A wad of cash with a silver money clip Summer had given me for a Father's Day once. It wasn't worth much, but it had sentimental value. It took a lot not to object when the kid glanced over at the door to make sure the man wasn't looking before picking the cash and the clip.
Swallowing my pride, I let out a low, groaning sound, making the kid's glance shoot over to me, his eyes wincing small.
"My shoulders," I told him, hearing the man's voice outside get more rushed, more heated. I wouldn't have long. He was going to come back in here and take his mood out on me, or he was going to peel out of here to handle something. I knew that tone. It was a 'shit hitting the fan' tone. "I've been hanging here for days," I added.
"I don't know—" he started, looking helpless. "I can't—" he tried again, shaking his head.
"You could let me down. Just an inch," I pressed. "No one but me would ever know. I couldn't get away. It would just stop my shoulders from screaming. I don't know if I can take anymore. Please, kid. Just an inch," I kept going, seeing him wavering, his eyes darting from me, to my shoulders, to the chain, to where the chain was attached to the back wall. "He would think it was one of the other guys who comes by," I added. "I won't say anything."
"Yo, come on. We have to go!" the man outside called, slamming his car door, the engine bursting to life.
The kid's shoulders slumped as he walked past me.
There was an undeniable sinking sensation inside. I thought the kid had some humanity left, that there was some sympathy to work with.
But he just walked past me like all the others.
That is, until I felt the chains slackening, pins and needles immediately assaulting my arms as my toes touched down.
"Thank you," I hissed quietly.
"What the fuck are you doing, little man?" the man called.
"Trying to find the light," the kid called back before hitting the switch, shrouding me once again in darkness.
The door closed.
The car pulled off.
I was alone again.
I didn't know for how long.
So I didn't have long.
But I rested my arms as much as possible. I rolled my shoulders. I tried to will some strength back into them.
Then I tried to reach up, to climb up the chain, falling three times in a row, my arms too weak.
No.
Not my arms.
This shit was always mind over matter.
I could do this.
I had to do this.
Because I wasn't sure I would get another chance.
And if I didn't, I was pretty sure I wasn't going to make it out of this alive.
Ferryn, Fallon, and Finn would be without their father.
Summer would be without me.
Fuck.
No.
No, that couldn't happen.
Not yet, at least.
Not until I got to see her one last time, touch her one last time, tell my kids I loved them one last time.
No.
Their images flashing across my mind, I hauled myself up.
My arms shook violently.
Sweat poured.
But I worked my way up, heaving out my breath, biting into my cheeks, willing my body to hang with me just a couple more minutes.
My hands closed around the last chain at the top, the one just below the one attached to the hook in the ceiling.
I took a deep breath, bracing myself for the fall, then pried the loop over the hook.
My stomach plummeted as my body swooped downward through the air, free falling.
I tried to brace my arms, to limit the damage.