“Get up retard,” hollered a voice in my ear. Suddenly I felt my bed tip and I fell to the floor. I saw my brother standing over me. “Get up!” he said kicking me in the ribs. God I hate little brothers.

“Go away before I kick your @#$!” I mumbled getting up and throwing on clothes swiping my long black hair out of my face.
“Let’s gooooo! You need to drive me to art class. Hurry up!” he ran out of the room and I walked behind him and grabbed the car keys.

“Get in the car Alex.” I said walking out the front door over to the car. Alex jumped in the passenger seat. When I got in he asked “Can I drive the car?” looking at me his green eyes wide. I stared at him. “Ah....... no!” I said pretending to think and his face dropped.

“Why?” he said in a whiney voice.

“`Cause I’m sixteen and your twelve.” I said backing out of the driveway. He sat there glaring at me. I just laughed. I drove down our road and turned on to another dirt road. We drove down the road silent as I turned on to the main road a black van slammed into the side of the car I felt shattering pain in my right leg and all went black.




********

I woke up in a dark must smelling room I tried to scream as pain rushed through my leg but couldn’t as someone had gagged me and tied me. I looked over to see Alex unconscious bagged and bound too. Anger swelled inside of me who would do this to a little kid. And suddenly I realized where we were; we were in the back of the van, I heard it moving down a dirt road. Then we hit a huge bump and I slammed my head off the floor and it felt as thought it where cracked in half. I heard a slight squeak. I looked up to see Alex looking at me with tears in his eyes. Blood ran from a cut on his right cheek. Then the van stopped and I heard two sets of heavy foot steps coming towards the back of the van the door opened and a tall burly man with shaggy black hair and dark eyes grinned evilly at us. He reached in and grabbed Alex by the collar of his shirt and dragged him towards an old creepy white house. Alex was struggling as hard as he could. But the man just let out a booming laugh and continued walking. Another man walked around the van and grabbed me throwing me over his huge shoulders. My right leg seared with pain and I let out a muffled scream of agony. We went through a door at the side of the house into a dark basement. He threw me down on a chair and tied me down. I looked around to find I was in what looked a torture room full all kinds of weird looking devices and what looked like coffins in the corner. I felt the color rush from my face. We weren’t leaving this house alive. I heard alex whimpering next to me as the guy who dragged him from the van undid his gag. He then walked over and undid my gag as well.

“Scream for help, and you’ll regret it.” he said simply pulling a red hot poker out of the fireplace. He waved it in front of my face as I glared at him, as if it would cause him to burst into flames. He walked over to alex and slammed it into his leg, making him scream in pain, tears streaming down his face. He lifted the poker laughing like the mad man he was. He stuck him with the poker again and he let out a wail of agony. He raised the poker to whack him again.

“Don’t touch him again,” I said in a low dark voice. He whirled around pointing the the poker right at my face.

“What did you say?” he said fury raising in his voice. “YOU DO NOT TELL ME WHAT TO DO!” he screamed. He raised his hand and slapped me as hard as he could with the poker. My nerves screamed with pain and agony. I felt the searing pain where it burned my face. Tears filled my eyes but I fought against the pain. I will not break, I will not give him what he wants. I glared at him trying to show no emotion. He let out an evil cackle and so did the guy in the corner.

“Go get the bleach...... And my knife.” he ordered the guy in the corner. He stomped up stairs. The other man beamed at us maliciously. This can not be good I thought to myself. Then I heard the other man pounding down the stairs. He gave him the bleach and walked over to Alex. “Now... You’re going to pay for your brother’s mouth.” He grabbed his head and pulled it back dumping it down his throat. I watched in horror as he gagged and choked trying to scream, with tears running down his face. Got a breath of air and they dumped more down his throat. The sound of gargled gasping chokes filled the room.

“Stop it! You disgusting evil mother@#$%&*” I bellowed my face glowing with anger. he turned to me. “why do you even want us here tortured like this??!!” I demanded.

“because bad kids need to be taught a lesson, and you need to learn to hold your tongue.” he snarled flashing his knife at me. He walked over and with out warning He grabbed the bleach from his partner who had the look of pity in his eyes. He grabbed my head yanking it back and dumped the bleach down my throat the instent in touched my tongue it burned. It felt as if I where swallowing molten lava. I screamed in agony, but all that came out was a strangled gagging noise. I finally got al the bleach up or down and took burning gasps of breath. With out warning he stuck the knife into my forearm and slowly dragged it to my wrist. He pulled the knife out and carved above the gash ‘I shall hold my tongue’. Laugh he spread apart the deep gashes he dumped bleach over the gushing wound. I wailed out in agony. Burning searing pain filled my arm. My breathing quick and strangled as I fought against the pain. The huge man jeered at me. “I don’t think we learned our lesson he said dumping on more bleach. The burning red hot pain came flowing back like molten metal flowing through my nerves. Sweat poured from my forehead, tears streaked down my face. “Not so tough now are we?” he asked laughing like a maniac. Right then I passed out from the pain.
******

I woke up to to sharp pain in my right leg I saw the scrawny man examing it.

“Don’t say I word he would kill me if he knew what I was doing. You cracked your leg bone in the car crash. It doesn’t look bad.” he looked over at Alex who was sweating profoundly in his sleep. He frowned with a horrible look of guilt and sadness. Looked him in the eyes,

“Who are you?” I asked “why are you helping him?” my voice was cracked and hoarse and my throat. He looked at the door and creeped over. Then the sound of heavy boots tromping down the stairs shattered the silence. My heart began to race as I heard the door swing open. The huge man darted at his partner bearing his knife in one hand. He grabbed his partner by the neck with the other “ where you thin your goin’ “

“ I uh, no nnno wwwhere.” he stuttered the other guy looked over at us.

“you where helpin’ them weren’t you! Weren’t you!” he bellowed stabbing him in the stomach he chocked and blood trickled from his mouth. He stabbed repidly in the chest and stomach blood forming a crimson pool on the as it splattered allover. The earthy metallic smell of it filled my nose sending a wave of nausea over me. Alex ran up to him slamming his fists into his back.

“Stop it! Stop it!” he squealed, the man dropped the body glaring maliciously at Alex. He trough alex into a chair and tied him up once more and did the same to me.

“Now how am I gonna‘ teach you a lesson you rotten little brat?” he growled still glaring at Alex.He grinned malice filled glee danced across his features. He grabbed his knife and suck it deep into Alex’s stomach. He sputtered as blood leaked from the corner of his mouth. The man dropped the knife at my feet and lumbered up the stairs laughing. I grabbed the knife with my feet and flicked it into my hand and cut my self free I rushed over to Alex and cut him free too. I scooped him gently into my arms and he cringed and whimpered. My heart beating madly in my chest I rushed over to the the door throwing it open I rand as fast as I could pain erupted in my cracked leg bone. I ran for what seemed like hours on winding dirt roads. I scrambled up a steep banking I looked in to his eyes,

“ this was your fault....not...your....” his the light faded from his eyes and he went limp in my arms. After I kept running until I collapsed on my door step. The door burst open and my mother hurried out she saw Alex her eyes filled with tears.

“what have done?! What happened?!” she asked wrenching him from my arms.








I told her my story she grabbed my arm and looked at the horrid cuts. She stood up and I followed her into the house and see called the police.


*******
2 DAYS LATER

That morning I got early and drove to the funeral with my mother where we where met by a mob of grieving friends and family. We all stood around his grave and gave little speeches. My mother sobbed and cried until it was over. The car ride home was full of stoney silence. We walked in to the living room when we arrived home my mother turned to me her face wet her eyes puffy and red.

“That should have been you. You should have died, you should have died for him to protect him.” she turned and hurried to her room fresh tears streaming from her face.

That night I lay awake in my bed thinking of what my mother said I walked over to my burrow and grabbed my tie then walk over to my closet
********

PORTLAND PRESS HAROLD DAILY NEWS
A sixteen year old boy was found dead this morning apparently committing suicide after greiving mother blames him for the tragic murder of his brother.