Page 69 of Creed

Another text.

And another.

And another.

And another.

Unknown: He ever fucking touches you again…

Unknown: *knife emoji* *skull emoji*

Uknown: You belong to me, Collins Weston. You thought you could outrun me. But I’ll always find you. One day, I’ll bring you back to where you belong.

Unknown: And I can’t wait to paint your skin in those beautiful bruises over and over and over again.

“Collins?” Riley says, his voice panicked, followed by a clattering sound, a loud bang, and then…nothing.

I’m suddenly lost in a memory. One of Guy and the days that he would slip into my room after I fell asleep. The night he straddled my body, pinning my arms to my sides with his knees, the smell of his strong cologne floods my senses and all I can see are his crazed hazel eyes staring down at my helpless body; a sick, sadistic smile on his face. The feel of the tape he’d stretched across my mouth so I couldn’t yell out. He started taping my mouth when I refused to scream for him, not realizing it’s a physical impossibility for me. He always found some way to punish me for it, too, like I had a fucking choice. He said he loved the way my skin came to life for him. He loved the way my pale skin bruised under his touch.

The memory of the summer I turned seventeen and had to wear fucking hoodies and jeans all summer because his favorite method of bruising had become squeezing me as hard as he could. It was disgusting the way it fascinated him. He’d started with grabbing my upper arms until I had the bruising streaks from between his fingers and the crescent moon shapes that scarred my biceps from digging his nails in. He did the same to my inner thighs, and I had vomited through the tape the night I noticed he was fucking hard while hurting me. I had kicked him in his dick but he snatched my foot and squeezed until a sickening crack sounded throughout the room.

All I hear are my own screams through the now soiled and sodden tape, his prideful laughter at his accomplishment of breaking my foot, the feel of his fist meeting my ribs and cracking two of those, too. His voice in my ear… “you tell anyone, I’ll fucking kill you. And them. I’d rather not lose my favorite play toy.”

Suddenly the memory morphs and it’s like I’m on the outside of my body as I watch Guy stand over my body, his back to me, a knife in his hand. I cry out as he raises it over his head and plunges down, hard. I throw myself forward as the knife pierces flesh and that’s when I see his sweet, yet lifeless brown eyes staring blankly back at me, blood trickling from his mouth in a permanent grimace.

Riley.

“No!” I scream, my voice breaking, “No, no, nononono.” I scramble over to him, but suddenly I’m flipped onto my back.

“Collins,” I hear my name being hissed, hands grabbing at my body. My vision has gone black, but I punch and kick to get him off of me.

I won’t allow anyone else to pin me down, to ever hurt me again. So I fight. I lash out and scrape my claws down my attacker’s face, feeling the slick of their blood dripping as I do it again.

“Ow, Jesus fuck, Collins look at me, please!” A new, familiar voice hisses and pleads and yells my name again.

“Creed! Creed!” the voice yells and I momentarily pause at the familiarity of the name.

Creed? Creed is gone, he didn’t want me and I’m on my own.

Suddenly my body is lifted, supported by two strong arms.

I’m being taken away.

Panic claws at me and I start to fight again, pushing against the hard chest I’m cradled against to get free. I fight and fight, making it difficult for anyone to take me away where I’ll be tied down, where I’ll be taped and bound and utterly stuck, where I know I won’t be able to fight as hard to get free. My vision is still gone, but I fight like hell. Curling my fist, I land a solid blow to what I think is a jaw and both me and the person trying to take me both tumble to the ground.

A string of curses and the sound of a door swinging open flood my ears. More images of Guy coming after me flash through my mind as footsteps pound down a set of stairs.

“What the fuck is going on?!” I hear another voice shout. It, too, sounds familiar. “Ri, Jesus Christ what happened?”

Ri? Riley is gone, too. Guy took him away.

I sob at the vision of Riley’s lifeless body, his eyes vacant. Pulling my knees to my chest, I begin to rock back and forth, softly singing my favorite David Bowie song. Trying my hardest to escape the hell I’ve found myself in.

“Stardust?” I hear the second voice call softly. The nickname makes my words falter.

“C-Creed?” I call out, my vision slowly returning as my heart rate slows and my mind returns to the present. “W-what ha-happened?” I hiccup and sob through the tears now streaming down my face.

Calloused fingers grip my cheeks firmly, the rough pads of thumbs sweeping gently over my cheekbones. I jump at the contact. “Hey, shhh, it’s okay. It’s me. It’s Creed, Stardust. You’re safe.”

---