Page 357 of Blood and Ruin: The Complete Series

I scream.

I scream so loud; my voice turns raw within minutes. I scream until my lungs burn and I can no longer grasp the air around me long enough to whisper a single plea.

I scream until my tears run dry and my eyes are as raw as my throat.

The pain drags on, just like every time before this. Hours pass, or what feels like it, until finally he pulls the blade away and steps back.

My body turns limp, weak as the aftermath of agony sticks to me like a second skin. I’m finally able to take a deep breath when I blink and I’m on my stomach, the blade carving into my back.

The pain this time is so intense, sorealthat it only takes seconds before I black out for a moment.

I come to, only to find myself standing on the other side of the room, finally free of the binds. I rub a hand down my stomach and around to my back but there’s nothing there just the old, scarred skin from long ago.

I’m about to make a run for it when my eye catches on something on the table.

No, not something… someone.

Jax.

CHAPTER 16

JAX

Where the hell am I?

Squinting my eyes, I watch the darkness around me get lighter until I find myself outside, standing by a park. A breeze wisps by, the cold bite of it making me shiver.

I’m about to move away when I see a kid by himself on one of the swings. Not just any kid, it’s me when I was younger.

I walk over to…me, well, younger me. His head is tilted down, his shoulders slumped. He’s wearing a t-shirt and jeans that are a size too big and shoes that have fucking holes in them.

Damn, I was a scrawny-looking thing. Thank fuck I filled out.

I clear my throat, bending down to him. “Hey.” Talking to myself makes me feel fucking weird. He doesn’t hear me, still lost in his thoughts with the saddest look on his face.

“Chin up. Whatever it is, it can’t be that bad.” I move closer, my agitation growing when he still doesn’t move, that sad fucking look still on his face.

I reach out to him to give his shoulder a shake, but my hand goes right through him.

What the fuck?

“Oh look, it’s the freak.” I turn around, my eyes widening when I spot one of the boys from down the street where I used to live.

What’s that fucker’s name?

I snap my fingers as it comes to me. Trent.

That’s it. I fucking hated him. He’d always go out of his way to make my life miserable. Or at least tried to.

Wait.

It dawns on me that this isn’t another game, it’s a fucking memory.

I whip my head from younger me to Trent before getting a better look at the park around me. The familiar faded blue swings and peeling red painted slide.

Fuck.

Glancing back down at younger me, I remember this day. It wasn’t long after Kiarra was… taken. We couldn’t find her, no matter how hard we looked. No matter how hard we tried or hoped.

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