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Description
Not long after the woman abandons him in the forest, Thomas starts to hear things. He was already creeped out by the way the dense woods obscured the light of the stars and the way the branches looked like claws, but when the animal noises sound less like animals and more like distorted people, he starts thinking irrationally. Again and again he yells against his gag trying to get the attention of any soul that will listen.

CRACK. A twig breaks. Suddenly he's silent. Is that a person? Thomas struggles to see past the many trees. He shifts his weight.

"H'llo? Pleesh hllp mm!" he calls. No answer.

Chills run through his spine and he becomes hyperalert. He knew he would get no sleep tonight.

Frequently, the boy yells out, desperately hoping to lead somebody to him. Hours pass and he grows more and more exhausted.

By the time morning peeks through the brush, Thomas is shivering and lying against the tree completely limp. Eventually, the woman hikes up to check on her captive. She stands in front of him munching on an apple. He pleads with his eyes, enough of this. He can't take any more. Please.

"Learned your lesson?"

Thomas nods as best as he can. He breaks down into whimpers.

The woman smirks. She unties the scarf, freeing him from the painful cleave gag. He immediately lets his head fall. After untying the rest of his bonds, she hoists him over her shoulders and carries him back to the house. He's too feeble to do anything.

--------

Back in the basement, he gets no rest. The woman sets him down on the side of the room and makes him kneel. He can't stand on his own anyways. Without delay, she shackles his wrists in front of him and links them to the end of a chain with a carabiner.

"I need water," Thomas wheezes.

"Hang on."

The woman threads the chain over a metal pipe on the ceiling and pulls, lifting the boy's arms above his head. It doesn't hurt. At least, not yet. Then she leaves the room. Thomas reminds himself to not be smart with this woman. She's completely unpredictable. If she hadn't demanded a ransom yet, who's to say that she ever will?

Then she comes back. She's got a glass of cold water and a couple pieces of bread. She lifts the glass to his lips gently and he gulps it down.

"Feeling talkative today?" she asks as he finishes the cup. Thomas hungrily eyes the bread. She shoves it in his mouth. "Well?"

He coughs but manages to swallow the food. With bloodshot eyes, he gazes confusedly at her.

"You better feel like talking. I wrote out a script for you."

"Mm?"

"But if you stray from the script, this happens." She yanks the chain which forces his arms higher, sending a bolt of pain down his shoulders. He yowls and arches his back. The woman lets loose and he falls back down to his knees.

"What... What's the script for?" he gasps.

"I figured I kept your parents waiting long enough. How does a hundred thousand dollars sound?"

"Are you fucking crazy?"

"Let's hope they're there to pick up the phone. This would make an awful voicemail to come home to."

--------

Thomas' arms started to ache. The woman gave him 30 minutes to memorize the words. He hadn't gotten them all down, but she assured him that she'd guide him along.

"Each mistake- you know what happens."

She sets up the phone, making sure it's untraceable.

"You ready, kiddo?"

"No. I can't... what if they-"

"What if they what? Cry? Beg? Pretend you don't hear."

"I don't think-"

"Come on. Let's go. Don't keep them waiting."

He takes a shaky breath and bites back tears. The woman dials the number and puts it on speakerphone. After three rings, they pick up and he hears his mother.

"Hello?"

Thomas nearly bursts into tears. She sounds so tired. He gathers himself as best as he can.

"H-Hello Mom an- ACK!" The woman jerks the chain and he cries out. First mistake.

"Hello... Mr. and Mrs. Wong. I h-have your son. He is safe. He will not be hurt any more if you agree to my... my terms." He can hear his mother's anguish through the speaker. The woman nods at him to continue and he starts again with a wobble in his voice.

"I hope that N-Nico has shared his pictures with you. I think that they... communicate... exactly what situation your son is in."

Mrs. Wong tries to sputter out words to reach her son but Thomas ignores her wails. He has to. The woman chuckles and he glares at her with painful disgust.

"I ask for one hu- one hundred thousand American dollars... For the safe return of your son."

"One hundred thous- Thomas, baby, we'll get you back, I promise, we..."

The boy continues with the rest of the speech, his crumbling voice barely managing to relay his kidnapper's words.

"And if y-you forget who's in charge, Thomas will be kil- oh, God, please help me! Mom, I don't want to die, I don't-" The woman pulls hard on the chain and the boy yells in pain.

"THOMAS! Oh God, my baby-" As his mother pleads for whoever's hurting him to stop, his captor hoists the chain higher and higher, and Thomas's screams echo in the room.

"HELP ME, PLEASE HELP ME! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!"

Mrs. Wong bawls and begs for her son back, the phone line's static slurring her pleas. Thomas' feet are lifted a few inches off the ground as he hangs from the shackles bolted around his bruised bloody wrists. He kicks and screams, and finally the woman hangs up the phone, cutting off communications. She releases the chain, and Thomas crumples to the ground in a mess of tears.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Gee, I spent way too much time on that background that I don't even like. Most of the shadows don't make sense but idc. oh well. focus on the boy being tortured.
I think this chapter is the toughest on Thomas so far. And it's only just starting. (let me know if you want mature content warnings on this part or parts to be released in the future, okay?)

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Description
Not long after the woman abandons him in the forest, Thomas starts to hear things. He was already creeped out by the way the dense woods obscured the light of the stars and the way the branches looked like claws, but when the animal noises sound less like animals and more like distorted people, he starts thinking irrationally. Again and again he yells against his gag trying to get the attention of any soul that will listen.

CRACK. A twig breaks. Suddenly he's silent. Is that a person? Thomas struggles to see past the many trees. He shifts his weight.

"H'llo? Pleesh hllp mm!" he calls. No answer.

Chills run through his spine and he becomes hyperalert. He knew he would get no sleep tonight.

Frequently, the boy yells out, desperately hoping to lead somebody to him. Hours pass and he grows more and more exhausted.

By the time morning peeks through the brush, Thomas is shivering and lying against the tree completely limp. Eventually, the woman hikes up to check on her captive. She stands in front of him munching on an apple. He pleads with his eyes, enough of this. He can't take any more. Please.

"Learned your lesson?"

Thomas nods as best as he can. He breaks down into whimpers.

The woman smirks. She unties the scarf, freeing him from the painful cleave gag. He immediately lets his head fall. After untying the rest of his bonds, she hoists him over her shoulders and carries him back to the house. He's too feeble to do anything.

--------

Back in the basement, he gets no rest. The woman sets him down on the side of the room and makes him kneel. He can't stand on his own anyways. Without delay, she shackles his wrists in front of him and links them to the end of a chain with a carabiner.

"I need water," Thomas wheezes.

"Hang on."

The woman threads the chain over a metal pipe on the ceiling and pulls, lifting the boy's arms above his head. It doesn't hurt. At least, not yet. Then she leaves the room. Thomas reminds himself to not be smart with this woman. She's completely unpredictable. If she hadn't demanded a ransom yet, who's to say that she ever will?

Then she comes back. She's got a glass of cold water and a couple pieces of bread. She lifts the glass to his lips gently and he gulps it down.

"Feeling talkative today?" she asks as he finishes the cup. Thomas hungrily eyes the bread. She shoves it in his mouth. "Well?"

He coughs but manages to swallow the food. With bloodshot eyes, he gazes confusedly at her.

"You better feel like talking. I wrote out a script for you."

"Mm?"

"But if you stray from the script, this happens." She yanks the chain which forces his arms higher, sending a bolt of pain down his shoulders. He yowls and arches his back. The woman lets loose and he falls back down to his knees.

"What... What's the script for?" he gasps.

"I figured I kept your parents waiting long enough. How does a hundred thousand dollars sound?"

"Are you fucking crazy?"

"Let's hope they're there to pick up the phone. This would make an awful voicemail to come home to."

--------

Thomas' arms started to ache. The woman gave him 30 minutes to memorize the words. He hadn't gotten them all down, but she assured him that she'd guide him along.

"Each mistake- you know what happens."

She sets up the phone, making sure it's untraceable.

"You ready, kiddo?"

"No. I can't... what if they-"

"What if they what? Cry? Beg? Pretend you don't hear."

"I don't think-"

"Come on. Let's go. Don't keep them waiting."

He takes a shaky breath and bites back tears. The woman dials the number and puts it on speakerphone. After three rings, they pick up and he hears his mother.

"Hello?"

Thomas nearly bursts into tears. She sounds so tired. He gathers himself as best as he can.

"H-Hello Mom an- ACK!" The woman jerks the chain and he cries out. First mistake.

"Hello... Mr. and Mrs. Wong. I h-have your son. He is safe. He will not be hurt any more if you agree to my... my terms." He can hear his mother's anguish through the speaker. The woman nods at him to continue and he starts again with a wobble in his voice.

"I hope that N-Nico has shared his pictures with you. I think that they... communicate... exactly what situation your son is in."

Mrs. Wong tries to sputter out words to reach her son but Thomas ignores her wails. He has to. The woman chuckles and he glares at her with painful disgust.

"I ask for one hu- one hundred thousand American dollars... For the safe return of your son."

"One hundred thous- Thomas, baby, we'll get you back, I promise, we..."

The boy continues with the rest of the speech, his crumbling voice barely managing to relay his kidnapper's words.

"And if y-you forget who's in charge, Thomas will be kil- oh, God, please help me! Mom, I don't want to die, I don't-" The woman pulls hard on the chain and the boy yells in pain.

"THOMAS! Oh God, my baby-" As his mother pleads for whoever's hurting him to stop, his captor hoists the chain higher and higher, and Thomas's screams echo in the room.

"HELP ME, PLEASE HELP ME! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!"

Mrs. Wong bawls and begs for her son back, the phone line's static slurring her pleas. Thomas' feet are lifted a few inches off the ground as he hangs from the shackles bolted around his bruised bloody wrists. He kicks and screams, and finally the woman hangs up the phone, cutting off communications. She releases the chain, and Thomas crumples to the ground in a mess of tears.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Gee, I spent way too much time on that background that I don't even like. Most of the shadows don't make sense but idc. oh well. focus on the boy being tortured.
I think this chapter is the toughest on Thomas so far. And it's only just starting. (let me know if you want mature content warnings on this part or parts to be released in the future, okay?)

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