Chapter 16:
Overcome
Exhausted, Brian staggered over to the
door, locked it, then turned to enter the bathroom.
Closing the bathroom door, he fell to his knees and crawled over to the toilet,
vomiting wretchedly into the bowl. He dragged himself up and reached over to
the shower, turning it on. Shaking, he stripped off his clothing and entered
the shower stall, then collapsed to the tile floor. The water was too hot, but
moving was too much of an effort - he hurt everywhere. Unable to rise, he let
the water stream down upon his head, shoulders and back. Finally he was able to
pull himself up, adjust the temperature, and let the jet of water flow onto his
face. He stood under the water until it ran out of warmth then shut it off.
Grabbing a towel, he wrapped it around himself, afraid to look closely at the
bruises that were forming on his body. He wiped the steam away from the mirror
and looked at his face though. Except for the dead expression that stared back
at him, his face was fine. He sighed in relief, knowing he could hide bruises
on his body easier than on his face.
He left the bathroom and wandered over to
a toppled chair, righted it, then glanced around the room for any other things
knocked over. Finding none, he went over the window and parted the drapes away,
looking out, not sure why. He placed his forehead against the cool windowpane
and gazed out, watching, almost mesmerized, by the movement of the traffic down
below. Brian closed his eyes for a moment, lightheaded. Turning away from the
window he crawled gingerly into his bed, flinching as his body protested
movement of any kind. He willed his body to forget the pain but the mental
agony was something he could not remove. Brian tried desperately not to think
about the injuries his brother suffered as a result of him, how Kevin would
react to his missing dog once he learned that Sam was gone, but his emotions
gained the upper hand and his mind flooded with anguish at the nightmare Xavier
had created. Xavier. Brian knew without a doubt that he was mentally
unstable; a madman who took pleasure in inflicting pain. That Xavier thought it
was a game made it all the more terrifying. Brian rubbed his eyes, trying to
sort out words that clashed around in his head…game… win or lose…control…
chance…but they all blurred as he stared up at the ceiling, mentally exhausted.
Could he hold on, would he be able to "play" this game without losing
his sanity? What about the safety of his family, his friends? Brian closed his
eyes, unable to cope, and did the only thing that came to mind. He prayed.
***
