Victernus - Chapter 17
Athius slid his keycard through the scanner beside the door. The street behind him was absent of most noises, except for his own presence. He knew he was out late and that it might come with some consequences, but he hoped that his parents would understand. If they didn't, he would have to endure the pain and hope for Namara to return to him. The mechanical lock in the door released and he cracked it open slowly, not wanting to make any noises. However, he cringed when a computer's robotic voice announced, "Welcome home, Athius." He sighed and closed the door behind him, swearing to himself silently. The lights in the house brightened a little bit so that he could find his way. Seeing nobody in the living room, he decided to skip dinner and wait in his room until morning. Athius climbed the stairs slowly, breathing deeply and placing his steps carefully so that he would not make them creak. There were still no noises in the house, which gave him the impression that his parents were not awake. Nonetheless, he felt like his doom was approaching with every new footfall. He reached the top and glanced around - to his left, the door to his parents' room was shut. Before him, the bathroom was open and empty. To his right, his room's door was open slightly - exactly how he left it when he had left for school in the morning. He let out a sigh of relief and snuck to his room. Victory was at hand! After pushing the door open and letting it close behind him slowly, he pressed a metal square on the wall that activated the light. When he advanced towards his bed, the big chair before his desk twirled around. His dad sat there with his arms on the rests, holding his palms together. Athius froze in his tracks when his dad asked, "Is there any reason why you are home so late?" Caught in his father's gaze, Athius quickly felt anxiety building up within him. He struggled for words and said, "I just went walking, and I lost track of time..." His dad frowned, "Lost track of time? It's been two hours since the curfew. You should have seen everyone come back in. You could get in serious trouble, you know." Athius blushed and looked away, staring at some old toys in the corner. He spoke nervously, "I... wasn't in town..." "Really now? You weren't at the lab, were you?" He rolled his eyes, "No, I wasn't! Some stuff just happened at school, and I needed to think about it for a while." His dad propped one of his legs over his knee and continued, "What happened at school then?" Athius sighed and walked around him cautiously before sitting on the bed. "One of my teachers keeps rejecting all of my work, saying that it's not good enough or that I did it wrong. I'm going to fail if she won't stop, and it's driving me nuts..." "You still should have been here before the curfew. Tell me the truth. What have you been doing?" He blushed further and looked down at his knees, "I told you the truth..." His dad undid the leather belt around his waist and then shook his head slowly, "You're going to tell me the whole truth, or you're not going to go to sleep tonight." Fear filled Athius' eyes and he backed up against the wall, "Dad, no... not again..." He paused, "Well, what'll it be?" Athius shivered and then spoke, "Fine... What I told you was true, but while I was walking, I met someone else... someone who wasn't from here." His father laughed, "What are you talking about? There's nobody else here except for us." He shook his head, trying to persuade him quickly, "I'm not kidding! He was different, like... he was part animal or something. He said he was from the past, and that he was looking for something. I saved him from some-" Standing up, his dad unfurled his belt and lashed him across the face. He shouted, "What are you going on about?! Do you think I'm stupid?" Athius fell to the side, clutching his face with one hand and his bed with the other. He groaned and pleaded, "I'm not lying to you!" When his dad advanced, he hid his face and yelled out, "No, Dad! Stop it!" His father ignored his cry and reached forward, trying to pull him away from the wall. Because Athius resisted and attempted to stay curled up in a ball, he ripped him away and threw him on the floor. He shouted "You have no right to defend yourself from me!" before whipping his belly and his side three more times. When Athius tried to hold in the pain, he felt a foot in his side as his dad kicked him over and lashed his back incessantly. He cried out as his white school uniform became stained with blood. The thought of going to school like this crossed his mind, but was reminded of stories where failing students from previous years showed up to school that way, only to disappear shortly after. He continued to scream "Stop!" until he felt that his dad would no longer listen. His dad paused a few seconds before whipping him one last time and threatening, "If you lie to me one more time, there will be no coming back. You'd better not fail - because if you do, it's over." Athius heard his dad put his belt back on and then leave the room, turning the light off on the way out. He trembled as he tried to stand up, but the pain was too great. A sickness washed over him and he felt the urge to vomit, but nothing would come out. Exhausted, he slumped over and cried himself to sleep, assuring himself that he would
leave with Namara as soon as he could.
The next morning, Athius awoke with a groan. He stood up slowly and readjusted his shirt, cringing because it had stuck to his back. The thought of another day at school weighed down on him before he remembered that he wasn't going to go back there. He was going to try to find Namara. Taking one of the school bags that he rarely used, he stuffed it with a few of his personal belongings before looking over his room one last time. He hadn't noticed it before, but the computer at his desk had been taken apart and a knife protruded out of the side. He shook his head and thought, I hate you too, Dad. Thinking of his encounter, he decided to show Namara what had happened. He put another shirt over his bloody uniform and left his room with haste. His mom had already left for work, so he didn't have to deal with additional grief from her. He headed down the stairs and stopped at the door, thinking about whether or not he should get something to eat. No. It was not worth another confrontation with his dad. He slid his keycard through the scanner and waited for the door to unlock. A little light on the scanner turned green and he heard the locking mechanisms inside the door begin to retract. Behind him, he heard his dad's heavy footsteps on the kitchen floor. He broke out into a sweat as he waited in anticipation. "Leaving so soon?" Athius turned to his father and nodded, "Y...yeah, I'm not that hungry." His dad smiled and held his arms out and beckoned, "Well, at least give me a hug before you leave." Still feeling subordinate to him, Athius came close and put his arms around him. His dad reciprocated by hugging him tightly and digging his fingers into his wounds. "You know I love you, right?" Athius grunted and nodded silently. His dad let go and then said, "Now, off to school I guess. Take care of yourself there." He turned and nodded, "I will," and then left with him with no intention of ever returning.