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TROUBLE CHAPTER 24

When Nick regained consciousness the next morning, he found his arm laying directly on the cot, with no body underneath it. His eyes flew open as he realized that his little brother was not next to him. Panicking, Nick jumped up. His quick, erratic movements awoke Brian who opened his eyes and looked at Nick. “Nick? What’s wrong buddy?” Brian asked sitting up.

Nick looked down at him, looking quite panicked. “Aaron’s gone!” Nick said loudly, “he was there next to me when I went to sleep, and when I woke up he was gone!”

“What?” Brian asked in alarm also standing up quickly. Kevin, A.J., and Howie had awoken to their conversation and jumped up too.

“Where could he be?” Kevin asked.

“Perhaps the food was drugged after all,” Howie lamented.

“Why didn’t we feel it sooner then?” Kevin asked.

“Guys we need to think of something to hel-,” A.J. started.

“I’m fine you guys, I’m right here!” Aaron’s voice called from across the cell. He had been laying on one of the cots across the room, and was now sitting up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He had been sleeping until all of the outbursts from the boys.

Nick looked over and made eye contact with Aaron. Nick sat down heavily on his cot pale faced, and put his head in his hands to calm himself down. Aaron frowned at his brother before walking slowly across the cell to sit next to Nick. Aaron wrapped an arm around his brother’s back and lay his head on Nick’s shoulder. “I’m fine Nick, you just rolled on top of me last night while you were sleeping, and then wouldn’t move for awhile, so I got up when you moved and slept on my own,” Aaron explained with a laugh. The rest of the boys laughed too.

“That couldn’t have been very comfortable considering your condition,” Kevin laughed.

Nick managed a smile. “You calling me fat Kev?” Nick laughed before addressing Aaron, ”Why didn’t you wake me up bro?” he asked Aaron.

“Because I knew you needed sleep, I could tell you hadn’t slept in awhile so I wanted to make sure you got some peaceful rest while you could,” Aaron answered.

“Next time just wake me up,” Nick requested.

Aaron smiled. “Fine,” he answered. Nick smiled then ruffled Aaron’s hair.

A few hours passed with idle chatter, and Aaron attempting to tell stupid jokes while the rest of the boys forced laughs at them.


When the cell’s lock clicked open, Aaron jumped and stood next to Nick who pulled Aaron behind him protectively. The rest of the boys stood in front of Aaron to shield him as the door opened revealing Ace again. Behind Ace were twelve other guards. Nick cursed inwardly. There was no way that he could take all of these guards with only A.J. and Kevin to help him. Carefully, he turned to Howie to his left and whispered in the Latino’s ear. Howie nodded in understanding then turned, grabbed Aaron and walked to the other end of the cell. Howie pulled Aaron behind him.

Ace smiled at the group and walked forward. “I’m baaaack,” he said in a sing-song voice. Nick said nothing. “What? No witty response today?” Ace inquired cockily. Nick narrowed his eyes. Ace suddenly grew serious. “I’m here for him, hand him over,” Ace demanded.

“I’d rather die than give him to you,” Nick answered.

“Fine then Nicky, we’ll do it the hard way,” Ace replied then motioned to the guards behind him. The guards stepped forward, pulling out long metallic poles as they did so. Nick swallowed paling instantly. Four guards cornered Nick against a wall with the poles. Nick eyed them warily.

“Give him to me Nick, you know what those are,” Ace ordered. Nick winced. He did in fact know what the guards were wielding. They were cattle prods, and he knew from experience that it hurt like hell to be zapped by one of those. “If you hand him over right now, I won’t use these on the rest of your friends…however if you don’t, we’ll up the voltage higher than you’re used to, and see what they do to all of you.”

Nick growled at Ace and opened his mouth to reply to Ace, when Aaron’s soft voice said, “No, I don’t want that…I’ll go with you Ace.”

Nick turned his head around to see Aaron push past Howie who made a mad grab for Aaron. Aaron swatted Howie’s hand away and smiled bravely at him. “Aaron no!” Nick cried pushing off the wall until the pole were less than a half inch from his skin. Aaron smiled at Nick this time, then walked straight to Ace.

“Let’s go Ace,” Aaron managed to say, ignoring Nick. Ace looked shocked at Aaron, then smiled sinisterly.

‘How unexpected,’ Ace thought to himself. “Good boy Aaron,” Ace laughed aloud.

Aaron swallowed and lowered his head. He felt a presence next to him and looked up to see Brian “Aaron is stayin’ here,” Brian informed Ace pulling Aaron back behind him as he himself backed away shakily. Kevin stepped forward as well, saying nothing, but wearing a look that clearly stated that he agreed with Brian. A.J. then stepped forward next to Brian, and Howie next to Kevin. Nick grinned in relief and triumph from the wall at Ace, silently thanking God for Brian.

Ace sighed. “Very well then,” he replied clapping his hands. The twelve other guards stepped forward, the cattle prods humming to life, each long pole sparking with electricity. Aaron’s eyes opened wide as he eyed the cattle prods. The boys took a step backward away from the cattle prods, pulling Aaron with them.
Nick made eye contact with A.J. and Kevin from across the cell, who nodded at him in return. Wordlessly, the duo jumped in front of Aaron and Brian, meaning to attack the guards. Ace turned to the guards and mumbled something to them. The guards nodded, and adjusted their cattle prods to a lower voltage. Ace wanted his guards to stun the rest of them, and go for the one they came for. A.J., Kevin, and Nick all readied themselves as Nick caught Brian’s eye. “Frick, I’m really counting on you…whatever you do, protect Aaron! You too Howie!” Nick ordered.

“I promise Nick,” Brian replied pulling Aaron back over to Howie who had retreated out of the way to the back of the cell.

“Thank you Bri,” Nick whispered before he lunged at the four guards pinning him to the wall. The other eight armed guards laughed and brandished their cattle prods at Kevin, and A.J. Nick kicked two of the guards before they could zap him, and both lost their weapons. A.J. however was not as lucky, and as he knocked one guard over, another zapped him in the back with the prod. A.J. cried out in pain before he groaned and fell to the floor, barely able to move. His eyes closed a second later as he lost consciousness.

“JAY!” Kevin screamed as he knocked two of the guards down. Momentarily distracted, another guard was able to zap Kevin in the side. Kevin fell to the ground with barely a sound, he lay unmoving.

Nick ignored both and fought the remaining seven, knowing it was hopeless. As soon as he knocked another four down, he was zapped by another two cattle prods. Nick fell to the ground with a loud grunt and lay still. “Nooo…” he managed to moan out, “Aaron…” Then his eyes rolled back and he fell unconscious.

As all of the guards recovered, Howie and Brian moved in front of Aaron who was wide eyed. All twelve of the guards brandished the cattle prods. With an evil grin on all of their faces, they all turned up the voltage on the prods. Ace stepped through them and grinned. Brian growled and stepped in front of Howie and Aaron. “If you want to take Aaron, you’ll have to go through me first,” he growled.

“My dear Brizey! What makes you think we want him?” Ace laughed. Confusion filled Brian’s eyes before they rolled into the back of his head as all four of the cattle prods hit him with electricity.

“NO!” Aaron cried out lunging for Brian. Howie held him back, feeling sick before the other guards prodded him as well. Howie fell limp and collapsed against Aaron. Ace motioned for a guard to lift Brian up and then turned to Aaron.

“This could have all been avoided if you would have come with me the first time…now he will have to suffer for you,” Ace growled. Ace turned towards the guard that held Brian. “Take him to Viper’s office…we’ll deal with his punishment there.”

Aaron whimpered. “Please…”

“I’ll be back for you later, and you better come willingly this time…” Ace growled. He then turned on his heel and thundered out of the cell, taking Brian with him.

Aaron felt tears fill his eyes as he bent down to roll Howie over onto his back to keep him off of his broken arm, before he walked to each of the boys, checking pulses attempting to move them into comfortable positions. As he was checking A.J.’s pulse, A.J.’s eyes snapped open and he grabbed Aaron’s wrist in alarm. Aaron yelped in surprise as A.J. made eye contact with Aaron. A.J. sighed in relief, sitting up and pulling Aaron to his chest. “Thank God,” he whispered pulling away, “how did you escape the rest?”

Aaron’s tears began to spill over as he shook his head. “I didn’t…” he whispered.

“But..” A.J. began.

“Unngghhh,” Kevin moaned to the side. A.J. looked around then and noticed Kevin, Howie, and Nick all unconscious. A.J. crawled over to Kevin to check him out.

“Kev, you okay?” A.J. questioned.

Kevin sat up slowly. “Yeah I think so…” he moaned before his eyes shot open. “Where’s Aaron?’ he asked full of dread.

“He’s alright,” A.J. said motioning to Aaron, who was crawling in the direction of his brother, “but I don’t know where-,”

“KEV!” Aaron suddenly screamed in terror. Both A.J. and Kevin turned to look at the fallen blonde who was now awake, rolling around in pain. Blood seeped through his hands that he held at his wounded side, as he groaned loudly in pain. Kevin was next to Nick in a heartbeat, with A.J. at his heels.

“Shit,” Kevin muttered, “they must have prodded him in his wound...A.J. I need something to stop the blood.”

“On it,” A.J. said, pulling the remains of his shirt from his body. He quickly handed it to Kevin who pried Nick’s hands from his body and pressed the shirt firmly to the opened wound. Nick cried out in pain as his eyes shot open, his own hands frantically pulling at Kevin’s as he squirmed.

“Nick,” Kevin said calmly, “you gotta stop moving, your wound is open again and I have to stop the bleeding. If you move, you’ll make it worse.”

“A-Aaron,” Nick managed to gasp, “t-they took him di-didn’t they? N-n-noooo.”

Aaron heard the panic and despair in his brother’s voice and knelt down next to him taking one of his bloodied hands. “Shhh I’m right here,” Aaron soothed, “calm down before you damage yourself further.”

Nick’s eyes shot to Aaron, before his eyes closed and he relaxed with his breathing hitched from pain. “Thanks Aaron,” Kevin sighed in relief, maintaining pressure on Nick’s side. A.J. had made his way over to Howie who was laying motionless. Kevin looked around the cell as his eyes narrowed in confusion.

“Where’s Brian?” he asked.

Aaron whimpered and shut his eyes. “I’m sorry Kev,” he whispered, “they took him, and it’s all my fault.”

“What?” Kevin questioned, momentarily looking at Aaron in surprise, “how is it your fault?”

“If I had let him take me, Ace would never have hurt Brian in the first place,” Aaron explained. Aaron felt his hand grabbed by Nick’s bloody one.

“Hush Aaron. You tried to let him take you earlier, and it was Brian who wouldn’t let you remember?” he croaked opening his eyes to look at his brother. “It’ll be alright bro, I’ll help him.”

“You won’t be doing anything for a while,” Kevin muttered, “they tore your side open again.”

“I’ll live,” Nick replied laying still.

“Looks like the bleeding’s stopped for now,” Kevin informed Nick after a while with a sigh. Nick groaned and sat up. He looked over at his brother and smiled at him.

“Aaron, it’s okay,” he assured the miserable youth, “Brian would have killed you himself if you would have given yourself up.”

“But…if I would have gone with Ace…”

“Then you would be there and Brian would be in your shoes,” Nick finished, “don’t worry about it…we’ll get him back somehow.”

Aaron stood up slowly and walked over to the door of the cell. “But if it weren’t for me, he never would have been taken. He was taken because he was protecting me!” Aaron yelled hitting the door to the cell. A loud creak sounded and Aaron gasped. Aaron along with the other four boys stared open mouthed. They stared in utter disbelief because of what just happened. Because when Aaron had hit the door in frustration, the door to the cell had opened.