Story Orgy Monday: Even Steven part 8

Whoo hoo! It's another beautiful Story Orgy Monday! I hope all is well for you out there in your individual worlds. This week I have a full-size treat for you *grinning* . But before peek into Steven's world, let's rehash a little bit of opportunity for you, the Story Orgy enthusiast.
Remember that contest that's still going? Send your ideas for Story Orgy's ROAD TRIP. Here's what you do:

person

(no proper names please—give us a fighting chance *giggles*)

destination

(can be proper or not…hehe)

disaster

(something to throw this road trip in a tizzy…be creative!)

Send your prompt idea (one per person, please) to storyorgy(at)ymail(dot)com…and March 1^st we’ll be picking the prompts that scream our names! Pssst...March 1^st is right around the corner. Don't let it sneak up on you.

Oh! And my muse... Em Woods has another release! Make time to click on over to Total E-Bound to get your copy of Em's latest, "Convincing Symon". You'll be glad you did.

Alright then! Now with that all said and done, are you ready to catch a glimpse at Steven and Braden? If you missed last week's prompt, you will want to go back and catch up. This week's prompt is – Write about a secret revealed.

Even Steven part 8

by

JR Boyd

"Braden, you're my best friend and I would never do anything to hurt you. You know that, right?" Steven's heart lurched into his throat at the thought of what he was going to say. 

Damn it! I should've told him sooner.        

                                                                               

Braden’s stare grew dark. His brows drew close together and his eyes turned stormy. Tension filled the air, constricting Steven's lungs. Steven would've done anything to keep from shattering the safe harbor they’d found with each other in the last few hours. He knew now how deep Braden's love for him ran. Even though the feeling was mutual, Steven simply carried too much shame to accept that it would sustain them through what was to come. 

Braden released a heavy sigh and closed his eyes. "Steven, we're here." His eyes popped open. "Spit it out if it’s that important."

Braden's mild outburst was nothing compared to what was about to happen and Steven couldn't postpone it any longer. The radio playing in the background suddenly changed, startling Steven. And Braden too, judging from the way his head jerked when the music turned into that confusing sound of the rolling dial when trying to find something on the radio.

"Whoever's out there is either bored or they want us to know they're there." Braden glanced around before slapping his hand against the car door, then gave the handle a tug. Quick as a whip, Braden flicked the door open and swooped his hand to the ground, snatching up a stick that had fallen from the nearby elm tree. Braden slammed the door, fished his new knife from his pocket and pulled the longest blade from its two-tone casing. 

Well, I guess my secret will either make or break any chances of me having a future with him. Steven watched Braden slide the knife blade down the stick as wood shavings fell to his floorboard. Smooth strokes left clean wood. Maybe this could be like that, leaving a clean place for them to start.

"He raped me. Antonio fucking raped me, Bray." Steven clamped his trembling bottom lip between his teeth as his eyes welled up with tears. Braden's face looked distorted and blurred until the tears spilled over, restoring his vision. The cold fury on Braden's face made the knots in Steven's stomach tighten more. Steven had only seen that look on Braden's face one time before – when Braden found out that Antonio had roughed him up in the first place. Steven's seventeenth birthday party.  

A clenched jaw and fiery eyes was all Steven could see. Braden's muscles worked overtime as he sat in the passenger seat, silent as a stone. Steven didn't know what was going through his friend's mind, but he did know whatever it was couldn't be good. Especially considering Braden's anger when he'd only thought Steven was not only beaten by Antonio, but raped too. Braden's gaze darted across the dry stretch of land to their right and remained that way until Steven found own gaze drawn to the hill in the not-so-far distance. Nothing there except blue sky. That’s when Steven realized Braden was avoiding looking at him.

"I wanted to tell you. I really did. But, it just hurt too damn much, you know?" The ache in Steven's stomach gave way to nausea. “It’s fucking embarrassing. It shouldn’t have happened to me. I should have been smarter. Faster.” 

"Let's see what that mother fucker does to me." Braden's nostrils flared as he flipped the whittled stick onto the floorboard and closed his knife. 

"No, Braden. There's still more you need to know."Despite Steven's yell, there was no stopping him. Steven called again and again through the car door that Braden left wide open. "We don't have time for this, Braden. Come back!"

But Braden was gone. He’d disappeared into the glare of the sun.

"Damn it to hell!" Braden pounded on the console before flinging the car door open and making a mad dash into the field. I've got to catch him. Can’t let Antonio have him.   

Steven ran, measuring his stride. He had made that mistake last time, and had run out of breath and couldn't go any further. That's how Antonio had caught up with him at the tree beside the road. Even thinking about it pushed Steven's anxiety through roof. He kept running."Braden." Steven called, drawing out the name for as long as he air in his lungs. He crested a small rise, startled that Braden was nowhere in sight. He stopped, bracing his hands on his knees, his breath loud in his ears. 

He took a step toward the farmhouse he could now see in the distance, then pulled up short at a harsh shushing sound to his left. "Who's there? Show your face you oversized muscle head–"

"Over here. Hush up." The breathy undertones scared the hell out of Steven. He jerked his head in the direction of the sound and saw Braden hunkered down in the neglected dry grass from the previous year. 

"Get down. Now." Braden insisted. 

Steven dropped to his knees, heart pounding in his chest. Flashbacks of his abduction flooded his mind. The same smell of parched dirt, the blinding sun, suffocating heat clogging his lungs. Steven bent over, one arm instinctively covering his head.

"Steven. C'mon, snap out of it." The touch of Braden's hand on his shoulder startled Steven. The urgency in his voice worked like smelling salts, snapping Steven back to reality. He opened his eyes to see Braden inches away. 

"I must've blacked–"

"Shh. Listen to me." Braden's finger lay softly on Steven's lips. "I saw Antonio walk across the field. There's a shed right over there. He went in there."

"Braden, that's what I was trying to tell you back at the car. His family practices some sort of dark magic. That's not a shed." Steven turned to point, his eyes fixed on the hill. Blinking back the terrifying memories of his time here, Steven looked back toward the car. "If you've trusted me, ever, you've got to trust me now. We're dealing with more than Antonio here. This land harbors pure evil." 

"What?" Braden's face scrunched in confusion. 

I’m not getting this out right, Steven thought. 

"Steven. Hey, babe. You've got to stay with me. Better yet, stay ahead of me. You seem to be the only one who knows what the hell is going on." 

Braden's patience was obviously running out. But there was only one other thing Steven could think of that would be more detrimental. Steven rose to his feet, guiding Braden to stand with him. With renewed confidence, he replaced his whisper with his normal tone."Braden, there are tunnels all through that hill. That shed is one of the entrances to the underground."

"Like a secret society?" Braden's interest was written all over his face. He wanted to know more.

"You can say that I guess. Don't remember all the details, but I do know I was wanted really bad by Antonio. He found ways to control my body, but I never gave him my heart." 

"But you loved him." Braden said, looking at the hill with Steven, confused.

"No. Not like that. Never like you. And once I learned of his evil family and their rituals, ceremonies or whatever you wanna call them, I wanted away. They're fucked up. That's all I can say." 

"Fucked up, huh?" The brusque voice came from behind him, setting Steven's heartbeat racing. 

"Where did you come from? You sorry piece of shit," Braden growled as he maneuvered his way between Steven and Antonio.

"I have a feeling we're about to find out." Steven muttered under his breath. He scanned the area, looking for any place Antonio could have crawled out of."C'mon. Enough chitchat. This ain't social hour." Antonio chuckled. “Well, I guess it could be.”

"What a fuckin' derelict." Braden shifted slightly closer to Antonio and Steven recognized his fighting posture.

"You won't be sayin' that for long. " Antonio raised the barrel of a shotgun he had hidden at his side. "You too, piss ant." The end of the gun jerked off to the side as Antonio pointed with it. 

"Oh fuck. Don't tell me." Steven took the first steps, sure of what he was about to see. A dark hole in the ground with a large sheet of plywood slid alongside. Steven looked at Antonio. "How in the hell did you tunnel all the way out here? The hill is way over there." 

"Keep movin', pretty boy." Antonio nudged Steven's ass with the gun barrel. 

"Don't touch him, dickhead," Braden said. 

"Ahh, a little bit more that friends are ya?" Antonio was calm. So Steven thought. ”Don’t worry, honey. I’ll make sure you see the whole show this time when I fuck him.” 

Steven decided to focus on what was ahead of him, instead of what was behind him. After 20 paces- he kept count this time - he reached what appeared to be the flooring of a small chamber with a single small entrance in the dirt wall. 

"Don't stop until I say so." Antonio ordered.

"It's dark. I can't see where to go." Steven said. 

"Nice try. Don't act like you've never been here before. Keep going." The commands Antonio kept spouting suffocated Steven even more than the confines of the small cave. 

"Steven?" Braden's uncertainty echoed through Steven’s head. 

"What?" Steven whispered.

"Have you been here before?" Braden's curiosity struck a nerve, sending balls of fire pinging from one synapse to another.

"Shut the fuck up. You'll have a chance to talk soon enough." Antonio's words lingered in the forefront of Steven's mind. 

Soon enough? What the fuck does that mean? Have I been here before? Steven was glad Antonio didn't want any one talking; finally, a minute for Steven to take in his surroundings. There was something burning in his mind, but he couldn't quite figure it out. 

The dark, motionless air smelled of pure earth. The only thing Steven could see was the palest of lights penetrating the blackness, guiding him. But Steven didn't remember this particular tunnel. Though, they probably all looked the same in the dark.

Steven stepped faster and faster as he closed in on the light source, whatever that was. He heard Braden's footsteps hasten behind him. And then a scuffle. Steven didn't have time to say anything. He didn’t even have time to turn around to see what the commotion was. All he could do was watch as the dim glow in the close distance grew dark.  

<<TBC>>>

Hmmm...I sure hope Steven can see the light soon. Sheesh. Now, let's go take a gander at the other Orgy posts...just follow me...

Em Woods - http://authoremwoods.com/
Hank Edwards - http://hankedwardsbooks.com/blog/

Havan Fellows - http://havanshawthaven.blogspot.com/

Jade Baiser - http://jade-wetdreams.blogspot.com/

Lee Brazil - http://leebrazilauthor.blogspot.com/