Broken Chain

Waking up to the bright sunlight in her eyes, Rose sat up in her bed. Rubbing her eyes, her dog laid on her feet which was the dog's way of saying she was there all night. Stroking Nina's soft fur, Rose smiled and wiggled her feet out from under Nina.

"I gotta get up now girl," freeing her feet, she got up from her bed and noticed Marcus was wide awake in his room. He sat on his bed, curled up with his knees tucked under his chin. It was clear he didn't sleep well. Standing next to the wide opened door, Rose just stood. Until Marcus looked at her and turned his head away to wipe his eyes.

"I didn't see you there," turning his head back to her, she smiled and sat on the edge of the bed next to him.

"You okay?" She asked, looking at him concerned knowing he does this a lot where he's unable to close his eyes.

"Rose…I got to tell you something and I-I need to tell you now." He nervously was digging his nails into his hand, she took his hands in her so he wouldn't hurt himself.

"Just tell me, okay?" Holding his hands, he just pulled away and got to the point.

"Listen, I don't care about you and I'm only using you." In shock Rose stood up from the bed and she looked at him with wide eyes.

"Get out…" Walking backwards from him she just looked at him. "Get out of here now!"

"Rose…I had to tell you that. I just had to tell you bec-"

"Get out of my life! Now!" She stood there in front of the door as a tear ran down her cheeks.

"Rose, you know he's watching me so I had to."

"I don't care! I want nothing to do with you and I hope he takes you away so you never come back!"

"Rose, you don't mean that do you?" Getting up from the bed he tried to go to her but she just pushed him away.

"I do mean it! I mean it! Let him take you away!" Leaving the room, Rose wanted nothing more than to be in the same room as him. He's been using her and lying to her everyday. She couldn't even stand him anymore, she didn't even regret what she had said to him. She locked herself in her room while Marcus left the house. He had to go do something and didn't plan on going back to her.

Two days later, Sophia and Derek noticed that they hadn't seen Marcus in a while. It was very strange for him to be gone this long. Mostly he was gone for a day but he was always in his room.

"Should I go look for him?" Derek asked, grabbing his coat from the rack.

"I will, we both know how he is. Just let me go find him."

"Very well, good luck." Derek gave Sophia a kiss on the cheek before she went off to find him. She looked everywhere and she wasn't able to find him. But then, out of the corner of her eye she spotted him curled up in an alleyway. She pulled her car over and slowly went over to him.

"Marcus? You okay?" Standing in front of him she could tell he wasn't. His face was red and puffy from crying and his shirt was a little wet. She just looked at him before he picked up his head.

"I lied to her…I lied." He cried, covering his head with his hands with his knees to his chest.

"Lied about what?" Cocking her head to the left she looked to him as she kept crying.

"I lied to her about me using her! I had to and she didn't believe me!" He cried, wiping the tears from his eyes. "She won't listen to me! She knows he has a plan but she didn't listen!"

"Wait, what plan?" She asked, before someone put a white cloth to her face. Covering her mouth and nose, suddenly getting very tired. She passed out with Marcus being the last she saw before lights out for her.

"You know what to tell her…now tell her." A voice spoke clear as day to Marcus as she was taken out of sight.

"I can't tell her that. She's already mad at me as it is." The boy stood there as the voice replied back to him.

"You tell her or I'll do the same to you as I'm going to do with them. I'll kill you all, boy. So what will it be?"

"Very well, sir. I'll tell her." Walking away from the alley, Marcus went back to Rose's house to be greeted by her little brother. He didn't seem angry but instead he seemed more excited to see him.

"You're back," her brother, Dillen, said.

"Yeah I am. Uh…where's Rose?" Looking around for her from where he stood she was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, she's in her room right now. I can go get her if you want her."

"Yeah, please do but don't tell her it's me, okay?"

"Alright, be back." Dillen ran up the stairs to get her like Marcus had asked. It took him a while to get her to come down and when she did she was furious to see him.

"What do you want?" She snapped, crossing her arms in front of her, giving him a cold glare.

"I just had to tell you something important. Okay? And I need to know you'll listen to me." She just rolled her eyes while Marcus tried to figure out what to say to her. She sighed before he told her what he needed to say.

"Okay, so…the thing is…I…uh…killed your mom when she came to get me." He stood there as she turned angry within seconds.

"You did what?! Are you freaking kidding me?!" Rose started as Derek came downstairs from his office to Rose screaming at Marcus at the top of her lungs. "Are you freaking kidding me?!"

"Hey, what's going on here?" Derek asked, in confusion just before Rose punched Marcus in the face. "Rose May Shepherd!"

"He just told us, and Dillen was here too, that he killed Sophia!" Rose furiously turned around to her father just to see him lost.

"He killed her? He's afraid to hold a knife he wouldn't. Marcus, tell us the truth. Okay, where is she?" Derek knew he wouldn't do anything like that since he's too afraid of being like his dad that he could have the power to do such a thing.

"I did. I killed her when she came to get me. I finished her off." Saying with the straightest face he could do, Rose and Dillen bought it. Rose shoved him down to the ground and started to yell at him.

"She helped you when you needed it and this is how you repay her?! You're lucky I didn't kick you out of this house and I meant it when I wish they would come get you!" She shouted before Derek pulled her off of him.

"I had to do it, Rose! I had to!" Getting off the floor he held his cheek as Rose boiled inside.

"Get out! Leave Marcus! Nobody wants you here!" Rose shouted, pushing him away from her and she stormed off to her room.

"Very well…" He did as she said even though Derek was trying to talk to him and get him to stay. Marcus left the house and went off on his own  without turning around. Derek chased him out the door but he was gone in seconds. He was nowhere to be seen. Turning back to Dillen, who was about to cry, and just pulled him close to him.

“Everything will be alright. No need to cry, buddy.” Holding him, Dillen kept crying as he held onto Derek, mumbling words under his breath. Derek knew he had to find Sophia and get Marcus to tell the truth no matter what it takes. While Derek comforted Dillen, Rose was boiling in her room. Pacing the floor she spoke to herself.

“He wants to play like that. It’s game on. He wants to kill my mother, I’ll…kill him. But if I do I’ll be in huge trouble and wanted for murder. Maybe I’ll just forget he was ever my friend and kick him out of my life. That’s what I’ll do. It’s better than getting in trouble with the government.”

She paced the floor once more before coming to her mind to go find Marcus. Not cuz she loves him, but to kick his butt instead. She grabbed her baseball bat from under her bed and headed downstairs to go on her hunt. Sneaking out the door, she was off to find him and she wasn’t going to hold back.With the bat resting on her right shoulder she walked around town to see where he was. She spotted him running through the park with nobody nearby to save him.

“Hey! Marcus! Come here right now!” She shouted, when he turned around to see her approaching him with the bat. He was confused so he stayed in his tracks as she stopped in front of him. “I got a bone to pick with you…now hold still.”

With the bat in front of her, he stared at her before she hit his left arm with the bat. He winced and grabbed his arm where she had hit him.

“What are you doing? I wasn’t even doing anything!” He cried, stepping away from her as she would just walk closer to him. “Stay back!”

“Oh, Marcus…don’t be afraid. I’m only giving you what you deserve from me.” She started hitting the palm of her hand with the bat as she kept walking closer to him.

“Rose…stop! I-I didn’t do anything…I swear…please don’t…” He beg her not to, but his word went in one ear and out the other. She kept staring into his eyes with a smirk on her face. “Rose…Stop!”

“You killed her! Do you really think I’ll let you off the hook so easily?! Well…You’re wrong!” Pointing the bat at him, he grabbed it and tried to pull it away from her so she wouldn’t hit him again. “Let go! Marcus let it go!”

“No, you listen to me! It’s not safe here! It’s not sa-”

“I don’t care! It’s only unsafe because you are here! You’re the reason it’s unsafe!” She pulled the bat towards her and he let it go causing her to fall to the ground. Watching him run away like a scaredy cat, he gave him the darkest stare before getting up from the ground. He ran away from her and didn’t stop until he was back in the alley where he was when Sophia saw him. Breathing heavily, he leaned against the wall to catch his breath. Thinking about what had just happened, he didn’t understand why she would use a bat out of all things. He slid down the wall before sitting down in fear that she would find him and finish the job. It’s clear she wants him gone from her life and is after him for her mother’s disappearance. He sat there and thought of what he should  do and decided what he had to do. He left his spot and disappeared to find what he was after. He ran right into a building that was one of those ones nobody enters. He closed the door behind him and turned right into a man.

“Oof!..I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t see you there.” Marcus nervously spoke, looking the man in the eyes and he just looked at him. The man’s clothes were covered in blood with a pocket knife in his hands.

“You’re back without him?” The man pointed the blade to Marcus’s neck as he just stayed still.

“I had to leave without him, Rose is out to do harm now. She’s after me knowing her mother is dead.” The man just stared at him before grabbing the back of his neck and dragged him into a room. Inside the room there was nothing except a woman that had tape on her mouth, a black eye, bruising all over her face, and blood running from her nose. While being cuffed to a chair she stayed there with her eyes closed.

“She won’t last much longer. So I want you to finish her off.” Hands Marcus a gun and kicks the chair to wake up the woman. She does and Marcus was worried for her.

“You never told me I had to kill her. You said that you were going to take her and never said anything about hurting her.” Marcus cried out, with her widened eyes looking at him.

“You said she was dead, not me. So I had to do something to her, plus I never told you to say you killed her. I told you to say she was dead so don’t you dare! You’re the one at fault!” Snapping at Marcus, he left them alone to see if he’d finish the job. With the man gone, Marcus takes the tape off her mouth so he can speak to her with the gun down at his side.

“I’m sorry...I’m so sorry…I didn’t mean this…I didn’t know…” Trying to free her from the chain. Realized that she was cuffed and he didn’t know how to take them  off her.

“Marcus, you need a key to take them off.” She watched him try to get the cuff off of her and he broke down into tears. “Marcus, please don’t cry. This isn't your fault. You didn’t do this to me, he did, not you.”

“I got you alone, it is my fault! I pulled you away when I wasn’t home! It is my fault and I’m the one holding this gun not him! I don’t know what to do and Rose is out for me! I told her I killed you, Sophia! I said I burned you and got rid of the ashes! This is my fault!”

“She won’t be if she knows I’m okay. The second she knows I’m alive she’ll forgive you. But for that to happen I need you to do me a favor, okay?”

He stopped crying and nodded his head in agreement to what she had asked of him. With him ready to do what he was asked to do, he went into action. Suddenly, a gunshot was heard in the house coming from the room where Marcus was. The man opened the door to see Marcus standing in front of Sophia with the gun pointing right at her. Turning over his shoulder he met the man’s eyes.

“I thought you wouldn’t have the guts to do it. You really did surprise me Marcus.” The man smiled as he looked at Sophia before turning his back to her. “Now do whatever you told Rose, to her now.”

Marcus nodded and took the key from the man’s hand. He waited for the man to leave before uncuffing her from the chair. Removing the cuffs, her wrists were bruised along with her ankles. She must have put up a lot of fight to cause this.

“Marcus, give me your hand and help me up, please.” She was unable to stand up since her leg was asleep, so she didn’t really have a good balance. Taking her hand, Marcus helped her to her feet and helped hold her up until she was able to stand on her own. Help guided her out the door and down the stairs, until…

“Stop right there!” Glancing over his shoulder, was the man coming towards them angrily. Still holding Sophia up, she turned around to face him with an anxious look growing across her face. Pushing her back, they tried to get at least outside where they could get away. But the man wasn’t going to let him get away so easily.

“Go!” Marcus pushed Sophia out of the way before pulling the gun from his back pocket. He tucked in his pocket before giving Sophia a hand in case he needed it. Seeing that Sophia hasn’t fled the scene he shoved her out the front door and slammed it shut. With him on the inside with the angry man.

“Marcus…Marcus…Marcus. You’re something alright I give you that but…I always win little boy.” Putting his face into his, the two of them stood there for a second in silence. He grabbed Marcus by his throat and threw him onto the ground. Marcus got up from the floor just to be met with the man’s fist to his eye. Seeing the smirk on the man’s face, Marcus stood his ground.

“I’m not that little boy anymore. I didn’t realize what was happening nor did I know you were harming her. If I knew I wouldn’t have done anything to help you.”

“You remember what your father told you don’t you?” Marcus wasn’t quite sure what he meant, his father had told him many things. He wasn’t sure what phrase he meant. “Remember this? When you turned eighteen and you haven’t straightened up, he was going to make you suffer.”

“I do remember that, but the thing is he made me suffer for my whole life. Now that he’s gone I’m not. But I’ll make sure he hears me.”

Before the man could do anything there was a blaring sound coming from outside followed by sirens. Confused by what was about to happen the two of them stood still as officers came inside. The man tried to escape from the police but never made it, he ended up being put in cuffs and taken out. Looking to the door he saw Rose walk in with Derek at her side.

“Marcus, I have a bone to pick with you.” She spoke softly, this time she didn’t look angry but she looked like she was going to cry.

“This time you don’t have a bat in your hands.” Marcus said, turning to face the two of them.

“Listen, I shouldn’t have hit you in the arm with my bat. I should have listened better to you. I’m sorry, I truly am sorry. You helped my mother, lied to me but saved her.” She pulled him into a hug and held him tight with tears running down her cheeks. He held her as Sophia came into view. Rose couldn’t see her since she was behind her so only Marcus could. He glanced up to her before holding Rose tighter. Rose turned around when she felt someone’s hand touch her shoulder.

“I’m alright,” Seeing her mother standing there behind her, Rose smiled and took her hand. “Thank you.”

Nodding his head, Marcus knew deep down she shouldn’t be thanking him. He’ll keep this one to himself.