I apologize in advance for the awkward formatting in some places :/
Enjoy?

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Tic. Tic. Tic. Tic. Tic.

His eyes watched the hand move slowly.

Tic. Tic. Tic. Tic. Tic.

When was it going to stop?

Tic. Tic. Tic. Tic. Tic.

What was its destination?

Tic. Tic. Tic. Tic. Tic.

There.

His brown eyes curiously watched as his mother's hand stopped threading the needle through the stuffed duck she held in her hands. It was old; the soft yellow fabric fading with time and use, one of its blue eyes had fallen off years ago and left in its place was a little black line to make the toy look as if he were forever planning a heist or a trick that would blow anyone's mind away.

The darker colored woman held the stuffed animal out to the fidgeting little seven year old that hadn't yet grown out of stuffed animals, "Here, the doctor fixed his injuries right up!" Her bright smile made warmth fill the boy's chest as he sprung up from the floor where he had been waiting so nervously to hear the news from the doctor if his best friend would make it through his most recent fight.

Hunks chubby fingers wrapped around the matted down fabric and he pulled his friend into his chest, cheeks red with contempt. "Super Mallard lives!" He shouted as he spun around and froze, his eyes widening slightly, "What's that, pal?" he asked pulling Super Mallard close to his ear.

He let out an audible gasp as he frowned in determination, "Evil Professor Whisket still lives from your last fight against him? We must put a hold to his plans before he destroys San Antonio!"

Hunk's mother let out a little laugh as she pressed the back of her hand to her lips, "Surely that wouldn't be too bad," She mumbled to herself before she got into character for her precious boy. She moved her hand up to her forehead and let out a little yelp of faux fear and pointed out the living room window, "I just saw evil Professor Whisket go to the park in his flying car! He's going to bring the entire city down to rubble!"

Hunk pouted a bit as he glanced at his mother, slightly disappointed that she was messing up his imaginary game, "Evil Professor Whisket doesn't have a flying car, he has a flying saucer," He grumbled before he made Super Mallard strike a superhero pose with his little nubby wings on his pear-shaped body. "Off to the park to bring the evil tabby of evilness to justice!"

"Don't forget to pick the evil professor up from the laundry basket," The woman spoke softly as she watched her son scamper off to the back hall of their home in order to grab his stuffed animal black cat before he zoomed off through the back door and into the world outside his home. A small smile stretched across her face as she leaned down and grabbed her knitting, "What a goofball."

Hunk stuck his tongue out the corner of his mouth as he bounced down the paved driveway holding the cat and duck in the air imaging a world outside of his. In this world, instead of two lifeless toys rag dolling in a special little boy's hands, they were fighting a battle that could only compare to that of a superhero movie or one of the comics tucked away in his closet. Super Mallard was firing his laser eyes at the cackling Evil Professor Whisket as the black cat evaded this move so easily., he made a remark, claiming that Super Mallard was no match for his plan of pure evilness and that he would own San Antonio before anyone could stop him. Super Mallard was definitely not going to have this nonsense happening in his city. Hunk hopped over a crack in the pavement, forgetting about the make-believe world he was playing in; the saucer and the buff duckling were now two toys with their bodies sitting lopsided in his hands.

His shoes scraped the ground as he tried to regain his balance from stumbling forward after landing. He was what some would call superstitious. Stepping on a crack on the pavement was definitely not okay. He didn't want his mother to be having any back pains or even have her back being broken over a simple mistake like stepping on a crack. Most kids his age were beginning to leave the whole toy scene and were getting into video games and YouTube videos of stupid fails of Call of Duty players online. Hunk on the other hand, much preferred being a child. It was easy and it was expected of him by adults, and it was also much more calming than shooting people in games on a TV.
He carefully crossed the street and began to speed walk towards the playground in order to get back to the deadly battle between Super Mallard and Whisket. It was the summer, the sun glared down at him causing a bead of sweat to form at his brow as he held his stuffed animals tightly being sure to not drop them and get them dirty. He would always come to the park around this time in order to play on the large jungle gym by himself until the sun would paint a picture of orange and yellow across the sky. The only problem with this was it meant he was left unsupervised by any adults for longer than two hours. Anything could happen to him in that amount of time.

Anything.

As he climbed up the steps on the jungle gym to reach the peak of the playset, his imagination took the world by surprise as the stuffed animals in his hands came to life and began to fight one another for the fate of the city Hunk lived in. He watched as he stood at the peak, right in front of the slide but to him it was the edge of a building looking over the city of San Antonio as his brown eyes watched in pure awe of the powers and determination that Super Mallard possessed in his arsenal. The duck that sported a giant 'M' on the back of his yellow cape that bounced in the winds that tore at Hunk's clothing. Whisket hissed insults at his rival as he explained his evil plan to the duck, slamming his paw down onto the controls of the saucer nearly crashing it out of his own foolishness. He cursed Super Mallard as he began to laugh maniacally, his paws in the air, claws unsheathed and his mouth wide as the evil laughter echoed through the hushed city awaiting their fates.
Before Super Mallard delivered his kick butt one-liner every superhero has, a pinecone bounced off the side of Hunk's head knocking him out of his dream world and back into the harsh reality that awaited him. He winced as the pinecone landed on the play gym at his feet. Bringing Whisket to the side of his throbbing head he glared at the people who had done such a mean thing to him.

On the ground, standing amongst the wood chips, was his school bully named Derek. He had a chipped front tooth, freckles blotting his face, and a red baseball cap worn backwards that matched his Boston Red Sox shirt he was wearing.

He laughed and pointed up at Hunk, elbowing his buddy who was only an inch shorter than he, "What a dumbass, up there still playing with his toys!" Derek giggled before he reached down to scoop up another pinecone, his friend following in suit.

Hunk brought his stuffed animals close to his chest as he frowned at the two school boys he was always picked on by, "My mom said that word isn't appropriate for us to say at this age so shush up, Derek!" Hunk stuck his tongue out and tried to turn back around to continue playing but his back was greeted by two pine cones striking him harshly on the shoulder and mid back. "Ouch!" He exclaimed in a pout, tears threatening to fall from his eyes.
He was so angry at the two boys but none of the words he was allowed to say were good enough to get his disappointment across to them without stooping to their level.

He turned around to shout something at the boys but his eyes widened when he saw a man of average height standing behind them as they chuckled sadistically. He wore a baggy pair of jeans, old tennis shoes that were getting ratty looking, and a sweatshirt that seemed almost a whole size bigger than his torso. His hood was pulled over his head so that Hunk wasn't able to see that man's shadowy face, however, he did manage to notice how stern his lips looked which sent a shiver down his spine.

"Didn't your mother teacher you boy's manners?" That creepy man spoke, his voice was rasp almost as if he hadn't spoken for days.

Hunk watched as Derek's face went from pure amusement to fear within a second of listening to the man's voice slice through the air to cut their joyous chuckles off. The world was silent, no birds made a peep, no leaves rustled amongst each other, and no wind brushed past the boys' clothing. Derek's brown eyes widened as he turned around and took a frightened step back the moment he laid his eyes upon the man's shadowy face.

His friend dropped the pinecone he held in his hands and looked at Derek fearfully, "W-Who are you?" Derek managed to say with a tremble in his voice.

The man shrugged the question off without acknowledging it, "So, did she?" He asked once more.

Derek ignored the man and chose to take the generic route of avoiding punishment, "My mother told me never to speak to strangers," He glanced over to his friend and tugged at the boy's sleeve. "Come on, let's go, we can get him another day," He whispered to him, throwing an annoyed glance up at Hunk before the two boys fled the playground.

Hunk watched Derek and his friend run over to the small, gated community across the street, squeezing through the bars and disappeared into the safety of the homes away from the two people left alone inside of the park. Hunk looked down at his toys no longer feeling the want to play with them anymore after Derek, and then he moved his brown gaze over to the man who had inched closer to him without making a sound.

"Uh," Hunk opened his mouth and frowned slightly as he struggled between listening to the 'don't talk to strangers' rule and being a polite child. He chose the latter, "Thanks for stopping them..."

The man lifted his hood to reveal a sweet and genuine smile to Hunk which made the tiny child relax ever so slightly. He had acne scarring on his cheeks, a strange dark spot on his forehead and neck, and his black, tangled and unkempt hair was greasy. "No problem, daddy tells me I should always help anyone who is being bullied because bullying isn't okay," The man said with a more cheerful tone.

Hunk stared at the man for a long moment, creating an awkward silence in the already still air. "Daddy?" Hunk asked quietly.

The man nodded, "The man who raised me!"

Hunk felt as if a cold bucket of ice water was poured down his back making his entire back stiffly shudder in discomfort. He didn't really like the way the man referred to his father or caretaker; it was unnatural. "My mother is probably worried that I'm not home..." Hunk said quietly as he seated himself and slid down the yellow slide holding the stuffed animals close to his chest.

The man stepped forward, closer to Hunk and held his hand out to him as if silently pleading Hunk to not go anywhere, "Wait, and stay longer?" He asked.

Hunk stood up from the slide, ignoring the shock on the back of his thigh from the slide, "I-I don't know, she told me not to speak to strangers..."

"I am Reese," The man tucked his hand away into his pocket, "There; I'm no stranger to you now."

Hunk cursed at the man under his breath, he did not like the fact that the man weaseled around the strangers rule so easily. "Hunk, that's my name," He grumbled quietly in hopes the man wouldn't hear him.

"Will you tell me about your friends, Hunk?" Reese pointed to the two stuffed animals Hunk clutched tightly to his chest.

For some reason talking about his two best friends made him always feel better. He loved being able to ramble on and on about the stuffed animals and about the world he created for them and being asked about them instantly made Hunk forget about the rule to never speak to strangers. All concern was thrown out the window as he happily obliged and spoke for almost an hour about the wacky world of the superhero duck and the evil cat.

He learned that Reese was only nineteen-years-old and not at all the age hunk would have thought him to be. They eventually agreed to see each other every day around this time in order to discuss the stuffed animals more. That night when hunk went home, he spoke fondly of his new friends but his father smiled at him and said that he was getting too old for imaginary friends. Hunk ignored this and the next day he went to see Reese but this time he left his stuffed animals at home in the comfort of his bed where they would be waiting for him to come back.

It began to be like clockwork, every day at the same time he and Reese would see each other and talk for hours but when there were other adults hunk chose to play on the jungle gym and speak to Reese now and then as per the man's request. He liked his new friend and he wanted to do everything he could to keep him. Reese always walked hunk home to make sure no bad guys or even Professor Whisket's minions would take him. He was like the big brother hunk always wanted.
Sometimes though, Reese would give hunk the same uneasy feeling he had the first time he saw him. Whenever he began to talk about his father in the strange way he did his hands and voice would get shaky and he would tell Hunk that his father was a bad man that tells him to do things that aren't good. Hunk didn't understand at this age but anyone with a more mature point of view on the world knew what was wrong with the young man all too well.

Almost a month into their strange friendship, hunk told Reese he would have to go back to school soon and this made the man deeply upset. He pulled his hood over his head and placed his hands over his ears as he quietly whispered strange things under his breath that hunk didn't quite understand. He didn't feel comfortable at all when his friend would do things like that but he stayed next to him on the bench until he finally stopped that insufferable whispering. He managed to convince hunk that there was a puppy he wanted to show to the young boy and he made him close his eyes as he held hunks hand and guided him down the road and into a car. The moment the boy realized what was going on Reese pulled a cloth from his sweatshirt and pressed it up against his face forcing Hunk to breathe in whatever was on the cloth. The light of day outside of the rusted little van's doors faded to black as Hunk's eyes rolled to the back of his head.
He awoke hours later finding himself in that same darkness as before but this time he was tied to a pipe of some sorts and blindfolded.

His heart thundered in his chest as he desperately tried to glance around the room he was stuck inside of. He was terrified of what had happened and what was going to happen to him. He desperately tugged against the pipe hoping that by some miracle he would be able to snap the rope and run away but when this proved to be pointless he pressed up against the thing that kept him from leaving the room and whimpered softly as tears threatened to fall from his eyes and soak the cloth he was forced to wear on his face.

The only company he had was the gentle yet horrifying sound of a clock ticking away somewhere above him. He didn't know how long he was there for but he listened to the clock as the tears rolled down his cheeks and stained the cloth hiding his eyes from the world. The clock kept him in check with the horrifying reality of where he was as he quietly pleaded for his mom or dad to come save him from this scary place.

The terrifying reality of his situation kicked in when Reese's voice sounded as a door creaked open slowly, almost as if he were timid to enter and see Hunk strapped to whatever it was keeping him from moving.

"Hey there, Hunk," He spoke softly as he closed the door behind him. "Are you hungry?" He asked softly as he knelt down in front of the frightened boy.

Hunk remained silent as he tried to turn his head away from the man's voice, the voice that had tricked him with no regret. He felt something knotting up inside of his body, it felt like a million snakes were inside of his stomach wiggling and fighting to burst out of his body like those creatures in Aliens. He fought the urge to vomit all over the floor as his throat tightened from the stench of decay being shoved up against his nose.

There was something inside of a bowl from what Hunk could gather that must have been left out to die in a sewer somewhere.

He began whimpering as Reese shoved the bowl against his cheek and began hissing a string of curses, "I picked this out for you, don't disappoint me by refusing to eat it!" He shouted angrily which caused Hunk to jump and hunker down closer to the pipe he was tied to in hope of being able to somehow shrink himself down to the size of an insect.

Now that he was paying more attention to his small surroundings, only his senses to guide him, he realized he was on a dirt covered floor. If he were a worm he could cower away and dig himself into the dirt and get away from this lunatic who had taken him from his favorite place on earth.

All the memories he had of that park, that neighborhood, whether good or bad, were what made them his favorite places to be but in an instant they were shattered like glass right before his eyes as Reese placed a sweaty hand on his face in a way where he could easily force the young boy's mouth open.

"Here," Reese whispered in excitement. Hunk shivered as he heard a gentle kushup from Reese most likely placing a bowl down on the floor followed by a sickening scraping noise against the bowl. Reese giggled as he fought against Hunk to open the boy's mouth, "Enjoy it while it is still fresh, I would appreciate it if you ate it since I picked it out especially for you..."

Without warning a spoon was jammed into Hunk's mouth clanging against his teeth as he let out a little cry when he tasted the putrid smelling food. It wiggled around in his mouth and in an instant he was hurling on the floor, tears falling from his cheeks as he threw up everything and anything in his system. It was furry, decaying, maggoty, and the stench was so unpalatable that he just couldn't bear it for longer than two seconds. He spit saliva and stomach acid out of his mouth as he tried to cough up the few maggots that had wriggled their way down into his throat. He could feel their every movement as if his senses had been turned up ten times their normal level. Every single noise, touch, smell, everything felt so overwhelming as he forced every last maggot out of his mouth.

His cheek was met with a sharp, stinging pain as he was slapped harder than he had ever been before. "You wanted to meet my puppy didn't you, why would you spit him out like that?" Reese shouted in pure rage as he forced another spoonful into the crying boy's mouth. "Swallow it!" Reese place his hands on the top and bottom of the boy's head and tilted his head back so that he had to choke in order to fight his captor.

He would've rather died than allow this decaying carcass to be ingested, wriggling maggots, blood soaked fur, and all. He let out a muffled scream of pure terror as he struggled to breathe and keep the so-called-food from leaving his mouth. He wanted to be back home in his mother's arms, snuggled up to her as she knitted a scarf for him to wear. He wanted to listen to his father ramble on and on about cars and how he would fix the old rusted truck in their backyard that had been there for as long as the small child could remember.

He was so numb, his senses so dulled to the point that a butter knife would even look sharp in comparison. He felt emotionless in the moment that a chunk of fur fell down his throat and down into his digestive system. He wanted to die. He barely noticed when Reese let him go abruptly when another man's voice shouted into the room. Hunk didn't even hesitate to purge his stomach in that moment as he ignored the arguing, the shouting, the hitting, everything. He didn't pay attention when his tied hands were freed and his small, almost lifeless body was lifted from the disgusting floor so easily. He just wanted to fade away. He didn't want to be a naïve child anymore if this was what it meant to be one. He didn't want to be with new people anymore, he wanted to stay with only his family. He was afraid to trust people, to speak to them.

He awoke on his front lawn, his mother screaming and crying for her husband as she held her dirt covered child in her arms, rocking back and forth. He was happy he had her.

He was afraid of everyone else.

So like it was rushed. Sorry.
I've been busy as you all know and I'm beyond exhausted today I've been up since five in the morning but I still have work until eleven at night and I've only slept two hours :(

Please, leave your thoughts in the comments and I'll reply to a few if I have time.

Eat and make sure you drink plenty of water!!!!
-Anri