TW: angst, mentioned abuse

Clay laid on the floor, numb. A single tear fell from the corner of his eye and landed on the cold, hard ground. The rope that was once around his wrists had moved to his ankles, and his body was covered in bruises and sore marks. Both eyes were black now, and his lip was bleeding slightly. He was in so much pain, but it didn't even compare to how much he missed George.

Clay had told him where George was.

He had asked for the exact address, while holding a loaded gun to his head, Clay had no choice. He felt terrible. It made him feel physically sick that he had sent this psychopath and abuser straight to George and Nick, and it was done now, there was nothing he could do.

Clay soon begun to sob, "I'm so sorry George." He cried to himself.

I should have just let him kill me. He thought. Why didn't I just let him kill me? He knows where George is, he's going to hurt him.

Clay's heart suddenly felt like it split in half, how could he do this to George? He had never been put in a situation where he had to decide between his life, or putting the love of his life in danger. And God he wished he would have never told George's step dad anything.

He sat up, against the chipped and crooked walls and felt his phone buzz in his pocket.

His phone.

Clay's head jerked up and he frantically searched for his phone in the deep pocket of his sweatpants. He pulled it out, blowing the dust off of the slightly cracked glass and switched it on.

1%.

"Shit," Clay cursed.

The notification was from George, and Clay's heart completely broke when he read the message.

Clay, I hope you're okay. I'm so worried about you, I don't know why you did this. Well, I know you were trying to keep me safe but, you never should have gone. I miss you so much, and it's only been a day. If you're with my step dad, which I'm guessing you are but hoping you're not, I'm so sorry. He's probably hurt you, and it pains me to imagine what he's doing to you. I'm safe with Nick, please don't worry about me. We're going to figure this out.
I love you.   11:17pm

Clay read it over and over again, each word stabbed the knife in his heart even deeper. George thought he was safe, but Clay knew he wasn't; and it was all his fault. Clay looked up at the battery percentage and started to type a reply to George.

George, I hope you're okay. Please be okay. Your step dad took me to the house and he's keeping me here. Don't worry about me, you need to keep yourself safe. He knows where you are, I'm so sorry Georgie. I love you so much.  11:18pm

Clay sat staring at the phone, tears falling onto the screen. He watched as the delivered icon changed to read, before the screen turned black. He threw his phone at the floor, and sobbed into his knees. Everything was a mess. Clay continued to cry,worry, and regret everything before he heard the same footsteps make their way down the wooden steps, entering the basement.

George's step dad stood at the bottom of the stairs, staring at Clay and smirking evilly. Clay looked up and met his eyes.

"How about you come with me to see George? I wonder what he'll think when he finds out you told me where he is," he swivelled the gun in his hands.

Clay squinted his sleepless eyes, "fuck you."

He stood up and pointed towards the tough, painful rope that was around his ankles. George's step dad approached him, and crouched down. He pulled out a small pocket knife from the pocket of his coat and quickly cut the rope. Clay wanted to just run as soon as the connection between his skin and the rope was broken.

George's step dad took the rope he had just cut and pulled Clay's hands behind his back, tying them together. He walked up the wooden steps, and Clay followed. The basement entrance was just next to the front door, so Clay didn't get to see much of the house. He peered into the living room, and saw a woman. He predicted it was George's mother, she looked just like him.

They made eye contact, and she mouthed something to Clay.

'Keep George safe, please.'

Followed by,

'I'm so sorry, love.'

Clay nodded and continued to follow George's step dad. He felt bad for the woman, she looked just like he did. Bruises, marks and cuts covering her face and neck. She looked extremely thin and worn out. When they stepped outside, Clay felt the refreshing cold air brush against him. It reminded him of the nights him and George would spend together. He stared down the street, hoping someone would see him. It was too dark, and the street was empty. He thought about running again.

"Run and I'll kill you, it's that simple. Anyway, don't you want to see your sweet, beloved boyfriend? Get in the car." He demanded, and Clay listened. It was no use trying to fight against the man because, he was the one with the gun. And he was right, he wanted to see George.

Clay climbed into the back seat of the disgusting-smelling, dirty car and rested his weak head on the head rest behind him. He watched as George's step dad slammed the driver's seat door behind him and typed the exact address of their house into the GPS. He pressed start route and Clay's stomach sunk. They were an hour and five minutes away, which meant an hour and five minutes of constant worrying, fear and regret.

--------------------------------------------------

George and Nick had been sitting on the couch for hours now, and George was staring at the reply he had received from Clay.

"Nick, he knows where we are," George muttered for the one hundredth time.

Nick took a deep breath, "yes George I know, and that is why I have been saying we need to get the fuck out of here for the past hour!" He exclaimed, but George's eyes didn't lift from the screen. He couldn't cry anymore, his face was red and his eyes were swollen. He was so numb.

"Nick, I can't. I need to talk to him, and what if he brings Clay with him?" George said, a single tear finally falling from the inner corner of his eye.

Nick sat beside George and lifted an arm to swing around his neck.

"Do you reckon Clay told him?" Nick asked, joining George to stare down at the phone.

George nodded slightly, "yeah, but he was probably forced to. He would never out us like that unless his life depended on it." He paused, "I'm so sorry for all of this, Nick. I know you keep telling me that it's not my fault, but it is. If I never would ran away that night, you and Clay wouldn't be in this situation."

Nick pulled George closer into a comforting hug, "it's okay, George. Please don't think like that, it's okay, I promise." He reassured him.

They stayed together on the couch, Nick slightly drifting off until they heard a car turn into their driveway.

hello! thank you for reading this chapter, i hope you liked it :)
i hope i'm not making you cry too much HAHAHA
thank you so so so much for 5.8k reads, i seriously never expected it so thank you!

remember to eat something, drink water and take care of yourself- love you.

1303 words.