Caged

by E. M. Leya

  "You don't have to—"

  "I want to." Marshall found he really did want to help Danny. He hadn't planned on offering his home, but now that he had, it seemed right. He couldn't imagine Danny at some half-way house, forced to live by new rules and limitations. "The choice is yours, and you don't have to decide right now. Just know the option is there if you want it. I have two spare rooms and you're welcome to one of them."

  Danny swallowed hard. "Thanks."

  "I told you I wouldn't leave you to face this alone." He lifted the bags. "I'll set these over by the bathroom. You can go through them later." Marshall set the bags down and leaned against the wall, wondering if he would be asked to leave so the woman could continue her talk with Danny.

  "We need to discuss your needs once you leave, no matter where you live." The woman's focus was fully back on Danny. "Perhaps your friend can visit later?"

  "We can talk in front of him. He knows everything." Danny lifted his hand to Marshall.

  Glad to see Danny standing up for himself, he went to him and took his hand as he sat down on the edge of the bed.

  Danny rested their joined hands on Marshall's leg. "So, what do I need when I leave?" He turned his head back to look at the woman.

  "Well, you're going to need counseling, and probably schooling, job training."

  "But I can do that from anywhere, right?"

  "You could, but it would be easier in a place that offered most of those resources on site."

  "Can I get to places from your home?" Danny asked Marshall.

  "Of course. I'm happy to take you or there is a bus line half a block from the house. In time, we can work on getting you a driver's license and a car if you'd like that. I'm happy to help you with anything."

  Danny glanced at the woman. "I need to talk to Marshall alone about this. Is it okay if I let you know later?"

  "I think the doctors planned on releasing you today. I'll need to make arrangements."

  "Give us ten minutes?" Marshall asked her.

  She pursed her lips but nodded. "I'll be back."

  Once she left, Marshall got up and closed the door before returning to the chair beside the bed. "You didn't sleep well?"

  Danny shook his head. "I couldn't get comfortable, then the nurses kept coming in."

  "Yeah, hospitals are never a good place to sleep."

  "So are you serious about me living with you for a while?"

  "For as long as you need. I have plenty of space. I just moved in a few weeks ago, so we'll have to get a few things, but that's easy to do. I have the space, but I worry it's too close to where you were held. I don't want it to be uncomfortable for you."

  Danny shrugged. "It's Larry who scares me, not the home."

  "Well, it's up to you. I'm happy to have you stay with me. I agree you're probably going to want to talk to a therapist or something about what you've been through, and maybe go to school or get your GED, but you can do all that while staying with me."

  "You work. Won't I get in the way?"

  "I'm able to work when I want. It won't be an issue. I promise my boss will understand." He thought about his conversation with Jeremy and smiled. Taking Danny into his home wouldn't shock any of the team members.

  "What if I don't want to talk about what happened to anyone?"

  "Then you don't have to, but I do think it would help. You've been through hell, Danny. I know it might not seem like it to you. It was your normal for so many years, but what you went through was horrible. Most people wouldn't have survived it all the way you have. Talking to someone helps, but that's something you can deal with another day. Today, let's make sure you have a safe place to go be it my home or another." Marshall relaxed back in the chair. "Have the police or doctors been in?"

  "Yeah. They took me for tests around seven, but I haven't heard if they found anything. But I haven't seen the police yet." Danny sighed. "Am I going to have to tell them everything?"

  "The more you tell them, the easier it will be to track Larry. It will also give them more to charge him with, but you don't have to say anything you don't want. You're not the one in trouble here. I'm sure they'll want to talk about the day you were taken and the basics of what life has been like for you. They'll also want to know what you saw done to the boys. It might be easier for you to tell them about the boys than for the boys to do it."

  Danny closed his eyes. "I'm scared. I don't know what to do. I've never had to do anything like this before."

  "I know. And it will be easy for many to forget that you haven't experienced much since you were a boy. You need to remind them. You're seeing the world for the first time since you were seven, and it's got to be scary. I can't even imagine. Being scared is okay. Don't feel bad about that. As I said, if you're confused about things, scared of things, ask me for help and I'll try to explain things."

  In reality, he was bringing a man into his home who was probably still thinking in a lot of ways like a child. He wasn't even sure if Danny could read. It wasn't going to be easy, but he had no one else to help him. If Marshall didn't offer, Danny would be on his own, letting other people guide him through the mess.

  "I'd like to stay with you," Danny said softly.

  "Good. I'd like to have you stay. If you get to my place and don't like it, we can figure something else out, but for now, I think you just need some time to get used to all the changes and all the things going on." Not to mention deal with the knowledge his mother was dead. Though there had been a few tears, he was sure that his mother's suicide still hadn't really hit him. "We'll see what the doctors have to say and go from there."

  Danny blinked, his eyes wet with tears. "Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you."

  "You'd survive. It's what you do." He touched his arm. "I'm glad I can help, but I have no doubt you'd make it on your own if you needed to. You survived up until now and I'm sure you'll continue to."

  Danny smiled, but the tension never eased in his body, and Marshall had to wonder what he was thinking. In time, he hoped he'd trust him enough to open up, but until then, he'd stand by his side and let him learn how to take control of his life and hopefully find happiness. It wasn't going to be easy, but he could do it. The key was letting him have something he'd never had before, control. He needed to learn that he was strong, and put the past behind him. It was going to take time, and Marshall would help him as long as he needed, giving him that time to figure it all out on his own.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Danny stared out the window as Marshall drove him home. He was amazed at how much things had changed. He didn't recognize the area, but just the structure of buildings, the cars, the way things looked were different than he remembered. There were so many cars and people around it made him nervous.

  "Hungry?" Marshall asked. "We can grab some fast food to take home and eat."

  "A bit."

  "Want anything certain?"

  Danny didn't know what was out there. "Um, McDonald's?" He hadn't had that for so long. His last memory was of him and his mom stopping for ice cream on a night after a soccer game.

  "Sure, do you know what you want?"

  "Nuggets and a Coke." He smiled. "I haven't had a Coke since I was taken."

  "I bet there is a lot you haven't had. We'll take it slow so your stomach can adapt to the junk food and sugar, but we'll make sure you catch up on all the greasy, not good for you stuff." Marshall grinned. "I'm big on pizza. I eat it way too often."

  "That sounds good too. Larry would give us oatmeal and canned soup, but never let us have anything really good. I had to cook for him, but he'd seldom give us any of that food. One thing I miss the most is spaghetti."

  "You're in luck. I have everything at home to make that and I'm not too bad of a cook. We can do that for dinner later tonight." Marshall turned into McDonald's parking lot.

  "Thanks, I'd like that." Danny hated that he was relying on Marshall for everything, but what else could he do? Go to a half-way house? That thought made him
feel like he was trapped again. Marshall was good about not making him feel that way.

  He was glad to be out of the hospital. He'd worried they wouldn't let him leave. All the tests came back okay, though they did show evidence of old broken bones that had healed. He wasn't shocked. More than once he'd been sure that his ribs had been broken after Larry had beat him. He was still scheduled to see a doctor later in the week, but at least he wasn't stuck in a hospital bed.

  The police had also shown up. Two detectives had come in and sat down with him, going over everything he could remember from the moment he was taken to the moment he escaped. He'd told them what he could, but it didn't seem like much. He was taken, held, raped, and forced to care for Larry and his home. The only major change over the years had been when Larry had replaced him with the younger boys. He really couldn't tell the police anything to help them track Larry down. He just didn't know where Larry would run to.

  One thing he was sure of was that Larry wouldn't go long without finding another boy to hurt. Larry never went more than a day without sex. It made Danny sick to think that there was a chance that someone else could have to go through what he did.

  He sat silent, watching Marshall order food, then tried not to groan at the smell as he took the bags to hold while they headed home.

  "Are you sure that you'll be okay living next door to Larry's house?" Marshall asked as he pulled out on the road again.

  "You know, I kind of feel good about it. It's like I'll be close to know if he comes back. I can look and see that no one is there, that no one is being hurt. Besides, if he was looking for me, right next door is probably the last place he'd look."

  "Are you worried about that? About him looking for you?"

  Danny wrapped his arms around himself, a cold chill running through him at the thought. "Maybe. He has to be so mad at me. He'll want to punish me for escaping."

  "You know you're safe at my place, right? I have a new alarm system that I had installed when I moved in, plus I do have guns locked in my room. You are safe now."

  He wasn't sure he'd ever feel safe, but it was a relief to hear there was an alarm. He wasn't sure how to feel about the guns. He knew nothing about them, but he had to trust if Marshall had them, he knew how to use them. "Thanks. I know you'll do all you can to keep me safe. I just wish I could do all this myself."

  "It won't be long until you can. You just need some time to get used to things and figure out what you want to do."

  "Do you work on computers?"

  Marshall glanced over at him for a second. "Yeah, it's what I do. I'm really good at it."

  "Did you mean it when you said you'd teach me how to use them?" He remembered computers being around, but he'd hardly gotten to use one when he'd lived with his mom. Only the ones at school were available, and the teachers hadn't let him on them often.

  "Yep, if you want to learn. Since you were taken when you're seven, I'm guessing you haven't had much time to learn things. Can you read well?"

  "Yeah, I can read. When Larry would lock me in the bathroom when he left the house, he'd leave me with books. I would sit for hours and read. I'm not good with math or numbers though. Most things I learned were from listening to the TV at night when Larry thought I was asleep. He made me sleep on his bedroom floor. He'd watch TV and even though I had to keep my eyes closed, I'd listen to the shows and the news." He wondered if Marshall watched the news at night. It would be strange to go to bed now without hearing the news.

  "Well, my plan is to give you a week or so to get used to things. We'll set you up with a therapist and get that going, but I think for the first while, you just need to get used to being free. I'm happy to help you learn anything you want, take you places, show you things, but don't push yourself right now. Just enjoy your freedom. I've got the next few days off work, but then I'll have to go in a bit, but if you're not comfortable being alone, I have a couple of friends who can come stay with you and keep you company. In fact, I think you'll like some of my friends when you meet them."

  Danny wondered about his friends from when he was younger. Would any of them still be around? He realized last night that Larry hadn't taken him very far from his home. He was less than an hour from where he'd grown up. Would he want to see his old friends again? Would they even remember him? "I don't know how I'd feel alone."

  "We'll deal with that when the time comes. I just want to make sure you know that you can do whatever you want. I want you to feel comfortable in my house and not nervous there. Make yourself comfortable. If you want to watch TV, watch it. If you want to play music, play it. If you want to go for a walk, I'd ask you to let me know you're leaving, but go out and see the area."

  The thought of walking around alone made him nervous. He wasn't sure he could do that. He'd be looking over his shoulder the whole time. "I think for now, I'll stay inside."

  Marshall slowed and Danny realized they were on the street where he lived. Danny fisted his hands as he saw the house where he'd been held. He wasn't surprised to see two police vehicles parked in front of it and several other people who looked like detectives moving around the front of the house.

  "I'm guessing they'll be going through the house for a few days." Marshall pulled into his driveway. "You okay?"

  "Yeah." He nodded, watching as two men carried bags of things from the front door. "What are they taking?"

  "Any evidence they can get. It could be computers, photos, journals, DNA evidence. Anything they can use to find Larry and prosecute him. Were there rooms you weren't allowed in?"

  "One, it was one of the other bedrooms. I never saw him go in there, but I'd hear him when I was locked in the bathroom sometimes and it sounded like he did. It was always locked. The boys were never allowed upstairs. Neither was I until the boys came. There are no windows or anything in the basement. You can see where there had been, but he cemented them in so I couldn't escape. In many ways, being down there was better. He would only come down when he wanted…" Danny ducked his head. "Once I moved upstairs, I had to deal with him all of the time even though he no longer came to me to do things to him."

  Marshall reached over and gripped Danny's knee gently. "It's over."

  "I know. I just can't forget." He swallowed hard, wondering if he ever would.

  "That's something that you'll work through in time." Marshall nodded to the house. "Let's go in and eat and get you set up in a room."

  "Thanks." He pushed the door open, trying not to look at the activity next door, but it was impossible. He wanted to know what the police had found inside. He forced himself to follow Marshall into the house, and to the kitchen.

  He hadn't really looked around when he'd been there before, but he did now. The place was really nice. It was also very clean. He wondered if that was because Marshall just moved in or if he was the type of person who made sure everything had a place and everything was always picked up. "It's a nice house."

  "Thanks. I like it. I moved here from a really shitty apartment, so it's nice to have some space to move around, but the main reason I bought it was the backyard. I love it out there. I hope to get a garden in next summer. My aunt always had a garden, and I loved working in it." Marshall pulled out a stool. "Have a seat."

  The food had his mouth watering. "Is it sad I'm excited for McDonald's?"

  "Not at all. I love fast food. I eat way too much of it. There're some new places you've got to try. We'll take it slow, but give all of them a try eventually. I'm actually excited to have the chance to introduce you to all my favorite things. In time, of course. I don't want to rush you going out in public, especially since your name is all over the news right now."

  "It is?" Danny's eyes went wide. The news was enough to distract him from his hunger. "What are they saying?"

  "Mostly they are focusing on when you went missing and just stating you've been found. I'm guessing the police have been pretty quiet about things so the media doesn't know much about where you've been held all these years. That won't la
st. I'm guessing they'll do a press conference eventually, but I'm pretty sure they won't do it without warning you first." Marshall pulled food out of the bag and placed it in front of each of them. "I am guessing it's only a matter of time before the news wants to try and get you to do interviews. Once they find out where you're staying, which I hope is a long time from now, you'll need to be careful about answering the door."

  Danny didn't know what to think. "Why would they want to talk to me?"

  "The media loves happy endings and you being found twelve years later is a happy ending in their eyes." Marshall picked up a French fry. "If you decide you want to talk to them, I'll support you, but if you want to stay out of sight for now, I'll make sure they don't bother you the best I can. This story has gone national. I looked it up on my phone today and major media outlets are talking about you. While this might help find Larry, it's going to be hell on you for a while."

  "What do I do?"

  "Do you want to talk to them?"

  "Not really. I wouldn't know what to say. I don't want to talk about things that happened." He was ashamed that people would guess what had been done to him. It was embarrassing and he was sure everyone blamed him for going off with Larry in the first place. He reached for his drink. "Will the police tell them everything?"

  "I don't think so. Probably just that you and the boys were found and who had you. They'll hopefully have pictures of Larry to show so people know who to watch for."

  He hated the thought of the boys dealing with all this too. He'd asked to see them before leaving the hospital, but both families refused any visitors. He didn't blame them, but he'd hoped the boys would want to see him. He didn't want them ever thinking he agreed with anything Larry had done. "I want to watch the news tonight and see what they say."

  "Okay, and if you want, we can look online and see there as well. Everything they know will be online."

  "I don't know how."

  "I'll teach you. It's not hard. As soon as we eat, I'll show you to your room, then when you want, we can go shopping and get you some clothes and other things. I didn't know your sizes to get you everything you'll need."