Chained to You

[MiharuAya]

As Cameron moved quietly towards Adam, his head swiveled back and forth as he gave his surroundings one last look. With a nod, he gently placed a foot into Adam's hands. For a moment he hesitated putting his full weight onto the other, but he still wasn't able to see into the window.

With a deep breath, his other leg lifted so that his knee could rest on Adam's shoulder, carefully avoiding his head. Cameron reached up to grab the wooden frame of the window, helping to steady himself. "You good?" He whispered, glancing down at Adam.

When Cameron poked his head up, he peered in through the window. The barn was dark, as the window cast long shadows across the floor. As he squinted to see, it appeared that it was uninhabited. "It's pretty dark…So I don't think there is anyone inside," He said softly, still glancing around and trying to get a better look inside.

 

[Kuno]

For a kid that looked like they weighed eighty pounds soaking wet, Cameron sure was heavy.

Like an ox, Adam grunted, the only audible affirmation to his chain mate. The weight on his shoulders was a good deterrent for conversation; tilting his head a bit, he held on some to Cameron's lower leg to stabilize him.

So he didn't see anyone?

"What about the door?" Adam said low, barely audible. "See any locks? Dogs?"

He wished he could take a look himself. Not that he didn't trust Cameron--which he didn't--but a fresh pair of eyes was good for any situation.

Ah well. Guess they'd see when they bust in. They could add B&E to his hefty charge of escape too.

"Alright, get down. Let's get in and take a look "

 

[MiharuAya]

When Adam asked about the door, Cameron glanced towards the barn's double wooden doors. He squinted as he tried to peer through the darkness, but it really wasn't much help. "It's dark as hell," Cameron grumbled, head going back to peeking around in search of a guard dog. "I can hardly see. Do you expect me to have night vision or something?" He huffed, biting the corner of his lip in a petulant pout.

As soon as Adam mentioned him getting down, Cameron was more than happy to oblige. With the tinge of irritation running through him, his descent was much less gentle than his ascent. He climbed down and took a step back to form some distance. Now that he wasn't in the other's arms, he was feeling a little less hot-headed.

"Okay, let's go." Cameron agreed, walking towards the corner of the barn. As he reached the corner, he peeked his head out to look for any signs of people. Though, it still looked pretty abandoned. "It looks clear," He whispered to Adam.

 

[Kuno]

Adam wasn't particularly listening to Cameron.

The mind tended to concoct things in a state of panic. Things moved in the shadows, and sounds rustled in the dark. Adam, for all his calm, stoic demeanor, was on edge and it showed; his face pinched, his head moved on a constant swivel, his eyes chasing figments of his imagination.

He would feel better once they were inside. Acknowledging his prisonmate's words with nothing but a nod, the taller man pushed forward, pressing open the door. He stiffened when it creaked, but he kept going, the faint moonlight behind illuminating the cloying darkness. It was nearly impossible to see anything at first. At length, Adam was finally able to make out some tools in the far right corner. Some barrels sat beneath the window they had first looked through, and a few bales of hay had been left by the door.

The place looked abandoned. At the very least, it had not held animals or people for months, maybe even years.

Adam released a shaky breath he'd unconsciously been holding.

"Alright. Alright." He was muttering, he realized, and he cleared his throat, speaking louder. "We can stay here tonight, maybe. In the morning we can try and cut this goddamn chain off. We can-"

His eyes flickered to the hay, twitching. Jesus. What were they, cattle now? He guessed beggars couldn't be choosers.

"Maybe we can lay on that hay. Its...better than nothing."

 

[MiharuAya]

While Cameron sat at the corner of the barn, he was more than happy to let Adam go before him. Although he was pretty sure he hadn't seen anything, he still didn't want to be the first one entering the barn. If there indeed had been a guard dog, or a person hiding in the shadows, having a human shield would improve his odds significantly.

When Adam finally opened the barn door, Cameron carefully peeked his head inside. It appeared that the place was abandoned, and had been long since been forgotten about. 'Oh thank god," He sighed in relief, letting his tense shoulder drop.

As Adam spoke Cameron wiped the rain and sweat from his brow, glancing around the barn the best he could, "I guess it's better then out there," He grumbled, a pout forming on his lips. "And the sooner we can get this thing off the better," Cameron added, tugging on the chain for emphasis.

However, at the mention of sleeping in hay Cameron was suddenly less agreeable. "You want us to sleep in hay?" He was in total disbelief as if he couldn't comprehend what he just heard. "Like, where animals sleep? Do you know how uncomfortable that would be? And just look at this place, it's probably full of bugs and rats." A look of utter disgust pulled at his face.

 

[Kuno]

The rings under Adam's eyes were no more pronounced than they were as he turned to look at Cameron, the shadows aging him unnaturally. He probably had a concussion; his head throbbed still, and anxiety was stirring a bit of sick in his stomach, the exhaustion in his body weighing him down. It made him want to curse out this criminal chained to him.

Except he didn't have the energy to do anything, not even lash out. He stared blearily at Cameron, waiting for the right words. They never came, and eventually he just gave up.

"You have a better idea?" The question, while barbed, was honest. He really wanted to know. "Because if not, we might freeze. We can keep looking around, but we might find much without light to help us out."

If only the bus hadn't crashed. Jail, as odious and unsavory as it had been before, now seemed like an oasis in a scorching desert. At the very least, hot meals and beds were promised there, even if the threat of a shiv in the shower was ever present. Here, in this abandoned barn, with the threat of cops on their heels and a complaining stranger shackled to him? He would have hedged his bets in the penitentiary.

But then...he would have died in there, guilty in the eyes of his peers and the court of law.

No. It was unacceptable.

"Let's hear it then," Adam said sharply, "Well? What do you want to do?"

 

[MiharuAya]

Perhaps if Cameron could see the tiredness on Adam's face, or feel what it was like to be inside of his battered body, then maybe he would be a little more sympathetic. But he couldn't. Instead, his thoughts were filled with his own selfish desires, a hearty meal, a warm bed, and cozy socks to slip his aching feet into. It was a fairytale compared to this hellhole they currently resided in.

When Adam asked if he had a better idea, even prodding him further with a sharper tone, Cameron scowled. The brunette narrowed his eyes as he tried to glance around the barn, though even with his angry determination he was still unable to see through the darkness.

After a few long moments, he gave a reluctant sigh, "Fine, whatever." He complied, though it was obvious by his tone he was not the least bit pleased. "But you have to check it first," Cameron ordered, crossing his arms and giving a pointed look to the pile of hay. "Make sure there arent any surprises when we lay down."

 

[Kuno]

In answer, Adam simply gave the hay pile a strong kick. The foundation wasn't strong to begin with; like toppling dominoes, the layers shifted and flattened onto the ground, rustling amongst the shadows. The bristles were the only thing to move. No squeaks were heard, no pitter patter of tiny feet sounded, and - mira, if there had been spiders, they would have never been able to tell anyways.

It wasn't the Ritz-Carlton. But it would do.

It didn't really matter if Cameron agreed with his solution or not. Adam weighed more than him; when he started to go down, no choice was really left for the other guy, lest he liked getting yanked around by their metal leash. The hay rolled into his skin as he settled onto the ground. Even still, the weight off his body instantly relaxed him, and it wasn't much longer before his eyes closed. His final thoughts before he drifted to sleep were of prison. People imagined the worst when it came to prison, himself included. Funny; he never thought he'd find himself in a position where he would have preferred prison.

He blamed the hit to his head.

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

Later that night...

"So what's the damage? Lay it on me straight."

"One totaled bus, seven injured inmates along with Todd the driver, and-- oh. You meant...yeah. Six unaccounted for."

"Jesus."

"Yeah, that's one of em."

"Don't get cute," Toni snapped. Wisps of smoke curled around the woman's face from her cigarette in angry tendrils, as if steam was coming out of her ears. Maybe it really was coming out of her ears. Hard and flinty, Toni's gaze went to the overturned prison bus.

It was a miracle anyone had survived. Beyond the yellow crime scene tape and flashing red and blue lights of the squad cars, the empty husk of the bus sat on its side in the rain. The beat cops had commandeered all the uninjured prisoners in a line on their knees while they waited for transport. About thirty minutes ago, they had done roll call. The numbers had been off for inmate-to-be.

That's when Karl had called Toni.

"How many cars came through here?" Karl was asking Todd, the bus driver. Poor sucker's arm was bent at an odd angle...not that that had garnered any sympathy from Toni.

The pudgy man scratched his bruised face, grimacing. "I dunno, a black charger came first. Then a van--"

"See any prisoners get in?" Toni cut in. The detective took an impatient huff of her cigarette.

"Y-Yeah, like 2 or 3 guys--"

"Had to be 2 or 4. They were chained in pairs, Todd."

"Uh, well, yeah. Then 4, maybe."

Eyewitnesses. So darn useful and at the same time utterly misleading. Toni whipped out her phone, quickly typing in some notes as the man gave the rest of his jumbled witness statement. Black charger, white van, eastbound driving, six fugitives, she jotted down. Jesus. To think she'd left her husband alone in their bed for this.

"I need you to call the DMV and try and run the plate numbers he gave us," Toni asked her partner as they left the ambulance, "And I need to know the plead bargains of the fugitives."

"What for?" Karl scoffed. He may have been older than her, but he bore all the impatience of a young man. "They were convicted. Who cares."

"If they pled innocent, they might have more resources available. Friends, family, coworkers - anyone willing to buy their story."

"Sure, sure. Here-"

Karl slipped a folder into her hands. Toni opened it, pausing it to look at the youthful face peering up at her.

"Cameron, huh?" She looked up, closing the folder smartly. "Let's start with his family."

 

[MiharuAya]

While Cameron watched Adam lazily kick the pile of hay, it was safe to say he was quite unimpressed. Was it so much to ask for the other to give his complaint just the tiniest bit of consideration? Cameron wasn't expecting Adam to get on his knees and inspect each piece of straw, but a measly kick? It was like he was trying to get on his nerves.

In the darkness of the barn, the pile looked more like a malleable blob. With each gust of air, the bristles shifted and rustled on the ground. If there was something inside, it would be extremely hard to tell. Which, only made Cameron more paranoid.

When Adam suddenly moved to lay down, Cameron found himself being pulled down as well. Even as he tried to dig his heels into the ground, his arm was yanked downward and he eventually gave in. As he came to his knees, he felt the straw give way to his weight. He wouldn't really call it comfortable, though he supposed it was better than the hard ground.

As he went to lay down, its rough texture brushed against Cameron's skin. It felt itchy, and with each random poke of straw, he panicked thinking it was a spider. While each noise he thought was a rat. His wet clothes stuck to his body, and his body shivered. This sucks, he thought to himself. It was then that he realized that Adam was fast asleep. Cameron huffed, "How can you sleep like this?" He whispered, barely audible.

The night continued to drag on while Cameron was still unable to sleep. His arms curled around himself as he trembled in the cold, while his body ached likely from the crash. With a sullen sigh, he finally thought, whatever. Cameron carefully moved closer to Adam. The youth rested his head on the other's arm like a pillow, while cuddling close to his body for warmth.

Cameron sighed with contentment, feeling much more comfortable with his human pillow and heater. Although it still wasn't ideal, he eventually fell asleep.

 

[Kuno]

Adam was fortunate in that he passed out before falling asleep. Sleep was a dark, enfolding miasma of nothingness left untouched by specters of his memory. Nothing pierced it; not a sound, not an image, and not a smell. A small reprieve for the day's events.

By the time morning came, the man abruptly came out of it. His eyes popped open on a sudden and panicked reflex, and they were rudely met by a strip of sunlight petering in through a barn roof. Instinctively, his hand rose to block it, his eyes squinting. Sunlight? Already? And then it dawned on him: the sun was high in the sky, high enough to half blind him when he woke.

Jesus. What time was it?

Vaguely, Adam recognized a weight on his other arm. When he looked, there was Cameron's head resting against his other arm. The guy was fast asleep. Adam stared at the man's smooth, slackened face, his lashes black against his skin in the natural light. There was just something about sleep that softened even the hardest individual; the sins of the day were reformed by a night's rest, and innocence drew to one's cheeks readily. Cameron looked young, docile, peaceable...not at all what his antics the night before had conveyed.

He hated to disrupt that, but, eh...

Adam sat up, wincing. His head had dulled tremendously in pain, but it still throbbed a bit rebelliously in return. He didn't care. Shielding his eyes still, he took a look around the barn. It was smaller than what he'd thought; besides the hay bales he'd unceremoniously toppled last night, the furnishings within the barn were sparse, with a few tools along the wall. A rusted rake, a shovel, a pail on a hook, a shed--

A shed?

His eyes brightened. Slowly, he shook his companion besides him.

"Cameron. Cameron, wake up."

 

[MiharuAya]

It felt like Cameron had just shut his eyes when his head suddenly fell, stuffing his face full of hay. He could hear his name being called, though it sounded distant from his drowsy mind. As a hand began to shake him awake, he tried to lazily swat it away. His eyes blinked open, looking around his unfamiliar surroundings in a confused haze. "Huh? What's happening?" He mumbled in a groggy voice, still half asleep.

Cameron sluggishly sat up, wiping the sleep from his eyes. While he glanced around the barn, the memories started coming back to him, along with the physical reminder. "Ah, man." He groaned, laying back down on the makeshift bed of hay. "My neck hurts like hell," Cameron whined, rubbing at the back of his neck as he yawned. As if he had just remembered, he added, "Oh, yeah. How's your head?"

After a moment, he turned towards Adam, "What time do you think it is?" The youth asked, peering up at the sun shining through the slits in the wooden roof. Cameron wasn't much of an outdoorsy person, but if he had to guess it was probably at least late morning if not afternoon.