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"Faster, TK!"
Carlos and TK were running through the woods, weaving through the trees as best they could, ignoring the cuts the branches left on their bodies behind them. Carlos was in the lead, holding TK's hand firmly in his. Panic and anxiety showed on their exhausted faces, as they looked back over their shoulders every now and then, watching for any sign of their pursuers.
They only had their t-shirts and pants on. No shoes or sockets, no thicker clothes to fight the cold of this late October evening. But they didn't really feel the cold, not when they had been running for several minutes, sweat coating their panting bodies.
They had never thought of spending Halloween night like this. They never thought they were going to be kidnapped on their way to the party that Nancy and Mateo had thrown (they had planned to put their costumes at Nancy's house because the latter had declared that she and TK had a plan and that Carlos absolutely couldn't see TK's costume until Nancy was there to see his reaction - and film it, but she hadn't said that out loud). They never thought that by stopping to help a couple who seemed to be having car trouble, they would find themselves running through the woods, trying to escape their captors.
For whom all this was just a game. A macabre game in which they organized a manhunt. As if Carlos and TK were just common game that they took pleasure in hunting.
Carlos still remembered the moment he had been hit on the back of his head as he ducked down so he could see under the bonnet of the car's engine, and his fiancé's cry of alarm that had sounded just before he lost consciousness. He still remembered waking up in a cage afterwards. A cage big enough for him to sit up and move around a bit, but not big enough for him to stand up in. The headache that followed him upon waking up was quickly dismissed by the panic of waking up in such a place. A panic that had quickly increased when he realized that TK was not with him.
Of course he had tried to escape, to find a way to open this cage, but he had been stripped of his belongings and the iron bars of the cage could only be opened by a switch which was far away in the room. He had then decided to preserve his strength for later when his captors would appear before him. He had tried not to panic, not to think about the worst case scenarios he had already read or heard through his colleagues, but it was hard when he didn't even know if TK was okay or not.
He didn't know how long he had been in that cage before his captors finally came to see him. And he had expected everything, but maybe not this. Not those carnivorous smiles and cruel stares. Not those men and women who seemed perfectly normal, except for the fact that they were a family of cannibals who took pleasure in hunting their victims before eating them.
They had dragged him out of the cage, stuffing his head in a bag. He had tried to struggle, to get out of their grips, but their taser had gotten the better of his muscles. The jolt of electricity to his side had stunned him for a few moments, long enough for his captors to bring him wherever they wanted without problems.
When they had removed the bag from his head and he had recovered from the taser, he had then realized that they were in some kind of property in the middle of the woods which looked like a cottage. Nothing alarming on the outside, everything was in fact happening on the inside. And even if cries resounded from the cottage, the only witnesses of these were the animals. But he had all forgotten about that when he saw TK being pulled by other family members.
"TK!" he shouted as a man propelled his fiancé forward with his grip on his arm.
Carlos had managed to catch TK, holding him against him while the latter clung to him, relieved to see him too. They hadn't really had time to examine each other afterwards, the head of the family catching their attention by speaking up to explain the rules of the game.
They had to run. If they managed to escape, they had won. On the other hand, if they were caught, they would make dinner tomorrow. The man's speech had sent shivers down their spines, but they hadn't had a choice and hadn't really had time to think. They had started running.
They didn't know how long they had been running. Their exhausted bodies and trembling legs had been telling them for too long, but they had no other choice. They couldn't really rest. Not when they were being chased by a family of bloodthirsty lunatics. The problem was that Carlos knew they wouldn't hold out much longer. He could feel TK slowing down behind him, his hand starting to pull on Carlos' one. Even Carlos felt his lungs begin to burn as a stitch in his side started to hurt and take his breath away. But if they didn't want to end up in a chopper or under a kitchen knife, they had no choice.
"Come on, TK," he gasped between breaths, trying to inject encouragement into his voice.
TK didn't answer him but squeezed his fingers around his hand to let him know he was trying. They continued like this some more until one of them finally gave in without wanting to. It was TK whose left foot landed on a sharp rock that badly nicked his arch when his foot slipped off the wet surface of the rock in the evening dew, before twisting his ankle when he tried to put his foot down but it could not support the weight of his body.
Carlos heard TK's involuntary little cry, then felt his hand suddenly lose contact with TK's. The latter fell heavily to the ground while Carlos continued a few steps, pushed in his tracks. However, he stopped abruptly and turned around, his heart pounding heavily in his chest.
"TK!"
He rushed to join his fiancé who was struggling to get up from the earth. Carlos guided him so he could sit up more properly then put a hand to his face so he could get a better look at him.
"What's wrong, babe? Tell me."
"My… my foot," TK replied between gasps.
His hands were all shaking as he guided them to his left foot. Carlos followed suit and moved around so he could get a better look at TK's ankle and foot. It was hard to see things well in the dim light, when the only light source happened to be a last crescent moon. But he couldn't stop a grimace from stretching his face when he saw a rather deep and bleeding gash among other abrasions, as well as an ankle that was already starting to double in size.
"TK…"
The latter noticed the edge of anxiety and pain in his voice and shook his head. Both knew what this injury meant. They couldn't go on like this any longer. They couldn't run anymore, or at least TK couldn't. Because, even if he tried, his body couldn't. His limbs were shaking and he was out of breath. Carlos was no better, their enforced break forcing his brain to listen to his body's signals.
However they couldn't stay here. They couldn't afford to stay out in the open as they were hounded by people wanting to eat them. They didn't seem close to them but Carlos knew that didn't mean anything. It was their hunting ground, they surely knew the place perfectly well and used it as they pleased during these manhunting parties.
But if they thought TK and he were going to give up that easily, they were completely mistaken. They couldn't run anymore, but it was out of the question for Carlos to give up. It might not be his hunting ground, but he was a cop. So he used his training and took a deep breath before exhaling to regain control, ignoring his side stitch that burned. His hands stopped shaking and he focused on the present, and more specifically on his fiancé's bleeding wound. TK noticed his gaze and spoke up.
"We can't do much here, we just have to bandage the wound until we find help."
Carlos nodded in understanding and released TK's foot which he placed gently on his thigh before grabbing his t-shirt and tearing off a large strip of it. He noticed the expression on his fiancé's face who was watching him with a raised eyebrow and let out an amused smile despite the situation as he tore the piece of fabric into two pieces.
"What?"
"I was just thinking that if it was in another situation, I would find it so hot."
Carlos didn't doubt his fiancé's words, knowing full well what his strength and muscles were doing to him. And while the timing was definitely not appropriate, it didn't leave him unmoved either, a smile tugging his lips briefly. But he didn't add anything, preferring to focus on TK's injury. The latter winced in pain as Carlos applied one of the two pieces of fabric to the wound before bandage the foot with the other strip.
"It's not very hygienic and it's definitely not the work of a paramedic, but it should do," Carlos said as he tied the cloth after making sure it was tight enough to compress the wound.
TK peered expertly at the bandage then smiled reassuringly at his fiancé.
"For someone who's not a paramedic, you're doing pretty well, babe."
"I have the best teacher, that's why."
They exchanged a knowing look before reality hit them a few seconds later.
"We can't stay here," Carlos announced.
TK nodded and, with Carlos' help, stood up. He tested his left foot but quickly realized he couldn't put weight on that foot, suppressing a cry of pain in the process.
"Lean on me, babe," Carlos whispered to him, wrapping an arm around his fiancé's waist in support.
"I didn't ask you earlier, but how's your head?" TK inquired after a few seconds of silence. "They got you good when they knocked you out."
Carlos shrugged. To tell the truth, he had forgotten this fact. His head ached a little but it was more like an afterthought. If he didn't think about it, he could forget this pain.
"It's okay," he finally replied, remaining evasive.
He couldn't see the dubious look that TK gave him, but he had no trouble feeling it on him.
"Are you sure? I should examine you," TK began to fidget, stopping in his tracks which forced Carlos to do the same.
"TK, I assure you I'm fine. You can check me out when we find help, okay? But for that, we have to keep moving."
Carlos didn't let go of TK's gaze, determined to win this battle. The latter seemed to understand this and reluctantly capitulated.
"You won't complain then when I examine you from every angle," TK warned him, waving a finger.
"I promise, paramedic Strand."
Eventually they got back on their way, navigating through the branches and foliage of the woods. They didn't speak, the only sound escaping them being that of their breathing as well as a few hisses of pain from TK when the wound in his foot became more painful at times. They went much slower than before but tried not to focus on that fact. Just like the fact that they didn't know where they were going and if they were getting closer to a place where they could find help, or on the contrary, if they were going a little deeper into the woods.
"Babe," TK warned just before his left leg gave out.
Carlos followed TK down to the ground, helping him to rest against an overturned tree trunk next to them, before examining him. It was clear that his foot was hurting from the drawn features of his face as well as the layer of sweat covering it. A foot that continued to bleed he saw from the blood-soaked bandage.
"I…I'm sorry, babe," TK whispered as he caught his breath while fighting back the tears that were starting to well up in his eyes.
The young paramedic felt guilty for slowing them down, for needing a break when they didn't really have time for one. And even though Carlos' instinct was telling him to hurry up and not wait another second, that time was running out, he took the time to cup TK's face and caress his cheeks with his thumbs.
"No, don't be," he whispered to him, shaking his head.
He could feel TK's body shaking against his, but he wasn't sure if it was fatigue, adrenaline, coldness, or some combination of the three. He too felt the same effects. Now that they weren't running anymore, their sweat had cooled on their bodies and the cool night air in the forest wasn't helping. They needed to stop, to find a safe place or even a hiding place where they could gather strength and warm up. Of course, they had none of that here. They had no choice but to keep moving forward.
"I'm wasting our time," TK contradicted.
"You're not the one chasing us, babe. If there's anyone to blame here, it's this family of cannibals."
TK scoffed while rolling his eyes.
"It's our luck to meet a family of cannibals who want to eat us."
"What do you want, I already told you that you look good enough to eat."
It wasn't really the time to joke or to make innuendo, but despite the urgency, Carlos needed to reassure TK, to distract him even a little from this situation. And it worked because TK uttered a small cry of indignation.
"But don't worry, I'm not going to let them eat you," Carlos added before kissing his fiancé, thus hiding his answer.
Then he let go of him and turned around, presenting his back to him under TK's surprised gaze.
"Come on up," he urged him, looking over his shoulder.
"I can walk," TK protested.
"I know, but we'll go faster that way."
TK didn't move, continuing to stare at Carlos in the eyes.
"Can you even bear my weight? My foot is better, I promise."
And as if to support his words, TK tried to straighten up but made the mistake of leaning on his injured foot which did not hold his weight, giving up on him and making him moan in pain. Carlos rolled his eyes.
"One, you know very well that I am able to support your weight. It's not the first time I've carried you. Two, stop being as stubborn as a mule and climb on my back."
TK finally gave in and approached Carlos. He gently leaned his chest against his fiancé's back and circled his shoulders with his arms as Carlos carefully stood up to avoid losing his balance from the extra weight on his back. Straightening up, he slipped his hands under TK's thighs and hoisted him a little more on his back. Then he started walking again.
"You sure I'm not too heavy?" TK asked after a few minutes.
In truth, TK was not too heavy for Carlos. He regularly lifted his weight and even more in the gym. And it wasn't like Carlos had never carried TK, even if it was more for basic fun activities. But his legs and arms were on fire from the frantic running earlier. And he was tired. The blow to the head he had received was starting to hurt again now that he no longer had that adrenaline rush. However, he said none of this so as not to worry his fiancé and shook his head.
They continued to move in silence, attentive to their surroundings, watching for the slightest noise, the slightest creak between two trees that could signify the position of their enemies. The further they progressed, losing track of time at the same time, the more they couldn't help letting their guard down, their fatigue playing a big part in it. Carlos continued to move at the same brisk pace from the beginning, but TK was beginning to see that it was costing him more and more. He could feel him shaking against his body, his hands gripping his thighs a little more as if afraid to let go.
"Babe…" he started to say but was interrupted by a noise a little farther to their right.
Carlos turned towards the noise, TK following the movement with his head, and they saw too late a large branch suspended in the air coming very quickly towards them. Carlos tried to step back but didn't have time to avoid the branch which hit him in the chest. He then lost his breath and balance, crying out in surprise and dropping TK at the same time who unfortunately fell on his injured foot which caused him a cry of pain. Carlos tried to straighten up quickly, one hand on his chest where the branch had hit him.
"TK!" the officer shouted, looking for his fiancé with his eyes.
"Carlos!" TK replied, standing up too. "You okay?"
But they were quickly cut off by the family surrounding them, mocking laughter escaping their lips, and all with a different weapon in their hands. Bat, knife, pistol and even an electric baton.
"I'm surprised you've managed to avoid all our traps so far," a man in his thirties who looked like the head of the family said.
He held in his hands the branch that had been used to unbalance Carlos. A branch that was suspended from two trees thanks to a clever system of threads.
"You were this close to succeeding in escaping," a woman of the same age, blonde with brown eyes, announced accompanying her words with a gesture of the hand to emphasize the expression "this close".
She looked like the man who had the same characteristics that the head of the family, making them probably siblings.
"But too bad for you," she added, shrugging her shoulders, "you lost, and so we won."
"If you think we're going to give up," TK warned them, trying to straighten up to his full height.
"Please, don't give up," a man of their age replied, his hungry eyes meeting TK's. "On the contrary, your flesh will only have more flavor."
TK couldn't help but shiver, these words and this gaze sending chills down his spine. As for Carlos, he suppressed his disgust by clenching his fists, moving closer to his fiancé so he could support him.
"They're yours, boys," the only woman in the group announced.
Immediately after, the "boys", four in number, rushed on TK and Carlos who prepared for their arrival. They couldn't run away, Carlos might have a chance but it was out of the question for him to abandon TK, the question didn't even arise. So they faced these men, back to back in an effort to protect each other's backs, and gave it all their best to try to get out of this situation.
Suddenly, Carlos let out a cry as TK felt his body jerk against his back.
"Carlos!"
TK involuntarily started to turn around to get a better look at his fiancé who started to bend over, but he was soon stopped by hands grabbing his arms and pulling him towards the owner of these hands. His change of position then allowed him to see one of the cannibals leaning towards his fiancé with the electric baton in hand, ready to strike him a second time on his uncovered side.
"Carlos!" TK shouted again, writhing fiercely in the hands of his captors.
"Shut up," the man who held him tightly ordered.
Then the man, who was stronger and more imposing than TK, grabbed a tuft of his hair and slid the tip of his blade against his cheek.
"Don't worry about him, worry about yourself instead."
TK stopped immediately, frozen by the threat of the knife which delicately caressed the skin of his face then of his neck. He was no longer in a balanced position, his body gripped by the arms of his captor who imposed his weight against his back, forcing him to bend slightly forward and raise his left foot if he didn't want all his weight to rest on it.
"TK!" Carlos exclaimed, who was on the ground, slightly curled up on his right side, his arms around his chest as if to protect it, his lower lip bleeding slightly at the corner, his eyes riveted on the blade of the knife which threatened his fiance.
Desperation could be read in the eyes of the officer who didn't know how they were going to get out of this. A desperation that was also reflected in the eyes of the paramedic. They looked for each other and then didn't let go, even when their captors started talking, laughing at their forced capitulation.
****"You know what's most appetizing when you're chasing men," the woman said, approaching and stepping between the two groups. "It's seeing the desperation in their eyes. That same desperation in your eyes right now. The one that means you know what's going to happen."
"It makes the meat taste better," the man holding TK against him added.
Then, as if to back up his statement, he lightly nicked TK's cheek, who hissed in pain, then brought the tip of the blade to his mouth and lapped up the blood left by the cut.
"Excellent," he whispered in TK's ear, licking his lips to show he was enjoying what he had just tasted.
TK shuddered in disgust as he closed his eyes for a moment to try to control the wave of panic washing over him at those words and actions. When he opened his eyes, his green irises immediately met Carlos's worried brown ones.
"Don't forget what dad taught us, Kyle," the man with the baton standing behind Carlos said. "It's not good to play with your food."
The so-called Kyle made a noise of disdain.
"You can talk, Ben! Didn't you just have fun with your meat by any chance?"
Ben played with his weapon, amusing himself by pushing it against Carlos' side who expected to receive another shock. Nothing came, however, but that didn't prevent the cannibal from having fun by seeing him tense.
"It makes the meat juicier," he explained with a shrug.****
"Come on, boys. Let's not hang around here anymore, we still have a long preparation before we can sit down to eat."
The brothers listened to their sister, two of them including Ben picked Carlos up and forced him forward. Kyle didn't let go of TK and also forced him forward despite the injury to his foot. TK and Carlos exchanged a look and then a barely perceptible nod. If they wanted to have one last chance to get out of this, it was now that they had to act, when their captors thought they had won and therefore had released their attention.
They waited a bit, TK waiting for the signal from Carlos who was now a little further ahead of him. He didn't wait very long. His heart still skipped a beat when he saw Carlos suddenly collapse.
"Hey!" Ben exclaimed, stopping abruptly.
The latter leaned slightly but was surprised when Carlos suddenly whirled around while snatching the electric baton from him. Then with a flick of the hand, increased the voltage of the weapon and drove the electric end into Ben's ribs.
"So what do you say to that, douchebag," Carlos couldn't help but spit as he saw the guy collapse to the ground, his body spasming.
The other siblings screamed but TK took advantage of the commotion to bend slightly on his knees then push on his legs to gain momentum so he could forcefully ram into the head of whoever was holding him. The latter screamed and released him, recoiling from the pain of his broken nose.
"Fuck! You broke my nose, motherfucker!" the cannibal shouted while he held his hand to his nose which had started dripping with blood. "You will pay for that!"
TK didn't give him time to do anything, he hit him again in the nose.
"It's more than your nose I should break, asshole," TK replied watching him pass out.
"TK!" Carlos warned who had witnessed the scene and now saw another man approaching his fiancé with a bat in his hand.
He was far too away and far too busy with his own fight to help him. He had just knocked out the second man who had picked him up and was now dodging the attacks of the only woman in the group. TK narrowly avoided the bat which was aimed at his head then threw himself on the man like a rugby player who tackled his opponent on the ground. The two men struggled for a moment to get the upper hand on the other but the cannibal ended up succeeding by pinning TK to the ground and choking him with his baseball bat. TK tried to wriggle out of his position but the man held a firm position on him and gave him no room to try to pry the bat.
As his breath began to fail him and his body began to go numb from the lack of oxygen, the body of the man above him jerked before falling limply on TK, releasing the pressure from the baseball bat. Catching his breath heavily, TK almost lost it again when he saw Carlos standing in front of him, the electric baton firmly in his hand. He couldn't help finding him hot like this.
"I believe you have found a new friend," TK instead said as he looked down at the weapon in his fiancé's hands.
"I was tired of him not being on my side," Carlos managed to say, reassured to see his fiancé speaking.
Carlos helped TK up by roughly pushing the man off his fiancé and guiding him to his feet. TK scanned the scene with his eyes, noticing that all the cannibals were on the ground, all seeming to be unconscious.
"Woah babe!" he exclaimed as he looked at his fiancé with slightly wide eyes.
"I told you I wasn't going to let them eat you," Carlos answered with a mischievous smile. "But let's not stay there, they won't stay unconscious for long."
TK nodded. Together they started to move as quickly as possible away from the scene, supporting each other with their arms (although Carlos still hadn't let go of the electric baton). The adrenaline helped them put some distance, but they still managed to hear the cries of their captors who had probably just woken up.
"Come on, babe," Carlos encouraged him, feeling the anxiety invade him again.
He had managed to beat them once, but he wasn't sure he could repeat that feat. Not when the pain in his ribs and right side was throbbing terribly and his head was starting to spin. Not when TK wasn't fine either with his foot starting to give way under his weight and seeming to have a little more trouble breathing properly. They were both exhausted, clinging on with all the determination they had left. If they stopped again, it was over, and they knew it.
They continued despite the shouts behind them, no longer trying to pay attention to what was behind them or the noises they were making. Their only goal being to leave this forest which would certainly remain in their nightmares for a long time. But TK's body got the better of him, the weight of it not supported by his left foot, which could no longer keep going on. TK fell in a cry of pain, dragging Carlos with him in his fall.
"I… I'm sorry, babe," the paramedic said with a shaky voice.
"It's nothing, it's nothing, Ty," Carlos reassured him, taking him in his arms and bringing him against his chest.
He kissed his temple while letting his eyes wander around, watching for the slightest sign of their captors. Then he felt TK take a deep breath before moving away from him.
"I… I can get up."
Carlos could see the determination in his fiancé's eyes but a look at his foot made him wince. The bandage, completely soaked in blood, no longer covered TK's wound which seemed to have worsened from stepping on it. Not to mention his ankle, which had doubled in size and was covered with a big bruise. Despite all the determination of his fiancé, Carlos didn't think that he would even manage to graze the ground with his foot.
"Babe, your foot," he couldn't help saying, not seeing what he could do to help TK.
TK understood though and bit his lip to keep tears of frustration and pain from rolling down his cheeks. Carlos removed his lip from his teeth with a gesture of his thumb as he slid his hand over his face, wiping away the tears that had managed to escape from his eyes, before pressing his forehead to his fiancé's.
"We'll get out of there, okay?" Carlos whispered against his lips.
TK nodded as one of his hands rested on the back of Carlos's neck. They savored this contact for a moment, each drawing strength from the other. Until they heard their names in the distance. The voices weren't all close, but they had no trouble recognizing their family.
"They found us," TK said, his voice cracking again but with relief.
"They found us," Carlos repeated feeling like he could cry from relief.
However they realized that their nightmare was not over when they heard a branch snap just a few steps behind them, in the direction of their pursuers. Carlos stood up immediately, positioning himself in front of TK and brandishing the electric baton in the direction of the danger. The voices calling out their names should be enough to scare off their captors, but people could be really unpredictable at times when danger backed you into a corner.
Carlos felt TK grabbing his t-shirt from behind and wanted to reassure him, but he didn't dare take his eyes off the place where the noise had come from. He waited a moment, his heart beating heavily in his chest. Then when he thought it was just a false alarm, that there was nothing, he heard someone coming from their right.
"Carlos! TK!" the voice of Gabriel Reyes called close to them.
Carlos' body relaxed even before he saw his father with his own eyes. But when he actually saw him, Carlos felt a huge weight lift off his shoulders. His legs gave out with the relief washing over him, and he dropped down next to TK, immediately pulling him against him when he felt him move closer to him.
"Carlitos! TK! Dios mío! I found you!" the Texas Ranger exclaimed running towards them. "Owen! I found them!"
The Texas Ranger fell to his knees in front of them and hesitated for a moment, not knowing what to do with his hands.
"You found us, Dad," Carlos repeated as if he couldn't believe it.
Gabriel ended up putting his hands on one of the shoulders of TK and Carlos, squeezing them delicately, examining in turn his son then his future son-in-law.
"Of course I found you. Did you really doubt your old father?" the Ranger asked, falsely offended but not hiding his relief from his voice.
Carlos shook negatively his head.
"TK! Carlos!" several voices exclaimed, including Owen's, who came to join them next to Gabriel.
"Dad," TK whispered.
Owen didn't wait another second to take his son in his arms and kiss his head while closing his eyes. Then, without letting go of TK, pulled Carlos into his embrace and hugged the two young men to him.
"Thank God, you're fine," he said before finally letting them go.
TK and Carlos weren't "fine", but they understood what Owen meant. They weren't dead or dying.
"You all came," TK wondered, seeing all their firefam standing in front of them.
Nancy, who had moved closer, shrugged as she bent down to begin examining her partner. Tommy did the same with Carlos.
"You didn't come to our party," she explained. "The first party that Mateo and I organized."
"And the party couldn't start without you," Mateo added who stood between Paul and Marjan who nodded at the young firefighter's words.
"A party that will have to take place after a little stint at the hospital, I'm afraid," Tommy commented.
"Halloween is overrated anyway," Paul said, shrugging.
"Who says you need Halloween to have a fancy dress party," Marjan added.
TK and Carlos listened to their friends then exchanged a look and a smile, their hands clenching a little tighter together.
In a few hours, they would find themselves sharing a bed in a double hospital bed room (the second bed remaining unoccupied for the amusement or the annoyance of certain hospital staff because Carlos and TK would refuse to let go of each other even for a second). They would be relieved to know their captors behind bars (or dead for some who had tried to retaliate against the Texas Rangers). They will have to relive the last events when they were going to have to give their testimony or when their body and brain would be no longer so exhausted to allow them to spend a few hours of peaceful sleep.
But for now, they just wanted to focus on the fact that they were still alive and still there together and with their family.
THE END