"A cry in the dark" - A Ledgic story

Right, this one is about Ledgic's childhood. This features brutality against a child, so, if you feel you'd be upset by that content, I'd advise you don't read this.

“A cry in the dark”

A swift boot to the head..
A face smashed against the ground..
A boy held against a wall..
A boy dropped down..

“I think ‘e’s ‘ad enough”
“Tha’ll teach the lil’ shit t’go aroun’ cryin’”

A whimper in the dark..

“Don’ ye start cryin’ again!”

A silent tear down a cheek..

“C’mon, s’leave ‘im, s’feckin’ pathetic”

A small boy flinched on the dirty wooden floor at the sound of a door slamming near him. He lifted his head to make sure his parents had left the room, tears and blood streaming down his face, fusing into one before delicately dripping onto the crooked floorboards.

He slowly pulled himself up with a cry and some further tears until he was sat up, he slowly peered around his room, his arms clutched around himself with strength, as if he feared that they would burst into the room again at any given moment.

Not only was he terrified of his parents but the room in which he called “home” terrified him as well. The windows were smashed, allowing rain and insects in without trouble, his bed was crooked and worn from the beatings he had received while hiding in or under it, the only thing close to a childhood toy was a small stuffed bear, both arms and legs had been ripped off by older children in the village.

Ledgic had always been different to the rest of him, he did not want to fight; he did not want to learn how to fight. The Caan’s were notorious for their evil deeds, all of them proud of their status as bandits or murderers. Ledgic was a child with a hole in his heart, a young boy trapped amongst monsters.

Everywhere he turned he was faced with fear and pain, not a single person in the village had ever shown him an ounce of kindness, he was always in pain, he was always alone. They hated him more so because he would weep all the time, as if his eyes could not hold the tears within him, barely a moment would pass by each day where Ledgic’s face was not dampened with his own tears.

He brought a small hand to his nose and carefully wiped at it, wincing at every rub of skin against skin, the wincing only bringing more tears from his eyes. He pulled the hand away from his face and peered at the blood, it was nothing new to him and yet the very sight of it only filled him with more sadness.

With a slight yelp he slowly pulled himself to his feet and stared down at himself, the tattered clothing he wore did nothing to hide the cuts and bruises that covered his entire body, many of which would form scars that would forever remind him of these times.

With carefully measured steps he turned and walked towards his poor excuse for a bed and slowly climbed onto it, continuing to wince and grimace, trying desperately not to burst into tears. He picked up what was left of his bear and held it close to his chest as he laid his head down against the barely existent pillow. With a turn of his head, more blood was added to the already blood stained cloth, his nose still leaking copiously.

With a sniff and the shadow of a cry, he closed his eyes to escape into a different world, if only for the night.

--

Ledgic shot up in his bed at the sound of his door being forcefully kicked open. He instantly quivered and tightened his arms around the bear and stared at his father, trying desperately to stop shaking in presence.

“Ye know wha’ it’s time fer”
“B-..but, I don’ wanna figh’ nobody”

“Yer gonna be tough, jes like the rest o’ us ye lil’ shit, now get the feck up and get ou’side!” screamed his father as he stepped closer to the bed.

“N-..no, I don’ wanna Dad. I don’ wanna ‘urt nobody” he murmured as he withdrew into the bed, pulling his blanket around him.

There it was again, no matter how hard the boy tried, he was unable to conceal the tears of fear. He watched as his father’s face slowly became a more and more violent picture of anger, tears escaping his eyes and rolling swiftly down his cheeks.

“I don’ care wha’ y’wan’, yer gonna do as I say!” he yelled as he stepped forward and grabbed Ledgic by his hair, yanking him from the bed and throwing him across the room.

Ledgic let out a scream as he collided forcefully with the wall and fell to the ground, landing awkwardly on his left hand. He shrieked as he rolled over and took a hold of that hand with his other.

“S’wha’ ye feckin’ get. A broken bone ain’ all yer gonna ‘ave if ye don’ get yer arse down those feckin’ steps!” shouted his father.

Ledgic nodded quietly and slowly rose to his feet, he was visibly weak and in dire need of food and shook on the spot.

“I’m sorry Dad” he spluttered through tears as he carefully walked out of the room and down the stairs, his steps only becoming hurried as he heard his father thundering down the stairs behind him.

Ledgic emerged from his home and looked at the two slightly older children in front of him. It was the same everyday, he would be forced out to fight against these two children in the hopes that he would suddenly desire the ability to fight.

“Well, ‘ere ‘e is, cry baby Leddy, eh?” chuckled one of the girls.
“Uncle Kaden’s booted ‘im ou’ fer another arse kickin’ eh?” laughed the other.

“H-..hi, Saela, Kannah” he muttered timidly as he held his broken wrist close to his chest with a whimper.

Without warning, Saela launched herself forward and slammed a clenched fist into Ledgic’s throat, slamming him against his front door. She backed away momentarily only to send a forceful kick into Ledgic’s stomach.

Kaden looked out of a window at the scene, his arms folded defiantly in front of him. To him there was nothing more than strength and killing to prove that strength. It was how he was raised by his father and his father before that. There was no other life for a Caan and he felt as though he needed Ledgic to see that.

No matter how hard he and his wife tried to drum it into their boy, he wouldn’t learn, he wouldn’t raise his voice, let alone his fists. He watched with a concentrated look on his face as both Saela and Kannah kicked Ledgic around the front of his home, their attacks relentless and brutal.

He raised an eyebrow as Ledgic screamed in terror and ran towards the house, opening the door with a flash and dashing up the stairs. He growled and stepped around the kitchen table to stand at the bottom of the stairs. He sighed and turned his head to nod at Saela and Kannah before walking towards the door and slamming it.

It was the same every single time and this was getting to be more than Kaden could handle. With a roar he ran up the stairs and stood in the doorway, peering at the weeping ball in the middle of the room.

He growled yet again, the sight of seeing his only child curled up in a ball, holding a tattered bear, which was now layered with his blood, did nothing but anger him more.

With that, the first beating of the day would commence, Kaden stepped into the room slowly and slammed the door.