Heartache

Story by Pietus on SoFurry

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#18 of Welcome To The Family

Second last chapter. Almost at the end now, I'm happy that it's wrapped itself into a nice neat twenty chapters. That wasn't by design, but the way my brain is structured finds that really pleasing. Lovely round number.

Not too much to say about this chapter. Rated Adult due to themes and swearing, even though we all know that's not REALLY what the adult tick box is for on this site, hehe.

I hope you enjoy it, and if you've stuck around for this many chapters, I must be doing something right. Thank you very much for reading this far, I hope you can bear one more chapter.

Cheers,

Pietus


Riley's chest hurt. It was a primal, very physical kind of pain, as if someone had punched him right above his heart. Standing hopelessly in the entryway, the fox sunk to his knees, broken. He had no idea where his boyfriend was. But it had to have been Isaac who took him. That much he knew, but as to where the lion would have gone with the drummer was anyone's guess. Riley had nobody he could turn to for help, either. Who knew what his mother was doing, and his father was three states away trucking. Lars's own parents were at least a plane trip away, and he certainly wasn't going to the police. Not ever. He was alone. There was nobody who could do anything now. Lars could be dead. He could be in pain. He might be screaming and crying and begging for Riley to come save him, but the fox couldn't do anything. In a very un-Riley manner, he began to sob right there, on his knees, head hung low. They had lost. He hadn't even taken into consideration the idea that Isaac could be as dangerous as the rest of his family. Riley had always seen the lion as a kind of worm-like boy, one that was afraid of all the violence and unwilling to get his precious Christian paws stained.

But he had to do something. Just sitting around and waiting for someone to come help would get him nowhere fast. So climbing to his feet, feeling a little unsteady from the massive amounts of adrenalin he'd had already, he gained his balance and went back outside into the rain. He found his way to the car, fumbling with his keys before finally finding the unlock button, opening the door and switching the car back on. Trying to blink back tears, and pay attention to the road, Riley drove to the university accommodation. It was a short walk from his house, but a faster drive and he didn't have time to waste. Pulling up, the fox slipped his hood on and left the vehicle running, jogging inside to where he knew Isaac's room was. He knocked on the door, and then immediately knocked again. And then again.

Bang, bang.

No reply, so he kept knocking. He heard somebody swear inside, and dug into his pockets quickly. Inside, the fox found a small lock picking set, and speedily got to work unlocking the door. As he was, he paused to check the taser was still in place (His back pocket) just in case. Finally unlocking the door, it swung open to reveal a sleepy-looking rabbit male standing up in nothing but his underwear, holding a hand to shield himself from the light that was spilling in from the hallway lamps.

"Man, what the hell? What are you doing here?" Demanded the rabbit. "You know what time it is?" He said, rubbing his eyes.

"Do you know where Isaac is? Your roommate?" Asked Riley abruptly. The rabbit shook his head.

"No I don't, jesus..." Replied the rabbit. Riley walked over, pushing his own face up close to the rabbit's own.

"Has Isaac been doing anything unusual? Does he have any weapons? Is there anywhere he likes to go?" Pressured Riley, grabbing the poor boy's forearm.

"Shit, I dunno. I...like, barely know that guy. He's been moping and crying all week, I just try to ignore it. How would I know if he has any weapons? What are you even doing here? Get out man." He said, pushing Riley away. The fox nodded, resigned that the roomie had no idea of the lion's location.

Gotta keep moving. Think. Fuck. Where would he go? Riley had no idea what the lion might do, or where he might go with his new captive. Could Isaac really go so far as to kill Lars? Would he be capable of that? His father certainly was. But how much like the Reverend was the boy? He was an accomplished liar and naturally deceptive, that much Riley knew, but as for his ruthlessness...his capability for violence...The fox had no idea. As he was jogging back to the car, he suddenly thought of who else might know where Isaac could go. Spinning on his heel, the fox sprinted back into the dorm building, running past doors and flying towards Matt's room. Isaac had been a member of Ishmael the Burned for quite some time; with any luck the other members of the group might know something. By the time he made it to the goat's dorm, Riley was panting heavily. Still, without slowing down, he rapped brutally on the hardwood door. Pacing in front of the door, when there was no answer he nervously knocked again.

"I'M FUCKING COMING!" He heard shouted from inside, before the thudding of movement, and more swearing could be heard. After a few more seconds, the door was opened by a disgruntled Matt, who was wearing nothing but tracksuit pants.

"Matt." Riley blurted quickly. The goat rubbed his eyes, squinting at the anxious fox.

"Jesus fucking christ, Riley? What the fuck are you doing here? You know how early it is?" He asked, yawning.

"Lars is gone, Isaac must have...I was out and...when I came back...Lars was gone." Said Riley, unsure what else to say. Those few sentences seemed to sober the goat up much quicker, whose eyes widened rapidly.

"Shit, really?" He asked.

"Yeah, god dammit Matt. I just...I don't know where to go, where the fuck would Isaac take him?" Matt threw his arms up.

"How the hell should I know?"

"You were in a fucking band with him! Surely you have...I dunno, some ideas?!" Shouted Riley. Matt held up his paws defensively.

"Just try to relax, alright? Um, I don't...but Alex used to hang around him. Lemme get some clothes and we'll find him okay?" Riley nodded, turning around. He was going to start running, but realise he didn't know where Alex's dorm room was. After an agonising minute of waiting, Matt reappeared; the only difference was a grey t-shirt and shoes that had been haphazardly thrown on. He waved for Riley to follow, then jogged in the direction of the dorm. After passing maybe twenty doors, the two slid to a halt. Simultaneously knocking on the door excitedly.

"GOD DAMMIT GO AWAY!" They heard screamed from inside. Matt made a fist, completely thumping onto the wood.

"ALEX GET THE FUCK OUT HERE!" He screamed, with no regard for the other sleeping furs around. The two heard a load of swearing and cursing, before the door swung open. Alex was standing there, completely naked. His dorm mate was sitting up, looking confused and straight at the trio.

"What the hell do you two want? Can't it wait?" He said, turning around and searching for some pants.

"No, it really fucking can't." Said Matt.

"Alex, Lars is gone. He's missing, I think...I think that Isaac had something do with it." Stammered Riley, getting sweaty and hot, struggling not to hyperventilate and just start screaming in anger and panic. Pulling on some pants, Alex looked up at the two.

"Wait...what? For real?" He asked. They just nodded. "Jesus christ. That fuck." He said.

"Yeah." Was all Riley said, his heart pumping his blood around so fast he could feel it in his eyes.

"Have you called the police?" Asked Alex. Riley shook his head.

"No. It wouldn't solve anything." He replied. The husky ran a paw through the fur on his head, exhaling heavily.

"Holy shit Riley, you have to. This is not a fucking game, okay? You need to call them. Now." He said firmly. The fox just shook his head. "God dammit, why the hell not?"

"Because they cant' do anything!" Shouted Riley at Alex, throwing his paws out. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the dorm mate scowl at him, rolling over to face the wall. Alex looked away, muttering to himself.

"Well then what do you want me to do? If the cops are useless then I'm fucking worse." He said.

"We were hoping." Interjected Matt, stepping between the two angry furs. "That you might know where Isaac might go."

"I have...no idea." He said, with a surprised expression on his face. "How the hell would I know that? I had no idea that he'd even be...capable of something like this."

"I...I don't know, it's all we have, okay?" Said Matt, exasperated. Alex shook his head vigorously.

"No, fuck you both. I'm calling the police." He said, reaching into his pocket and retrieving a phone. As he lifted it up to his face, Riley snatched it from him, turning around and throwing it out the door. They all heard a loud crack as the phone smashed into the hallway wall, tumbling uselessly to the ground.

"No cops. Not yet." Said Riley. Alex just stared at him.

"Riley. What the fuck?"

"I'll buy you a new phone when we find Lars." Said the fox. Alex stepped forward and shoved him in the chest.

"I don't give a shit about the phone. But if Lars dies it's gonna be your fucking fault!" He spat. Riley quickly regained his balance, launching himself forwards and punching Alex straight in the mouth. The husky's head snapped back as he fell backwards and tripped onto his bed. Clutching his face, he swore and cried out loudly.

"I'll fucking..." Said Riley, before Matt grabbed his forearm.

"Riley. This isn't helping." The fox stopped, looking at his friend that he'd just hit, and the friend who was advocating he stop. He tried to calm his breathing, and stepped back a bit.

"You're right...I'm...I'm sorry." He said, staring at his feet. Alex climbed up from the bed, holding his mouth, some blood leaking onto his hands.

"It's...It's okay." He said. They all stood there in silence for a moment, unsure what to do. After a moment, Riley grabbed Alex's shoulder, his face suddenly animated.

"Wait, do you have his phone number?" He said, thinking quickly. Alex just nodded. "Okay...um, is it in your phone?" He asked. Alex nodded again.

"But, my phone is synced to my laptop, so it's on there too."

"Okay good, grab your computer and let's go." Alex quickly did as he was instructed, also pulling on a shirt and shoes, following the goat and the fox out to the car. They quickly drove back to Riley's house, the rain still beating down oppressively.

"What do you want his number for?" Asked Matt.

"I...I don't know, it's a real long shot. But I think I can send his phone a ping, which will then get sent back to me. I can then use some cell towers and...I dunno, get an idea of where he is. It's just something I've been reading about though." Explained the fox, making the turnoff into his street.

"What? Are you actually going to track him using his phone?" Asked Alex from the back seat, astonished. Riley nodded, despite the fact Alex probably couldn't see the motion in the darkness.

"Yeah, it should give us a rough idea. But I've...never actually done it before. It's just an idea." He said.

"It's worth a shot." Said Alex, although he didn't need to, they were all thinking it.

Lars was lying uncomfortably on the backseat floor of Isaac's car. His ankles and wrists were bound tightly with cable ties, and he was lying stomach down. He could feel blood trickling from the back of his head where Isaac had hit him, and his head ached. His eyes were throbbing from crying, and his hands were pulsing from a lack of proper blood flow.

"Isaac, please." He cried out into the seat next to his head, where Isaac was seated, driving.

"Lars, just be quiet, okay?" Said the lion, much calmer than Lars thought he should sound.

"Really, you don't have to do this." Said the tiger desperately, panicking. "Please."

"Lars." Was all Isaac said, his voice far too even. Lars was terrified the lion had gone off the deep end. He had no concept of what he might be capable of, and wondered if he was going to die.

"You could just take me home, and we forget about it. I don't even have to tell Riley, he probably isn't home yet." Said Lars, heavily panting in the back seat, dust going into his throat and causing him to cough.

"This is all because of Riley. It's his fault." Said Isaac, not for the first time.

"Really, I'll talk to him, get him to leave you alone. It can go back to normal...just please let me go Isaac." Begged Lars.

"No, no it's too late now for that. He did this." Said the lion.

Earlier, Lars had opened the door quite willingly, thinking maybe Riley was back early from his assault of the Reverend. Lars had done nothing but worry back at home, he'd walked around and checked his phone constantly. Been up and downstairs, taken three showers and had far too much coffee. So when the doorbell had rung, he'd actually felt relief. That relief had drained instantly, when he saw Isaac outside, and more importantly, the gun Isaac was holding. Lars had no idea where he got a gun from, but he imagined that the lion knew a few rough-types through his father that lived in the area. Isaac had pushed his way inside, and made Lars get on his knees. Lars had thought the lion was going to kill him, right then and there. But he didn't, he instructed the boy to put his paws behind his back, and then tightly tied them together. He led him outside into the rain, Lars wearing just pyjama pants, a t-shirt and no shoes, and instructed him to lie on the backseat floor. As he was climbing in, Isaac had clocked him in the back of his skull with the gun butt, and then cable tied his ankles. Since then they'd been driving for about fifteen minutes.

"What are you gonna do to me?" Asked Lars, his voice shaky and weak.

"Jesus would you just shut up?" Shouted Isaac, banging his hand on the steering wheel. "Just shut the fuck up? That's your god-damn problem Lars, y'know? You cannot just...just leave it alone." He said, sounding almost drunk, slurring his words slightly.

"I don't wanna die." Said Lars, completely breaking down into sobs. "Please." He begged.

"I SAID SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH!" Screamed Isaac. "Okay? Just be quiet. It'll all be fine, just...just don't talk. Just let me think. Let me think." Lars went quiet, just sobbing to himself in the back. His tears leaking out and wetting the carpet underneath his face. He hoped that Riley was safe, and okay. He hoped he wasn't too worried.

"Can...can I ask one thing?" He said, choking back tears. Isaac sighed, rubbing his eyes.

"Fine, just...just don't beg me. Just ask your fucking question." He said, sounding exhausted.

"Why do this? We...we were gonna leave you alone." Said Lars.

"Because...because....because I had to. Okay? It just, this needed to happen. I'm sick of your kind of fur, thinking you're somehow better than us. Why couldn't you just leave it? Why'd your fucking bat-shit crazy faggot boyfriend have to do that to me? Humiliate me like that? In front of everyone? I'd've been fine to...to just, go back to normal. Maybe not friends but...but normal, but no, you fucking...fucking had to." He explained, waving his paws around, even though Lars could not see them.

"I'm sorry." Said Lars meekly.

"It's too late to be sorry, Lars. It happened. You two couldn't just suck it up and take what you deserved. That was our space. Just....just be quiet." Said Isaac.

"Where are we going?" Asked Lars.

"Shut up. Or I will pull over and kill you." Said Isaac vehemently. After that they drove in silence for ten more minutes. Lars tried not to cry, gently stretching and flexing his paws, attempting to allow more blood into each one and alleviate his growing numbness. They were beginning to sting and tingle now, and he could feel them throbbing. He tried to move his body a little, but Isaac had been smart in forcing him onto the floor, since his wrists and ankles were tied there wasn't much he could actually do.

Eventually he felt the car slow down and stop, before Isaac climbed out and slammed his door shut. Lars sat alone for a moment, before the door in front of his head was opened, and Isaac reached in and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. Using his grip, the lion pulled the tiger up and out of the car. Lars fell face first forwards onto the gravel Isaac had parked on, hurting and scraping his face. Crying out from the pain, he tried to roll onto his side. He was unable to however, because Isaac grabbed his feet, cutting the cable ties that bound his ankles. He did feel relief as blood was finally allowed proper access into his feet, his skin burning from the rush of blood.

"I still have the gun. Don't try to run away, you won't get very far." Said the lion, his voice cold and flat. Climbing slowly, painfully and awkwardly to his feet Lars nodded.

"Where are we?" He asked quietly.

"Somewhere where nobody will disturb us." Said Isaac. Lars was horrified at the psychopathic level the lion seemed to be operating at. It seemed that both he and Riley had completed underestimated the young male, both assuming that he was relatively harmless by himself. That if the Rev was no longer and issue, then Isaac would have no power.

"Are you gonna kill me?" Asked Lars. Isaac didn't answer the question, he just poked the tiger in the back with his gun.

"Go on, walk, there's a path, you can stick to it. We're going towards the river."

"Uh, okay." Lars began walking, trying to stick to the dirt path. They seemed to be at some kind of park or something. The gravel had been the grounding for the car park, but that quickly gave way into a large open space of grass. Even in the darkness, Lars could see the flat grass, and some trees in the distance. He could hear the river rushing past, it didn't sound too fast, which gave him hope that Isaac wasn't going to dump his body in it. Always looking to the ground, to make sure he stayed on the trail, Lars kept trudging forwards.

"I don't really think you realise the kind of harm you furs have on the world." Said Isaac quietly, after a while.

"You mean gay ones?" Isaac said nothing. "We don't do anything Isaac. We're just like you."

"Stop here." He said firmly, Lars obeyed. "Sit down, on the grass, just there." He instructed. Lars obeyed that command too, sitting cross legged in the cold, and slightly wet grass. Isaac sat down opposite him, roughly two metres away. It was far enough that Lars wouldn't be able to jump forward and tackle him, if he felt the need to attempt such a manoeuvre.

"What are we doing" Asked Lars. Isaac shrugged.

"I need time to think about what to do next. So we're just gonna talk for a while."