I SHALL CONTINUE! This is kicking of better than I thought it would.

Chapter 2

Frank had found Joe sitting on a bench with is body stiff, his eyes closed, and his breathing labored. His face was contorted in pain and he didn't notice as Frank stood in front of him.

"You alright?" he asked after standing there awkwardly for several minutes.

Joe shook his head. "Hurts like… sh- crap, but… don't tell my… parents. I'll… get over… it." He sat on the bench long enough for one last wheezy breath before stumbling to his feet and beginning to trudge down the street.

After a few feet he stopped and leaned against a building. His face was contorted in pain and his fists were clenched. Frank could practically hear the profanity he was screaming in his mind.

"Seriously," Frank said. "Are you okay?"

Joe opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a gasp of pain. His knees buckled and Frank was barely able to catch the preteen as his face headed for the concrete.

Frank glanced around and tried to figure out how to get Joe home easily. A truck pulled to a stop beside them.

"Your friend looks like he's hurt. Get in and we'll take him to the hospital," the man in the truck said. Alarms went off in Frank's head as he shook it.

"No thanks mister. It's not to home," Frank said. "Our parents are expecting us," he added.

The man's hand which had been next lying beside him reached down and snatched a gun from the floor board. "You boys had best get into the truck," he growled out.

Frank gulped, lifted Joe into his arms, and slowly climbed into the truck. As soon as he closed the door there was the click of the man locking the doors. Within forty-five minutes later they were out of the city and on a back road. A half hour later the man stopped the truck in front of a one story brick house surrounded by land and woods. The man kept his gun trained on Frank and the still unconscious Joe.

"Open the door slowly and walk into the house. If you make one sudden move or try to run I'll shoot you both. Understood?" the man asked. Frank nodded, wrapped Joe's arm around his shoulder, put one of his arm underneath Joe's other arm, and began to half lead half drag Joe into the house.

Once Frank managed to get Joe and himself into the house the man came in. "be everything she wants you to be," he said sounding almost crazed. "Do everything she wants you to do or else I'll shoot you both."

A woman burst in just then. Her blue eyes were wide with large, lopsided rings of purple eye shadow and her hair was standing up crazily.

"John?" she asked Frank. The man glared and his hand inched towards the pocket that held the gun so Frank forced a nod. Her gaze grew worried as she saw the barely conscious Joe being supported by Frank. "Has Danny had another one of his fits?" Frank forced another stiff nod. "Well let's take him to bed and let him rest." Frank could only nod and carry Joe as the woman lead the way into a bedroom. Two of the three light bulbs were out and dust covered the two beds. The woman fluffed the pillows as Frank gently laid Joe down on one of the beds.

"Okay, John," the woman said. "When your brother wakes up help him wash up and then come to dinner. I'll make you two some macaroni and cheese. Doesn't that sound good?" Frank forced a smile and stiff nod and the woman beamed at him. "Mommy loves you" she said as she left the room.

She thinks she's our mother? Frank thought. This woman's crazy!

There was a noise from the bed that was something in between a cough, a groan, and a wheeze. Joe rolled onto his side with his arms wrapped around his torso. "Frank?" It was barely a whisper, but Frank heard it. Suddenly a pang hit his heart and he felt sorry for trying to keep away from Joe. Now he was just a hurt little kid lying on a dusty bed in some psycho's house.

"Yeah," Frank finally said. "Some crazy woman thinks that she's our mom and that I'm John and you're Danny. The man is carrying around a gun and saying that he'll shoot us unless we go along with it."

"How did you explain this?" Joe groaned.

"Apparently 'Danny' has some kind of fits. We're supposed to wash up and come to dinner once you're awake," Frank said. He hesitated then asked, "Has anything like this ever happened before?"

Joe was quiet while for a second before he spoke. "I've been gagged, tied up, and shoved in a locker at school and I've been taken hostage, but never kidnapped. What about you?"

Frank shook his head. "This is a first."

With Frank helping to support Joe they made their way to the bathroom that connected to the room. With trembling hands Joe splashed some water on his face, washed his hands, and began walking into the hallway.

"There's the big boy," the woman said, ruffling Joe's hair. "Are you hurt any from having your fit?" she asked.

Joe shrugged his shoulders and Frank saw how pained his face looked. "Just a little bit," Joe said. "I'm sore."

"You can take some Tylenol after you eat," the woman said.

"Thanks… Mom," Joe forced out.

"You're welcome, sweetie," 'Mom' said.

After they ate 'Mom' sent them outside to 'play'. The man came out and sat on the porch with his gun held in his lap. Frank and Joe had no chance of escaping.

Sorry it took so long, but I've been busy with all of that end of the school year junk. Hopefully I'll have more time to update all of my stories this summer, but I can't spend every moment of everyday of my life on the computer. Sometimes I wish I could, but I can't.