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He was lying on that bed that reeked of dampness and something else he still couldn’t identify. But it was surely some kind of chemical.
He had tried so many ways to escape that basement, yet nothing worked—and that was the worst part. Nothing ever worked.
He was slowly giving up; he saw no hope anymore. He couldn’t understand why those dead kids had so much faith in him.
If they couldn’t make it either, how could he?
He had no energy left to stand up or even to look at him when he came in.
He knew who it was—the only person who ever entered that basement.
The only depraved, sick man who would.
That night felt different from the others. He could sense it from the start, from how his heart beat faster than usual.
The Grabber had given him a normal dinner, with soda. But he wasn’t hungry, so he left the food untouched. That seemed to bother the man—but he didn’t say anything.
Still, that didn’t mean he’d be safe. Right?
Finney fell asleep as usual, with tears in his eyes and a broken heart wishing the torture would end. Tears that dried against his cheeks.
While Finney slept, The Grabber sat in a corner of the room, staring at him, thinking about how badly he wanted to break him—like he did with the others. But this time, he promised himself, it would be different.
The Grabber approached Finney slowly.
“Food shouldn’t go to waste, Finney boy,” he whispered, waking Finney in terror. His first impulse was to push the man away, but no sound came out of his throat—panic had locked it shut. His blurred vision caught the mask in front of him. The Grabber didn’t like that reaction at all. Finney’s resistance only made him angrier. He’d probably end it soon.
“Finney, this will be your punishment,” He murmured, pulling a knife from his vest and sliding it across Finney’s face—not deep enough to cut, just enough to make him tremble. Finney tried to fight back, moving desperately, kicking weakly, but that only made the knife press harder into his skin.
Hours—or maybe minutes—passed after the ordeal. Finney, his vision blurred from pain, dragged himself to the corner of the bed. The only thing he knew was that, finally, he was free. Free from the blows, from the cuts, from every strike he had endured. He hated how his body still trembled from fear, but there was absolutely nothing he could do.
He felt the end approaching.
Maybe it had already come?
A faint sound pulled him back to “reality.” He crawled toward the phone. Standing was impossible—he was too weak— But with all the will he had left, he forced himself up.
He hesitated before answering, but he grabbed the receiver and slid painfully down to the floor.
“Welcome, Finney,” he heard that sweet voice he’d missed so much. He was so overwhelmed by emotion
that he didn’t even process the words being said. He didn’t understand the message—because his life couldn’t really end like this... right?
ERROR.
That’s exactly how his short, sweet life ended.
He felt the pain consuming him, filling every sense, leaving no space to breathe.He heard the hum of the phone,
the faint sound of breathing through the static.
There was a tightness in his chest as he struggled to breathe, the pain crushing him. He was so drowned in it,
he didn’t even notice that he was still holding the phone tightly to his ear.
"Finney, let it go,” he heard again—only this time, the voice didn’t come from the phone. It came from right in front of him.
When he finally processed what was happening,
he dropped the phone. He didn’t understand how, but the pain in his body began to fade away. And in front of him stood his partner in every adventure—Robin.
It didn’t take long to understand what had happened.He had crossed over, too. It was both good and bad. His suffering was over, but he’d left his sister and father behind.
He didn’t know whether to feel guilt or relief—because he was finally with Robin again. And though he’d never admitted it, he’d been in love with him for a long time.
Much more than he’d ever dared to admit.
“So… it’s really over?” Finney whispered, looking around before meeting Robin’s eyes again. Robin stood there, smiling, hand extended toward him.
“Yeah, it’s over,” Robin laughed softly, holding Finney’s hand.
“Not the reunion I wanted with you, that’s for sure.
But… I missed you,” he continued with a nostalgic tone, his eyes drifting past Finney.
Finney turned to see what Robin was looking at—and froze. He saw his own body curled up on the bed,in a fetal position.Seeing his own face twisted in pain broke something inside him.
“I couldn’t protect you,” Robin’s hand tightened around his.
He trembled with anger, then released Finney’s hand just to caress it gently.
“You’ll forget soon. Just like we did.” he said, smiling again. "And you won’t feel pain anymore. I promise.” that last whisper sounded more like a promise to himself than to Finney, who stared at him, confused.
He followed Robin without saying a word, not realizing how his memories began to fade away—until only one remained. Robin.
Would Robin be his only memory?
Probably.
And he wouldn’t complain.
But… Gwen—she needed him.
Who was Gwen?
He thought for a second, and couldn’t remember anymore.