Immaculate Misconceptions

Chris woke with a harsh jerk which caused him to hiss in pain as each thick scab on his back cracked and sent warm streams of blood down his back and into the dirt. He took deep shallow breathes through his mouth, swallowing the lump in his throat as his eyes gazed at the all too familiar ceiling.
Chris' head lolled back and forth as he listened to the intense whispering within his head. He felt delirious, the voices were speaking loudly and they just wouldn't shut up. His head pounded and a beat made it's way into the corners of his mind.

Alone, he spoke, almost sung to himself:
"I fall," He started, licking his lips and focusing on a spot on the ceiling, "This is the end of you..." The end... The end, where is the end?
"Whispers are their weakness... their weakness?" His eyes flickered off to the side, searching the darkness for movement. Their weakness? Their weakness was seeing Chris stay strong. He knew their blood boiled every time he spoke, every time he refused to stay down.
He refused to stay down.
"Everyday I must practice to fake this smile on my face..." He gritted his teeth as he pushed himself up, scabs on his back cracking along with the film that acted as skin for his burns which also peeled to reveal raw flesh that oozed clear liquid to preserve it's moisture.

"You can't break something that's already broken..." The corners of his lips curled slightly but he hissed as he felt something... something invasive press into his insides. The feeling made him want to throw up. He looked down at the small nub poking out of his side, "I'll let the blood tell the truth tonight," He decided, "This is my life's work..." Dirt stuck to the deep gashes on his back that bled and he whimpered as he scooted himself enough to lean on the wall, the shackles around his ankles weighing him down.
"11 tracks isn't enough to tell you how I've died inside... and love is lost like words," He swallowed and stared into the darkness of the room as his active mind fed him words, "In spider's eyes a man becomes a fly, in prolonged silence we all stand defiled..." His voice was beginning to grow louder, he wanted to challenge them... His heart was ready for whatever they had in store for him next. He was ready and you know what? He was ASKING them to come out.

Whatever they had in store for him next, he'll take it. Just like he took the lashes because in a way he felt like he deserved it. He couldn't exactly pin-point why... Maybe there was some built-up guilt inside of him that was eating at him, maybe he felt like he owed someone something.
"We fall in line with the atrophy of life, the calm before the storm is a deafening silence. I've given my all to this valley of despair you have created for me and I still have so much more to give!"
A door could be heard being yanked open and someone began talking to someone else.
"I am the damned! The cursed and the broken! I am the lost, the sick and unspoken, there's so much more inside of me! So the question is, are you up for the challenge? Because you STILL haven't silenced me! Your attempts have been petty and I can see the unsatisfaction in your eyes from the results. You've underestimated me and it makes your blood boil because you realize I'm not some worthless piece of shit that can just be discarded."

Blue Jeans, the Priest, and two men revealed themselves with furrowed brows. In their minds, Chris' behavior was getting stranger... It only confirmed their thoughts and now their plans were already in motion.

In what only seemed like seconds, they had Chris unshackled and fighting against them, a small trail of blood following them back to the contraption that held him down while he was whipped, they were sure to tie down his right wrist extra tight. He growled at them, sneering as they secured him and stepped back. The Priest began to murmur things while Blue Jeans approached Chris with a powerful stride and yanked his head back with a fistful of Chris' grimy hair,
"It's a shame we can't follow old traditions..." He spoke, glancing at Chris' right hand, "Because today we're going to silence the hand that writes the words that corrupt our children... And today," He tightened his grip on Chris' hair and twisted it harshly, "Today you'll bare the mark of God upon the voice that speaks against him."
Chris scowled and stared at Blue Jeans with a stern look, "And yet it will all mean nothing."
"We will see," He released his grip on Chris and this is when Chris first noticed the set of tools laying off to the side. There was some kind of small container with some kind of rod sticking in it, through small holes in the top of it, Chris could see small sparks crackling within it. There were burning coals inside...
Next to that was a silver mallet of some sort. It appeared heavy.

"Let's begin shall we?" Blue Jeans picked up the small mallet from the floor, "Let's be sure that this hand that goes against God never writes another word again."
Chris stared with wide eyes as Blue Jeans pressed Chris' hand down flat, leaning on it with all his weight causing Chris to grit his teeth. The pressure had his fingers laying out flat and it seemed like Blue Jeans had a glint in his eye.
The mallet was raised above his thumb first.
The only sounds that filled the room was the... the disturbing cracking and Chris' screams of pain.
Each blow laid upon a new finger, right along the knuckles and joints. The treatment would rather have the small bones crack leaving Chris with pieces of bone sticking awkwardly out of his bloodied fingers, or dislocate which only caused Blue Jeans to raise his mallet again.
With each slow, bone crushing blow, Chris' eyes would widen and he'd yowl causing even the Priest to inch away.
All but Blue Jeans seemed disturbed by the treatment.

Chris screamed loudly as Blue Jeans ended his treatment by rolling his knee against Chris'... "fingers."
Chris' nostrils flared and he breathed heavily with tears drying against his face... He stared down at his hand. Each finger was awkwardly positioned, cut up, bloodied, and in some areas the whites of his bones would taunt him. His whole hand was beginning to feel numb and as he tried to move his fingers, the action would only cause a heavy feeling to course along his fingers. He'd only notice a slight twitch but overall it would seem like his hand was useless... Ugly, disfigured, and useless.
He closed his eyes and did his best to slow his breathing... Just to accept the numbness and not to panic.

Blue Jeans danced around Chris with a smile, "I wonder how much more we can ensure the silence of Chris Motionless."
Chris' eyes flew open and focused on Blue Jeans who hovered by Chris' left hand. Never has he referred to Chris by his stage name... It was always "Christopher Cerulli" or "Christopher Motionless Cerulli" maybe even "Chris Cerulli" but never Chris Motionless.

My dear reader, allow me to speak to you for just a moment... Who is Christopher Cerulli?
No, I'm not asking you who Chris Motionless is. I asked, who is Christopher Cerulli?
To be honest, not even I can answer the question. Perhaps an ex girlfriend can but not I nor You.
It troubles you, doesn't it? The thought of the fact I'm telling you you do not know who Christopher Cerulli is is bothering you.
You can't deny it's the truth, can you?
Because we know who Chris Motionless is. We all do.
But who is the man behind Chris Motionless?
Who is Christopher Cerulli?

Blue Jeans placed his knee firmly on the surface of Chris' left hand mimicking the actions he did with the right.
"How long did you think it would last Christopher?" The mallet landed on his thumb with a loud THUNK, Chris' mouth stood agape as he tried not to utter a sound.

"How long did you think you could sit on a make-shift throne?"
"AGH!" Chris' hand flexed painfully as the mallet crushed his index finder
"You're no savior!" His middle finger snapped and bent awkwardly, tears pricked Chris' eyes once again.
"You don't even understand what you're trying to fight against," Chris sneered through a painful cough. He arched his back and pulled at the restraints in pain as his ring finger stung and swelled.
"Never will you write another word again," Blue Jeans stated almost quietly as the mallet landed on Chris' pinky finger. The group watched Chris in silence as the pain began to get too much for him... His scream was loud and long, his body quivered and then shook against the restraints. His muscles flexed rapidly causing him to twist and turn. The whites of his eyes shown and not a single man moved to assist Chris as he went into shock.

~~

There was a sharp knock on the doors of Motionless in White's tour bus. They weren't really expecting anyone since the road was beginning to inch them towards their homes where they'd all probably pick up a flight back to New York in order to support further investigation of Chris' whereabouts.
Devin gloomily shuffled across the bus from the bunk area where most of the members were secluding themselves with boring past-times before the show that was hours away. His expression changed from tired to surprised as two officers, a man and a women, stood outside the bus. Their eyes wandered along it and they weren't the usual officers that followed them around in a black SUV... No, they were different.
Devin swatted the bus driver's arm as a signal for him to open the damn door.
"Guys! We got company!" Devin hollered as the officers stomped up the few steps.
"Sorry to intrude on your down time... But this discussion can't be postponed any longer," The female officer spoke firmly and with authority, clearly displaying that she meant business.

Devin stepped aside to allow the officers to get themselves comfortable on the only long couch within the tour bus. The other resembled shy deer as they each poked their head from the bunk area, studying the two officers who's guns seemed to gleam in the sunlight that entered from the large windows. Each member tried their best to find a comfortable place to sit... Ricky, Kuza, Josh, and Ryan stuffed themselves into the booth which usually provided them with eating space. Angelo casually lent on the table leaving Devin to just cross his arms and lean against the wall. There was plenty of space on either side of the officers for Devin and Angelo but they'd rather keep their distance... Besides, it felt better to have them in front of them.

The group waited with anxious expressions. Did they have a lead? Maybe they found Chris? Or evidence of where Chris could be?

"We came to let you know that we're dismissing the officers that have been keeping track of you all."
This caused Kuza to arch a brow, "Finally figured out I had nothing to do with this shit?" He commented bitterly earning a glare from Angelo who hissed at him to shut up.
"I'm sorry," Angelo spoke with a fatherly tone, "Some of us are still... coping."
The look that crossed the female officer's face and only flashed in the male's eyes made Angelo's heart sink.
"We understand..." The male spoke.
"So no more escorts?" Angelo pressed the conversation further.
The male officer shook his head, "We see no need to push any further security on you."
Devin arched a brow and took a moment to speak up for the first time during occasions like this, "Has something come up?"
The officers glanced at each other.

"I'm sorry-"
Ryan stood up in his seat.
"It has been decided to... close the missing persons case of Christopher Cerulli," The officers held their gaze, "We've... already spoken to the parents and...There hasn't been any leads and I know you all have been doing your best to keep the case open but we simply cannot keep putting so much time into a dead end case-"
"Dead end case?!" Ryan nearly roared, "You're calling Chris a dead end case? Have you FUCKERS even been looking for him? Or have you been sitting on your asses stuffing yourselves with donuts and coffee waiting for some fucker to call you and tell you where he's at?!"
"Mr. Sitkowski, please control yourself. We've done everything in our power to-"
"FUCKING BULLSHIT!" Josh got up and out of the booth to capture Ryan in a tight bear hug from behind as his actions got more violent, "DON'T FUCKING LIE TO OUR FACES YOU LAZY SONS OF A BITCHES!"
"RYAN!" Angelo yelled, every boy was on their feet.
Ryan wouldn't let up, he kept screaming and flailing against Josh until he fell to his knees. Ryan had reached his breaking point... The boys watched in almost a kind of horror as Ryan let out painful sobs. Ricky, Kuza, Josh, and Devin all knelt by Ryan's side... Trying to comfort their friend but at the moment they all needed comforting.

Angelo watched the scene with foggy eyes. He looked at the officers who seemed worried and partially scared of the situation, "I think you should leave." His voice was a rasp and he simply stared at his feet as the officers dipped their heads in farewell and left the bus.

The clock was ticking for the Motionless family. Who would crack next?