A/N: Oh wow, it's been five hundred years since I submitted something. Auuuuughuguhughg

Welp I'm very much into Homestuck now, so I thought I'd write something with it being all Humanstuck yet depressing, so here is something I based off of reading a few different fics but adding some of my own elements and ideas into it. I hope you guys enjoy it, mostly.

Warnings: Kidnapping, torture, rape and mature themes.

Also, this fic is written in AU and each of the trolls have been given Human Names that are similar to their troll names.

Hope is Lost
Chapter 1: Strangled

He wasn't sure what day it was, his entire body ached and he couldn't even care anymore. His favourite shirt was so cut up and covered in blood he had to stop wearing it around her, or else she'd become furious and grab whatever's closest to her hand and wail on him. It was like every day, she would come home and if her day didn't go well, he'd be graced with her presence, and all night he'd do nothing but scream, cry and hope, hope that when he would get home his father and mother would be there waiting for their son.

Their only son.

He whimpered as his mind raced as it always did, reminding him that even if he had been gone for five years, nothing could touch his family. His family didn't deserve anything else that was supposedly planned for them and the only reason he hadn't try and pick the lock and run was due to Vriska knowing where he lived and threatened to kill his parents if he left. He was abducted only a block from his house and he felt guilty knowing that his parents were in just as much danger as he was.

Despite everything he tried to keep an upbeat mood. It left up until after the second year.

His happy-go-lucky attitude returned when Vriska came home with another boy only a year ago, throwing him into the same room John had been locked in for the past four. He was quiet and frail; Vriska would never touch him because he was her favourite. However, that never meant Vriska would stop touching her least favourite and right in front of Travis. He guessed it was to install fear in the younger boy, and John felt bad for Travis.

He found out that Travis was a third year veterinary student at the local University and had his own boyfriend who worked part-time as a clown and doing gigs downtown. John told him about how his best friend Dave decided he wanted to be a police officer and how he joined the Policing College only an hour away. He and Dave were both attending the school, but it was only a month afterwards that John was abducted.

He was abducted on Halloween Night, the 31st of October. The day haunted him and would always haunt him.

He still remembered the night, but it was cloudy in some respects. He didn't want to think of it again, he just wanted out of the hell had he been put through for so long. He heard the front door 'click' open realized he fantasized too much about leaving to do anything. She was home and when she screamed "YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING SLUT- THIS IS YOUR FAULT!" he braced himself, because what else could he do really? When the locked door swung open and his captor stared him down with crazy, blood thirsty eyes, he burst into tears and screamed for her to leave him alone.

To which he was barely conscious just moments later.

-x-

Dave was sitting at the desk swamped in paperwork and cases, but only one that interested him was sitting right in front of him, open with papers sprawled out across the already messy desk. Dave didn't care about the supervisor yelling at him again because all he cared about was getting his best friend back. And he would do it, he'd be the one to bring John back and no one else would dare to attempt a search mission without his knowing.

When he heard the door open in his office, he didn't glance up at the person nor even give then any attention even when they said, "Dave, the office is closing. C'mon, you need to get home." He guessed that it was his best friend and lover, Jade Harley.

"Please don't overwork yourself; it's eleven at night..." She mused on, a worried tone as she walked over and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's neck, peering down and realizing that it was the same case he was still looking at. She sighed as she nuzzled her cheek into his light blonde hair, knowing the exact same response she'd get in just a minute.

"I was almost done; I just wanted want to..." He trailed off, and Jade was taken by surprise. Normally he'd just close the folder and nod to her and they'd leave the office hand in hand, occasionally going for a drink. But, this was different and Jade was wary about her next words and when she went to say something, Dave interjected with an irritated tone.

"Fuck it, I'm going out to look for him."

"Dave! You can't do that, it's late and-"

"Harley, you want him back don't you?"

That was when Jade bit the inside of her cheek. Dave only addressed her as Harley if he was dead serious and he would never joke about the subject matter at hand. She nodded her head, her green eyes sparking some hope.

"I do want to find him Dave, but we've looked everywhere: The town, the city, heck, even the country sides! Where else haven't we looked?" She asked him in a desperate voice, wondering if he had any answers.

"We've put search parties through the forest but I get bad feelings every time I even think about checking the wilderness." Dave replied after just a moment of thinking, adjusting his black shades on his face. He grabbed his black pea coat and put it on over his uniform, going quiet after a moment.

"I can call Rose and have her help us. You know how much she likes walking around in the dark and such." She gave Dave a smirk before grabbing her cell phone and dialling. Dave just shrugged, deciding that'd it'd be a good thing that the Goth girl loved the dark and she'd definitely come along. Dave glanced over before Jade nodded and turned towards her boyfriend, quickly giving him a nod of approval.

"She'll be meeting us in a half an hour." Jade replied after she hung up her phone and gave Dave a sympathetic look.

"Alright; let's go." Dave replied and Jade nodded, grabbing her boyfriends hand and intertwined their fingers. They left the Police Precinct and headed towards the edge of the forest. Unknowing to Jade, but Dave was praying that they would find some evidence of John, or... even a body. To finally put his family to rest.

-x-

When John could finally understand what just happened, he tried to move just a muscle before he yelped out in pain. He saw Vriska looming over him with an insane look her face, her entire body splattered in his own blood. His eyes felt bruised and the pain was insufferable, just like every beating that had seemed to occur every day. He heard her drop the cast iron water pipe right onto his newly broken wrist and all he could do was scream.

Scream in the agony and really, screaming was the only thing he could do while expressing his own emotions about everything.

Vriska leaned down right next to John and yanked him up by his neck, constricting his airways as she hissed right at him, her eyes staring him down angrily.

"I will be back soon, my little slut~ I'm going out with some friends, and when I get back with my toys, you'll be the first to test them out! I'm going to get a drill saw and I'm going to see how your insides work!" She shrieked with joy as John's face drained with whatever remaining colour. Well, he was sure that once she got back, he would die. Finally, he'd be put out of his misery-

His train of thought was cut off by Vriska slammed him back into the ground, his head aching as she left the room in a hurry, locking his door as always.

John tried to curl up in the foetal position, but found it impossible due to all of the pain in his lower back. She had raped him again with that sink pipe, and now she was getting her hands on a saw. He was... he was going to die-

'Wait! I was, and still am John Egbert! John Egbert is a master prankster, right?' He tried to muse himself into gaining hope but it faded quickly. He glanced around the room, what sort of device could he use now to help him stand? He glanced at the bloodied pipe, and grabbed it with his weak hands. Slowly, he got himself to stand but he guessed that it took around ten minutes, MAYBE thirteen. His hands were trembling and shaking as he tried to keep himself up. He saw the door and hobbled over, and that took him quite a while too.

He stared at the lock as he rested his left hand against the wall. He lifted the pipe with his right hand and with all of strength; he slammed it into the door frame. He saw the splatter of blood and small dent in the old door and decided he would try as hard as he could to get out. He needed to go.

He needed hope.

-x-

Once the trio met, they started around the light parts of the forest and the areas which were on the line between the city and town. Rose had already gone and started to look through the darker crevices of the forest while Jade went door-to-door, asking residents if they've seen anyone suspicious leaving. The answer was always the same: No. Dave was watching about, wanting to observe the scene. He observed the houses that looked empty, and came across one he had always passed.

He motioned for Jade to go there next as he twitched his head in Rose's direction. She understood and took her flashlight and shone it into the windows. Jade was busy knocking at the door and hearing for movement, but nothing. She thought she had heard shuffling, and she gave Dave a weary look.

However, Rose was the first to speak.

"It's just two cats. I have not spotted anyone in this house, no thanks from these dusty windows."

Dave frowned and thought about what he wanted to say next. "Maybe... we should change our focus. Maybe look for houses that have had recent activity in them?"

"Dave that could take all night, like all our other escapades have!" Jade complained, throwing her hands up in the air. Rose offered in a shrug, and nodded right after. "I agree. What do you propose?"

"Lalonde, head deeper into the forest and Harley, please, go ask these neighbours if anyone lives in the forest. I'll follow in with Lalonde and I'll call you if we're got anything."

The two girls nodded and headed to their locations as Dave started following Rose. He grabbed his own flashlight and starting to shine it about the forest. He glanced about, trying to get into the abductors shoes. If he was an abductor... what would he do with his hostage?

'I'd do something ironic and make a witty comment that makes then kill themselves.' Okay, well no. He didn't believe the killer would make John kill himself; the killer would have done the opposite. So where could he be hiding John? Dave had only assumed it was a male, although even Jade could overpower him in sheer strength. However, he still doubted a female kidnapped his best friend and has done god knows what to him.

His train of thought was broken when he heard Rose, "I have a visual on a house." Dave immediately rushed up and noticed the house had no lights on and there seemed to have been movement. He paused and knelt down to the ground, seeing footprints that came and went from the house. He nodded to Lalonde who went in for a closer look, while Dave simply texted his girl the message of: 'harley we found a suspicious house so keep at it'

Jade rolled her eyes at the text message she had received but was glad progress was being made.

Meanwhile, Dave had discovered that the door was unlocked and this entire house looked sketchy. Lalonde shut off her flashlight to join him at the front door. Slowly, he turned the doorknob and enterd into the space only to get the surprise of his lifetime.

-x-

As soon as John was able to break a small hole into the door, he dropped to his knees and stifled a cry as the pain shuffled and torn through his kneecaps, to his lower back (where it stung the most) then up to his crack and bruised ribs.

But once he reached through the door, he once again used up any and all strength he had with his right hand to pull the pieces away, creating a large gap in the bottle half of the door. His adrenaline must have been rushing through his veins because he heard his heart pounding in his ears.

He had to hurry, who knows when Vriska would get home! He finally ripped open a gap big enough to mostly fit his small frail body. First, he peered his head in, glancing around what appeared to be the living room with a kitchen on his left. His right hand went first, and then his broken left.

Soon, he would be free.

He managed to easily fit his hips and legs through the gap. His own pants were covered in so much dried blood he would wonder how his body could conjure that much blood. But that wasn't the task at hand! As he continued to crawl, he used the wall to help himself up even if it took him such a long time.

He saw a figure at the door, and hope was all he could think of.

"Dave! Dave, Rose, Jade? Dad? Mom!" He called out, unsure if it was any of those people- maybe all of them!

Suddenly the door slammed open, revealing the one person behind that door.

Vriska stood there, chains and a saw in her hand. Her face dropped when she saw John.

And John screamed.

-x-

Dave couldn't wait anymore and despite Lalonde's protests, he kicked the door in. When he took two steps in, a sudden mob of people jumped out and yelled "SURPRISE!" which in term scared the shit out of Dave internally, and Rose looked around confused.

After a moment of awkward realization, one woman pointed at both of them, her mouth agape. "You aren't my husband! Who are you?"

Dave couldn't help but smirk and adjust his sunglasses. "Who am I? I'm Dave Strider and I just crashed your party." With that, he turned and left. Rose slowly followed her idiotic brother only to see Jade out of breathe as she rounded the corner, wondering if they had found John.

"Was he there?" She finally coughed, and Dave shook his head while Rose stayed sombre. Jade let out a stressed out sigh, rubbing her eyes as they had started to sting with her tears.

"We'll be back tomorrow; it's hard to see outside." Dave spoke up as he took his steps to Jade, hugging onto her tightly as Rose nodded in agreement. He heard Jade mutter her, "okay" and that made him feel relieved. He could call in sick tomorrow, right?

He hoped to whoever that was up in the sky watching them that he could find John's body tomorrow. At least... he was in peace? Dave shook his head lightly, scowling at himself.

'He's not dead. But, who would keep someone alive for five years? John's dense; I doubt that he's being blackmailed.'He mused in his own head, scenarios re-appearing of his best friend's body: white, cold and dead.

He didn't sleep that night.

Neither did Rose or Jade.

A/N: Well, I do like reviews to tell me how I do, so please review? I'm excited to be releasing new chapters of this story sooner or later. :3

Happy Thursday!