Enclosed Spaces, chapter 5
Sure enough, a few seconds later, the phone rung, which seemed to burn his eardrums like a cold, hard burning hot steel brand marks a farmer's cow. Gerard covered his ears with the gun still in his hand to keep from having to hear the hum. He fell to the floor, the people around him quickly scooting away, and bumped the table making the phone fall off the hook and onto the floor. He could hear the voice on the other end linger saying, "Are you there?";, then white noise, "Are you there?";, then white noise.
He picked up the phone slowly and didn't say anything for a second.
"Gerard, is this you?"; the voice said.
The voice continued to repeat the same phrase over and over.
"Yea, this is him,"; Gerard finally replied, closing his eyes and turning his head to the side.
"Hello, I'm Michael Way.";
"I really don't care who the fuck you are,"; Gerard said, his voice shaking. "How... how did you know my name?";
"It's not that hard when you leave your car parked outside and we get a report and license plate number for someone who's been causing a little trouble over in the parking lot of First National Bank.";
There was awkward silence.
"Oh,"; was the only response Gerard gave.
"Yeah. We have notification that there's a man down in there. Is it true?";
"Ahhhh...,"; Gerard said, stuttering, "Yes, a man's been shot."; He took a deep gulp.
Michael started, "Does he need assistance?";
"Well, wait. No! No! No! You're not finding a way to come in!"; Gerard yelled into the receiver that was about a foot from his face. Everyone around him stared and became even more scared than before.
"Okay, okay,"; Michael said, trying to ease Gerard's frustration and anger.
"I'm running this mother fucker, me! Not anybody else, not anybody else! Me!"; He seemed to be talking to a real person; he squinted his eyes in hatred and had this passion in his voice that seemed somewhat dedicated to this situation. He even started pointing at himself and at the phone as if it was a body that was standing right before him. "You leave me be and let this live on and not wilt and die. I'm running this, don't forget."; He hung up the phone and threw it back on the table.
Meanwhile, outside Michael was standing there beside several police officers.
"Shit, he hung up on me!"; Michael said raising his voice slightly.
"Calm down, not everyone gets it the first time,"; Officer Black replied. "Call again, maybe you'll get through to him.";
"Maybe, but it frustrates me to think how this nut-job could even be capable of living life this way. Huh... . I can't even begin to contemplate the life of this bum-fucking chap."; Michael sighed. "I'll just call back. He better answer the goddamn phone though.";
Inside the building, Gerard was yelling at everyone and throwing things around.
"You, sit here! Don't move you a fucking inch or I'll shoot your fucking brains out!";
The phone rumbled again. This time, he picked it up and answered it rather quickly.
";Yeah. What do you want?";
"My, my, you're very insulting. I'm, I'm shocked and surprised you'd be so harsh and opinionated. You barely even know me to jump to conclusions like that and assume I'm very selfish and level-headed much like yourself."; Michael said on the other side of the phone.
"Then stop acting like you're my fucking best friend and act like a fucking negotiator!"; He hung up the phone.
"Hey look, guy,"; the teenager girl who had been chomping on her gum before still continued to crack and pop it and flip and turn the pages of her magazine. This time, she looked up for a second or two and noticed something outside.
"What?"; Gerard turned around quite mad like he was interrupted from doing something and looked at the girl.
"Looks as if something's going on outside,"; she had looked back down to her magazine and turned the page.
"Well, that's nice information to know, Gaz, but like there wouldn't be anything going on outside!"; He was waving his gun in the air. "They're not just going to fucking leave after I killed a guy! Of course there's something going on! They're planning a way to kill me so we can all just go home!"; Gerard had finally calmed down.
"No, no. . .There's was like some chick out there,"; Gaz didn't even look up from the article she was reading.
Gerard ran over to the counter in front of her and slammed his fists down making a pounding noise like someone was playing bongos. "What?!";
"Yeah, I saw some girl out there with the cops. She was talking with them or something, I dunno know."; The girl continued.
He shook his head with his eyes closed. "No, Gaz, look at me."; He brought her chin up and got her to look at him. "Tell me exactly what you saw.";
"I told you; some girl. The cops were talking to her. She had like kinda long black hair and had streaks down her face from where her mascara must have bled. She was rather pale. But... ."; She was cut off.
"Jara.";
"What?"; Gaz asked.
"Fuck, they got Jara into this. Jara's in this now. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck! What am I gonna do?! Shit."; Gerard ran his fingers through his greasy hair. He started tapping the gun against his head once again.
"Shit. Someone got a cigarette? And, and a lighter, too?"; Gerard asked the room of people. "Well, does someone!? Jess, do you?";
"Umm... .I don't smoke,"; Jess tried to reply with a smile that didn't sense fear.
"Bullshit.";
"No, really,"; She combed her hair with her fingers behind her ear, "I don't.";
"Well I be damned. No one in this whole fucking building has a damn light!? Holy shit.";
Just then, the phone rang again. It buzzed and Gerard quickly answered.
"Hey, Gerard, how are we doing?"; Michael asked.
"You know what, I'm tired of you fucking with me. I make the goddamn rules here, remember?! Do you. Stop messing with my fucking head! Or,"; Gerard gulped, "or I'll kill every last goddamn person in this room."; His voice strained and cracked and there was the sound of tears in his voice.
"Hold up, let's not do anything we'd regret, okay?";
"Shut the fuck up,"; He was crying, "You're not in here! Your life isn't on the line, who are you to tell me to calm down!? I won't regret doing it, only you might cause it was your responsibility to keep me from doing it!";
"Listen, I got your girlfriend here. She wants to talk to you. Is that alright?"; Michael stayed calm.
He picked up the phone slowly and didn't say anything for a second.
"Gerard, is this you?"; the voice said.
The voice continued to repeat the same phrase over and over.
"Yea, this is him,"; Gerard finally replied, closing his eyes and turning his head to the side.
"Hello, I'm Michael Way.";
"I really don't care who the fuck you are,"; Gerard said, his voice shaking. "How... how did you know my name?";
"It's not that hard when you leave your car parked outside and we get a report and license plate number for someone who's been causing a little trouble over in the parking lot of First National Bank.";
There was awkward silence.
"Oh,"; was the only response Gerard gave.
"Yeah. We have notification that there's a man down in there. Is it true?";
"Ahhhh...,"; Gerard said, stuttering, "Yes, a man's been shot."; He took a deep gulp.
Michael started, "Does he need assistance?";
"Well, wait. No! No! No! You're not finding a way to come in!"; Gerard yelled into the receiver that was about a foot from his face. Everyone around him stared and became even more scared than before.
"Okay, okay,"; Michael said, trying to ease Gerard's frustration and anger.
"I'm running this mother fucker, me! Not anybody else, not anybody else! Me!"; He seemed to be talking to a real person; he squinted his eyes in hatred and had this passion in his voice that seemed somewhat dedicated to this situation. He even started pointing at himself and at the phone as if it was a body that was standing right before him. "You leave me be and let this live on and not wilt and die. I'm running this, don't forget."; He hung up the phone and threw it back on the table.
Meanwhile, outside Michael was standing there beside several police officers.
"Shit, he hung up on me!"; Michael said raising his voice slightly.
"Calm down, not everyone gets it the first time,"; Officer Black replied. "Call again, maybe you'll get through to him.";
"Maybe, but it frustrates me to think how this nut-job could even be capable of living life this way. Huh... . I can't even begin to contemplate the life of this bum-fucking chap."; Michael sighed. "I'll just call back. He better answer the goddamn phone though.";
Inside the building, Gerard was yelling at everyone and throwing things around.
"You, sit here! Don't move you a fucking inch or I'll shoot your fucking brains out!";
The phone rumbled again. This time, he picked it up and answered it rather quickly.
";Yeah. What do you want?";
"My, my, you're very insulting. I'm, I'm shocked and surprised you'd be so harsh and opinionated. You barely even know me to jump to conclusions like that and assume I'm very selfish and level-headed much like yourself."; Michael said on the other side of the phone.
"Then stop acting like you're my fucking best friend and act like a fucking negotiator!"; He hung up the phone.
"Hey look, guy,"; the teenager girl who had been chomping on her gum before still continued to crack and pop it and flip and turn the pages of her magazine. This time, she looked up for a second or two and noticed something outside.
"What?"; Gerard turned around quite mad like he was interrupted from doing something and looked at the girl.
"Looks as if something's going on outside,"; she had looked back down to her magazine and turned the page.
"Well, that's nice information to know, Gaz, but like there wouldn't be anything going on outside!"; He was waving his gun in the air. "They're not just going to fucking leave after I killed a guy! Of course there's something going on! They're planning a way to kill me so we can all just go home!"; Gerard had finally calmed down.
"No, no. . .There's was like some chick out there,"; Gaz didn't even look up from the article she was reading.
Gerard ran over to the counter in front of her and slammed his fists down making a pounding noise like someone was playing bongos. "What?!";
"Yeah, I saw some girl out there with the cops. She was talking with them or something, I dunno know."; The girl continued.
He shook his head with his eyes closed. "No, Gaz, look at me."; He brought her chin up and got her to look at him. "Tell me exactly what you saw.";
"I told you; some girl. The cops were talking to her. She had like kinda long black hair and had streaks down her face from where her mascara must have bled. She was rather pale. But... ."; She was cut off.
"Jara.";
"What?"; Gaz asked.
"Fuck, they got Jara into this. Jara's in this now. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck! What am I gonna do?! Shit."; Gerard ran his fingers through his greasy hair. He started tapping the gun against his head once again.
"Shit. Someone got a cigarette? And, and a lighter, too?"; Gerard asked the room of people. "Well, does someone!? Jess, do you?";
"Umm... .I don't smoke,"; Jess tried to reply with a smile that didn't sense fear.
"Bullshit.";
"No, really,"; She combed her hair with her fingers behind her ear, "I don't.";
"Well I be damned. No one in this whole fucking building has a damn light!? Holy shit.";
Just then, the phone rang again. It buzzed and Gerard quickly answered.
"Hey, Gerard, how are we doing?"; Michael asked.
"You know what, I'm tired of you fucking with me. I make the goddamn rules here, remember?! Do you. Stop messing with my fucking head! Or,"; Gerard gulped, "or I'll kill every last goddamn person in this room."; His voice strained and cracked and there was the sound of tears in his voice.
"Hold up, let's not do anything we'd regret, okay?";
"Shut the fuck up,"; He was crying, "You're not in here! Your life isn't on the line, who are you to tell me to calm down!? I won't regret doing it, only you might cause it was your responsibility to keep me from doing it!";
"Listen, I got your girlfriend here. She wants to talk to you. Is that alright?"; Michael stayed calm.
