Take Back The Image of the Invisible, chapter 5
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There was a sudden thud on the roof. Everyone jumped, looking up towards the ceiling. Both Joey and Jakob scrambled up from their places on the floor and over to their parents.
"Billie, either Santa's making an early stop this year or we've got ourselves a serious case of roof rats." Tré said smartly as he glanced up at the ceiling.
Another loud thud came from the roof and everyone flinched slightly before all went silent.
Joey looked up at his dad as he stood clutching his pant leg, "Dad what's going on?" he asked, doing his best to sound unafraid but failing miserably.
Jakob looked over at Billie as he stood by Adrienne. He too was completely terrified.
"It's okay you two, those people outside aren't going to hurt you because none of us are going to let them. Go with your mom and Uncle Jason and find a good spot to hide, okay?"
Joey nodded and went over to Adrienne as Billie turned to Jason.
"Take them down to the basement and make sure they're well hidden. Keep them safe no matter what happens."
Jason nodded and followed Adrienne and the boys down the hall to the basement door. It shut with a snap behind them.
Billie looked between Tré and Mike.
"Spread out around the living room, the only way into this house that they would know about would be the front door or one of the upstairs windows. They'll have to come through here no matter where they break in."
The other two nodded and the trio split up. Billie turned out the few lights that had been on and then lay down on the couch, positioning himself so he could see the staircase and the front door but anyone coming in or down couldn't see him. Darkness was key now. These people wouldn't know their way around his house and that was going to be a big advantage.
Minutes ticked by without so much as a footfall from anywhere. Billie lay there his every nerve stretched to the limit. Why hadn't they made any kind of move yet? He heard the rustle of clothing as one of his fellow band mates shifted slightly in their hiding place. Then suddenly the sound of breaking glass came from upstairs, shattering the silence and causing Billie to jump slightly. He turned to completely face the staircase, still making sure that anyone coming down wouldn't see him.
"All right boys, it's time you learned not to fuck around with us or our families... " he muttered.
Billie watched as two figures made their way down the staircase, stopping a ways from the bottom. One clicked on a flashlight and began shining it around the room. Shit! Billie thought as he tried to make himself look like a blanket or something that had been left on the couch. He doubted it would work but he could try. He hadn't thought twice about the fact they would have flashlights! He mentally kicked himself a few times and froze as the light passed over him.
"Hold on Rat, what was that you passed over on the couch?" questioned the man without the flashlight.
Billie quickly shoved his arms and legs down into the cushions as best he could and pulled a pillow over his head seconds before the light shined down on him again.
"Quit being so jumpy Crow, its just some sort of clothing that was left laying there."
The light clicked off and Billie let his breath out slowly. He hadn't even realized he'd been holding it. Dull thuds told Billie that the two had come all the way down the stairs now and he strained his ears to hear them through the pillow covering his head.
"Get over and let the others in Rat, I got a bad feelin about this whole thing. There haven't been any cars out of here so they've gotta still be here somewhere."
The front man heard the lock on the front door click and then open as more footsteps reached his ears. How many people did Tré say there had been? Five... That was it... Five. That must mean that the two had broken in as part of the plan so they could let the rest in. Billie's mind was whirling as he heard the front door shut again. Should he get up now?
"Spread out boys. Keep a weary eye they could be anywhere and I'm sure our little drummer friend will be quiet unhappy with us after last night. I'll stay here in the living room in case they try and slip off before we have a chance to meet them."
Billie felt pressure on his head as someone sat down on the pillow he was under. Who ever had given the orders had decided to sit down and get comfortable... To hell with that! Billie thought angrily he quickly pulled his arms out from between the cushions and gave the guy a hard shove that sent him sprawling on the floor with a yelp. Billie scrambled up standing over the man. This was the ringleader as Tré had put it. He was relatively short, dressed in all black with the hood of his jacket pulled up over his head and a snake mask covering his face.
The man's voice came calm and cool as he pulled himself up off the floor. "You gave me a little shock there Mr. Armstrong. Bit odd to be hiding in the couch cushions when you're expecting company isn't it?"
"Bit odd for you to think you're a welcome guest when you've just broken into my house. After doing the same to one of my best friends last night and taking his kids after knocking him unconscious and locking him in a closet."
"Touché," Snake replied coldly.
There was a loud thud and the sound of scuffling from the other side of the room and both men turned toward the commotion. A tall, huskily built man came stumbling back into the living room from the side hallway doing everything in his power to get someone off him. Billie couldn't tell who it was due to the dark room but he only had a second to wonder before the question was answered.
"So you came back for more Mr. Big Shot? Not so tough when YOU'RE the one getting ambushed are you? We'll see who makes a bitch out of who now!"
Tré had apparently ambushed Tank as he made his way down the hall and latched onto his back before he could turn around to react. He was currently giving the napper both a verbal and physical beating, hitting him about the head with his free fist as he vented.
"Get off a me you crazy little asshole!" the man yelled as he swatted at his back, trying to get the enraged drummer off.
"Where are my kids you fuck!?" Tré yelled as he ducked Tank's fist, but then caught a hard slap directly across the face from the other hand as it came around. Stars popped in front of his vision for a moment and he shook his head to clear it of them.
"So you like fighting dirty huh?" he snarled. "Okay, then if we're gonna be cheap... " Tré brought his head forward and bit down as hard as he could on Tank's shoulder. The big man yowled and tried more desperately to get the drummer off.
Snake moved to help him but Billie made the first move, tackling him to the ground and pinning him.
"I don't think so, buddy. Your friend is fighting cheap enough without your help."
Just then, Tank caught Tré by the back of his shirt pulling him off his back, dealing him a swift punch to the face. Billie's attention left Snake and the napper took the opportunity giving him a sound punch in the gut before Tank tossed Tré into the front man and the two landed in a heap a few feet away.
Snake got up brushing himself off a bit, "Maybe next time you'll pay more attention to the person you're fighting instead of others Armstrong."
The two bandmates untangled themselves from one another and Billie scrambled up before helping Tré to his feet. The drummer's nose was bleeding freely from the punch he'd recieved but he seemed unfazed, simply wiping the blood away with his sleeve before moving in on Tank again. Just as he launched himself at the man he was caught soundly across the stomach by something and fell back, landing completely winded at Billie's feet. Billie looked up and saw a man holding out a crow bar and wearing a crow mask standing beside Tank.
"Look before you leap next time, Mr. Cool." Snake said smoothly as he came to stand beside his comrades. Tré pushed himself to his feet.
"Fuck you, asshole," he growled.
Snake looked between the other two members of his group.
"Terrible manners to have towards company, don't you think, gentlemen? Why don't we find them somewhere to spend the remainder of the night, since they are so ill tempered." Crow and Tank advanced on Tré and Billie as the two backed away.
"Billie?" Tré questioned as the continued their retreat.
The frontman cast a sideways glance at his friend. "Yeah Tré?"
The drummer swallowed a bit. "We're fucked aren't we?"
Billie nodded as they both bumped against the wall. Crow leaped forward, swinging his crowbar about.
"Billie duck!" Tré yelled and he did so, causing the bar to miss him by inches.
Tré sidestepped Tank as he came charging forward and scrambled over him as he fell to the ground after hitting the wall full force. Billie acted on the first thought that entered his mind.
"Run!" he yelled and the two bolted across the living room and into the hallway, only to run head long into Mike as he tussled with Weasel and Rat. Snake, Crow, and Tank came down the hall right behind and the three found themselves trapped.
"Enough of these foolish games! Crow, hold the drummer off, he's weak at the moment."
"Weak? Oh I'll show you weak, you cocky little bastard." Tré snarled, starting towards the man with his fists clenched, but Crow was quick and caught the drummer hard across the back with his crow bar flooring him.
The man then pinned him to the spot Snake continued on as if nothing had happened.
"Weasel, Rat, keep Mr. Dirnt back." The two complied immediately, grabbing Mike from either side as he thrashed, trying to get them off.
"Tank, grab Armstrong, we're gonna play a little game of our own." The big man grabbed Billie, forcing his arms down to his sides he slammed him up against the wall with a malicious grin.
"I like games."
There was a sudden thud on the roof. Everyone jumped, looking up towards the ceiling. Both Joey and Jakob scrambled up from their places on the floor and over to their parents.
"Billie, either Santa's making an early stop this year or we've got ourselves a serious case of roof rats." Tré said smartly as he glanced up at the ceiling.
Another loud thud came from the roof and everyone flinched slightly before all went silent.
Joey looked up at his dad as he stood clutching his pant leg, "Dad what's going on?" he asked, doing his best to sound unafraid but failing miserably.
Jakob looked over at Billie as he stood by Adrienne. He too was completely terrified.
"It's okay you two, those people outside aren't going to hurt you because none of us are going to let them. Go with your mom and Uncle Jason and find a good spot to hide, okay?"
Joey nodded and went over to Adrienne as Billie turned to Jason.
"Take them down to the basement and make sure they're well hidden. Keep them safe no matter what happens."
Jason nodded and followed Adrienne and the boys down the hall to the basement door. It shut with a snap behind them.
Billie looked between Tré and Mike.
"Spread out around the living room, the only way into this house that they would know about would be the front door or one of the upstairs windows. They'll have to come through here no matter where they break in."
The other two nodded and the trio split up. Billie turned out the few lights that had been on and then lay down on the couch, positioning himself so he could see the staircase and the front door but anyone coming in or down couldn't see him. Darkness was key now. These people wouldn't know their way around his house and that was going to be a big advantage.
Minutes ticked by without so much as a footfall from anywhere. Billie lay there his every nerve stretched to the limit. Why hadn't they made any kind of move yet? He heard the rustle of clothing as one of his fellow band mates shifted slightly in their hiding place. Then suddenly the sound of breaking glass came from upstairs, shattering the silence and causing Billie to jump slightly. He turned to completely face the staircase, still making sure that anyone coming down wouldn't see him.
"All right boys, it's time you learned not to fuck around with us or our families... " he muttered.
Billie watched as two figures made their way down the staircase, stopping a ways from the bottom. One clicked on a flashlight and began shining it around the room. Shit! Billie thought as he tried to make himself look like a blanket or something that had been left on the couch. He doubted it would work but he could try. He hadn't thought twice about the fact they would have flashlights! He mentally kicked himself a few times and froze as the light passed over him.
"Hold on Rat, what was that you passed over on the couch?" questioned the man without the flashlight.
Billie quickly shoved his arms and legs down into the cushions as best he could and pulled a pillow over his head seconds before the light shined down on him again.
"Quit being so jumpy Crow, its just some sort of clothing that was left laying there."
The light clicked off and Billie let his breath out slowly. He hadn't even realized he'd been holding it. Dull thuds told Billie that the two had come all the way down the stairs now and he strained his ears to hear them through the pillow covering his head.
"Get over and let the others in Rat, I got a bad feelin about this whole thing. There haven't been any cars out of here so they've gotta still be here somewhere."
The front man heard the lock on the front door click and then open as more footsteps reached his ears. How many people did Tré say there had been? Five... That was it... Five. That must mean that the two had broken in as part of the plan so they could let the rest in. Billie's mind was whirling as he heard the front door shut again. Should he get up now?
"Spread out boys. Keep a weary eye they could be anywhere and I'm sure our little drummer friend will be quiet unhappy with us after last night. I'll stay here in the living room in case they try and slip off before we have a chance to meet them."
Billie felt pressure on his head as someone sat down on the pillow he was under. Who ever had given the orders had decided to sit down and get comfortable... To hell with that! Billie thought angrily he quickly pulled his arms out from between the cushions and gave the guy a hard shove that sent him sprawling on the floor with a yelp. Billie scrambled up standing over the man. This was the ringleader as Tré had put it. He was relatively short, dressed in all black with the hood of his jacket pulled up over his head and a snake mask covering his face.
The man's voice came calm and cool as he pulled himself up off the floor. "You gave me a little shock there Mr. Armstrong. Bit odd to be hiding in the couch cushions when you're expecting company isn't it?"
"Bit odd for you to think you're a welcome guest when you've just broken into my house. After doing the same to one of my best friends last night and taking his kids after knocking him unconscious and locking him in a closet."
"Touché," Snake replied coldly.
There was a loud thud and the sound of scuffling from the other side of the room and both men turned toward the commotion. A tall, huskily built man came stumbling back into the living room from the side hallway doing everything in his power to get someone off him. Billie couldn't tell who it was due to the dark room but he only had a second to wonder before the question was answered.
"So you came back for more Mr. Big Shot? Not so tough when YOU'RE the one getting ambushed are you? We'll see who makes a bitch out of who now!"
Tré had apparently ambushed Tank as he made his way down the hall and latched onto his back before he could turn around to react. He was currently giving the napper both a verbal and physical beating, hitting him about the head with his free fist as he vented.
"Get off a me you crazy little asshole!" the man yelled as he swatted at his back, trying to get the enraged drummer off.
"Where are my kids you fuck!?" Tré yelled as he ducked Tank's fist, but then caught a hard slap directly across the face from the other hand as it came around. Stars popped in front of his vision for a moment and he shook his head to clear it of them.
"So you like fighting dirty huh?" he snarled. "Okay, then if we're gonna be cheap... " Tré brought his head forward and bit down as hard as he could on Tank's shoulder. The big man yowled and tried more desperately to get the drummer off.
Snake moved to help him but Billie made the first move, tackling him to the ground and pinning him.
"I don't think so, buddy. Your friend is fighting cheap enough without your help."
Just then, Tank caught Tré by the back of his shirt pulling him off his back, dealing him a swift punch to the face. Billie's attention left Snake and the napper took the opportunity giving him a sound punch in the gut before Tank tossed Tré into the front man and the two landed in a heap a few feet away.
Snake got up brushing himself off a bit, "Maybe next time you'll pay more attention to the person you're fighting instead of others Armstrong."
The two bandmates untangled themselves from one another and Billie scrambled up before helping Tré to his feet. The drummer's nose was bleeding freely from the punch he'd recieved but he seemed unfazed, simply wiping the blood away with his sleeve before moving in on Tank again. Just as he launched himself at the man he was caught soundly across the stomach by something and fell back, landing completely winded at Billie's feet. Billie looked up and saw a man holding out a crow bar and wearing a crow mask standing beside Tank.
"Look before you leap next time, Mr. Cool." Snake said smoothly as he came to stand beside his comrades. Tré pushed himself to his feet.
"Fuck you, asshole," he growled.
Snake looked between the other two members of his group.
"Terrible manners to have towards company, don't you think, gentlemen? Why don't we find them somewhere to spend the remainder of the night, since they are so ill tempered." Crow and Tank advanced on Tré and Billie as the two backed away.
"Billie?" Tré questioned as the continued their retreat.
The frontman cast a sideways glance at his friend. "Yeah Tré?"
The drummer swallowed a bit. "We're fucked aren't we?"
Billie nodded as they both bumped against the wall. Crow leaped forward, swinging his crowbar about.
"Billie duck!" Tré yelled and he did so, causing the bar to miss him by inches.
Tré sidestepped Tank as he came charging forward and scrambled over him as he fell to the ground after hitting the wall full force. Billie acted on the first thought that entered his mind.
"Run!" he yelled and the two bolted across the living room and into the hallway, only to run head long into Mike as he tussled with Weasel and Rat. Snake, Crow, and Tank came down the hall right behind and the three found themselves trapped.
"Enough of these foolish games! Crow, hold the drummer off, he's weak at the moment."
"Weak? Oh I'll show you weak, you cocky little bastard." Tré snarled, starting towards the man with his fists clenched, but Crow was quick and caught the drummer hard across the back with his crow bar flooring him.
The man then pinned him to the spot Snake continued on as if nothing had happened.
"Weasel, Rat, keep Mr. Dirnt back." The two complied immediately, grabbing Mike from either side as he thrashed, trying to get them off.
"Tank, grab Armstrong, we're gonna play a little game of our own." The big man grabbed Billie, forcing his arms down to his sides he slammed him up against the wall with a malicious grin.
"I like games."
