Are You Afraid Of The Dark?, chapter 8
"Well well well, if it isn't the pansy pricks... " Sarah grinned evilly. Tré raised his eyebrow.
"That's a bit harsh... " he mumbled from behind his gag.
"I take it you haven't seen my sister, otherwise she would be screaming at me... seems odd that she hasn't been down here to play her fucking instruments either. Honestly, the racket she makes with those... "
"Yeah well it's her house." Billie Joe said muffled by his gag. Sarah took the gags off them.
"What did you say?"
"I said it's her house, she paid for it all, and you do fuck all," he said boldly. Sarah slapped him viciously.
"What gives you the right to listen in on my conversations?" she said as her lip curled.
"I hardly think that you can be talking about rights when you've got us chained down here. And what gives you the right to mooch off your sister? Sounds like you've been at it for a good few years. How d'you think she feels?"
"You don't know anything," Sarah spat.
"Yeah I do. I know that this sister of yours, whoever she is, doesn't deserve to be treated like that. And doesn't deserve to have you as a sister. Hell no one deserves to have you as a sister. Not even George fucking Bush!"
"Here we go again with the politics, don't you think that's a little old now?"
"Politics isn't a fashion... " Billie Joe stated.
"Yeah well whatever, you're one person, can't do fuck all. Oh and I've seen some news reports on TV, sounds like people are worried. Don't know why, it wouldn't be a great loss if you didn't return. If you somehow turned up in some scummy river with a bullet through your head."
"No, it wouldn't, but it'd be even less of a loss if that happened to you. We have other people to think about, our kids for example, but you, you think about no one but yourself. So no one would care at all if you met the same fate. And by the sounds of it your sister wouldn't care all that much."
"By the sounds of it you'd do well to shut your mouth now," Sarah hissed.
"Make me," Billie Joe said holding his head high. She walked over to the counter while Mike and Tré looked at Billie Joe worriedly. He'd gone too far. They knew it. He knew it as well. But he didn't care. Sarah opened a cupboard and pulled out a glass. She walked over to Billie Joe turning the glass over in her hands. She brought it down on his head and he cried out in pain before falling into unconsciousness.
Mike and Tré looked worriedly at their unconscious friend before their thoughts of concern were interrupted by a harsh voice. "Have you got anything to say? Or are you not as stupid as this prick here?" she said gesturing to Billie Joe. Mike and Tré looked at each other and stayed silent. They didn't want to have a glass smashed down on their heads as well. "Good, and if he wakes up you might wanna tell him to shut the fuck up in future." She tied their gags back on roughly and climbed the stairs.
Upstairs Jane felt a sudden pang of guilt that she couldn't go down to the basement. Especially after the cry of pain. The cry of pain that made tears burn in the corner of her eyes. The cry of pain that made her feel a surge of anger towards her sister. The cry of pain that she seemed to feel as well. Like it was her who'd been hit. Jane rolled over and went back to sleep. It was 2am and she was tired.
It's a funny thing when you feel incredibly tired, yet cannot fall asleep no matter how still you lay, how quiet you try to make your breathing, how exhausted you feel, or how long you keep your eyes shut for. Jane had even taken the batteries out of her clock because of its incessant ticking. Three o'clock rolled by slowly. As did four o'clock. And five. By the time that Jane's watch read seven thirty she was slowly dozing off to sleep. Until she heard the front door slam. She jumped out of bed in time to see her sister climb into the red Cadillac and drive off down the street. Realising that it would be safe to go downstairs she slipped her feet into her slippers (she hated cold floors) and ran down the stairs. She opened the basement door with a bang and jogged down the steps. When she turned to look at the guys she gasped. Billie Joe's head was resting on his chest, the top of his head matted with blood. There were shards of glass on the floor and Jane bit her lip. Mike and Tré were looking at her anxiously, willing her to do something.
Jane's brain kicked into action and she got a cloth and some water to clean up his head. When she had wiped the blood away she untied Mike and Tré and got them to help lay him down on the sofa while she cleaned up the glass.
"She'll know though," Tré said.
"I don't care. She probably won't come back 'til tomorrow and you'll be gone then. Besides, I don't give a shit now. I said she wouldn't hurt you and she has. I'm so sorry. I should have just let you go. I'm sorry," she repeated her apologies over and over until she felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped and turned around to see Billie Joe, one hand covering his forehead, the other reaching out to her shoulder.
"It's not your fault Jay, it's not. I shouldn't have been so cocky."
"Are you ok?"
"I will be. I've had worse, believe me." Mike and Tré stood awkwardly in the background, not wanting to intrude on their conversation.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," a tear rolled down her cheek and Billie Joe reached up and wiped it away with his thumb.
"Don't cry, you don't need to cry. Come on Jay, please?" he sat up and pulled her into a hug and she started crying into his chest.
"I said she wouldn't hurt you, I was so sure that she wouldn't, and she did! If I'd have just let you go, if I hadn't have been so fucking selfish so I could make sure my own skin would be safe, if I'd have just done what I should have done... "
"It's not your fault Jay, come on, it's my fault. I shouldn't have been so fucking cocky. If hadn't have told her to make me shut up then she wouldn't have." He pulled away from her, still keeping a tight grip on her shoulders, "It's not your fault, understand me?" he said firmly looking straight into her eyes. She nodded weakly and wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. "Good." He pulled her back into the hug and rested his chin on her shoulder. Mike was grinning triumphantly and Billie Joe frowned.
'I told you so,' Mike mouthed, 'I told you.' Billie Joe glared back and Tré had to shove his fist in his mouth to stop himself from laughing.
Jane let go of Billie Joe and finished cleaning up the shards of glass that littered the floor. She wrapped them in some newspaper and put them in the bin. "Help yourselves to drinks, I'll go get something for you to eat... " she left the basement and Mike rounded on Billie Joe while Tré was getting himself a drink.
"You don't like her eh?"
"I never said I didn't like her!" Billie Joe protested. "Why wouldn't I like her? She's a great person!"
"You know I don't mean like as in the way of a friend. I mean like as in 'oh Jay, you're so beautiful, I never met a girl like you before!'"
"Are you sure you're not just jealous? 'Cause I know as well as you know that you haven't been with a girl in what, a year?" Billie Joe smirked at the look of defeat on Mike's face.
"I'm not jealous... it's just you're too thick to know when you like a girl. I mean how many months before you finally realised you liked Adrienne? And how long after that did it take you to pluck up the courage to ask her out?"
"Don't talk to me about her... "
"Bill man, you have to get over it, you need to move on. I know she cheated but come on man, you need to let go, for the boys. And you know what the best way to move on is?"
"What?" Billie Joe asked sulkily.
Jane appeared at the top of the stairs with a large plate of toast. Mike grinned at Billie Joe. Right on cue the answer had appeared.
"Anyone for toast?"
"That's a bit harsh... " he mumbled from behind his gag.
"I take it you haven't seen my sister, otherwise she would be screaming at me... seems odd that she hasn't been down here to play her fucking instruments either. Honestly, the racket she makes with those... "
"Yeah well it's her house." Billie Joe said muffled by his gag. Sarah took the gags off them.
"What did you say?"
"I said it's her house, she paid for it all, and you do fuck all," he said boldly. Sarah slapped him viciously.
"What gives you the right to listen in on my conversations?" she said as her lip curled.
"I hardly think that you can be talking about rights when you've got us chained down here. And what gives you the right to mooch off your sister? Sounds like you've been at it for a good few years. How d'you think she feels?"
"You don't know anything," Sarah spat.
"Yeah I do. I know that this sister of yours, whoever she is, doesn't deserve to be treated like that. And doesn't deserve to have you as a sister. Hell no one deserves to have you as a sister. Not even George fucking Bush!"
"Here we go again with the politics, don't you think that's a little old now?"
"Politics isn't a fashion... " Billie Joe stated.
"Yeah well whatever, you're one person, can't do fuck all. Oh and I've seen some news reports on TV, sounds like people are worried. Don't know why, it wouldn't be a great loss if you didn't return. If you somehow turned up in some scummy river with a bullet through your head."
"No, it wouldn't, but it'd be even less of a loss if that happened to you. We have other people to think about, our kids for example, but you, you think about no one but yourself. So no one would care at all if you met the same fate. And by the sounds of it your sister wouldn't care all that much."
"By the sounds of it you'd do well to shut your mouth now," Sarah hissed.
"Make me," Billie Joe said holding his head high. She walked over to the counter while Mike and Tré looked at Billie Joe worriedly. He'd gone too far. They knew it. He knew it as well. But he didn't care. Sarah opened a cupboard and pulled out a glass. She walked over to Billie Joe turning the glass over in her hands. She brought it down on his head and he cried out in pain before falling into unconsciousness.
Mike and Tré looked worriedly at their unconscious friend before their thoughts of concern were interrupted by a harsh voice. "Have you got anything to say? Or are you not as stupid as this prick here?" she said gesturing to Billie Joe. Mike and Tré looked at each other and stayed silent. They didn't want to have a glass smashed down on their heads as well. "Good, and if he wakes up you might wanna tell him to shut the fuck up in future." She tied their gags back on roughly and climbed the stairs.
Upstairs Jane felt a sudden pang of guilt that she couldn't go down to the basement. Especially after the cry of pain. The cry of pain that made tears burn in the corner of her eyes. The cry of pain that made her feel a surge of anger towards her sister. The cry of pain that she seemed to feel as well. Like it was her who'd been hit. Jane rolled over and went back to sleep. It was 2am and she was tired.
It's a funny thing when you feel incredibly tired, yet cannot fall asleep no matter how still you lay, how quiet you try to make your breathing, how exhausted you feel, or how long you keep your eyes shut for. Jane had even taken the batteries out of her clock because of its incessant ticking. Three o'clock rolled by slowly. As did four o'clock. And five. By the time that Jane's watch read seven thirty she was slowly dozing off to sleep. Until she heard the front door slam. She jumped out of bed in time to see her sister climb into the red Cadillac and drive off down the street. Realising that it would be safe to go downstairs she slipped her feet into her slippers (she hated cold floors) and ran down the stairs. She opened the basement door with a bang and jogged down the steps. When she turned to look at the guys she gasped. Billie Joe's head was resting on his chest, the top of his head matted with blood. There were shards of glass on the floor and Jane bit her lip. Mike and Tré were looking at her anxiously, willing her to do something.
Jane's brain kicked into action and she got a cloth and some water to clean up his head. When she had wiped the blood away she untied Mike and Tré and got them to help lay him down on the sofa while she cleaned up the glass.
"She'll know though," Tré said.
"I don't care. She probably won't come back 'til tomorrow and you'll be gone then. Besides, I don't give a shit now. I said she wouldn't hurt you and she has. I'm so sorry. I should have just let you go. I'm sorry," she repeated her apologies over and over until she felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped and turned around to see Billie Joe, one hand covering his forehead, the other reaching out to her shoulder.
"It's not your fault Jay, it's not. I shouldn't have been so cocky."
"Are you ok?"
"I will be. I've had worse, believe me." Mike and Tré stood awkwardly in the background, not wanting to intrude on their conversation.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," a tear rolled down her cheek and Billie Joe reached up and wiped it away with his thumb.
"Don't cry, you don't need to cry. Come on Jay, please?" he sat up and pulled her into a hug and she started crying into his chest.
"I said she wouldn't hurt you, I was so sure that she wouldn't, and she did! If I'd have just let you go, if I hadn't have been so fucking selfish so I could make sure my own skin would be safe, if I'd have just done what I should have done... "
"It's not your fault Jay, come on, it's my fault. I shouldn't have been so fucking cocky. If hadn't have told her to make me shut up then she wouldn't have." He pulled away from her, still keeping a tight grip on her shoulders, "It's not your fault, understand me?" he said firmly looking straight into her eyes. She nodded weakly and wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. "Good." He pulled her back into the hug and rested his chin on her shoulder. Mike was grinning triumphantly and Billie Joe frowned.
'I told you so,' Mike mouthed, 'I told you.' Billie Joe glared back and Tré had to shove his fist in his mouth to stop himself from laughing.
Jane let go of Billie Joe and finished cleaning up the shards of glass that littered the floor. She wrapped them in some newspaper and put them in the bin. "Help yourselves to drinks, I'll go get something for you to eat... " she left the basement and Mike rounded on Billie Joe while Tré was getting himself a drink.
"You don't like her eh?"
"I never said I didn't like her!" Billie Joe protested. "Why wouldn't I like her? She's a great person!"
"You know I don't mean like as in the way of a friend. I mean like as in 'oh Jay, you're so beautiful, I never met a girl like you before!'"
"Are you sure you're not just jealous? 'Cause I know as well as you know that you haven't been with a girl in what, a year?" Billie Joe smirked at the look of defeat on Mike's face.
"I'm not jealous... it's just you're too thick to know when you like a girl. I mean how many months before you finally realised you liked Adrienne? And how long after that did it take you to pluck up the courage to ask her out?"
"Don't talk to me about her... "
"Bill man, you have to get over it, you need to move on. I know she cheated but come on man, you need to let go, for the boys. And you know what the best way to move on is?"
"What?" Billie Joe asked sulkily.
Jane appeared at the top of the stairs with a large plate of toast. Mike grinned at Billie Joe. Right on cue the answer had appeared.
"Anyone for toast?"
