Don't Count On It

Chapter 4

I'm woken up by the sound of Murdoc's bass at full volume.
"Fuck yeah! I am the best! " I hear him yell. I start to walk downstairs. I make it halfway then the lights start flickering.
"Eh, what the hell?" I hear Murdoc mumble as his amp starts to cut out. The electricity completely shuts off.
"Shit,shit,shit,shit." I think to myself.
"FACEACHE! FOR THE LOVE OF SWEET SATAN!" He come rushing out of his room. I wince and cover my face.
"You were supposed to pay the bill." He says as he stands about two inches away from my face.
"I-I Russel took it from me!"
He facepalms and shakes his head at me.
"RUSSEL IS AN IDIOT! WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING?!"
"I-I was thinking that he would pay the bill." I say shakily. He smacks me in the back of the head. He growls in my face then walks away. I sit in the middle of the stairs. A tear slides down my cheek. I wipe it away and go back to my room. I grab all the money in my wallet and go to the electric company. I pay to have our electricity turned back on. After that,I question if I should go back to the house yet. Murdoc shouldn't be as angry, considering the electricity should be back on;but you never know. Sometimes I think he's bipolar. I guess I should go back home. Where else do I have to go? I'm slightly dreading to step foot in the front door but who knows what'll happen. I shrug it off and head back home.

I open the front door and I hear the calming noise of the TV. Yes,the electricity is back on! I'm so relieved. I fall back on the couch and take a second to breathe. I hear Murdoc coming down the stairs. He's just wearing purple briefs.
"Bout' time the bill got paid." He gives me a cold look as he grabs a beer out of the fridge and heads back to his room.
"Ugh,whatever." I say when I hear him shut his door. I seriously don't get him sometimes. I go to sleep on the couch,trying to forget that day's events.

***

I stand in the middle of the stairway. All of the lights are out. I have a flashlight in my left hand. I turn it on and look around. Everything looks the same. "Am I dreaming?" I ask myself because I don't remember waking up. I continue up the stairs and get to the top, next to Murdoc's room. I press my ear up against the door. It's completely quiet,which is unusal for him. I'd usually hear music or the TV blaring. I knock on the door. I get no reply so I decide to go in. I can't see anything. The room is pitch black. I take a step into the room. My step echos into the dark silence. I hear a disturbing noise. I hear another. It's an awful grunt.
"M-Murdoc?" I ask as I walk further into the room.
"Murdoc!?" I yell. It just echoes throughout. I walk faster as I go deeper into the darkness. Suddenly,my flashlight lands on something strange out of the corner of my eye. I walk slowly towards it.
"Murdoc?" I ask. He winces in pain as he turns his head to look at me. He's shirtless with just jeans on. His face is bloody and bruised. He has open gashes on his back. I crouch beside him.
"How'd this happen to you?" I ask as I feel a lump form in my throat.
"I don't have time to explain." He croaks.
"Let me help you up." I say as I start to reach for him.
"No,stop. I'm just going to die. Leave me."
"No,please don't leave me all alone.
"I have to."
"No,no,no. This is not how I wanted any of this." I start to cry.
Murdoc lies his head on the ground and and his breathing slows.
"No,Murdoc,please don't go!" I yell.
He stops breathing.
"No,Murdoc!!!"
I crouch beside him and start to cry.

"D! D!" I hear Murdoc's familiar voice.
"W-wha?" I open my eyes and look up at him.
"You were yelling my name. Are you okay?"
"Uh...um...y-yeah. I'm just kind've scared and my throat hurts like hell. I'll be fine." I sit up,realizing I had slept all day. My head is spinning from that crazy nightmare.
"You sure? You were seriously screaming at the top of your lungs."
"I'm scared to go back to sleep. That dream was awful. I don't want to scream and lose my voice." I croak out.
"How bout' I stay down here and if you scream, I'll wake you up?" Murdoc asks. He's being oddly kind for this time of night.
"How do I know this isn't just a trick?" I question.
"Because,I'm too tired and too hungover to be pullin' shit on ya."
Murdoc grabs the black fuzzy blanket and the green pillow from his bed and lies down in the reclining chair next to the couch.
"Goodnight, Mudz."
"Night,D."

***

I woke up the next morning at 10:36.
Murdoc is still asleep in the recliner. He's shifted into an odd,uncomfortable looking position and his blanket is on the floor. I pick it up and cover him back up with it. He violently rolls over and knocks the blanket off again. I shake my head and kind've laugh. I open the door and step out to see a cloudy sky. Murdoc should be happy about this. He hates sunny days. I walk back inside and see that Murdoc isn't in the chair anymore. He walks down the stairs wearing black skinny jeans. He's combed his hair. He opens the door and looks out.
"Yes! No sun,today!" He happily growls. I smile.
"Hey,Murdoc."
"Hey,D."
"Have any plans for today?"
"No...actually,wanna go to the mall? I'm bored" He asks.
"Sounds cool."
"Okay,I'm gonna go get dressed."
"Me too."