Somnolent Strike

Skinned

"She doesn't allow you to use the bathroom?" I turned around slowly. 

Sam pointed to an orange cooking pot on the ground.

"We go in there and then empty it out in the garden because the toilet is broken." 

"Hasn't mother tried to fix it?" I crept towards it gingerly and then gagged. It was overflowing and no one had tried to tip it out yet.

"Mom doesn't bother with house shit. We're supposed to do all the housework as we don't go to school anymore." Sam said it lightly enough but his eyes looked sad.

"Why don't you go to school anymore?"

"Because when the school found out you were... might be... gay, they expelled us in case we influenced the others to be homosexual."

"What?! They are such fart-knockers! Didn't Mom try to get you into another school?" 

"She says we're more useful in the house, even Uni."

"Where is she, I need to talk to her."

Sam shook his head at me pitifully, picking up a grey cat and startingto stroke it. "She's in San Francisco at one of their raves. That's why she wanted you to come here, to look after us. Thoughwe don't need you."

"Obviously you do. Trav and Uni certainly need sorting out. Just look at them!" 

They were leaning against each other, trembling and frowning. They looked cold.

I took off my bomber jacket and wrapped it round them both.

"Leave them be. Stop fussing. Here I need help skinning this cat. Will you hold it?"

"You need help doing... what?" I couldn't believe the words I was hearing. Was my brother part of a satanic cult, doing a ritual?

"Just hold it, will you!" He thrust the poor cat in my arms and lifted up an electrical circular saw. It already had dried blood on it and was obviously used quite recently.

I jumped back with the cat, making Sam loose his balance and fall straight on top of his saw. I heard it slicing his flesh and screamed, dropping the cat.

I rushed to pull him away and quickly stopped the saw. It took a while to stop running. 

I took a deep breath and rolled Sam over onto his back. 

There was a large gaping wound on his neck.