The Cover Says It (Shifty X Handy)

Chapter Two

" What kind of material did they made out of this handcuff?" Lammy complain while grabbing something from her fridge.

Lifty shrugged as he sat on one of the empty chairs from her tea table,  " Beats me Lam, tried many ways to remove it last night but it won't even budge." She closed the fridge with something in her hand, " Not even a bolt cutter could do?"

Lifty glance at Shifty who seem to be close to falling asleep. He appeared to be in a terrible state, " This fool used a damn G43, thinking it was a good idea." Shifty said in gritted teeth to show his irritation. Lammy plopped the thing she was carrying into a microwave, " A G4... what?"

Lifty smiled anxiously, " Er.. a type of handgun we have in our apartment.." He turned to face his exhausted brother, " Come on, they do that in films." Shifty's eyebrows arched, his weariness suddenly disappeared, " You almost shot my dick!" He abruptly stood up from the chair as the legs screeched onto the floorboards.

" Well if you could've position yourself better, i would've definitely got that shot! Who the hell do a sitting position at gunpoint?" Lifty also stood up as the table rattled a little. The other twin shoved his handcuff hands to his face, " What do you want me to do then? Raise my arms up high expecting you to get that range? You can't even hold a gun properly!"

The look on Lifty's face was nothing but exasperation. And before anything could get physical, the microwave went off, signaling it had finish heating. The twins stopped their argument to stare at Lammy. She took out a small measuring glass from the microwave, filled with an unknown yellow fluid.

Lammy approached to the brothers with the substance in hand, receiving a confuse yet curious guys. " Shifty if you don't mind?" Lammy said. Shifty pulled and lowered his hands away from his twin, " What?" Instantly, she tugged his hands forward, almost causing him to fall off balance.

Without any warning, she poured the liquid on his handcuff. The hot liquid quickly reached to his palms causing him to jerked his arms away. He shrieked when he felt the burning sensation, " You dick! What was that about!?" He can feel his hands throbbing from the immense pain. Lammy set the measuring glass aside, " I thought butter could do the trick?"

Lifty watched his brother blow onto his hands, " Lammy... not when it's hot melted butter! You're not supposed to melt it anyway!" He explained to her while they hear Shifty's cry of agony. Lammy was surprised to hear this information, then later feel sorry for him, " Ooh.." her hand found itself touching her lips, " I never really thought of that. Do forgive me Shifty."

Shifty flick his gaze to Lammy, a threatening look plastered on his face, " I'll remember this.." His warning caused her to hide behind Lifty, " I said i was sorry. Besides the pain will only last a day." Shifty rubbed his hands onto his pants, " Yeah if i die today that is. Who knows how long this is going to heal?" Afterwards he mumbled something under his breath before heading to the kitchen. Purposely, he smacked the measuring glass off the table while he's at it. The glass luckily didn't shattered when it hit the floor.

The other two were briefly silent until one of them had something to say, " Should we just... call him?" Lifty stare down at Lammy, who was still sticking by his side, " Him?" He glance at the kitchen threshold, " Well... we've run out of ideas unless Shifty's willing to cut his hands off, which he won't." He said thoughtfully as he reached something inside his coat pocket, " And he has a fear of hospitals so yeah, let's ring him."

" Without Shifty knowing of course." Lammy added which Lifty agreed. While Shifty was occupied rinsing his hands with cool tap water, Lifty was quietly on a call with someone as Lammy soon assist the injured twin after she saw him struggling with the handcuff.

-

Few minutes had past since the whole melted butter thing. Shifty was resting on the couch as the pain still stings even when it was bandaged. The twins were still at Lammy's place, it was going to be afternoon anytime now.

Shifty question why he's being told to stay here instead of continuing to find a way to break this shackles off. Boredom was slowly starting to dwell on him as he can't do anything with his injured hands. The place was eerily quiet for his liking. He was left alone by those two when they told him Lammy needed to buy another block of butter. She used all of it on his poor hands yet the handcuff remains. She forgot she needed it for tonight as she's inviting Flaky over to do baking together.

As cute as it sounds, he was still pissed what Lammy did to him. He could just simply do a quick slit to the throat and resurrect himself the very next day. However, he always loathed that idea. He knew dying isn't a huge issue anymore thanks to a curse from what he heard. Shifty doesn't bother to learn what lies beneath their towns secrets. He got his own priorities to do and wanting to know about the curse is none of it. Although they're technically immortal now, it makes no difference when they still experience the pain.

Suddenly he was out of his trance when he heard a doorbell. He jolted himself from the sound, startled him completely. His eyes was still strained from the lack of sleep as he carelessly got off the couch and headed towards the front door. Another doorbell rang, making him more annoyed that someone had interrupted his train of thoughts. It was reasonable when he assumed it was Lammy and Lifty waiting outside the front door.

He tried several attempts to twist the doorknob open, his hands was screaming at him when he successfully open the door. Just when he's about to say something, he stopped himself when he laid his eyes on a beaver. An orange one that is. He blinks in genuine surprise. Then quickly panicked.

Meanwhile Handy seemed unfazed by his appearance, " Lammy's place is it?" He question which Shifty hesitantly respond, " Yeah, did.. she called you to come here?" Shifty had a hard time hiding his handcuff from the repair man. If anything, he was embarrassed presenting himself like this in front of him. His tie was loose and has a look of someone who hasn't slept for days.  " Your brother did. Said something about an idiot needed some help with the shackles." Handy then lastly added, " I'm guessing he meant by you." He sounded certain when he glanced at his bandaged hands.

Shifty can feel his face heated up. Whether it was from embarrassment or anger, he just can't wait to pull a homicide on his brother when he returns, " Those damn bastards..." he briefly paused when he remembered Handy was still at the threshold, he swiftly turned into an awkward grinned, " A-anyway, make yourself at home! Not sure when they'll be back though.."

He stepped aside to let Handy enter the place. Shifty saw him carrying his tool box with a strap around his torso, " I won't stay long.. well it depends on how strong they told me about these handcuff." Handy put the tool box down. Shifty give a short whistle at the sight of the tools, " You carried that thing everyday? That's a work out for sure."

Handy scoffed from his remark, " That's nothing. Now, show me those handcuff." Shifty closed the door with his leg and walk towards him. Reluctantly, he raised his hands up to let him inspect it. The oil from the butter somehow remains on the metal. Handy face grimaced a little, " What did you do to get it this dirty?" He looked up to meet Shifty's anxious gaze. His stare caused Shifty to stumbled his words, " Um- you see- uh- L-lammy decided to- oh wait no before that well- you know what it's a long story." He wished not to continue, preventing from humiliating himself further more.

Handy listened as he presume inspecting the handcuff, " Uh huh, alright.. from the looks of it, it's not that difficult as it seems." He gestured Shifty to sit down. He immediately followed what he was told just because he wanted to finish this quickly. He sat on the same chair previously and idle for Handy to grab something in his tool box.

Handy soon approached him with a small bolt cutter in his arms. He dropped it on the table to let him sit next to Shifty, " You guys tried the bolt cutter before?" Shifty slowly shook his head, " No.. because we don't have them lying around here.."

Handy nodded while positioning the bolt cutter steadily at the chains of the  handcuff. Shifty silently watched him impressively. Once it was the right accuracy for him, Handy pressed his arm against the down handle and rest his other arm on the top handle.

Without hesitation, Handy slammed his arm onto the handle, the table rattled as the blades made contact with the chains. The sound waves of metals colliding with such force rippled the room for a brief. Then instantly met with silence.

-

End of chapter.