Claustrophobic Mind

Chapter 10

Billie Joe was violently thrown into a cop car. The flashing lights that surrounded Tré's house was enough to make neighbors peak out their front doors. Billie kept his head down while the cop slammed the door in his face.

The radio in the car was blasting nonstop and made it difficult for Billie to think. The handcuffs dug into his wrist making them raw by the second. His shoulders burned from the position his arms were in. He looked at his shirt and sure enough there was blood on it. Tré's blood.

The cop made his way over to the opposite side of the car and got in the driver's seat. He harshly eyed Billie Joe in the rearview mirror. Billie only looked down at his beat up shoes as tears formed in his eyes.

He quickly sniffed them away and continued to stare out the window. He didn't want the cop to know that he's won. He didn't want the cop to know that he's made him lose all hope.

The car started and sped away from the house. People stared as they passed on the streets wondering what the hell was going on. Billie began to wonder that himself.

The lights above the car continued to flash, but the sirens have subsided. Billie was thankful for this, but the lights still drew attention towards him in the back seat of a cop car.

The cage that separated Billie Joe from the cop rattled as they drove down a bumpy road. This only reminded Billie of his fate. Billie is going to jail. No, Billie is going to prison.

Suddenly, Billie Joe felt a gentle hand begin to twirl his curls in between their fingers. At first Billie was frightened because he knew no one else was in the car with him, but his anxiety faded as he realized it was Fink.

He felt Fink's warm breaths against his neck and he could just barely see his black lipstick out of the corner of his eye.

"Poor poor Billie Joe. His actions got him in trouble. Now he's only made it worse for himself," Fink said almost seductively teasing into Billie's ear.

"Now he's afraid, vulnerable, and down right regretful."

Billie Joe shivered.

"The worst part is that he did this to his friend. His best friend in fact. One that's always been there for him. One that was just trying to help," Fink grinned while moving his hand from Billie's hair to his shoulder.

Billie couldn't hold back the tears that were burning through his eyes. A lump formed in his throat that he tried to swallow down with no success. He dug his nails into his hands trying to keep the tears from spilling out of his eyes.

"I wonder what Adrienne will think of this when she comes home. What will your kids think? What will your friends think? What will the fans think?"

Undoubtedly, a tear ran down Billie Joe's cheek that he couldn't wipe away. He felt trapped. He felt alone. He felt scared.

Fink casually wiped away the tear himself and played a sad look across his face. Billie didn't know if it was an act, or if Fink genuinely felt sympathy for him.

"Come on Billie boy. You can't let this happen to you. You can't go to prison," Fink said just above a whisper.

Billie Joe shook his head in disbelief. He still didn't understand how Fink's personality could change so quickly.

"I'll tell you what. I'm gonna help you out."

Billie looked over at Fink with wide eyes finally making eye contact. Their green eyes locked and for a second they both felt hopeless. Wherever Billie Joe was going, Fink was going too.

Suddenly Fink's eyes changed.

"But you have to do everything that I say," Fink said as he grabbed Billie Joe's wrist and sawed them with the cuffs. Billie let out a small whimper causing the cop to glance at him from the front.

"The only way to get out of this is to run. You have to escape Billie. You have to get away," Fink said as he watched Billie in pain with intimidating eyes.

Billie Joe nodded.

"Now you listen to me. That bastard cop forgot to lock your door like a dumb ass. If you can somehow pull the handle, you can ram your shoulder into the door, make it open, and run for your fucking life."

Fink dug Billie Joe's wrist even closer to the metal that was keeping him in stuck an uncomfortable position.

"There's an area with a patch of grass coming up in about a mile. That's your best chance of getting out of this car without killing yourself," Fink growled into Billie's ear.

"If you can't open that door by the time we get to that patch of grass, you're out of luck. You'll be going to prison without a doubt."

At that thought, Billie started to work on the handle with his shoulder. He pounded his shoulder into it over and over until he was sure he was going to have a bruise. The hardest part was trying to stay quiet so that the cop wouldn't notice.

Finally, Billie gave up on his shoulder and started to use his elbow. This pulled his left shoulder causing it to burn more while also running the cuffs against his raw wrist. They started to bleed.

Billie Joe was running out of time. The patch of grass was coming up, and if he didn't make it, it's all over.

"Come on kid. You can't go to prison. You just can't," Fink said. There was a hint of encouragement in his voice, but it was overpowered by the his aggravation.

Just when Billie thought that all hope was lost, the handle opened. This drew attention towards the cop because the lights in the car turned on.

"You little fucker!" the cop growled.

"Go Billie boy! Ram your shoulder into that door and run! It's your only chance!" Fink shouted.

Billie did just that. He pushed the door open with one shove of his shoulder. The car door flew open and revealed the ground quickly passing by. He saw the grass coming up and waited for it to arrive before he jumped to what could be his death.

When the grass came into sight, Billie Joe launched himself out of the cop car and fell into the grass. His knee scratched the road. He began to roll and roll along the road before tumbling down a long hill into the dark woods. His hands were still cuffed behind his back making him unable to break his fall. Grass, rocks, and dirt hit his face as he came to the bottom of the hill. Unable to stop, he landed on his chest, knocking the wind out of him. Paying no attention to the fact that he had no air in his lungs, he rose to his feet and let out a cough of pain. He heard the cop car screech to a stop from the top of the hill he escaped down. Billie Joe didn't hesitate for one moment.

He ran.