The Seamripper Chronicles

Chapter 2

As quickly as the chaos started it faded away leaving Lona and Piper alone in their room at home. Lona slowly opened her eyes and looked at Piper; the girls stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, mouths agape and eyes wide, before Piper screamed and pointed beside Lona's feet. To Lona's horror lay the hand that had been grabbing her shirt before the flash, no longer was with its owner. Whatever had brought them home had severed the appendage clean off, the smell of burning flesh scorching their noses.

"Oh fuck, oh fuck!" Piper shouted with hands gripping her head, ready to tear out her hair with anxiety. "What are we gonna-" Piper tried to say before Lona's hand covered her mouth.

"Shhhh!" Lona hissed as she heard Aida call, "Girls? Are you home? I didn't hear you come in." Aida inquired curiously from downstairs.

"Yeah!" Lona called, "We'll be down stairs soon!" She shouted to Aida before turning back to Piper, "We gotta hide -" Lona was going to say but she could hear Aida coming up the creaky staircase calling, "Are you both alright?"

"Shit!" Lona said under her breath before grabbing the severed appendage and pacing around the room, Aida was getting closer and closer with every creak, "You do something with it Piper!" and tossed the arm to her which she promptly dropped and it landed on the floor with a "Thud!"

"Me! What am I supposed to do with it!" Piper exclaimed in a whisper before throwing it back at Lona, "YOU do something with it!"

The round of hot potato went on a few more times before they heard Aida knock at the door, "What is going on, I'm coming in." Adia said with a concerned tone.

Lona threw herself against the door, "NO! Uh... I'm not decent!" She lied.

At this Aida scoffed on the other side of the door, "Young lady open this door right now!" her annoyance starting to rise. Lona looked back at Piper and mouthed, "DO SOMETHING NOW!" and then Piper promptly threw it out the window.

Lona's eyes widened, "What the FU-" she began to shout before Aida pushed her way into the room. Aida gasped at the sight of them, "LONA - what in the world, who did this!" while holding Lona's face - which the younger woman winced at. Her face was bloodied and bruised with a gash to her forehead from one of her assailants' boots.

"Just some street scrappers Aida, don't worry - I handled it!" Lona insisted as she pried her face away from Aida's worried fingers.

"Handled it? Look at you both!" Said Aida in frustration as she gestured to Piper who had a number of scraps and bruises herself, her linen dress soiled and torn in places.

Lona looked at Piper, "I don't think they'll be bothering us anymore, right?" with her eyebrows raised, trying to get her to say something.

'Yeah mama, Lona took care of it - I swear." Piper said, but her fidgeting didn't read as confident.

"Look girls," Aida said with her head bowed and she heaved a long sigh, "I need you guys to please, PLEASE keep out of trouble - I'm begging you. All this," gesturing to Lona and Pipers wounds, "Can't keep happening."

"Yes Ma'am." both girls said without further argument just trying to get Aida out of the room.

"Alright, please wash up for dinner, it'll be ready soon - Lona there's bandages in the hall cubby." finished Aida before departing downstairs again.

"Okay Aunty, I'll do that." Lona said as she closed the bedroom door, then turning to Piper, "Find the arm!" she whispered furiously. They both threw their heads out the open window but the arm was nowhere in sight in the alley behind their flat.

Lona moved back inside and slid her back down the wall with her hand covering her face, "Shiiiiitttt" she dragged out the word, "Some street dog probably took it by now." she said and then turned to Piper, "Why would you throw it out the window???" Lona said pointedly to Piper.