Singing of the dead (Novel one)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: BIG JIM

One week later after the death of Atlas, the remaining family sat at the dinner table eating packets of dog food. The cold had not given up and without Grandad being able to properly take care of the crops now they had all begun to die.

"Big Jim, where are you going?"

"I—need to go, it's not here."

"Grandad. Sit down and eat your food."

"No, no, I need to go." Jim began to walk over to the door and Isabelle stood up to stop him and grabbed his arm.

"NO, GET OFF ME, LEAVE ME GO. GET OFF ME." Jim screamed in his Granddaughters face as he trashed around in a panic. Jessica shot to her feet and ran over to help Isabelle and try to calm Jim down but all she got was him shouting at her as well. The panic had escalated until Jim in his panic lashed out and punched Jessica in her face. Even though Jim was much older now than in his prime he still packed one hell of a punch which caused Jessica to fall over on to the floor. Jim's face dropped as he knew he had just hurt someone but the confusion of what was going on caused him to weep, why wouldn't these girls just let him go.

"I just want to go..."

a couple of hours later...

Jessica was sat in Isabelle's room as Isabelle put grandad to bed. For the last week Jessica had been stopping in Isabelle's room. Nothing was happening between the two of them, it was just that Jessica didn't like sleeping in Atlas' room with all his stuff in now that he was gone, and the sofa still had some remnants of his blood on. Both places too much of a reminder of him.

Isabelle stumbled into the bedroom; she had been drinking again. She hadn't actually stopped drinking since her brother's death. Isabelle tossed Jessica a bottle of water that had been sitting outside in the cold.

"Put this on your face it'll help the swelling."

Jessica lifted the cold bottle to her cheek that had began to swell a little and she winced as the damp chill plastic touched her skin.

"Thanks."

"I'm sorry that happened Jess."

"It's okay, it's not your fault, it's not his either."

"He's getting worse though, isn't he?"

"Yeh, ever since, Atlas..."

"I wish he was still here Jess. He would know what to do with grandad."

"I miss him, I remember when I first met him, he said I remined him of his wife."

"You know what Jess, I can see it, you do kind of look like her when she was your age. Just different colour hair, and eyes."

"So, I look completely different?"

"No, you have the same nose and like face shape. She would have loved you, I told you the bingo story, didn't I?"

"Yeh, you did, how you both got drunk, and the boys had to pick you up."

"Yeh, that's the one. You know they were more like parents to me and Atlas than our actual parents."

"Why do you say that?"

"Don't get me wrong Jess I love my parents... Loved my parents... but they worked so often and would sometimes spend weeks away, so Nan and Grandad looked after us often. Atlas and I understood though, they were earning so we could have a better future. But look at the future now... what was the point in all those years of work. All I ever did with there money was spend it getting high anyway. Jesus, I sound like an addict, I'm not it's just I felt like that's all I had until Chole."