Miles to Go

CHAPTER TEN - NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET

The Wyrm was humid from the amount of bodies and all the alcohol. They led FP forcefully to the center of the stage and sat him down. He tried to protest, but all the Serpents were yelling, calling him a traitor. Tall Boy silenced them all and came over to FP.

"Forsythe Pendleton Jones the Second, are you aware of why you have been brought in front of your fellow Serpents tonight? Or do you need a reminder?" He placed a hand on FP's shoulder and gripped down, hard. He winced at the pain. "You've been sending some of our own off to the jailhouse. And now some are dead due to the Black Hood."

"You don't understand!" FP yelled over the noise. "The Black Hood goes after people like you. I'm trying to stop it from happening! I'm keeping you guys safe!" The Serpents booed him.

"That your reason, Jones? You falling more in line with Northsiders? With a shit Sheriff who has you acting like his bitch because you lost your cool with the Ghoulies?"

"I'm not just loyal to Keller. I'm loyal to all of you." he directed out at the crowd, who went dead silent. "Please, if there's a way....I can redo my initiation. Spit out the Serpent laws. Go through the guys beating me up." He looked out at the crowd, hoping to find at least some Serpents that could listen to him. He saw Joaquin, Toni, Sweet Pea, and Fangs sitting by the bar looking remorse. "Joaquin....Toni....you guys know what I'm going through. Please. Do something." His voice sounded desperate, cracking.

"All those in favor of having his skins removed?" Tall Boy turned out to the Serpents. There was nothing at first, then slowly, one by one, the Serpents held up their hands, making fangs. It was almost all of them.

"No." FP turned back to the teens. They shook their heads.

"We're sorry, FP." Toni spoke for them.

"We have to follow Serpent law. There's no other way." Joaquin followed up. Then, the teens raised their hands. His heart raced, he felt trapped. FP tried to leap up and run out of the Wyrm, but Tall Boy directed for a couple of Serpents to come up and hold him back down. They ripped off his Serpent jacket and stripped him of his shirt.

"I warned you, son." Tall Boy flicked out a knife and moved behind him. "But you've made your bed." He made slits into FP's skin, causing him to yelp. Then all at once, his skin felt like it was being torn from his bones. The Serpents began to crowd him, all wanting their piece of him. He cried out for help, feeling weak. He screamed and tried to squirm away, but there were too many of them. In the distance, he heard an alarm go off. The beeping grew louder, pulling back into his senses, drowning out the Serpents around him.

The alarm going off was the alarm he set on his phone the night before. The pulling on his skin was the fabric of his bedsheets that stuck to him. He groaned as he woke up from the nightmare, pushing the sheets off him to go turn off his alarm. He rubbed his eyes and swung his feet to the floor, breathing heavily.

He remembered it was Sunday - when he and Alice would be going to meet the Sisters of Quiet Mercy for information on Joseph Conway. "Fuck." he muttered under his breath and stood up. He felt like shit, but he hadn't put a drink to his lips, not in a long time. He swore he heard knocking on his door, and he groaned. "Hang on, I'm coming." He pulled out a pair of sweatpants and stumbled over to the front door. He opened it to find his crew of younger Serpents waiting outside, freezing their asses off.

"Jones. We need to talk." Joaquin sounded concerned.

"Save it." FP rolled his eyes. "I already got the lecture from Tall Boy last night."

"Can you at least let us in?" Toni threw out.

"Please? It's fucking cold out here." Fangs shivered next to Sweet Pea. FP sighed and let the four younger Serpents into his trailer. He remembered how they behaved in his dream....how they all looked guilty yet they still sided with everyone else.