I wake up with the feeling that someone was watching me and someone was: Billy.
I roll over to the other side trying to ignore him but he didn't even get off my bed, so I waited for a few more minutes with my eyes closed, but I could still feel his weight on the side of my bed. I obviously couldn't sleep with someone watching me so I rolled over rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and couldn’t help but glare at him.
He smiles, ‘Billy, can’t you see I’m trying to sleep? Don’t you have anything better to do?’ I moan, rubbing my face, ‘yeah, you’re right, I’m sorry,’ he didn’t mean it but he gets up about to walk off anyway, something suspicious and amusing in his voice.
‘Okay! What is it Billy? Spit it out,’ I sit up and stare at him open-eyed, he smiles again and sits back on my bed, but a bit closer to me so we could talk softly.
‘I heard about what happened yesterday with you and Daniel,’ he says. I roll my eyes, ‘of course you did,’ I say bitterly, partly to myself and partly to him.
‘You okay?’ he asks half smiling as if he cared, I look at him serious, ‘okay Billy what are you trying to get at.’
He sighs and looks down, then looks back at me again without a smile for once. ‘Well, you didn't tell him anything about our deal right?’ he asks lowering his voice.
‘No, of course not. I said I wouldn’t tell. So I didn’t. Why, did you?’ he took a while to answer my question before realising I was talking to him, ‘what? No. Of course not.’ He finally answers.
‘Well… about our deal, since I scored you a week or so in the house can you tell me where Jack is now?’
He considers me for a while, ‘I’ll think about it, just not right now.’ He says quickly and then stands up about to leave, ‘what? Billy, why not now? What do you mean you’ll “think about it”?’ I ask but instead of an answer he walks out. ‘Billy!’
No answer.
‘Ugh!’ I lay back down slamming my head against the pillow and just thought about what happened in less than just 1 minute.
A couple of hours later I hear someone coming up the stairs so I pretended I was still asleep. ‘Remiah, time to eat it’s almost 3 and you haven’t eaten yet,’ Nick says a hint of worry in his voice – like he cares, I thought bitterly returning back to my old self.
‘Remiah, I know you’re not asleep quit acting,’ he comes to the side to where he could see my face but I still don’t answer and keep pretending to sleep.
‘Fine, sleep but make sure you come down stairs to eat within 10 minutes.’ He walks out leaving me in my room.
How did he know I wasn’t really sleeping? I wondered.
I get out of bed and have a quick shower, change, do everything else and go down stairs. No one was there so I decided I’d have a normal breakfast instead of the grab-an-apple-and-go plan.
I sit at the table after I made myself some toast and put some butter and jam on it. Before I finish Nick comes out and pours some juice in a mug.
‘Here,’ he says placing it on the table for me, ‘thanks,’ I muttered. He looks at me for a while, like he hasn’t seen me for years and forgot what I looked like. ‘So, uh, how are you holding up?’ he asks, actually smiling for once. Just as I was going to answer him his name gets called across the house by someone.
‘Sorry,’ he shrugs before walking off. I sigh and get up watching Nick walk off, then put my plate in the sink. I stand there for a moment then see Zach walking towards me.
‘Hi,’ I smile, ‘hi,’ he mumbles not holding my gaze.
‘What’s wrong?’ I ask, and then Tony comes and stands at the table, Zach looks at him then moves towards me. ‘Nothing,’ he finally answers, still looking at Tony grab an apple. ‘But uh, there’s something I need to show you,’ he looks back at me as soon as Tony leaves.
‘What?’ I look at Tony walking off with a bit of a limp I never even noticed, and then back at Zach. ‘This,’ he says grabbing my arm and starting to pull me somewhere harshly.
‘Zach, stop. What are you doing!’ he doesn’t stop pulling so I try to stand still, it doesn’t work and his strength didn’t even let me stop for a second. ‘Zach, stop it! What are you doing? You’re hurting me!’ I say raising my voice and feeling his fingertips starting to bruise my arm.
‘I’m bringing you to the basement,’ he says simply, then grips my arm even tighter. ‘What? No! I’m not going down there, this is my house, let me go!’ I yell.
I look around and see Billy walking into the kitchen, ‘Billy! Tell him to let me go,’ he doesn’t answer, ‘Billy! Please!’ he doesn’t even look at me, I struggle even more to get away from Zach but the more I struggle and try to run the more he grips and pulls. ‘Ow!’ I screech at Zach.
‘Billy! We had a deal!’ I screamed but before I could finish I was already walking down a few steps. I could still see him but the darkness of the room made me stop altogether as if my body just shut down, the blackness swallowing me in one whole.
It was really dark and there was only a little window that let in a tint of light. ‘Zach, why are you doing this?’ I ask softly as he shuts the door behind him. He doesn’t answer; instead he pushes me onto a chair holding me down, the other hand pulling a roll of duct tape out of his pocket, getting ready to tie me up. I look around the dark room and see a limp body lying on the floor. I squint but I still couldn’t figure out who it was.
‘I’m sorry,’ he mutters, looking down but still holding me. ‘I know,’ I say softly, as he walks behind the chair with a hand firmly on my shoulder.
‘Wait,’ I say just as I hear the tape getting pulled and ready to be stuck on, he stops still behind my chair. ‘Can I just do one thing first?’ I ask hoping he’ll let me.
‘Uh, I… yeah, sure, why not?’ he watches me bending down, pretending to fix my shoe, (still on the chair) and as I got back up I pushed the chair back as hard and fast as I could pushing him against the wall, I turn around and punch him hard in the face and watch as he falls to the ground unconscious.
‘God, I am so sorry,’ I say to him, and I really did mean it. I turn around and go to the limp body across the room, leaning against a wall.
‘Oh-my-god!’ I squat beside them and could feel their strong figure obviously realising it was a guy. I try to wake him up hoping he wasn’t dead or anything. I look behind me to look at Zach, but he wasn’t there. ‘Ah sugar! C’mon, please wake up!’ I say shaking the body ‘he’ll come back,’ I refer to Zach my voice strained in the end.
He moans a deep familiar moan. ‘Yes, you’re alive!’ I exclaim, ‘are you okay?’ I ask leaning forward a bit to hear him.
‘Remy, I…’ it was Jack! When I realised it was him a laugh slipped out of my lips dispite the situation and I hugged him, ‘ow,’ he flinches but tries to hold me with one arm which slides off immediately.
‘Oh, sorry.’ I say, ‘what are you doing here? You look horrible, who did this to you?’ I ask starting to get concerned.
He coughs, and mutters something, but I couldn’t hear him. ‘What? Jack, I can’t hear you. You’re going to have to speak up,’ I say softly. ‘Behind you,’ he whispers looking at something at the back, his body looking even more weak and beaten up.
I turn around fast only to see Billy towering over me. ‘See, I told you I’d tell you where he was,’ he smiles. I look at him and stand up like I was protecting Jack.
‘What did you to him Billy?’ I demanded. He stops smiling and looks at Jack lying on the floor. ‘Hey! It wasn’t only me. We all had a share of the piece of cake… But I think I might’ve over done it a little,’ he snickers now looking back at me.
I push him hard in the chest and stand up straighter, ‘how dare you!’ I scowl.
He steadies himself for a moment and walks up closer to me our chests touching. I was scared but tried not to show it. He breathes heavily and I could feel his chest moving with each breath, ‘don’t do that again,’ he warns, infuriated. I take a step back, barely breathing then he smiles like nothing happened.
‘Okay well, I have some unfinished business to finish off and since you and Jack have spoken I think it’s time for you to go.’ He says glaring at Jack, half pushing me away and taking a step toward him.
I jump in front of him, ‘no. I’m not going anywhere, I’m staying here.’
He looks at me, ‘fine, suit yourself. Don’t cry though,’ he chuckles to himself bitterly.
He pushes me aside and keeps walking to Jack, ‘no. Billy stop! What are you going to do?’ he ignores me. ‘Billy! Don’t touch him!’ I shout jumping in front again but this time I was really angry – and scared. He stops and looks down at his feet chuckling to himself bitterly again, then holds my shoulders and walks me backwards to the chair.
‘Sit,’ he simply says pushing me down then looks into my eyes, ‘and stay.’ His voice was deep and cold and I couldn’t help but stay-put staring after him.
Our eyes weren’t in contact, yet I was frozen to this chair? Was I scared?
He walks over to Jack and holds his top up pulling him closer to his face, whispering something in his ear.
Jack looks at me with pleading eyes then looks back at Billy with the same stone cold glare I was pretty sure Billy had too.
Billy laughs grimly before punching Jack in the face. But I didn’t move, when all I really wanted was to jump off the seat and throw it at Billy.
Jack looked so weak and helpless that I felt like crying, it looked as if he hasn’t eaten for weeks.
What did they do to him?!
I snap out of it and see Billy starting to punch Jack in the ribs, enjoying it. ‘Billy, stop!’ I finally scream jumping off the chair and running toward him, he ignores me and keeps punching. ‘Billy!’ I push him to the wall and caught him off-guarded as he stumbles and took a moment until he realised what really happened.
He stands up straight glaring at me, ‘you have a lot of guts you know that?’ he walks towards me but every time he steps forward I step back not wanting him to touch me.
He smiles, then stops about a metre away.
‘Leave him alone Billy. He’s had enough, can’t you see that?’ I ask in a considerate tone trying my best to hide emotions, my hands turning into fists beside me. He looks at Jack then back at me, ‘you have no idea,’ he says shaking his head walking toward me again. He keeps walking until I leant against the wall and couldn’t go anywhere; he puts a hand on my shoulder and leans forward a bit so we were eye-to-eye.
‘You see Remy; this is what happens when you run away from home…’ he starts, voice low and calm. ‘You make friends, they get kidnapped, brought over here to be “talked to” then “put away”. If you know what I mean.’ He half smiles, ‘and then well, Jack over here, is one of the less fortunate people who got to meet you; he got kidnapped, “talked to” and well this is the part where I get to “put him away”’ he sighs wryly.
‘I think I’ll have fun with that part,’ he winks, he looks deep into my eyes again and says something but for some reason I couldn't hear him. He smiles, and then takes off his hand slowly, turns back at Jack and walks to him. He towers over Jack and instead of starting to punch him he started to kick every now and then, talking to Jack angrily and looking at me sometimes.
Something hot and wet kept running down my face and I started to think about bad things, I had to snap myself out of it, I just had to. There was nothing I could do to stop him but maybe I could try to talk to him or at least make another deal.
‘Billy, stop please!’ I begged. He looks at me tears running down my face.
‘I warned you not to cry,’ he says, then looks back at Jack and starts kicking him in the ribs again.
‘Billy! Please stop!’ I look at Jack, hurt and broken looking, obviously.
‘I-I’ll make another deal with you,’ I stutter striding toward him. He stops and looks at me, interested.
‘Okay… let Jack go back to the other side of the island and make Daniel or Zach drive him there.’ ‘Pa-lease,’ he laughs rolling his eyes at me.
‘If you do, I’ll stay and do whatever you want.’ I add quickly.
He starts to grin, ‘ahh, no.’ he says, then turns back to Jack.
‘Wait! Uh-’ I froze thinking, he turns back eyes boring down on me. ‘Then, how bout; let Jack go, out of this basement and outside, to stay with me. I’ll take care of him, and when his ready you let him walk back, by himself. And I-I’ll…’
‘You do exactly as I say and want, and definitely not run away, no matter what.’ He finishes for me smiling, as if daring me to say yes. I look at Jack lying on the floor and back at Billy’s audacious eyes.
‘Deal.’ I say before I could even think it through and when I realised what I said I wanted to slap myself.
Billy walks off shaking his head but grinning devilishly leaving the door wide open and me staring after him.
I look back at Jack and he mumbles something; I walk to him, and sit down crouching over him to hear. ‘What was that?’ I ask, feeling like crying by the sight of him.
‘Don’t. Do. It,’ he murmurs closing his eyes. A tear rolls down my face, ‘I have to Jack, it’s the only way I can save you, you’ve done so much for me and now it’s my turn.’
He opens his eyes, and looks at me, ‘I’m sorry,’ he mumbles.
‘No Jack, I’m sorry,’ I kiss him on the cheek and hug him for a while then look at the door still wide open.
‘Are you strong enough to walk or get up?’ I ask.
He mumbles a yes I’ll try and struggles to a proper sitting position, I help him up so he could stand but he collapses to the wall as he’s breathing becomes uneven and hollow. ‘C’mon Jack, I know you can do it. It’s just until we get to the kitchen which is just out the door. Please, I just want you out of this basement.’
I hold almost all of him up and help him walk toward the door but he was so weak he collapsed to the ground knocking himself out in the process and pulling me with him.
‘Please, can someone help me!? Anyone!’ I stick my head out of the door to see if anyone was there, but there was no one.
I sigh and stare at Jack, his slumped body lie powerless on the floor. I get back up and hold his hand thinking about dragging him up the stairs.
‘No, I can't do that,’ I say to myself out loud.
I bring him to a sitting position and hold him from the back under his arms; I walk backwards using all my strength to drag him up the few steps. By now my body was hurting and my head was thumping. I put him back on the floor softly when we got out of the basement and almost near the kitchen.
I was so tired I sat down next to Jack, and before I knew it I was lying down sleeping, close to his helpless body and listening to his smooth heart beats.