"Oh! Y'all expecting company?" Chester questioned firing another shot at the fridge. "You must think I'm some kind of ding-a-ling. That door is fortified with two feet of reinforced steel, welded by the giant dick of Jesus Christ."
Edith, Marcus and Lex had all managed to squeeze in the fridge, their body's were weirdly mangled together but their terror overrides the awkward situation.
"Would now be a good time to mention I'm claustrophobic?" Edith question as her heart rate increased.
"Fan-bloody-tastic." Lex mumbled.
"Just breath okay?" Marcus whispered grabbing Edith's face. "You're okay. Just close your eyes." Marcus said as he hugged her tightly into his chest.
"Cousin Jim, go earn your mescaline. Rustle them out. Don't hurt Marcus. We got plans."
"Now Lex." Marcus whispered. Lex opened the fridge slightly to release the explosive.
"Yeah, yeah, we do, yeah."
"Okay, go, go, go."
"Oh, sweaty balls on the devil's leg! Hot and sticky, vinegar, piss! You fluff boys about to learn the stinky dick lesson of old Cousin Jim! Whoo, whoo! Oh, fiddlesticks."
Jim jumped over the fridge, to be met with an explosive.
~
After a couple of minutes, Marcus pushed the fridge door open.
"We're out now." Marcus whispered
"I am getting the hell out of here." Lex said climbing over Marcus and Edith.
"Get off me!" Marcus said, pushing Lex.
"Well, come on, sweet tits. Party's moving downstairs." Chester shouted.
"That is clearly a trap, love." Lex said looking between Edith and Marcus.
Marcus turned to face Edith.
"Get the others and get out of here."
"I'll go with her. To protect her." Lex offered, honouring his promise to Willie.
"I don't need protecting." Edith said, although it made Marcus feel better that Lex wanted to go with Edith to protect her, he wanted to know why he wanted to.
~
Lex was waiting patiently for his brothers to call him back, he wanted to tell them he wouldn't make it back for Christmas break, he also wanted to say goodbye in case this was the last time he spoke to them.
Honestly he thought Marcus' plan was ridiculous, but he knew that Edith would kill him if he didn't help out.
Lex snapped out of thought once the phone rang.
"Hello?" He questioned waiting to hear his older brothers voice.
"Jesus Christ I didn't think it was gonna be you." Willie said with a slight groan.
"Willie? What the hell man, I'm waiting for a call." Lex complained in his thick British accent. "I'm gonna end the call now mate." He said going to hang up.
"Wait Lex no!" Willie shouted, Lex sighed and brought the phone back to his ear.
"What?" He asked snappily.
"I need you to do something for me." Willie said hesitantly.
"And what is that?" He asked curiously.
"I need you to take care of Edith for me. I need you to be there for her." He said.
Lex wouldn't be his first pick but he was the one who answered the phone, and he couldn't wait to see if anyone else picked up. It might've been too late.
"Is she still talking?"
There was a slight pause before Lex responded,
"Yeah, she is."
"And how is she doing? Is she okay?" Willie questioned, he wondered if she even knew he was missing with everything going on. "Does she know I've gone?"
"She's okay, little angry at times, but she's Edith Fell so what do you expect?" Lex half heartedly chuckled.
"Does she know I've gone?" Willie repeated again. He hated that he had asked, but he had to know.
"Not yet. I don't think anyone's got the balls to tell her. You two became close and I don't think any of us were expecting it." Lex said with a small smile.
He never talked to Edith much but she did care about Willie, that much was clear.
"Okay, if she asks, or when someone tells her I want you to find her and tell her that I'm happy, and that I left because she needs to learn how to be independent and that she can count on herself, and tell her that I believe in her."
Willie got choked up on the other end of the line and had to squeeze his eyes shut to remind him not to burst into tears.
"Tell her I believe in her." He said again to really put emphasis on the sentence, it meant the most to him and she needed to hear it.
"Are you okay man?" Lex questioned hearing Willie's sniffles.
"Yeah. Promise me Lex, promise me you will take care of her." Willie said clearing his throat, he tried to play off the pain it was causing him but it was more than obvious to Lex.
"I promise. Stay safe Willie." Lex said before ending the call.
~
"I'm not leaving you." Edith said sadly, she didn't want Marcus to be on his own.
"Please E." He offered her a small sad smile.
"Marcus-" Edith didn't know what to say, she knew she couldn't convince him to let her go downstairs, he cared too much about her.
So instead of talking she did what she used to do best, show how she felt and she did that by cupping his face and pulling her body up to his. Their lips met in a small yet meaningful kiss, a few seconds of what felt like heaven.
"I love you Edith Fell." Marcus whispered and quickly left to run down stairs. Lex started firing, drawing the attention away from Marcus.
"Chester invited the other one, the sweet tits."
"Lex." Edith said turning to face him. "If I don't make it out alive, promise me you'll protect Thomas. Make sure he's okay. And doesn't go back on the streets again?"
Lex almost scoffed turning to the girl and rolling his eyes with a playful smile,
"Oh, another person i need to look after."
"What d'ya mean?" Edith questioned.
"When we get out of her alive, remind me to tell you." Lex said looking around for more bullets. "No! No, bollocks!"
"You're out of ammo, you pieces of shit."
The hillbilly jumped over the fridge, pushed Edith over so she hit her head and pulled his knife out to stab Lex.
"Hush, little lady, don't say a word Old Gil's gonna find his knife submerged." Lex groaned as the knife entered his chest. "Old Gil's gonna see his knife submerged."
Edith stood up and instantly felt dizzy, but Lex was in trouble, out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw someone walking over to them.
Billy wrapped some wire around the hillbilly's neck. Edith made her way over to Lex.
"Are you okay?" She placed her hand on his chest. The cut wasn't deep so she didn't think he'd need stitches. Lex nodded and stood up once Billy had killed the hillbilly.
"I thought I thought-" Lex walked over to Petra and Billy and pulled them in for a hug. "I was gonna die. Th-thank you."
He opened his arms for Edith, who offered him a sad smile, she felt bad that she didn't help him. Lex's arms wrapped around Edith's shoulders and he hugged her tightly.
"Come on. Let's go to the rendezvous." Petra said, but nobody moved. "Guys, we have to go. Come on!" Petra grabbed Lex's and Billy's hand to pull them out of the house.
"But, Marcus." Edith looked back, at the door Marcus had gone down only a few minutes ago, but Lex pulled her with him.
~
"Lex, I have to go back, I need to find Marcus." Edith said pulling on Lex's arm. "I can't leave him in there alone."
"No, I promised I would protect you." Lex said pulling her, so she's carried on walking.
"I don't care! I need him." Tears formed in Edith's eyes. "Lex, I love him." She let a stray tear escape.
He stopped completely frozen in place and spun on the balls of his feet to face her hunched body as she let go of a sob into her hands.
He placed his hand on her shoulder and gave it a quick squeeze before turning to Billy and Petra,
"Okay, we'll go back."
"Thank you." Edith wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. "Thank you."
~
Lex and Edith searched around the house for Marcus, both of them on full alert.
"You know, I'm sure he's fine." Lex said as he looked around carefully for any hillbillies.
"Marcus!" Edith shouted ran towards him. Marcus placed down whatever he was carrying and hugged Edith.
"You're okay. You're alive." He smiled placing small kisses all over her face. Edith let out small giggles.
"I love you too." She said with a huge smile.
Maria walked in and looked at the pair in shock.
"All I ever did was love you."
"I never asked for that." Marcus said, wrapping his arm around Edith's waist.
"You don't have to worry about it anymore. Saya's cynicism she's right. I shouldn't have let myself care. You were alone too. I thought you'd see." Maria said looking at the pair.
Lex stood by awkwardly.
"I was. I did."
"Lies I was desperate to believe. But I always knew better. Always knew I can't count on anyone but myself."
Edith couldn't help but feel guilty that she broke the pair up. Marcus slowly stepped closer to Maria.
"That's the last thing I wanted. I'm so sorry. What I did was-" Marcus looked back to Edith. "It was messed up." Edith felt Lex's gaze on her. "I don't know what's wrong with me. It all just started to feel like an-an obligation."
"An obligation?" Maria questioned walking out.
"I didn't mean you were an obligation." Marcus said, grabbing Chico's head and following her out.
Edith looked to Lex and let out a heavy sigh. Lex wrapped his arms around Edith.
"Come on." Edith said pulling Lex outside with her.
"You're free." Edith faintly heard Maria say.
"Edith and I, we never planned it. But, it did make me see. I, I do love you Maria."
Edith stepped back in shock, it was almost as if she'd been shot. Lex grabbed her arms and steadied her.
He was fuming with Marcus, hours earlier he had just told Edith that he loved her, how could he say it to Maria.
"After all we've been through, can you just do me one small courtesy? Stop lying." Maria said.
Edith didn't know whether to be relieved that he was lying or disappointed that he could just tell anyone that he loved them without meaning it.
"Maria." El Alma Del Diablo said, making everyone jump. Marcus grabbed Edith's hand and pulled him behind her slowly.
"I was hoping to ask you if you had found my son." El Alma Del Diablo said looking at Chico's head in Marcus hands. "I see that you have."
"What's taking so long? We've got to get out of here before this whole thing goes tits up." Lex said running out. One of El Alma Del Diablo guy's pointed his gun at Lex and fired.
"Lex!" Edith shrilled rushing over to the boy who had just being shot. El Alma Del Diablo raised the gun at Edith.
"No!" Marcus shouted making him misfire. Edith jumped but grabbed lex's hand.
"You're gonna be okay." She whispered, giving his hand a tight squeeze. "You're gonna be okay, just stay still."
"Edith-"
"Do you remember the day we first met?" Edith chuckled, even though she had tears forming in her eyes. "You, you tried too hard to be my friend, to impress me. At that moment in time, you didn't know I was mute. You just thought I was ignoring you." She sniffled. "I wasn't Lex, and I'm glad I'm your friend. And you're gonna make it out of here alive, I promise." Edith nodded, placing a light kiss on top of his knuckles.
"Edith, Willie-He's gone." Lex coughed, changing the subject.
Even though he had just being shot, he still felt embarrassed.
"He left because you-"
Lex's eyes fluttered shut.
"Because you-"
Lex's eyes closed for one last time.
"Lex?" Edith looked up to Marcus with tears in her eyes. "Lex?" Marcus mouth fell ajar.
He wanted to comfort Edith, but the guns were pointed at her and he didn't want to move and get her shot.
He had no clue what he was going to do, his heart was racing just about as fast as Edith's mind was racing.
What had she done to make him leave her?
What could she have possibly done to hurt him so badly that he'd leave?
She needed Willie, he kept her calm, he understood her when no one else did.
Edith couldn't think of what she said to hurt him like this.
What did she say?
Say?
Of course it was her voice, her words, everything proving to her that she should've stayed mute.
If she had maybe Willie would still be with them. If she had then she wouldn't have broken apart Marcus and Maria. If she had maybe Lex wouldn't be laid lifeless in her arms.
What had she said?
She closed her eyes as her chest heaved, she wished she had said no words at all.
A/N: So that's it, that is the end of no words, thank you for reading, voting and commenting. I'm writing a Benjamin Wadsworth fan fiction, based on this book. So it will be the actors who play Edith and obviously the rest of the cast. So, I'll try and get that published as soon as I can.
Thanks for reading.
Love you all
Emily :)