Disclaimer: I don't own 'The People Under the Stairs" and never will.

Roach watched Alice through the cracks in the walls and loose paintings that only he knows about. She was sewing a doll, another kill. Sometimes he thought of her as a proud mother with her felt children, other times he though of her as a reaper capturing the souls of those unlucky enough to wander into hell on earth in her box. It had been that way for about four months though it was hard to tell time in the house because the house was always the same. Never changing, on the inside anyway. Roach knew that the world was still turning outside but he didn't know how. His knowledge of the world didn't go past 1981 when Mommy took him from the park. He was so dumb back then, he should have run away with his sister, what was her name again? Lonna? Donna? Yes, Donna. He should have run back to real Mommy and Daddy with her instead of going with Mommy. He hated himself for making that mistake. Roach always watched everything, nothing much else to do in the walls but watch and wait. Wait to live, wait to die. Wait for an absolution that he feared may never come. He even dreamed of death to come and end it all for him but then who would watch over Alice? His didn't dare dream of escape though. That was a foolish fairytale like the ones his real mother, what was her name? Amanda. Yes, it was like the fairytales Amanda used to tell. To wait and watch was his place in this half life he and Alice had in the confinements of the house. If he had a half life then the people under the stairs had a quarter life. Or maybe they had a half life because Daddy still called them people but he was called a thing; the thing between the walls. Maybe Messenger had a fifth life because he was born under the stairs. Maybe Headbanger had the quarter life because she was a woman. Maybe her baby would be like Messenger and have a fifth life. All this thinking was giving him a headache. Roach was thrown from his musings as he heard a knock at the door. He crawled through the walls getting as close to freedom as he could possibly get to and saw the next victim. Pity, he was so young and was about to have his life cut short. It was a boy in a bear scout uniform, and he was selling food. The though of food made Roach stomach rumble so loudly he fear Mommy might hear it. Maybe he could get the cookies he was selling after Mommy got through with him. She got kinda careless after a kill, last time he managed to get a lighter and a pack of cigarettes. He knew that he shouldn't be smoking but Daddy had gotten him started and they did calm the nerves and suppress the appetite. He needed his nerves calmed, he was always scared. Fear was always in the house, it hung over the house like a thick fog. He hated how Alice feared, she always feared. He feared too, for her. He feared for her as Mommy smacked her for this and that and Daddy whipped her for doing something bad. Something bad for him. He took a shaking breath as he remembered the events of the previous night, Alice fed him. He didn't ask but she did anyway knowing the penalty if she was caught. And she was. He heard her scream as Daddy took his belt to her but he was grateful that he didn't hurt her face, he pretty angel like face. He hovered over her singing her cut out tongue lullabies that night that he couldn't remember that well but he knew his mother used to sing them. His real mother not the demon known as Mommy. He crawled through the walls and hovered above Mommy. He wasn't scared of her anymore; he hated her almost as much as he hated Daddy. It wasn't hate, it was a burning loathing that masked all fear but to say he wasn't afraid of anything would be a lie plain and simple. He feared like all men fear but he feared things that most would never have to fear, he feared for his life, his well being, his very soul at times. He feared for Alice and the day that Mommy would cut out her eyes, ears, and tongue and throw her into the cellar where someone would claim her and she'd spend the remainder of her life doing unspeakable things, like him. Mommy told the boy to go away, well he could always get some preserves from the cabinets when she went upstairs to check on Alice. The cabinets were locked from the outside, not the inside. Speaking of Alice he'd better check on her. He crawled through the vents until he got to her room. She was sewing a doll of the boy. Sometimes Roach though of her as a proud mother presiding over her felt and cotton children, other times he though of her as a reaper taking the souls of those stupid enough to wander into this hell hole. He watched her a bit more loving the light, fluttery feeling he got when he was near her. It was like dancing of the edge of happiness and nervousness; it was both good and bad and he never wanted it to end though. He looked at her as she sewed slowly, she always sewed. She sewed until her fingers were rubbed down and raw and her face sweaty and flushed. He kept on watching her until she was done.

'Well that's enough of that.' Thought Roach as he made through the crevasse of the wall to the kitchen and heard voices. They weren't laughing or yelling or even crying like he was used to, no they were talking, just talking. This startled him, there were actual burglar's in the house! Daddy would definitely take this out of Mommy's hide, she was almost as much a prisoner as they were. At times he felt sympathy to her but he always swiftly punished himself for it. She didn't deserve anybody's sympathy or compassion He pushed the cabinet door open from the inside and risked a peak. They really were burglars! Well, the man maybe, the boy didn't really look like he wanted to be there. Come to think of it, it was the same boy as before. Well, it was good that the people under the stairs got something to eat and Alice was getting bored so this would give her the chance to make another soul holder doll. Yep, this was turning out to be a good day for everyone he knew personally. Those were the only people he cared about, those he knew personally. It wasn't good to think of anyone else because they would just end up dead anyway. But there was a twinge of guilt which got worse as the seconds turned into minutes. Damh that conscience and empathy! He wanted to scream as loud as he could as he made his way to the cellar. Now was a great time to develop a moral compass. He watched the boy for a moment never giving away his position, he was a runaway slave and if he ever dared come to the cellar they said that they'd kill him. The boy didn't know that he had just stumbled into the figurative and literal pit of hell. The boy made his way over to Boss's TV. Roach was tempted to tell him that even though Boss had his eyes cut out for seeing evil he still had that TV that only he could watch and touch and the punishment for watching or touching was having your hand broken or at least fractured. He also wanted to tell the boy to get the hell out of the cellar and out the way he came before Mommy came back with Daddy but he had to settle on jumping on him. Sometimes he missed having a tongue. Maybe that wasn't the best idea. OK, it was a horrible idea but his mind didn't work so well on two days without sleep. He really seemed to scare the boy. Badly. The boy began to try and throw him off as he screamed at him to get out in his own intelligible way. Sometimes he missed having a tongue or at least having people understand him. The boy threw him off and into a pile of tires and he banged up his shoulder and probably cracked a rib. It didn't bother Roach to much, he had learned long ago to turn off the pain of a fracture or cut or burn. It was times like these he resented not having a tongue, well he had a tongue but it was only a little more than half a tongue. He could still do what people made him do even though he hated it more than life it' self and Alice could still understand him. Well, so could everyone in the house. It wasn't that hard to understand tongue-less if you listen to it long enough. The boy ran to the stairs and he followed, holding his side in the process. Stupid fracture. The boy began to bang on the door attracting Alice's attention. Why was she even on this floor? She should have been in her room where it was safe. Roach grabbed onto his leg and yelped as one of his nails popped off. Well, seven more where that came from. The boy slammed the door, almost hitting his hand. Well if he had a death wish it was his business but right now he had to get out before someone got into the walls to get him. He wasn't the first person to go into the walls and the others would go only they were afraid of what was up there. He didn't blame them, their lives were all they had left and they weren't worth much. He decided to go up to the main house through the crematorium chimney and sighed as several obscenities were shouted his way. He hated the people under the stairs and they hated him. Well most of them hated him anyway about three he could consider allies but not friends. Well, maybe Headbanger was his friend. He wished she was, he got the same queasy, fluttery feeling around her as he did Alice. Alice was his only friend for real. He, made his way up to the main level and heard a car. Uh-oh, Mommy and Daddy were back. Double uh-oh, the boy and the man were still in the house. He felt sorry for the boy who looked quite young, having his life cut short. Well, he had bigger things to worry about. His finger was bleeding and he needed to wrap it in something before Prince smelled the blood. He hated that dog. He intended to go up to Alice's room to warn her but the house went on lockdown. Not a problem for him at all. As he made his way through the walls he noticed heavy breathing, too heavy to be the boys. It was the man from earlier, maybe it was the boy's father? Maybe he should try and help him? Well, might as well. What harm could it do? He was gonna die anyway. Roach made a grab for him but he got scared and jumped out of his hiding place, right at Daddy. Roach cursed under his breath, this was turning out to be a very bad day for him. The man screamed run fool at Daddy, like that would help. Roach covered his ears as he made his way through the walls. Most people would be pretty shaken up by what just transpired but Roach had seen so many horrible things in fifteen years of life he was used to it. He made his way to Alice's room but discovered that she wasn't there. Panic set in. Where was she!? He grew more and more panicked as he made his way through the walls until he finally screamed. Daddy heard him and shot at him. Yes, this was what he needed he laughed and ran through the walls. He began to forget about Alice and everything and began to only focus on the chase. The chase was the only time he ever got to truly live. But then the chase stopped as Mommy told Daddy that there were police out back. Oh no. Panic once again began to set in. He crawled through the walls once again looking for her but he once again became side tracked.

"You come in here and I'm gonna kick your ass!" yelled a heavily accented voice. It was the boy. Without thinking Roach jumped out from behind the cabinet screamed and said come on. One of the few things he could still say. Why he didn't think of that before he'd never know. As he pushed the through the catacombs that were his home he was filled with a million questions, most of them being did they fix the way you came in at? He was tempted to attempt to ask but he had a bigger problem, Prince. He lead the boy through the Christmas light filled alcove that was his makeshift bedroom and the boy asked if that was his place. They were running for their lives from a man eating attack dog and that was his most pressing question? Maybe he was stupid. That would explain a lot. He felt a plan forming in his head. He took the doll out of the boys hand and tossed it to Prince who he had lead to the trap door, then he pulled the leaver. That trapped door was his crowning achievement, good for getting rid of dogs and people. But mostly dogs. He laughed loudly and so did the boy. He pushed the boy through the walls to Alice's room. 'Thank god' thought Roach he saw her. She looked terrified and shook visibly. He wanted to hold her close and whisper pleasant nothings to her until she calmed down but he knew that there were some things that you just didn't with company in the room. For the first time in ten years he felt a glimmer of hope, not just for himself but for Alice too. For their escape from this pit of hell, for their chance to be truly free and not ghosts of what they were made by Mommy and Daddy. For the first time he allowed himself to hope, to be happy. Really, truly happy. He even smiled, not one of those fake smiles he had to give for Mommy when she said good boy or the smiles he had to give to Alice when she asked if he was OK but an actual smile. He looked at the boy, then at Alice, then the boy again. He hated awkward silences, which was a bit ironic considering the fact that he was a mute.

"T-Thanks." Said the boy. Roach smiled and nodded.

"Here it comes." Thought Roach as he got a questioning look from the boy.

"He doesn't talk much, does he?" this question was directed at Alice who was still shaking.

"H-His tongues cut out." Stuttered Alice as she shook a bit less

"Well, that's my cue." Thought Roach as he stuck out his stump of a tongue. He even waved his finger in front of it for emphasis. It hurt like hell at first but now he could barely feel it, he wasn't so sure that that was a good thing though

"Oh man." Said the boy turning away with a look of disgust. Roach was tempted to stick his tongue stump out again just to be a jerk but though against it.

"W-well mommy caught him trying to call for help one day and daddy had to teach him-"started Alice getting a little less afraid

"Speak no evil right." Finished the boy. Roach began to remember that day, his first failed escape plan and bit at his lower lip. He began to zone out, now was not the time to have one of his freak outs.

"Your father's one sick muthuh, actually your mother's on sick muthuh too." Said the boy alarming both him and Alice. No one in their right mind would ever think to say that about them. Those were things you only thought.

"Shh. You're speaking evil!" whispered Alice and Roach put a finger to his lips. He didn't want anybody to end up like him. Ever. The boy gave them both a look and an awkward silence soon followed. Roach began to think in that awkward silence. Maybe the boy could help them escape or at least distract Daddy. Roach had managed to open a window the previous day but there was nothing to hold onto, it was just a straight drop off the roof and he knew that there was no way to survive a fall like that. But maybe they could climb to where the drain pipes were and slide down. He'd have to think about what they'd do after they escaped. The police were out of the question, they never helped. They always fell for Mommy and Daddy's charade. Maybe he could find his parent's house if they hadn't moved or died. Or maybe he could take his coin collection and start a new life for the two of them.

"Roach" Said Alice motioning to him, "Roach is my friend." Roach looked startled as he heard his name, how long was he out for? He sometimes blacked out or got lost in his thoughts but always came to sometime later.

"Roach?" asked the boy. Roach nodded. "I'm Poindexter."

"Poidestah?" said Roach to Alice. What the heck kind of name was that? Was that his real name? If it was he felt a bit sorry for this kid unless it was now a normal name on the outside. He hadn't been out there for the better part of ten years.

"But everyone calls me Fool." Finished the boy. And Roach though his real middle name was bad, must suck to be this kid. He wondered why he was called Fool. Maybe he wasn't the stupid kind of Fool, just the ignorant kind because He looked like he was just starting out.

"Foo?" asked Roach as he extended his hand. The boy seemed wary of touching him. Roach couldn't blame him, he hadn't bathed in months. His hands were filthy and callused as well as cut in some places, he wouldn't want to touch himself either if he were Fool

"We sure got the names huh?" said Fool. Roach laughed and nudged Alice who clearly didn't get it. She didn't get a lot of things.

"This Leroy? Why you make these?" asked Fool as he found Alice's doll box.

"Well, there goes the mood." Thought Roach as he followed Alice to the bed and picked up his doll, Alice made one of him when she was sure he would die. That was before he was Roach and he didn't like to remember anything from before he was Roach. Before he was Roach he was Mommy an Daddy's puppet good boy but he was actually a very bad boy. He was bad and proud of it because if being their little puppet was good than he didn't want to be good.

"To hold the souls of burglars when they died, or salesmen, workmen, other people who saw too much." Said Alice as Fool saw so many dolls. So many souls lost to this place. So many lives cut short. Fool began to rift through the dolls of men, women, and children when everything went to hell.

"Ehh!" yelled daddy as he burst through the door almost taking it off of it's hinges. Roach gasped and momentarily forgot about Fool as he dove into the vent.

"Well Fool, it was nice knowing you." Thought Roach as he tryed to escape. Just as he made it into the wall, into safety, Daddy clipped him. Roach half moaned, half screamed as he made his way back to his 'room'. He picked up a needle and thread he had taken from Alice and began the meticulous task of sewing himself back together like a rag doll. This was the worst pain Roach had ever experienced in his fifteen years of life, but a new plan had formed. Daddy didn't know he only clipped him, he thought he was dead, which was good. He could save Alice, and Fool because he couldn't just let him die now that he knew him personally. He could also save Headbanger and maybe even Stairmaster who wasn't that cruel to him and they were one tongue-less speaking terms. Maybe Messenger too but Roach got the feeling that he was beyond saving. He had spent his whole life under the stairs and seemed terrified at the thought of escape. Poor guy, never knowing freedom, not even servitude to Mommy and Daddy. The only servitude Messenger knew was to the leader and the leader's successor and his successor etcetera, etcetera. Once they were out they could get to a hospital, or his parents house. He wondered if they still lived there or maybe they moved. If they moved he knew for sure that his grandparents didn't, they said that they hadn't moved since the Depression and never would. They might be dead though, they were really old. Maybe Alice still remembered hers, he'd have to ask her again. He made his way down to the seller barely registering mommy's shouts and feeling a pang of sorrow for Alice's s cries. Each cry cut through him like a thousand knives of fire and acid. He hated how Alice couldn't live, couldn't even breathe without Mommy's permission. He asked for nobody's permission and he wished that Alice had that same freedom. He was in the cellar and Daddy was preparing to feed the people under the stares the leftovers from the body he was gutting. He looked over at Fool and for a moment could understand what was bothering him but then he came to a realization; this wasn't normal. Seeing a body hanging from a meat hook and being gutted was common place for Roach but not in the outside. In fact, the more he tried to remember the outside the less he could. Daddy's distraction with the body was perfect, if he get the key to the handcuffs that bound Fool he could free them and then he could open the padlock door the people under the stairs would get Daddy and possibly eat him before killing him or maybe do a bit of torture first. Daddy deserved no better in Roach's opinion. Just as Roach was about to free Fool Daddy did something surprising, he gave Fool to the people under the stairs thinking that they would kill him. They would never kill a new person, they would keep them as slaves if they were just trespassers. Not all of the people under the stairs were children that couldn't measure up, some were trick-or-treaters or scouts or just plain unlucky. This could be a real problem, but hey, problems are meant to be solved, right? Daddy left up the stairs, he couldn't stay in the cellar too long partly because of the smell and partly because he was just a tiny bit afraid. After he was gone Roach dove into the brine and got the corpse before the hatch could open all the way. It was heavy and unsanitary but hey, once they were out he could take all the baths he wanted. He pretended the corpse was coming to life and prayed that Fool didn't run to the back of the corral as well. This was foretold in the prophesy of a long dead person under the stairs named Oracle; she said that the end would come when the dead walk and the mute talk. Roach didn't believe a word, he had read in the bible what the end of the world would be like but they were so crazy they'd believe anything.

"Roach!" said Fool. Roach must have done something really good in a past life or something because this was going unusually well. Talk about turning a day around!

Roach climbed out of the brine biting his lower lip as he felt some of the filthy water invading his wound. He really hoped that he didn't get an infection. If the wound didn't kill him the infection would. This was going great! Much better than the other plan. Free! He was going to free! The thought of free both excited and terrified him. He almost wanted to stay in the place that been his home for the past ten years; he knew no other place in good memory. He shook his head, he'd have to punish himself for having these thoughts later but right now he had to free Fool before they came back. They probably wouldn't kill him but being a slave wasn't much better. He began to look for where daddy put the keys, he didn't have the best night vision, he hadn't been under the stairs away from adequate light for long enough to develop night vision.

"It's right there Roach!" said Fool as he shown a flashlight on the keys. Roach was tempted to tell him to put it down; taking someone's flashlight was a huge offence. Actually, stealing from anyone was a huge offence no matter what it was you were stealing. Roach got the keys and ran to the corral. He could see some of the more adventurous people slowly making their way toward Fool. He opened the door and pulled Fool out as hard as he could then quickly locked the door. Yes, he could let the people under the stairs out but for him that would mean certain death at their hands and certain death for Alice as well. Their was a vendetta against anyone who got into the walls and their was a vendetta against anyone who killed or caused the death of someone. Roach shook his head as if to physically dislodge these thoughts, he didn't need to remember that day right now. The day that former leader Bites died. He had shown the much healthier Roach how to get into the walls and was about to tell him how to escape when Daddy killed him and Roach ran. Bites was too old, older than Messenger they said, to escape. Their wise old leader could barely move by that point.

"I told you to keep it quiet down there, you're driving me nuts!" yelled Daddy as he sent Prince down to scare the people under the stairs and possible bit them if he could squeeze under the bars. He probably couldn't though, that dog had grown fat over the years. He pushed Fool into the furnace as if to say 'in here'. Once they were in Roach cringed in pain. Now normally he had a high tolerance for pain but this was unbareable.

"Roach, you're shot! We gotta get you to a hospital!" said Fool in a panicked voice as he saw Roaches gunshot wound. Roach put a hand to Fool's chest as if to say stay there and he climbed up the smoke pipe. This was where he had hidden his coin collection all those months ago. He wondered if Daddy noticed; he probably did. He counted that money a thousand times and noticed that quite a bit of it was missing. He only took it to make Daddy man; money wasn't worth anything to the people under the stairs. Food, some sort of tool, cigarettes which Daddy sometimes threw to them with new flashlight batteries, and sex were the only things with value. Well that and slaves but nobody was going to trade a slave for anything unless someone had a horde of food that hadn't been discovered. He fell back down into the furnace with a thud. Stars dances across his vision as some of the thread came loose and blood began to run down his side. He wasn't too afraid of death; to die would be a very big adventure. He began to suspect that this fearlessness was from the blood loss. He screamed loudly and Fool hit the back of the furnace from surprise.

"Good dog, Prince! Good dog!" called Daddy down the stairs.

"Heerw (Here)" said Roach as he handed Fool a tiny satchel he had found in the attic. Inside was his coin collection that he really had no use for but he knew that Fool probably needed the money since that's the only reason people came in here anyways.

"A coin collection, Leroy was right." Said Fool as he held the coins up to the light of the flashlight.

"Yeah" said Roach in a voice that was barely audible "Come on." Roach could say some words, ones that you didn't have to hit the roof of your mouth or your teeth to say. He was grateful for the amount of tongue he had. Some had more and some had less. Stairmaster had the most so and Roach was a bit jealous but then he reminded himself that Stairmaster didn't really need to be able to speak semi-clearly; everyone could understand tongue-less. Roach and Fool began to climb through the walls as silently as possible; Fool lacked the careful crawling that Roach had though at the moment Roach couldn't be careful. Roach had to bite his lower lip in an effort not to scream as he felt some more blood running down his thigh and leg. He could feel death's cold hand on his shoulder. His one regret was that he couldn't tell Alice the three most important words that you could ever say to someone. True she could understand him but every time he tried he got nervous and changed the subject.

"Did you tell him anything?! 'Cause if you did you know what I'll do!" it was Daddy and he was with Alice. Daddy was alone with Alice! That scared Roach more than the blood loss and the though of him dying put together. He had noticed the unnamed looks that daddy had given Alice since Molly, their real daughter, escaped or possibly died trying to escape. Roach was fading in and out of Headbanger's explanation. Molly was to be with both Headbanger and Boss but when she escaped he turned his attentions toward Headbanger. Boss saw what Daddy was doing and had his eyes cut out and Mommy cut off Headbanger's ears. They were the boy and girl children before him and Alice. He pushed Fool to go faster, as of late Daddy had been getting closer and closer to doing what Roach feared but he never did. It was harder and harder to snatch children and apparently Mommy couldn't have anymore so Daddy restrained himself. He also restrained himself because he was afraid of Roach; afraid of the enemy he couldn't see. He didn't know where he was and if Roach ever plucked up the courage to take a life he'd take Daddy's. Daddy never showed his fear though, he was a man and men didn't show fear. Especially not fear of children.

"I killed you're skinny friend in the walls! What do you think of that!" yelled Daddy as Alice cried. Roach wanted to do nothing but hold her to his chest and never let her go. He hated her cries and her fears. He hated the bruises and burns hat criss-crossed over her skin like ribbons. He wanted to make them all go away; the pains and the fears until all their was left was happiness. He wanted Daddy to suffer though, suffer the worst tortures that his mind could conjure. He wanted to put Daddy into a nightmare world from which there was no waking. To drive him mad with worry and fear until he couldn't take it anymore. He wanted to cut out his eyes, ears, and tongue and lock him in the deepest, darkest pits of hell. Alice began to cry no. He wanted to re assure her but knew that this had to be handled delicately. All the best plans were handled delicately; his original escape plan wasn't and look what happened.

"Oh I got him good and the black one to!" said Daddy as he threw Alice on the bed. Roach pushed Fool forward in panic and scurried through the vent. He ran up to Daddy and sucker punched him in the back of the head before he could even register his presence. He cackled loudly at that as he pulled Alice toward the vent. This was pure bliss!

"He said he killed you!" said Alice in shock. Was he a ghost?

"He exaggerated!" said Fool as they climbed through the vent. A bit more quickly as Daddy reached an arm into the vent.

"Gonna kill you!" yelled Daddy into the vent

"Shuh da fuck up! (Shut the fuck up)" yelled Roach as he scurried along ignoring the searing pain and dizziness. As they went they heard Prince barkingfor blood. This was bad; this was really, really, incredibly bad!

"Go!" yelled Roach at Fool who for some odd reason had stopped running

"I'm not runnin' anymore." Said Fool as he turned to face Prince

"How ungrateful, I risk my life and look what happens." Though Roach as he and Alice tried to pull Prince off of Fool. Was this kid suicidal or something? Prince was bigger than he was and had jaws strong enough to bite through bone.

"Get back!" yelled Fool as he banged Prince against the wall attracting the attention of Daddy. Well wasn't this just peachy keen? Roach vowed never to trust anyone that wasn't Alice with his life again.

"You really are a Fool." Though Roach as he watched the scene with horror. Well, he was going to die soon anyway but Alice still had time until her dresses got too constricting around her thighs and chest and her voice too deep. That was when Mommy's eyes would bleed green and she'd be sent under the stairs as if she had any control over growing up. That was what happened to Scribe's wife Singer. Roach had noticed and knew that it was only a matter of time. If she was put under the stairs Roach vowed to take her as his wife before anyone else could lay claim to her. She wasn't going to end up like him. He silently promised her that.

"Gonna find you!" yelled Daddy as he began stabbing into the wall with his bayonet attached to his gun. Roach wondered how no one ever suspected anything even though Daddy owned all of these dangerous weapons. The police sometimes came to their house but were always lead away quickly by Mommy.

"Ge awa from da wawl(Get away from the wall) !" yelled Roach panicked as he held onto Alice.

"Get away from the wall! Get away from the wall!" yelled Alice as she grabbed onto Roach. Fool banged Prince against the wall until Daddy stabbed him.

"Clever boy!" Though Roach as he lead the way slowly to the attic. Only he knew the way through the walls.

"Gotch ya!" yelled Daddy as Mommy came into the room.

"You got him?!" asked Mommy

"Yeah!"

"Which one?"

"I dun no." Said Daddy simply

"Well find out!" said Mommy and with that they began to climb toward the attic. Roach began to see little black dots swarm across his vision as more of the thread came undone

"Roach, you're bleeding!" said Alice as she saw the blood spot on his shirt. Roach made an OK sign with his fingers and put his hand over hers.

"Hey, you can see the lights from the ghetto from here!" said Fool interrupting them "Never though smog could smell so good." The fresh air did smell good. It smelled just like freedom. Roach sighed as he remembered freedom. He went over some of his memories of his family and the outside. He looked sadly at Alice; she had no memories of the outside. She couldn't even remember her family or if she had brothers and sisters. He reached over and took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze

"We gonna have to climb down." Said Fool

"There's nothing to hold onto, just a straight fall off the roof." Said Alice as she held Roach arm tightly. She was afraid to leave but at the same time wanted to. She was feeling queasy and happy at the same time as well as the dizzy walking on air feeling she usually got around Roach. She buried her head in his chest not minding his smell, it was a combination of sweat and dust and to Alice it was almost good. Almost.

"The water from the garden! The dip is right under us, we can jump."

"Why didn't I think of that?" though Roach

"I don't know how deep it is." Said Alice as they began to hear footsteps

"You upstairs Alice!?" yelled Daddy as he ran up the stairs

"Come on!" said Roach as he pulled her towards the window. It was now or never. His vision was fading out and he hoped that he could use his last seconds of life saving her. With his last breath he vowed to save her.

"I'm scared, what's out there?!"

"Du you tus me?(Do you trust me?)" asked Roach as he held her by the waist

Alice nodded and bit her lower lip

"De ump.(Then jump)" Said Roach as Fool jumped out the window. Daddy shot at the cushion next to him and feathers flew everywhere temporarily impairing Daddy's vision until he saw Roach trying his best to climb out of the window. He was barely conscious but he refused to die there. He'd rather die of drowning or falling out of a window than by Daddy's hand.

"Burn in hell you little animal shit!" yelled Daddy as he aimed the gun at Roach. Roach without thinking pushed Alice out the window and barely missed a bullet himself. He hit the water painfully, the rest of the thread getting dislodged. The made for the shore just as Daddy came out of the house with a shot gun. The ran to the front yard Roach being supported by the both of them

"Daddy! Never shoot your gun outside!" yelled Mommy through the open door

"They got away." Said Daddy disbelief written all over his face

"Get inside." Said Mommy as she pushed Daddy in not noticing Roach and Alice standing there in the bushes. Roach was breathing heavily now as he whispered those three words to Alice who didn't hear them "Go straight to your room and put on your suit."

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