Hate. It's a strong word, but it flamed inside of Jerome Clarke. Out of all people, he would know what the word meant. After all, wouldn't you despise the person that tried to kill you, and had acted like the hero?
His lips quivered with adrenaline and rage.
The man that stood in front of him was supposed to be in a grave. Jerome had read his obituary and laughed. It seemed that Rufus Zeno was the man guffawing now.
The blond sighed quietly, and cupped his hands together to lay his face in. It all seemed like a dream. It should be a dream.
Rufus looked no different. Just as ugly, Jerome thought, internally chuckling.
Setting his eyes back on Jasper and the man, he listened in on their confrontation.
Jasper's face was twisted into rage, yet confusion on whom this man was. He blinked before asking "The Collector," or Rufus, questions.
"Who… Who are you?" Jasper's voice probed.
"I am a man that should be feared." Rufus replied, his tone back to normal. Stepping forward, he grabbed Fabian's Godfather by the collar. Jerome felt even more rage burn deep within him. Crawling out of his hiding place, he stepped forward.
The dark skinned man was let go, as Rufus dryly smiled at the teenager.
"You let him go. I have had enough of you. You supposed to be dead. Do you hear me? You deserve to rot in hell. I cannot believe you would fake your own death. Did you think we actually believed that? Were smarter than you, who could be sentenced to death for attempted murder. Not just that, but also for kidnapping. Twice." Jerome yelled, his face fuming.
Rufus' nostrils flared, as his fist came in contact with Jerome's face. He staggered, holding his hands to his cheek. Jasper stood next to Jerome, putting a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. The injured man shrugged the gesture off.
"Just a few more minutes," Jerome thought. He endured the pain, and was used to getting into fights. His spine straightened, as he met eye contact with Sibuna's rival.
Jerome was about to snap, until a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He turned around to see Alfie's face, and the rest of Sibuna.
"Rufus! Did Satan get annoyed by you and kick you out of hell?" Patricia said, her humor winning a smile from everyone.
"Patricia! How lovely to see you. And Alfie! I see you're not dead. What a shame. Don't worry, eternal life is not for me." He greeted, voice dripping with sarcasm.
Patricia, the most troubled among us, stood right up to his face. "You arse. You deserve to die. You deserve to be cut up, spit on, and burned. When that happens, have someone let me know. I would love to have a party on your ashes." She spat.
"Well I would love to stay, but I must go." He taunted, holding up his car keys. Patricia snatched then from his hand, but not before playing a game of tug-a-war. She held them high, before throwing them back. Jerome caught them, and threw them a good 50 feet into a large dumpster box.
Rufus slapped her, and put his arm around her neck, and spun her around. Patricia screamed, as a tear tears ran down her cheeks. Her hands were no use against a full grown man's strength.
Jerome could only imagine what this was like for her, to have a man that kidnapped her, tried to kill her, and now this… He wanted to step forward, but from watching movies, it seemed like a mad idea.
"Patricia!" Nina hollered out a blood boiling scream, as Fabian had tried to hold her back. Amber started crying, knowing what his grip felt like from last year. Alfie stiffed, and Jerome did the same. Jasper on the other hand, was shocked.
"You have to let her go. She's an innocent girl." He said to the man, stepped closer.
"If anyone moves, Patricia darling comes with me." Jerome flinched at the word 'darling,' not able to imagine what he would do to her.
"What do you want?" Amber cried out, her voice traveling from behind Alfie.
"Well let's see. I want my keys back, first, and the dollhouse." Rufus demanded, tightening his grip on Patricia. More tears escaped from her eyes, as her face became redder.
"You're choking her!" Jasper exclaimed.
"You don't even know the start of it." Jerome thought, recalling the previous events from the year before. His image of the whole situation was painful, to remember all the lives that were almost taken. To have Rufus dead was like… it was almost like the feeling of getting the gem back. Complete and utter satisfaction.
"Fabian, go get the keys." Nina elbowed, and his grip tightened on her.
"I am not leaving you. Jerome!" He snapped, letting Jerome come forth to reality.
"It's always me. I have to go get the keys." Jerome slumped, dragging his feat to the garbage. His pace quickened when choking noises came from Patricia's lips.
Digging through the trash with a life in hands was a difficult task.
Cups.
Forks.
Banana peel.
Plate.
"England has to cut back on plastic waste." Jerome mumbled to himself.
An old metal lamp.
Gum.
Even a tampon to his disgust.
Finally, the sun reflected something shiny. He picked them up and gave a grin. Crawling back to the top of the trash, he caught someone in the corner of his eye hopping into Rufus' back seat.
Eddie.
The idea came into mind. Jerome knew Rufus would take Patricia along with him. It's just his nature. Jerome grabbed the old lamp and skillfully dodged Sibuna to land near the kidnapper's car.
"Sorry! I found your keys!" Jerome yelled.
"Hurry up!" Cried of dismay rushed out of mouths.
Climbing out of the tank, he used a ladder to bring himself down, and land two feet on the ground.
Standing in front of Rufus and Patricia (her face now matching her dyed hair), he requested, "Give me Patricia, and I will give you your keys."
Rufus nodded.
"One… two… three." Rufus let go of the girl and grabbed the keys quickly. Before her friends could embrace her, he grabbed her once more. She let out a cry, before sinking back into his steel grip.
"No. Give me the mask, and I will give you the girl." Rufus commanded. Jerome glanced back at Eddie, who had grabbed the lamp.
"Okay." Jerome agreed.
"What?" Amber yelled, digging her heel into his foot. The rest cried along with his yells of pain, but for both different reasons.
"We have the mask and we will give it to Rufus so Patricia won't have to go in the back seat of his car." Jerome turned and told the group. Their eyes burrowed together in bewilderment at his sentence. Then they glanced at Rufus' back seat, and hid a smile when they spotted Eddie holding a metal lamp.
Rufus took a look, but at his angle, found nothing.
"When you have the mask, I will let the girl with you. Until then," The rotten man said into the cold air.
Locking the squirming Patricia into the backseat, Rufus unlocked his door and jumped in the front. Before he could turn on the car, a shrilling Clang! knocked him out cold.
It took the Sibuna gang, excluding Jerome, to process what had happened, and that Rufus was out… for a while.
Cheering and sighs of relief surrounded Eddie and Patricia.
"Patricia!"
"You saved her!"
And just plain tears of joy were shed throughout the group. Hugging was traveled from person to person, all with a sheer feeling of victory. All gathered in a circle (including Eddie, who later revealed that he had eavesdropped), and laughed,
"Sibuna."
So, you may ask, where's Jasper in the ending? Well he's in that group too, and Jerome told him all about Sibuna when they paired up. Hope everyone liked it, and thanks! This is for sibuna-daughter-of-artimis' contest. Good luck to everyone else entering! =3 I don't own HOA!