Hey guys and gals! Sorry for the wait. This chapter doesn't really focus on Jane as much as it focuses on my made up character, but I must warn you it gets graphic towards the end. Hope you like it and please comment.
NARRORATOR
Shit! Austin thought to himself as he ran from the little diner. He couldn't really tell exactly who was behind him, but he guessed that they worked for Phil, and he knew that if they saw him, he'd be in big trouble for talking with the cops.
After he'd been running for a while Austin finally came to a corner in the street and turned there in order to try to blend in with the crowd, which had gathered for some event.
After waiting for about ten minutes he finally moved on.
He wasn't a scrawny kid, but that was only because he was fortunate enough to know some nice people who would sometimes help him out, like Ellen. She was one of the nicer people he had known ever since coming to California and it was a shame that she was gone. Although he had never really been close to anyone, hearing that she had died struck him really hard although he made a point to let it not show.
It took him twenty or so minutes more before he got home, or at least a place that was the closets thing to a home that he had.
About a year ago he had washed up on the western shore of California with no memory of who he was or the life he had before. The only thing that he had that could relate to his past life was a sports jacket with his name on it and a dark blue life jacket.
The first people to find him were a newly formed couple named Frank and Julia who had already taken in a little girl who had no family.
The couple started out as the sweetest people you could ever imagine, but when Frank's father died he got a job working for a crime lord named Phil doomnski.
As Austin walked up the steps to the dirty old little brown house he could hear the sound of Amy singing. Amy, who was the little girl and had a lovely singing voice, had only been six when they took Austin in. Her singing always seemed to put a smile on his face when he was down and it also meant that when she was singing Frank wasn't home.
Frank, who worked for Phil as a bodyguard, was just as scary as his boss. He would often come home drunk and in a bad mood and then would lash out at his wife, Amy or the Austin.
The kid couldn't tell how a person like Julia could end up with a man like Frank, but when asked she would tell people that he's not the man she once fell in love with.
Once he opened the door the singing stopped and the house was very still for about thirty seconds before Austin walked into the kitchen where Amy was washing dishes. Upon seeing him the colour flowed back into her cheeks; she smiled and ran into his arms.
"I thought you were Frank." She said.
"It's okay," He said. " Franks not coming home for another two hours. Phil got questioned by the police about a murder today, so everyone's at some meeting about keeping quiet." She breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hey Austin," she said. "After I'm done the dishes can we play some scrabble? I've been getting good with my numbers lately. And my English teacher says I'm at the top of my class."
Austin sighed. "Of course. I'll go get my scrabble set and you go finish the dishes." She smiled and quickly hurried back to her chore.
Austin walked down a short hallway to the direction of his room when Julia stopped him.
She had pale skin with long fair hair that stopped mid-way down her back and the dark circles under her eyes suggested that she hadn't slept in a long time. She started to say something, but was when she started to feel pain in her throat.
"You shouldn't be talking" Austin said in a dry tone. Her neck was covered in purple and blue bruises from the night before.
"I'll go get some ice, you go back to bed." Julia shook her head and cleared her throat.
"No," She said in a quiet voice. "I'm not going to force Amy do another chore. I'm the woman of the house and it's time I started acting like one instead of letting everyone take care of me. I've had plenty of rest and it's time to get up." The house was dead silent for what seemed like the longest thirty seconds of Austin's life.
He nodded and stepped out of her way. "Just don't… Try not to speak to much," he told her as she headed down to the kitchen to see Amy. She smiled and put a hand on his face before leaving.
By the time Frank came home it was already eight o'clock. Austin and Amy were sitting on the carpet in the living room and Julia was reading a book that she had gotten from her mum for Christmas that she hadn't really picked up until recently.
"Your turn!" Amy all but shouted with a giggle. Austin looked up from the circuit board he was working on. He leaned over to see what word she put on the board and frowned.
"Amy, I don't think caitiff is a real word."
"Is too!"
"Guys, shh" Julia said. "Keep it down."
"Austin says that caitiff isn't a real word, but I know it is."
"Amy stop whining and Austin, she's right, it is a real word." Amy stuck her tongue out at him and he returned the gesture with a slight push at her shoulder.
As soon as Frank walked in the room the giggling and smiling all came to an end and the room went silent. Even without the beer bottle still in hand it was obvious from the smell and the way he swayed, that he was drunk.
"Would you like some dinner honey or did you get something while you were out?" Julia said in a soft voice.
"Shut up." He said in a cold tone. "It appears that you were talking with the cops today." The last part he directed at Austin.
"It's not like I said anything." Austin responded.
"Well because of you Phil's cutting my pay for the week!" He threw his bottle at the wall and watched as everyone jumped at the sound of impact. Frank sighed and then started to rub his temple.
"Amy, go get me another beer." Nobody moved. "Now!" Amy got up and ran out of the room.
"You didn't have to yell at her," Julia said in a quiet voice.
"What did you just say to me?" Frank moved in closer and was now standing in front of Julia.
Austin knew that anyone in this situation would know what was about to come next and he felt like he had to do something.
Just as Austin was about to get up Amy walked in without a beer in hand.
The fear in her eyes was intense as she opened her mouth and tried to get the news out to Frank. "There… There weren't any bottles left." She said in a quiet voice
And then it happened. For a split second everyone froze and the only thing you could here was the sound of Franks hand making contact with Amy's face. Austin knew Frank was a bad guy, but he never knew he'd stoop so low as to hit a little girl. The sad thing was that Austin could tell from the look on his face that Frank was just as surprised as he was.
Nobody said anything until Julia moved and pushed Frank out of the way and cradled Amy in her arms.
"How dare you," She said. Her voice was still raspy, but it was stronger then ever and for the first time it looked like she wasn't afraid of Frank, but that only lasted for two seconds before Frank slapped her across the face.
"How dare me? How dare you, you bitch! I thought I taught you a lesson last night." Amy crawled over to Austin and curled up into his arms. He couldn't move or hear anything. All he could do was stare and watch as Frank pushed Julia down to the ground and started to take off his belt. Tears formed in the corners of his eyes and he finally came too for a second. The sound of Amy crying and calling out to Julia made him even sadder.
This woman had no reason to care for them, but she did. She protected them with her life and never let them down even in the darkest of times. He had to do something. Anything. Austin got up from his sitting position on the floor and started to make his way slowly over to the two adults who were wrestling on the ground his body was shaking all over, the sweet on his brow seemed like it was dripping ten times faster, and he couldn't control himself. He had no idea what he was about to do next.
Frank looked over at him and smiled. "Come to watch me teach her a lesson boy?"
"Austin take Amy and get out of here!" Tears had started to form in the corners of Julia's eyes.
"Let her go." The room once again went silent and Frank lessened his grip on Julia's wrists.
"What did you say to me boy?"
"I… I said let her go." His voice was shaky, but Austin tried to sound as brave as he'd ever been because for the first time since losing his memory he was most afraid.
"What?" Frank was still surprised.
"Austin, get out! You hear me? Get…" Julia was cut off when Frank's hand made contact with her face.
This was it for Austin. He had enough of the way this man treated the person he had sworn himself to. The one woman he should tell I love you to every night that they spent together.
Austin grabbed Frank's wrist and twisted it before he kneed him as hard as he could in his stomach sending him flying off Julia in the direction of the living room door. Julia got up and ran over to Amy then picked her up and went and hid underneath the old antique piano that was sitting by the window.
Austin had no idea what had just happened. He had never fought in his life, but the moment it was necessary it seemed like he had all the knowledge of someone who'd been fighting for years. I must've been able to fight in my past life. Austin thought.
"That was the stupidest thing you could've done kid." Frank got up from the floor and stood to his full height of six feet and two inches, which was nine inches taller than Austin. Frank came at him with a swing of his fist, but was denied by Austin's speed. After evading his blow Austin punched Frank in the cheek and then stepped behind him and kicked his inner knee. Once Frank was on all fours Austin Started kicking frank in the gut as hard and as fast as he could without stopping, with tears streaming down his face, and his heart pounding like a drum in his chest.
Finally when it looked like Frank was about to throw up Austin stopped. Breathing heavily he slowly tiptoed his way around Frank and went to where Julia and Amy were hiding.
"Are… Are you two all… all right?" Austin managed to get out. They both nodded. Austin wiped his tears away and knelt beside Amy.
"It's okay." He extended his hand out to her. She hesitated for a second and then went to reach it when she stopped.
"Austin, look out!" She screamed, but her warning was too late. Austin turned around just in time to take a fireplace poker to the forehead. The hit sent him flying backwards. The pain hurt too much to think about and as he held the wound for dear life. Austin could feel the warm blood dripping out of the cut and dripping down into the socket of his left eye covering it with sticky red liquid.
By the time his eyes had focused again Frank was already on top of him, sending blows to his face and torso with immense strength. Austin tried as hard as he could to get Frank off of him, but he couldn't think with every punch Frank took causing more and more pain. When Austin felt like he couldn't handle another blow something amazing happened.
All Austin heard was a smash and the sound of a hundred pieces of glass falling to the floor before Frank followed them with a loud thud. As Austin's vision faded he saw that Julia was standing over top of him with the remnants of a broken vase in her shaking bloody hands. Discarding them she dropped down and crawled over to Austin and cupped his head in her blood covered hands and held him close to her. Amy came over and the two girls held onto him.
The last thing Austin heard before his world around him blackened was the soft sound of Julia and Amy's crying.
