AN: This is another short edit with an added bit at the end to help transition into the next chapter that I'm preparing to start soon. Please read, review, but most of all, enjoy!
I woke up the next day in an empty bed with a racket buzzin in my ear. Head groggy and body screamin from the fight, I rolled over to find the source of a racket that was goin off not too far from me.
It was Lee. Surprise, surprise. He'd just gotten out of the shower and was shavin, trimming technically I guess, in the little whole in the wall we called a bathroom. I sat up, still only half awake as I remembered all the crap that had played out the night before.
I wanted to believe it was all a dream, and I did, for a bit, till I looked and my shoulders and saw two big, hand shaped bruises from where Lee had grabbed me. I cursed to myself as I straightened my shirt back up. Lookin at 'em reminded me of that look in Lee's eyes, and I never wanted to see that look again.
I decided that focusin on Lee and his mornin routine was better than remembering so that's what I did.
He was standin in the crappy half lit bathroom with the stupid light that only worked half the time and the other half you had to punch a tile next to the switch to flip it back on. He was barefoot wearin blue jeans that were prolly a bit too small for him but we didn't have the money to get him new ones with a towel draped over his shoulder and half a face covered in shavin cream. He had scars I never remembered him havin and he looked like he'd been on a smokin binge to compensate for not eating. He was more built then I remember him bein too…
I scratched my head as I tried to figure out what in the hell my brother had been up to for the last couple of months. I mean, hell, I barely recognized him anymore. I mean the face was the same but everything else…I didn't even notice when he started lookin back at me in the mirror—like he needed it. Lee had eyes in the back of his head.
"It's rude to stare, ya know" he jeered as he continued shaving.
I snapped back to, finally awake enough to carry on a semi intelligent conversation. "Oh, 'm sorry, I was just amazed that the grizzly has finally decided to shave," I sassed.
Lee laughed. "Shove it, Rye," he said. "You're just jealous that you're three years from twenty and still can't grow one if you tried."
I frowned and got up outta bed and shuffled on over to the bathroom, ducking underneath his arm to get to my toothbrush. "I'd hit you but I'd be scared you'd slit your fuckin throat," I murmured. Lee chuckled but not enough for my likin so I decided to pour it on.
I grabbed Lee by his arm that held the razor and gave him a good terrorizing shake. "'Cuz I love you so damn much!" I hollered with a grin.
Lee's eyes got huge as the blade got a bit too close. He picked up his right leg and shoved me away with his knee. "Rye, you try that shit again and I'll carve you up like a Christmas turkey, you hear me?" he half yelled, half laughed.
"Ya, ya," I mumbled through half a mouth full of toothpaste. Seeing as how there wasn't enough room for both of us in that little box of a washroom, I stepped out to brush my teeth.
"Nut job," I heard him mumble as I walked out.
…Yea…If I knew then what I know now, I woulda laughed too.
So there I was, brushin my teeth in the middle of our hole of a bedroom when I noticed something. Ink. My brother had gone out and gotten himself inked. Like literally, there were the beginnings of this huge tattoo on my bro's back. When the hell did he get that? And why the hell was I just now noticing it?
It warranted observation.
Lee was leanin over the sink washin off the remnants of the shavin cream when I walked over to him. He jumped when he looked up in the mirror to see me standin right behind him when I hadn't been before.
Everybody was so jumpy these days.
"Shit little bro," he half cursed. "Don't do that."
"Do what?" I mumbled, still half unintelligible 'cuz of the mouth full of toothpaste.
Lee looked at me for a moment and then rolled his eyes. He yanked me over to the sink by the back of my neck. "Spit you idiot."
I obliged so that I could pester him further. "What's with the ink, yo?" I asked as I grabbed the towel of his shoulder to wipe my mouth.
He frowned, having wanted the towel too. He gestured for me to give it back and for a while I played stubborn just to piss him off before throwing it at his head. He caught it with a wry little smile and thumped me on my forehead. When I stuck my tongue out at him he proceeded to grab me in a head lock and drag me out of the bathroom laughin at me all the way.
"Alright! Alright, I give!" I laughed. "Just answer the question yo!"
"Bout the ink?"
"Duh, what'd I just say?"
"It's just ink," he said as he let me go and reached for a clean shirt.
"You didn't used to have it," I said. "Why all of a sudden?"
He shrugged. "Felt like it," he said as he walked out of the room as though that should be enough.
The new 'just 'cuz' attitude was really startin to piss me off. I didn't like how he was always dodging my questions. It's like he wouldn't even give me a straight answer on the little stuff. If it wasn't such a big deal, then why wouldn't he talk about it? Annoyed, I decided to press the matter further.
"You've felt like a lot of things lately," I grumbled after him which stopped Lee dead on the stairwell. Ah…here we go…, I thought as I saw him turn his head to look back at me, slowly.
He had a look of uncertain anger, like when someone isn't quite sure if they've just been insulted. He leered at me incredulously. "What's that suppose to mean?" he growled.
I rolled my eyes. "Oh come off it, Lee!" I snapped. "Really? Like you don't know? Every time I ask you somethin now a days you just blow me off! What gives man?"
"What gives with me?" he asked indignantly. "What about you? Since when have I shared a room with the inquisitor?"
"Since you sneak out for days and days and come back like that's normal!" my voice was getting louder now, his was too. Good thing the monster wasn't home…
I could see that look flair up in Lee's eyes. His gaze said it all, that look, that mad, mad look in his glaring. I could see the clock in his head start ticking, almost ready to go off. His neck was getting red too, I could tell from the top of the stares. I was just getting angry. But Lee? Lee was getting dangerous.
He closed the gap between us, getting within a foot of me.
He grabbed a hold of the front of my shirt with a firm jerk and I suddenly started having flash backs of the night before. I remember wondering if this was seriously how it was gonna be from here on out.
"Just shut the fuck up for once, OK?" he said in a low voice.
I remember staring at him for a long time, like I couldn't believe what was going on, but then I just got pissed. "Fuck you," I said as I slung his hands off my shirt. I didn't have to take that shit from him. I pushed my way passed him and headed towards the door. I was still in my street clothes from the other day and I sure as hell didn't feel like stayin in that damn house right now. So I decided to go for a 'walk'.
"Where the hell are you going?" I heard Lee growl as I threw on my shoes and my coat.
"The hell do you care?" I spat as I opened the door and slammed it behind me.
I remember it was rainin out—drizzilin—and cold as hell but I didn't care. I was mad and felt like being stubborn. Everyone else was. Why not join 'em?
I walked around aimlessly for I dunno how long. When I came to, I found myself standin at the bus stop.
"Why the hell not," I thought. "Might as well."
I decided I would ride the bus till I figured out what it was I wanted to do. I stood there waitin on the damn thing, freezing my ass off under a street lamp when someone else came over too. It was another guy, dark skin, black hair, clean cut and clean shavin—an uncommon sight in Metro. He wore a funny lookin slicker with something in yellow on the back. He looked like a cop, stood like a cop, and was eyein me—like a cop.
"Shouldn't you be in school right now?" he asked me out of the blue.
I looked at him for a moment, surprised he acknowledged me. Talkin to somebody you didn't know in Metro had the potential to be dangerous, sometimes fatal, but I suppose I wasn't much of a sight.
"Shouldn't you be at work right now?" I asked him, not feeling like answering his question.
He laughed. "Who says I'm not?"
Oh, clever, I thought as I rolled my eyes and decided to ignore him entirely. Prick. I hated cops. Always bustin me just cuz I don't look like the "cut and mold" citizen. Course I guess the scruffy hair, the junky, slept in clothes, and the fact that I was currently standing in front of a bar wasn't helping. Having realized this I shook my head. Great job, Rye, I thought. Keep this crap up and you'll be spending the night in jail. And then it hit me, would I even notice the difference?
The cop musta noticed I realized how it looked 'cuz I heard him laugh. "Where are you headed, kid?"
Why does every cop do that, call everyone kid?
"Ta buy drugs."
The cop nearly choked. I smiled. Then I practically heard him roll his eyes at me. "Very funny smart ass," he sighed as the bus rolled up.
I jumped on, eager to lose this stiff, only to realize I had no money. I slumped and turned on my heel to head back out to the corner, havin to squeeze by the cop. Right as I got outside the sky opened up and down came the monsoon.
"Fan-fuckin-tastic," I growled.
I felt a hand pull me back up and onto the bus. To my surprise it was the cop. He paid for my bus ticket and ushered me down the aisle to the only two empty seats available. I didn't much like the idea, but the guy did just pay for my ride. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad…Maybe.
Thankfully the guy kept quiet most of the trip. Only askin the usual stupid questions like, you live here, and why ain't you in school? I answered in as few words as possible. When I started shiverin he told me I should take my coat off, since it was half soaked. I did just to shut him up. Big mistake.
He saw the bruise on my shoulders and nearly raised cane. Luckily we hit the stop and I bolted outta my seat for the door. He snagged me by the back of my shirt before I could get off though, and then felt obligated to step off with me. Then the interrogation began.
"Where'd you get that?" he asked.
"Fight."
"With who?"
"Some thug."
"You're a crappy liar."
I shrugged.
"I'm gonna ask you again, who hurt you?"
"Nobody."
"I thought you said it was a thug?"
Man this guy was annoying. "Thugs are nobodies, least to you."
The cop sighed now, aggravated at my blatant lying. "You're not gonna tell me?"
"Nope."
He sighed again, and reached into his pocket, pulling out some card. "Look, at least take this," he said with something that sounded like genuine concern. "If this happens again, please call me, ok? Day or night."
I rolled my eyes as I took the card. Yea, ok, he was just tryin to play good cop, but my shit was my own business, last thing I needed was this nosey fucker. I flipped it over and read the name: SCU Investigator, Ethan Thomas.
"You hear me?" I heard him say.
"Yea, yea," I said as I shoved the card in my pocket, no intention of ever using it. I turned the other way and headed across the street before he could pester me more. I stole a glance over my shoulder. He looked like he'd thought about following me, but thankfully he decided not to and headed on his way, turning into some old apartment buildings.
Finally free of my tag along, I decided to head for somewhere dry seeing as how the rain hadn't let up. I headed to the alleys towards the Metro Station. I figured it was as good a place as any to try and get outta this weather.
The entrance down to the Metro Station was blocked by a chain link fence with some kinda number lock, but the good it did. The fence wasn't that high and it wasn't wired so I just climbed up the damn thing and hopped over. Once over I headed down the stairs and into the Metro Station.
The first thing that always hits ya in the Metro Station is the smell. It's one of those all consuming, reekin stenches that just bores its way into your lungs, so damn strong you can taste it—which ain't pleasant. The station is dark and dank too. Probably why all of the drugies like it so much. It's the perfect hole to just fall in and disappear. The only 'wonder' about this 'land' though is how anyone can go down in there without catchin something.
It was darker than usual that night. Couldn't figure out why. One of the lights musta been out. I found myself wishin I'd brought a flash light. I walked around blindly for a few minutes waitin for my eyes to adjust, hearing the familiar crunch of broken booze bottles and dirty needles. But then I heard something else, a loud thunk followed by a slushing sound. I looked down and saw some kinda jug of…something.
I picked it up, turned it over. It definitely wasn't booze that was for sure. Looked like some cleaning product or something. I wandered with the bottle over to one of the dim lights. The label read photo developer fluid. I thought it was odd that something like that would be way down here. To my knowledge no one could get high off of it. If that was true, what the fuck? That's when I suddenly realized this place was littered in not only broken bottles of booze, but photos.
"The hell is all this?" I wondered.
As I went to go pick up one of the photos I heard the sound of glass poppin and then the station suddenly went black. The pathetic little light had busted.
"Fuck," I sighed. "Now what?"
The poppin light was followed by a metallic, rattling sound. It kinda sounded like the rattling of the tracks when a train was comin, but somethin was off. The pitch, it was too…high…It continued for a minute, progressively gettin louder. I began to feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and my skin goose fleshed as I got the sudden urge to vomit.
I dropped the bottle of developer fluid and started backin my way to the exit. With the stupid light out though I couldn't see shit
"Shit shit shit shit shit!" I swore as I groped around for the exit, heart hammerin in my chest, somethin screamin inside of me to get the hell out an fast.
The sound had suddenly moved. It wasn't behind me anymore, it was all around me. I knew I was in trouble then but from what I didn't know. I reached out for the railing on what I thought was near the stairs but the metal I grabbed wasn't the railing, it was something else entirely…and it…moved.
I suddenly heard a deep, throaty laugh, and my heart nearly stopped. I cut out for the stairs, or what I hoped were the stairs, hopped the fence, an ran like hell till my lungs threatened to explode if I didn't stop. Hands on my knees, wheezing, and wishin I'd kept my damn New Year's resolution to quit fuckin somkin, I stopped at a street corner about damn near ready to pass out. I looked over my shoulder and I didn't see nothin. I hoped like hell I'd lost whatever the hell that was as I made my way to a pay phone.
There was no way in hell I was walkin all those miles home after shit like that. I was callin Lee if I had to plead like a whiny ass punk to get him to come get me an spare me the heart attack. Not havin any money I had to pry open the coin box to make the call. Hey, after all the times I'd been mugged in this city, I figured she owed me this one.
I dropped the coins in the phone an punched in the home phone. I was surprised when I heard the busy tone. I waited a few minutes an tried again but got the same damn thing. After a few choice words I tried Lee's shitty prepaid only to not get an answer.
"Dammit all!" I growled as I slammed the phone back on the hook. Looked like I was walkin.
I'd like to say I was a big tough man about the walk home, walkin like a badass with a swag that said fuck off, but well…I think I ran damn near the whole way home shouting a slur curse words. I think the only reason I didn't get mugged is cuz I musta looked crazy as hell or tripped out of my freakin mind.
When I finally got home I nearly kicked the fucking door down and dove, literally, inside. I jumped up offa the floor and dead bolted the door. Woulda dragged the sofa in front of the damn thing if I wasn't worried about Lee not bein able to get back in from work. Adrenaline gone, I shuffled off to the den where I about passed out when I suddenly heard something.
It was that damn rattling again.
"Oh fuck no!" I remember whimpering quietly, afraid to listen but not wanting to not know either. I held my breath as I strained my ears, trying to listen in what I now realized was a pitch black house.
Somethin wasn't right. Mom should have at least been home. Why was it so fucking dark? Then I heard a beeping sound I hadn't noticed earlier. I quietly got up, walkin tipped toed to the kitchen where I thought I heard the noise, too scared to fucking breath.
No lights. Go figure. I flipped the switch and was relieved not to find someone standin there starin at me. Not sure my heart coulda taken that. I carefully started poking around the kitchen, the now irritating beeping gettin louder as I did. Where the fuck was it coming from?
I turned the corner of the entrance way into the main portion with another sigh of relief. Still nothing that wasn't supposed to be there. I walked out into the middle portion where I finally was able to home in on the sound. It was coming from the wall on the far end. I turned to find that the beeping was coming from the house phone. It was hanging by its cord off the receiver, the beeping its attempt to get someone to put it back where it belonged.
I wanted to hit myself for being so paranoid. I shuffled over to the phone to place it back on the receiver, realizing now why it was I couldn't' get a hold of anyone. I hung it up with a sigh, the click of the phone at last returnin that stupid house to quiet.
Finally starting to relax, I headed back towards the den, no longer tryin to be excessively quiet. I shuffled outta the kitchen and into the foyer. Much to my dismay, something began to feel off…again…
I looked around, wondering why the hell my body still felt the need to freak out. I didn't see anything. I checked the door. It was still locked. I then turned back around to scan everything else, see if anything was out of place. That's when I noticed the door under the stairs, the one that led to the basement. It was open, hanging open, swinging even. Had that been opened before?
I coulda sworn I heard that damn rattling again too but maybe it was in my head?
"Fuuuuuckk," I groaned. I didn't like this. I didn't like it at all.
Reluctantly, and despite any semblance of "better judgment", I eased over to the door reaching out ever carefully.
My fingers brushed the doorknob ever so slightly. I found myself surprised when it didn't pull a cheap horror flick and slam the hell shut for no apparent reason. I poked the damn thing, just to be sure. All it did was swing back and forth a little before going back to a standstill.
Slightly reassured I grabbed the door knob and swung the door the rest of the way opened. The basement was its usual overly dark self, at least it seemed to be from what I could tell from the doorway. None of the lights were on though—go figure.
I crossed the threshold as I reached for the light switch, not wanting to go anywhere near the bottom without being able to see. I flipped the switch and—surprise, surprise—nothing.
"Dammit to hell!" I shouted as I punched the wall the fucking thing was on. I opened my mouth to continue my tirade when I was cut off by another rattling followed by the door behind me slamming shut so damn hard that the vibrations knocked me off balance and sent me tumbling down the stairs straight into something that felt oddly like the water runoff from our piece of shit washing machine.
"Mother fucker!" I swore as I propped myself up on my hands an knees, rubbin my head and wiping the sticky junk that was now all over me. "Can't a damn thing go right tonight? Huh? Too much to ask?"
"Son of a bitch," I breathed as I tried to calm down, wiping the crud off my face. The shit was all over me, what shit I couldn't tell cuz of the damn lights but ugh! I was coated in it and it didn't wanna come off neither. It was like the more I rubbed at it the more I smeared it all over me. I rubbed and rubbed until I felt like it was finally startin to come off, when my nostrils were filled with a coppery, iron like twang of a smell.
"Coppery, metalic twang?" I remember thinking.
My heart stopped as my brain finally started to kick back in. Water runoff wasn't as thick as this crap was, even with soap. And what else on earth had that kinda smell?
"Oh shit…"
I swallowed hard, heart pounding in my throat, mind racing. Then the lights started flickering on, once, twice, each one lasting longer then the next, and continued—on, off, on, off. And that's when I saw, saw what it was I was in. It was a pool, and it was everywhere, painted across the walls, the cabinets, the ceiling, all dripping with it—red, red—all dripping red!
"This can't be happening, this can't be happening, this can't—be—happening!" I started chanting, over and over, as if saying it more would make this go away, make the blood that coated the walls go away!
Somehow, in the mist of my panic, I became aware of the two slumped within arm's reach of me, sprawled over and cast off to the side, haphazard and without remorse.
"Oh no…"
I knew. I didn't have to turn, didn't have to see it. But I did. I did and I wish, wish I hadn't!
It was my mom, my mom and my dad, both of them, gutted, ripped wide open, ribs, organs, everything just—
I remember turning, turning to vomit, to look away, to un-see it all—and sobbing—oh gosh I was sobbing, screaming! And through those screams it cut like a knife, that sound, that damn sound that will follow me to the grave, that shrill, metallic rattling!
I jumped up, terrified. I had to get out, to run, but the lights, they were too disorienting. They were flashing on and off so fast—I couldn't focus—like a damn strobe light I couldn't focus. I staggered backwards when I bumped into somethin, somethin too soft to be the wall. It moved, up and down, up and down…
My breath caught on my throat, too afraid to exhale.
And there it was, that throaty laughter, the one from before, exactly like the one from before. I turned, why I dunno, and there it was, that…thing—a sickly deformed beast, misshapen and twisted, iron rods jutting from its sickly and discolored skin, eyes boring into the dark—unforgiving—teeth bared, feral, metal lining its maimed and misshapen jaw, rattling.
Its laughter filled my ears, melding with the nauseating rattling, till it was all that I could hear. And then, a mist my terrorized and swimming thoughts, above the sickly laugh and the rattling….
It spoke…
"We've been expecting you…Ryeland Vanhorn…"
I remember hearing him laugh, hearing him say something in a language I couldn't understand as a piercing sound echoed throughout the room, ringing in my ears. Then there was a loud crack, and my world suddenly faded to black as I felt my head hit the ground.