So much for "starting the next chapter right now." . School is just as homicidal as Nny is. Here's Squee, as I promised.
--
"And stay out! I told you, little boy. We don't have any kids."
"For the love of Jeebus, honey! He's your son!"
Little Todd Casil stood at the door to his house. He was staring up at his parents with scared eyes as big as dinner plates. Once again, his mother had forgotten that he was her son. He began to wonder what sort of substance she had put in her body this time. He glanced over at the dark shadow of his father. Like always, his father wasn't being much help.
"Oh, r-really?" Mrs. Casil said, rather stupidly. "Well, he can stay out there for a few hours."
"Yeah, it'll give us some time to ourselves," Mr. Casil agreed. He gave Todd a glare. "You, young man. You can make yourself useful and get a job." With that, he slammed the door shut.
Todd gave a frightened "Squeee!" as the door slammed in his face, and tumbled backwards and onto the paved walkway, landing painfully on his rump. He was about to get up when the door opened again.
"And take out the trash!" A full garbage bag was flung onto the ground beside him. Todd gave a little whimper and struggled to his feet, brushing the dirt off his clothing. He had grown a few inches in the past year, but it wasn't enough to get his out of his "squee-sized" status. Timid, creative, and quite small for his age, Todd was pretty much the same boy he had always been.
He gripped the trash bag in his hands and dragged it, with great effort, to the side of the house. Then he returned to the front yard and sat on the lawn, panting as he tried to catch his breath. After a moment he sank down, his bright hazel eyes gazing at the darkening, cloud-smeared sky. Todd closed his eyes and sighed longingly. He remembered a story he wrote in school; about a young boy who had sprouted wings and flew off to see the world. In a way, the boy in the story represented himself. Todd found himself wishing that he could be that boy, and fly away from his uncaring parents.
Todd was jerked out of his thoughts as a sound reached his ears. It was a slow, repetitive noise, almost metallic. Todd shivered. It almost reminded him of those steel-toed boots the scary neighbor man used to wear.
Todd cast his attention to the street, in time to see a thin, shadowy figure walking toward him.
"…Scary Neighbor Man?"
"Squee?"
--
Memory flooded Devi's mind as she eyed the couch in Johnny's living room. They had talked, even laughed together, while sitting there. She could almost hear the sound of their laughter, as if the ghost of that moment one year ago haunted the place. But she wasn't here to reminisce. Devi shook her head and looked around the room. It was gloomy, a bit dirty, and the walls were cracked. Everything was just as she remembered it.
Well, almost. A thin layer of dust covered everything. A plastic figure of some fat guy holding up a burger rested on a misplaced chest of drawers. These seemed to be a few minor changes due to the passage of time. But the thing that caught Devi's attention was a large, dark stain on the floor. It was still visible under the dust and dirt, probably left over from a puddle of dark, sticky liquid from years ago.
Devi looked down at it as she passed, and shuddered. It looked like a huge, forgotten bloodstain.
--
Johnny looked down at Todd with tired eyes, wondering if it was really him. Though he was still a tad short, the boy had grown. He chuckled. "Oh, it is you. I didn't recognize you," he said. "You've grown a bit."
Todd looked down at his shoes, nervous. The thought Johnny's return had given him nightmares for months. He had expected to find a severed head on his window sill one night as a gift, but seeing Johnny now surprised him. He was still as thin as a twig, his eyes sunken and dull. His hair has grown back, but there was something else different about him.
"Nah. Still shortest in my class," Todd said, looking up with fearful eyes. "Are you back for good, now?"
"Yeah. I won't be going anywhere anytime s-" Johnny broke off, coughing roughly into his fist. Todd stiffened, frightened for a fraction of a second, then regained his composure. As he watched his friend, Todd's fear was replaced by worry.
Johnny managed to breathe again, and stood there panting. He noticed that Todd was staring at him. "What?"
"Johnny, are you okay?" he asked, cocking his head.
He looked down at Todd, a bit touched that he was worried for him. But his eyes clouded over once again. There was no way him hell he would admit weakness to Squee. He looked away. "I'm fine."
The boy studied him for a while, and Johnny could almost feel Todd's eyes scouring him.
"Hey, what happened to your arm?" Todd was staring at the tear in his coat. Underneath the loose flap of fabric, he could see a bandage stained with blood. But Johnny covered it with a hand, hiding it once again.
"Nothing," he said, still not making eyes contact. "It's nothing, Squee."
There was a silence. Todd realized that something was flickering in Johnny's eyes, something that looked like regret, or sorrow. He knew that something had happened to Johnny, but he kept his mouth shut. Even though he wanted to ask, he sensed that his friend didn't want to talk about it.
--
Devi was getting rather frustrated now.
"Where the fuck is he?" she muttered as she paced about the rooms. She was nearing the back of the house now, and there was still no sign of Johnny. She growled, and turned to go back the way she came, but she stopped, her eyes narrowing with interest.
There was an open doorway before her. A long, downward staircase lay beyond it, dimly lit by the small amount of light in the room. The sound of a slow drip of water echoed from somewhere in the darkness.
"He could be down there," she thought, then mentally slapped herself. "Are you crazy! Arrgh, get a grip, Devi! Would you really go down there? Are you that worried about him?"
Running a hand over her face in frustration, she looked to the side. Her gaze widened. An old, plastic flashlight lay there on the floor, as if fate knew of Devi's worries. She picked it up, staring at it. "Don't work," she ordered it silently. If it was usable, she knew she would have to go down there. Her conscious wouldn't let her walk away. "Don't, don't work. For the love of God, don't work."
Devi flicked the switch. The small bulb inside beamed with light. It worked. By some, sick joke of fate, the stupid thing worked. She shined the shaft of light into the dark opening, and stepped forward.
"Apparently, Dev', you're very worried."
--
The thin man gave a sigh. The silence was making him uncomfortable. Johnny looked up at the trees, their bare branches swaying in the wind. "It's cold out here," he said uneasily. "Why are you outside, anyway?"
"My mom forgot who I was… again." Todd stared down at the pavement once more.
Johnny gritted his teeth. "Bastards. I'd like to slit their throats for treating you that way."
Todd opened his mouth to reply, but a voice stopped him.
"Hey, kid!"
Both he and Johnny turned to see the door to Todd's house open. Silhouetted black against the light inside, stood a man with glasses. It was Todd's father.
"Your mother wants you inside, now!" he called. "She says you have to feed the cat."
"But the cat's dead," Todd muttered quietly. Johnny felt his stomach churn in utter disgust of these people.
"Now, kid!"
Todd recoiled at his dad's tone. "I'd better go," he said, and began slinking back to the house submissively. "Dad's getting impatient."
Johnny tightened his fists. "Will you be okay?"
The boy turned around, flashing a weak smile. "Yeah, I'll be all right. I know how to handle them."
"TODD!"
"I'm coming!" He yelled back, annoyed but clearly frightened as well. "By Johnny."
Johnny waited until Todd closed the door behind him before continuing down the street. He let a faint smile grace his lips. Todd seemed to be a bit stronger than before. He wasn't letting fear get to him as much as he used to. "Well, at least things are starting to look up for him," he thought.
He continued on his way, his head spinning with thought. "I wonder what Devi's doing right now…"
--
"Finally."
Devi could see the landing of the floor. The climb seemed to have taken hours. The wooden stairs were damp and rotten, and though she had walked carefully, she had nearly slipped several times. The flashlight offered nothing more than a dim, flickering glow, making every step all the more uncertain. It was like something from a teen horror film.
She stepped onto the basement's floor, and directed the flashlight around the dusty ground. Not much could be seen, just shadows at the most. A faint skittering noise rose up from behind her, and Devi swung around, holding the light out in front of her.
A pair of beady red eyes glared back at her.
Gasping in fear, Devi dropped the flashlight. She saw a rat scamper in front of the beam before it flicked and went dark. She was plunged in complete darkness.
"Fuck" She knelt down, feeling around the floor and cursing the rat for spooking her. At last her hand came to rest on the plastic handle of the flashlight. She picked it up, and flicked the switch a few times. Nothing happened. Devi stood, and tried again. This time, the light sputtered on again.
Devi felt relief wash over her, but it didn't last. When she looked up, she saw them.
Dozens and dozens of torture devices.
She stepped back on shock, gasping, and felt her arm hit another. Devi spun around again, and flashed the light around in all directions. She could see them everywhere. Chains, blades, straps, bloodstains, everything gleamed back at her with a dull metallic shine. Trembling, Devi moved the beam again, and nearly screamed.
Strapped to a mechanism on the wall was a human skeleton. Chains held it at its waist, ankles, and wrists. The empty sockets of its eyes stared mournfully back at her. A few missing bones, along with a pair of mangled, cracked glasses, lay scattered on the floor beneath it.
Terrified, Devi stumbled backwards. She lost her footing, and fell, her shoulders striking a wall. Without thinking she looked up, and immediately wished she hadn't.
The wall was coated with dried blood.
--
Johnny reached the door to his house, pulled out his keys, but stopped, gazing at the knob suspiciously. He reached out a hand, and turned it gently. It was unlocked.
"That's odd," he whispered to himself. "I thought I had locked it when I left before. Oh well… It's not like it matters now."
He walked in, and shut the door behind him.
--
Cameo appearance made by Edgar. XD
Okay, I'm a bit rusty on writing, but it came out fairly well, and longer than I expected. I swear to Fenris that the next update will be soon.