Chapter two- Hunted
A cold shock poured over Murphey MacManus, shattering the oblivion that was sleep. He sat upright with a yelp, his vision blurry. "Bloody Hell!" He snarled, icey drops of water dripping down his face. A chuckle sounded before him, and he regonized the voice instatnly. "Have ye gone mad Perry? Jaysus, I've got a splitting headache... I dinna need ye doucing me in a bath of ice" The chuckle sounded again, but turned into a more throaty laugh.
Wiping his eyes, which he found hurt a ton- Murphey rubbed his head, mumbling to himself. The middle aged man before him clucked his tongue and shook his head, a look of dissappointment crossing his face.
"What are we going to do with ya boyo?" He asked "If I find ya passed out on the front steps one more time, Magnus in B1 owes me a hundred bucks"
Murphey sighed, attempting to stand but collapsed back into his mattress in a wobbly heap. "So I'm guessing this is yer doing?" He asked, wondering just how he'd gotten into his apartment- let alone his bedroom. Perry nodded. "Well if I don't take care of you who will, hmm? No woman in your life..." Murphey groaned loudly at that, wondering how even now that he'd been beaten to a bloody pulp he could bring his bachelorhood up. "So that leaves me to watch you- I am your uncle after all, blood takes care of blood"
Murphey shook his head somewhat, grinning. "You were married to Me Aunt Helena fer two weeks!" Perry nodded thoughtfully, "Still, I'm the only family you've got on this side of the ocean, I'm indebted to ya" Grabbing a sponge and soaking it in a small bowl- It's contents unknown to Murphey and dabbling it again the cuts on his face and around his eyes. The sting made Murphey jerk in pain and push his uncle away.
"Uggghhh, Don't, I'll be fine- Help me up? I need to wash meself, all I can smell is dry blood and sick" Again Perry chuckled in his good natured way, helping his nephew up. "Saltwater was supposed to help with that.... " He said, again getting dismissed as Murphey walked into his bathroom. Perry sat in on his nephew's bed, surverying the scene of the messy room- blood and vomit covered his sheets and clothes and garbage were scattered all across the floor. He stood again, stripping the sheets from the bed.
"You should probably clean this place up-" He said in disdain. In the washroom, Murphey bent his head and rinsed his mouth of toothpaste and the coppery taste of blood. "Aye, aye" He replied, toothpaste foaming against his lips. Wiping it away with the back of his hand, he stood and caught his reflection in the mirror. "JAYSUS!" He screamed. Though his eyes weren't as swollen as they'd been the day before, both of them were blackened and bloodshot. Beneath his nose, crusted traces of blood remained. Pulling his shirt over his head and whimpering as he did so, he found more bruises and cuts, more trails of dry blood.
Running the water, he did the best to wipe it away, and then grabbed a towel to dry himself with as he walked back into the bedroom. "Have ye seen me eyes?" He asked his uncle, who was now picking up various items of clothing off of the floor and putting them into a laundry hamper that had been a makeshift table. Perry nodded solemly "I had two slabs of beef that were bought specifically in order to help get the swelling of them down- I put them into your freezer, they should be nice and tender now"
Murphey grimaced somewhat "Thank ye uncle Perry," Perry nodded smiling sadly "That's what I'm here for... Murph, You know if you're in trouble I can kind of-" Murphey shook his head "No, ye can't, I've just run into a spot of debt, It'll be resolved in a bit alright? Dinna worry" "I have to," Perry replied "That's my job" After an awkward moment of silence, Murphey patted Perry's back in an awkward attempt at affection, then smiled. "Well, I'm gonna get this cleaned up-" Perry told him, showing him the pile of laundry he'd collected. Opening the door for him, Murphey sighed. "I'm quite capable of doin' me own laundry, dear uncle" Perry smiled, shaking his head. "I know you are, I also know that you won't- I'll have these ready for ya in an hour" After another thank you, Perry departed, headed for the laundry room. Sighing, Murphey muttered a prayer, thanking God that his Uncle happened to be the landlord the building he called him, if he wasn't, he was fairly sure he'd be at the bottom of a river somewhere.
Getting up, he walked over to a set of drawers and opened the first one, pulling out a black fitted t-shirt, he pulled it over his head with some effort, then managed to pull his brown leather jacket on. 'Now... keys,' he thought, checking the table beside his bed where they usually were along with his cigarettes and his wallet. Well, his cigarettes were there, but as for the wallet and house keys- 'Where the hell are they?' he thought, picking up the pack of cigarettes and sticking one in his mouth before checking his jeans pockets for a lighter and coming up empty. "That's just odd," He said aloud "Where the hell did all me stuff go? I can't go fer breakfast unless I've got me wallet, Can't replace the meal I canna have with a ciggy if I don't 'ave me lighter, and I canna even leave the house without me buggerin' keys!"
'Maybe Perry's taken them?' He thought, but came to the conclusion that he had no reason to. Sighing in exhasperation, he headed for the door anyways. 'If I was passed out on the stoop like he said I was, me stuff's most likely there...' Heading for the front steps, he took the cigarette and placed it behind his ear, hoping that he'd get lucky enough to find a pack of half-used matches in the hallway.
'The Sausage and Egg McMuffin... proof that God still loves us,' Oz thought, taking another bite of his breakfast. He hadn't gotten much sleep, not that he had expected to with the van parked in a public parking lot. Instead, in the middle of the night, he got up and drove around. Where he'd gone was really a daze to him, he simply drove up and down streets, trying to get somewhat familiar with the city and had eventually found himself back at the Canon apartments, parked across the street from the building. Now though, his reasons for being there, in his mind at least- were somewhat scued. He really wasn't sure whether or not he was here to check out the apartment or to return the wallet. Reaching to the passenger seat where it still sat, and cramming the rest of a hashbrown into his mouth, he decided to do both. Noon seemed like a reasonable time to not only ask to speak to the landlord about the apartment, but to also return the wallet to it's proper owner.
Getting out of the van, He noticed someone sitting on the front steps of the building. As he walked towards it, the person, who apparently had been smoking a cigarette got up and walked back into the building. As he did so, Oz recognized his scent on the air- It was Murphey Macmanus.
"Hey!" he called out as he attempted to cross the street "Hold on a second!" His calls fell on deaf ears, and as soon as he could he crossed and headed inside the building. Double checking that the apartment number was correct on a list by the door, he headed to where Mr. Macmanus lived- Apartment A1. As he walked down the hallway he noticed that there were only two apartments on each floor, 'Odd,' he thought. He watched as Murphey heard him approach and turned around to see who is was who was following him. Startled, the he made a mad dash down the hall and into his apartment, slamming the door and locking it behind him. "Oh great, another chase" He muttered under his breath, heading towards the door.
"Bloody Hell!" Murphey screamed, now scanning his room from his position proper up against the door- for the phone. He couldn't believe his luck- Of all the blokes Fenelli had ever had come after him, this one was just a little bugger! 'He prolly' specializes in ju-jitsu, killin' people with pressure points and the like... oh fuck me...' he thought. His decsion was a tough one, and he'd have to make it soon-either make a mad dash for the phone, or even better, the window which he could easily slip out of. But at the same time, if he moved there was the possibility that the guy could break his door down- But if he didn't, what if he had a gun? He could start firing grassers at any minute and he'd be pumped full of lead! A knock interuppted his panic. "Ahhh!" He yelped, jumping out of his skin. "Hello?" The voice sounded on the other side. "Look, I dinna know who ye are, or why Joey's sent ya... I told him I'd 'ave his money by the end of the week-" On the other side of the door, Oz smirked, 'Murphey, you definitly would make a great prision snitch' "Um- Well, I'm not exactly sure who Joey is... or why he's gotten you so scared, but I do know that you dropped your wallet when I saw you in the alley yesterday, and it's sitting in my hand waiting to be returned to it's proper owner"
A cold shock poured over Murphey MacManus, shattering the oblivion that was sleep. He sat upright with a yelp, his vision blurry. "Bloody Hell!" He snarled, icey drops of water dripping down his face. A chuckle sounded before him, and he regonized the voice instatnly. "Have ye gone mad Perry? Jaysus, I've got a splitting headache... I dinna need ye doucing me in a bath of ice" The chuckle sounded again, but turned into a more throaty laugh.
Wiping his eyes, which he found hurt a ton- Murphey rubbed his head, mumbling to himself. The middle aged man before him clucked his tongue and shook his head, a look of dissappointment crossing his face.
"What are we going to do with ya boyo?" He asked "If I find ya passed out on the front steps one more time, Magnus in B1 owes me a hundred bucks"
Murphey sighed, attempting to stand but collapsed back into his mattress in a wobbly heap. "So I'm guessing this is yer doing?" He asked, wondering just how he'd gotten into his apartment- let alone his bedroom. Perry nodded. "Well if I don't take care of you who will, hmm? No woman in your life..." Murphey groaned loudly at that, wondering how even now that he'd been beaten to a bloody pulp he could bring his bachelorhood up. "So that leaves me to watch you- I am your uncle after all, blood takes care of blood"
Murphey shook his head somewhat, grinning. "You were married to Me Aunt Helena fer two weeks!" Perry nodded thoughtfully, "Still, I'm the only family you've got on this side of the ocean, I'm indebted to ya" Grabbing a sponge and soaking it in a small bowl- It's contents unknown to Murphey and dabbling it again the cuts on his face and around his eyes. The sting made Murphey jerk in pain and push his uncle away.
"Uggghhh, Don't, I'll be fine- Help me up? I need to wash meself, all I can smell is dry blood and sick" Again Perry chuckled in his good natured way, helping his nephew up. "Saltwater was supposed to help with that.... " He said, again getting dismissed as Murphey walked into his bathroom. Perry sat in on his nephew's bed, surverying the scene of the messy room- blood and vomit covered his sheets and clothes and garbage were scattered all across the floor. He stood again, stripping the sheets from the bed.
"You should probably clean this place up-" He said in disdain. In the washroom, Murphey bent his head and rinsed his mouth of toothpaste and the coppery taste of blood. "Aye, aye" He replied, toothpaste foaming against his lips. Wiping it away with the back of his hand, he stood and caught his reflection in the mirror. "JAYSUS!" He screamed. Though his eyes weren't as swollen as they'd been the day before, both of them were blackened and bloodshot. Beneath his nose, crusted traces of blood remained. Pulling his shirt over his head and whimpering as he did so, he found more bruises and cuts, more trails of dry blood.
Running the water, he did the best to wipe it away, and then grabbed a towel to dry himself with as he walked back into the bedroom. "Have ye seen me eyes?" He asked his uncle, who was now picking up various items of clothing off of the floor and putting them into a laundry hamper that had been a makeshift table. Perry nodded solemly "I had two slabs of beef that were bought specifically in order to help get the swelling of them down- I put them into your freezer, they should be nice and tender now"
Murphey grimaced somewhat "Thank ye uncle Perry," Perry nodded smiling sadly "That's what I'm here for... Murph, You know if you're in trouble I can kind of-" Murphey shook his head "No, ye can't, I've just run into a spot of debt, It'll be resolved in a bit alright? Dinna worry" "I have to," Perry replied "That's my job" After an awkward moment of silence, Murphey patted Perry's back in an awkward attempt at affection, then smiled. "Well, I'm gonna get this cleaned up-" Perry told him, showing him the pile of laundry he'd collected. Opening the door for him, Murphey sighed. "I'm quite capable of doin' me own laundry, dear uncle" Perry smiled, shaking his head. "I know you are, I also know that you won't- I'll have these ready for ya in an hour" After another thank you, Perry departed, headed for the laundry room. Sighing, Murphey muttered a prayer, thanking God that his Uncle happened to be the landlord the building he called him, if he wasn't, he was fairly sure he'd be at the bottom of a river somewhere.
Getting up, he walked over to a set of drawers and opened the first one, pulling out a black fitted t-shirt, he pulled it over his head with some effort, then managed to pull his brown leather jacket on. 'Now... keys,' he thought, checking the table beside his bed where they usually were along with his cigarettes and his wallet. Well, his cigarettes were there, but as for the wallet and house keys- 'Where the hell are they?' he thought, picking up the pack of cigarettes and sticking one in his mouth before checking his jeans pockets for a lighter and coming up empty. "That's just odd," He said aloud "Where the hell did all me stuff go? I can't go fer breakfast unless I've got me wallet, Can't replace the meal I canna have with a ciggy if I don't 'ave me lighter, and I canna even leave the house without me buggerin' keys!"
'Maybe Perry's taken them?' He thought, but came to the conclusion that he had no reason to. Sighing in exhasperation, he headed for the door anyways. 'If I was passed out on the stoop like he said I was, me stuff's most likely there...' Heading for the front steps, he took the cigarette and placed it behind his ear, hoping that he'd get lucky enough to find a pack of half-used matches in the hallway.
'The Sausage and Egg McMuffin... proof that God still loves us,' Oz thought, taking another bite of his breakfast. He hadn't gotten much sleep, not that he had expected to with the van parked in a public parking lot. Instead, in the middle of the night, he got up and drove around. Where he'd gone was really a daze to him, he simply drove up and down streets, trying to get somewhat familiar with the city and had eventually found himself back at the Canon apartments, parked across the street from the building. Now though, his reasons for being there, in his mind at least- were somewhat scued. He really wasn't sure whether or not he was here to check out the apartment or to return the wallet. Reaching to the passenger seat where it still sat, and cramming the rest of a hashbrown into his mouth, he decided to do both. Noon seemed like a reasonable time to not only ask to speak to the landlord about the apartment, but to also return the wallet to it's proper owner.
Getting out of the van, He noticed someone sitting on the front steps of the building. As he walked towards it, the person, who apparently had been smoking a cigarette got up and walked back into the building. As he did so, Oz recognized his scent on the air- It was Murphey Macmanus.
"Hey!" he called out as he attempted to cross the street "Hold on a second!" His calls fell on deaf ears, and as soon as he could he crossed and headed inside the building. Double checking that the apartment number was correct on a list by the door, he headed to where Mr. Macmanus lived- Apartment A1. As he walked down the hallway he noticed that there were only two apartments on each floor, 'Odd,' he thought. He watched as Murphey heard him approach and turned around to see who is was who was following him. Startled, the he made a mad dash down the hall and into his apartment, slamming the door and locking it behind him. "Oh great, another chase" He muttered under his breath, heading towards the door.
"Bloody Hell!" Murphey screamed, now scanning his room from his position proper up against the door- for the phone. He couldn't believe his luck- Of all the blokes Fenelli had ever had come after him, this one was just a little bugger! 'He prolly' specializes in ju-jitsu, killin' people with pressure points and the like... oh fuck me...' he thought. His decsion was a tough one, and he'd have to make it soon-either make a mad dash for the phone, or even better, the window which he could easily slip out of. But at the same time, if he moved there was the possibility that the guy could break his door down- But if he didn't, what if he had a gun? He could start firing grassers at any minute and he'd be pumped full of lead! A knock interuppted his panic. "Ahhh!" He yelped, jumping out of his skin. "Hello?" The voice sounded on the other side. "Look, I dinna know who ye are, or why Joey's sent ya... I told him I'd 'ave his money by the end of the week-" On the other side of the door, Oz smirked, 'Murphey, you definitly would make a great prision snitch' "Um- Well, I'm not exactly sure who Joey is... or why he's gotten you so scared, but I do know that you dropped your wallet when I saw you in the alley yesterday, and it's sitting in my hand waiting to be returned to it's proper owner"
