Took me a while to write this chapter. Halfway I thought I was done, but then some of Sands thought started to came up. Bastard always know his way of forcing his face in the picture. Arrogant …
Chapter 8) Night vision.
Julio sat in his room, leaning backwards on his chair. Sunken into his thoughts he watched throw his window towards the apartment across. His room was at the attic so he had a good view on the large building facing him. He didn't like the fact that Lizz was in there. Alone with the loco. Maybe they had a fight right now. Maybe he was doing something to her, right now. And he just sat in his room, refusing to look away from the window.
He still didn't understood why her parents left her with him. He might be her uncle, he might be a relative but wasn't she better off with a normal family? With a normal dad a normal mom and some normal brothers and sisters. Sure, all families where a bit bizarre, his for instance was far from the normal term. But they stood up for each other and it was safe.
'And it's not safe where she lives. He has a gun. And he shot at me. He is insane.' Focussed on the windows of her apartment he stood up and sat down at the window-seat. He saw someone walk along the window but couldn't see it clear enough.
He duck down his bed and started to go throw his junk. After a few minutes, many old sneakers and socks later he pulled out a spy-glass. It was old and dusty and his dad would freak if he knew he had his glass.
But it was four past midnight so his dad was snoring a floor down. He turned his light off and sat back on the seat. After whipping the glass clean he looked throw it. He couldn't see Lizz anywhere but did saw her uncle. He sat behind the dinner table with a glass and a bottle of some liquor in reach. The strange thing was he still wore his sunglasses. Julio's eyebrow went up. 'What kind of sensible man wears sunglasses after midnight?'
He watched as the man drunk some of the fluid and started to talk. First it where just a few words and a long pauses. After a few minutes the conversation started to be more intense.
'Who is he talking to?' Julio wondered and couldn't get his eyes off of the strange man. He saw the man lit a cigarette and lean his head back, blowing out small circles of smoke. Everything seemed to ease then and after he lit up another Julio felt that he had seen enough.
But before he could put the spy-glass down he saw the man slam his fist into the wood of the table, scream back at someone and grab the bottle. When the glass splintered into the wall a light in another part of the house went on.
"O, no…" He whispered panicked as he saw Lizz walked throw the hall in her PJ's and her hair in a ponytail planted in the middle of her head. For a moment he couldn't see her because there wasn't enough window to provide him from a good view. All he could see was Sands stop screaming and sit back on the chair after pulling it up.
Lizz walked by the window and witched on another light. He couldn't see her face clear but she looked tensed. She crossed her arms and sat down at the chair versus Sands. She said something and he ignored her. She said something again and he slammed on the table. She noticed how close he was and shoved a bit backwards. Then she started talking again. This time he just shrugged and started to feel in his pocket. She ripped the package of cigarettes out of his hand when he finally found it.
Not much more then a second he stared at her in shock, lips parted. He started to yell and gestured to the cigarettes. She didn't gave in and slid the carton between the elastic band of her PJ.
She let him be when he started to point at her and yell some more. She answered his wild motions with a simple gesture using her middle finger and walked away.
Somehow he didn't seem that offended by her 'fuck you' and he abated a bit. He muttered something and kicked against the chair she just have been sitting. Then his head snapped towards the open door and he shoot forward. After a struggle Julio saw him pull Lizz back in at her hairs. He held something in his other hand, a mobile phone if he could see correct.
And that was the last Julio saw before he dropped the spy-glass and jumped into his jeans.
.-.-.
He run across the dusty road and almost got hit by a passing car. With the blood rush throw his ears he run up the stairs. He sprinted to her front door and razed his fist to slam on the wood.
'Wait! What if he hears me and pulls out a gun again?!' He lowered his fist and stared to look around feeling his heart beat like a drum. His eyes stopped at the edge of the next floor. Quickly he spun around and climbed on the fence. While he tried to keep his balance he stood up and jumped to the edge of the next floor. When he felt he had enough grip he started to move to the right. Before he knew it he hung ten feet above the ground with only a small edge of concrete to hold on to.
But he didn't look down and focused on finding the right window.
He carefully set his foot down on the window frame of Lizz's her room. To his misfortune her window was closed. Not feeling much for crashing down and breaking at least both his legs he draw out his knee and kicked in the window. Non of the people inside seemed to hear it, they where to busy screaming at each other.
After a magnificent swung he slid throw the window, taking sharps splinter of glass with him, and ended on her carpet. Amazed by his own strength and athletic ability he got a bit to convinced of himself and slammed his head into the window-seat when he sat up.
'AUW!' His vision was blurry and his head spinning of dizziness. With a thumping head he shove away from the hurtful window and cut his hand on the way.
Non of the people in the living room seemed to have heard there new guest arrive throw the window. With the new argument some language appeared.
"WHO THE FUCK IS THIS?!" The loco raged.
"HOW THE HELL SHOULD I KNOW! AND DON'T SCREAM AT ME!" A not so shy and friendly Lizz responded back.
"BECAUSE IT'S YOUR GOD DAMN PHONE, LIZZ!" A small piece of electronic got tossed throw the room. "It's your phone, you've been calling to someone! And I wanna know to who!"
"I'm not going to say anything to you before you calm down and take you pills!" She snapped a bit motherly.
"Or WHAT you'll ground me?" He hissed with a hint of mockery. "You'll send me to my room and lock me up until I squirm against the walls and mumble please don't beat me?! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT!?"
She sighted deep and hurt. "Why can't you just take your pills. They don't hurt you, don't kill you. Just take them before you really lose it."
There was a very long pause. "Your not my shrink, you don't decide anything for me. And your lying to me Lizz. And you have five seconds to admit it and tell me who you are talking to at night."
"After I tell you will you take your pills?"
"I've started counting Lizz, now you have only three."
"But-"
"Two…"
"Okay! I've been calling to Julio alright! Because of you I can't see him that often and there is no way he can come around while you are marching throw the house like a guard dog. So I bought a phone from my own money so I can call him. And YES in the middle of the night because I'd assumed that's the only time your not spying on me!"
"Well better luck next time then."
"Whatever, now take your pills before I have to ground you."
"I can't, I've destroyed them."
"You did what?!"
"Fine, I didn't destroyed them. I've flushed them. But no teary eyes, they've gone to a better place. Far, far away from here."
"No jokes Sands, what did you do-… You really flushed them, didn't you… Wait don't even answer. Just give me one good reason why you flushed your meds throw the toilet."
"Tsk. Don't think so low 'bout me. It was the sink. And I felt like it."
"Let me get this clear… You felt like getting rid of all the pills that keep you from hearing voices?"
"It's a urge, I can tell you that. You try swallowing lucid three or four times a day with tequila and some cheep wine."
"No-one is forcing you to drown your meds with liquor."
"Touché. But that ain't the point right now, is it?"
"No it's not. Are you feeling… well you know bad and stuff?"
"No I'm fine. I can dig it. I told you I could."
"Sure, that's why you smashed you glass into one of my favourite paintings. Still, thank you very much for that."
Julio sat close behind her bed the urge of storming the room has gone. Why couldn't it be a 'normal' fight where he could step in and save her, be the white knight in shiny armour. This sounded so bizarre, it didn't make any sense. He even started to doubt if he wasn't on drugs himself.
"You know what, I'll get your pills first thing tomorrow morning. It's about three in the morning, so that's about eight hour until the pharmacy opens. You just go to bed and give me your gun. Your not going out of my sight without giving me that thing. I still don't get why you wanted that thing back anyway. But that's not of my business. Just try to get some sleep and start drinking water instead of tequila. No alcohol. Water."
The loco growled but seemed to agree. Julio crawled to the door and looked throw a chink into the hallway. He saw her take his gun and switch it to safety.
He blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes. Was that really Lizz? The shy girl, the innocent girl he went out with? He swallowed and closed the door. 'This is just to weird.' Quickly he made his way to the window and left the apartment.
.-.-.
It was a bit noisy in his head. You could compare it to the buzzing of bees. He hadn't slept for a moment that night, not that he could remember. All he could remember was darkness and cold. Somehow it was always cold when he didn't take his meds. Or when he took them with to much alcohol. At least he would be hallucinating afterwards. That was good, that meant he would see and even feel colours. He didn't remember colours all that good and even forgot a few. But he didn't need to remember or describe them when he was in that strange lucid state. He could lay down for hours just being able to feel and see something different then the black and cold. It made him forget time, the endless time he had to waste before he would die.
He started to feel better, less noises and less cold. Things and thought started to sink in, back to his normal bearing and feelings. Whatever his 'normal' was.
'I'm not going to flush those things again.' He took as mental note. He sat up and yawned. He'd been laying down long enough and he needed to get up. To find some purpose for today.
'So what will it be, listen to the telly or drink.' He thought with pity. The girl had suggested to learn some Braille so he could read books. He told her calmly to go fuck herself and mind her own business. But now that he had so much (make that to much) free time and that possibility started to linger. At least he had something to do.
It bugged him how much she was right the last few months. He should get out of the house. It drove him mad to be trapped between the walls. Sure, it was all pretty sweet and luxury, but being trapped in a golden cage made him as pathetic as being locked up in a mental institution.
'No way someone get's me into another nuthouse.'
He made his way into the living room what was in the same room as the dinner and kitchen. The girl had thought about that, now he wouldn't have to change of walking into two walls when he wanted to get from his room into the kitchen.
She only forgot the mess he could trip over, or all her fabulous junk she bought on the markets. 'But let's not crush her dreams, even how much I'm sure that cabin she bought is not even seventy years close to antique.'
In the kitchen he felt around to find the coffee machine, exigently whipped a cup in the process and quickly shove the broken pieces under the kitchen-cupboard. 'Stupid kid why didn't she do the dishes before she went for my pills…'
He pressed on the biggest button of the coffee machine and the thing started to make gargling noises. 'Where did she go anyway?' The last time he'd see- she was home, was hours ago.
'Well she'll be back. She has to because she has no choice.'
It stayed pleasantly silent in his head. He liked that, being alone had his good sides. Also had bad sides. Sometimes it was easier to just do what he'd been told then to think on his own.
'Yeah, it's easier to kill if your not the one wanting it. It easier to kill a woman when you have no clue who she is.'
He took the cup of hot steamy coffee and started to go throw the closets for the sugar. No milk, the first rule. Why should you want to thin caffeine and why should you want to drink coffee in the first place if you didn't like bitterness.
And drinking black came along with his style. And it had something to do with security because this was one of the only things he was sure about that it was black. The rest of his clothing had to rely on the fairness of the girl.
'Could be wearing pink for all I know. Wouldn't be the first time she screws me over like that.'
He found the sugar, it was in the only plastic jar so he could find it easy and would have to try every one of the jars. She'd came up with the idea when he'd throw half of the jars away after being pissed.
You could get very far with her if you where pissed. But not as far as in the early days. Sometimes that annoyed them, sometimes he found it a nice challenges. Something to pass time in a fun way. At least for him.
He pore sugar in his cup and grabbed a spoon from the sink. Then he walked to the kitchen table and sat down after whipping away the last few pieces of glass. He didn't remember all that much, could remember every detail of what had been playing in his head but what she'd been saying, that was all a bit blank. It was hard to reach someone else if he was hearing the voice. Now that he was blind it was close to impossible because he wasn't able to see the person talking to him. He had to rely on his ears and it was hard to hear someone talking to you when something else was yelling in your head.
Sipping his coffee he picked up a sound close to hysteric. When he started to realise it was something he heard outside of his own mind it was to late.
The door got smashed open and Lizz came running in crying her eyes out. "H-He… H-he…"
He putted on his I-told-you-so-smile behind his cup. "Did the little Latino do something nasty to you?" 'I damn well hope so.'
She started to cry harder. "HE DUMPED ME!" After a few sob's she continued. "H-HE JUST DUMPED ME FOR NO REASONE! THE LOSER DUMPED ME! For nothing, he didn't even give me that 'it's not you, it's me' kind of crap!" A whimper left her throat. "I'm in my room and I'm never coming out!"
Before he could even make the slightest remark her door got slammed shut. Slowly he putted his cup aside and smile well-pleased.
'Sometimes problems work themselves out.'
Sometimes you're a real ass Sands. Sorry for the bad title, I couldn't come up with anything else. Anyway if you think everything is swell and fine, your very wrong. I'm planning to make this a very long story. I've got plans for Sands and Lizz and even for Julio.
So hear from ya next time,
X Nuky and leave a review.