(MADELEINE'S POV)
Todd ran back to his house, more tears streaming down his face as Madeleine followed after him in a quick pace, "didn't do what Todd? I don't understand what you're-," her voice stopped as she paused in the walkway, spotting Squee's father who was walking out of the house with a face riddled with hate, disgust, and resentment as he yelled, "TODD, YOU KILLED HER! I KNOW YOU DID!"
Backing away, Madeleine took Todd by the hand, and led him quickly to the house of 777, where Madeleine retrieved her cell phone and ran into Johnny who already had a worried expression on his face.
Todd, being the terrified child that he was, hesitated at the doorway of the home, watching his own father wander around, screaming false accusations about Todd on his lawn.
"Johnny, Nny, something's happened to Todd and his mother. She's not breathing. But… I need you," taking a shaky breath, Madeleine wiped the sweat off her clammy forehead before taking her eyes back to Johnny with a desperate look on her face, "Johnny, I need you to keep yourself… from killing Squee's father until an ambulance comes. Squee will tell you the rest."
Flipping her phone, Madeleine dialed 9-1-1, and explained the emergency, adding with the abuse done to Todd at the end as she frantically gave out the information on where she was and what was possibly needed.
Ending the call, Madeleine rushed out of the house, noticing Todd's horrified face as Johnny bent down to talk to him, studying the red mark that had started to fade on Squee's face. Tears slid down Todd's face as he explained what all had happened while he hugged his teddy bear tightly, shaking from what horrors Johnny could inflict upon him.
Running past this, Madeleine stealthily slipped inside the house without alerting Squee's father, and looked around the house, searching for the room that held his mother.
Opening several doors, Madeleine came to find the bathroom, Squee's own bedroom in which she had been in only once before, an office which smelled pungently of beer and alcohol.
Finally, Maddie found the room in which Squee had fled from, finding a woman lying in what seemed like an uncomfortable position while sheets draped over the majority of her body.
Her face looked very much like Todd's, stating that this was his real birthmother and reminding Madeleine of the omen that had been given to her just several minutes before all this had happened.
Walking up to the side of the bed, frowning at how ignorant Todd's mother could be to her very own child.
Pressing two of Madeleine's fingers to the woman's jugular, she got no response in pulse; the icy chill of death lying on the dead corpse.
Clearing her throat, Madeleine locked her jaw before looking around the area.
Maddie's eyes skimmed through the bed, finding an orange, prescription bottle with the cap popped off and a few, tiny white pills scattered on the bed around the woman.
Pitying tears gathered in her eyes as she pulled her hand away, shaking her head at how recognizable all this was, because so many years ago, she, too, had tried this attempt at suicide, but failed when her aunt and uncle found her, unconscious on the floor of her very own bedroom.
Her eyes looked over the bottle of drugs, reading the label before she backed out of the room, frowning all the more. An overdose.
Exiting the house in a daze, Maddie grit her teeth as she let her messy, curly locks fall into her face while she bowed her head in acknowledgement at what she had just witnessed.
Sirens wailed in the distance, stating that the paramedics and police gotten the message; their bright, flashing lights flashing around the corner.
Walking down the steps of the house, Madeleine choked out a small whimper before crossing the lawn and walking to Johnny who had an absolutely infuriated look on his face, staring at the shocked man on Todd's lawn.
"…hit my face hard and I ran. I-I ran out the house and that's when M-Madeleine found me," Todd said as he sniffed, wiping his nose with the back of his hand before jumping in surprise at the sudden visit from Madeleine.
"Todd…," Madeleine began in a shaky voice before she cleared it once again and started, "Todd, sweetie, do you want to ride in an ambulance with your mommy, or do you want to stay here?"
Studying the child's tear-stained face, Maddie crouched down to see eye-to-eye with Todd before he answered in a dead, depressed voice, "she's dead, isn't she? Daddy was right… but I didn't kill her! I d-didn't kill her; I don't want her to die…"
Opening her arms, she offered a hug to the child in which Todd greatly accepted. "I know you didn't. It wasn't your fault, sweetie."
Damn; he was so tiny and absolutely adorable. Why was it that he was granted such abusive, ignorant parents? Todd needed attention and someone to care for him; not the other way around.
Todd was the first to pull away to look back to his father whom was yelling more nonsense about Squee, and about how his life was burdened with so much; he ranted about how Todd was a mistake in his life.
The cars of flashing lights and noise came up to the curb, doors opening and a stretcher being poured out of the ambulance and police cars; trauma in the morning.
Getting up, Madeleine popped her neck, making Todd jump in fear before she headed to an expectant officer with a polite expression on his face. Taking Squee's hand, she led him to the man in the uniform, trying to make use of herself as much as she could.
Todd rubbed his eye with his free hand, a hesitant look on his face as he looked to the stranger.
More paramedics rushed into the house while two strong men encountered Todd's father, trying to calm the man down before having to restrain him in cuffs. "I DIDN'T KILL THE WOMAN, DAMN IT! IT WAS THAT KID! HE KILLED HER! MY OWN SON KILLED MY WIFE!"
Reaching out a hand to shake the officer before her, Madeleine introduced themselves, "hi, I'm Madeleine, one of Squ- Todd's next-door neighbors. I'm the one who called."
The officer nodded his head, acknowledging Maddie's information before taking Todd's hand and shaking his as well before interrogating them with an endless amount of questions.
(JOHNNY'S POV)
Watching Madeleine and Todd walk, hand in hand toward the officer, Johnny gaped in shock as Squee-gee's story replayed back in his mind.
"I woke up, got ready for s-school, and I couldn't find my backpack. I looked all over for it until I went to go ask Mommy if she knew where it went, but when I asked her, she said nothing. I asked her again and again and again, but she didn't talk. I-I… went to go pull on her sleeve to see if she was asleep, but she was so cold… I-I ran to get Daddy, and took him to check on Mommy… but… D-daddy blamed me. He screamed at m-me… and hit my face hard and I ran. I-I ran out the house and that's when M-Madeleine found me…"
Johnny could still see the red burn on his cheek from where his father had made contact with him, discoloring his skin while small tears slid down his innocent face.
A little uncomfortable from the fact that Johnny was useless in this type of situation, Nny frowned before sitting down on the step of his porch, staring at the mess that was occurring in Squee's front lawn. Squee's father, bound and defenseless with his hands cuffed while his blindness disabled him, angering the father all the more.
"HE KILLED HER! MY OWN SON KILLED MY WIFE!"
Retreating his eyes back to the pavement, Johnny shrugged off the increasing irritation inside of him. What pissed Johnny off was the fact that Todd's father knew very well that it hadn't been his fault; he just had to blame someone for her death other than him.
It completely disgusted Johnny, knowing that Todd's father had abused him in such a way to make his very own son cry.
Squee's father benefited to the society around them, adding more shit to the population than there already was. It insulted humanity, seeing that the majority of parents, siblings, friends, and complete strangers forget what it was to be considerate or have even the slightest ounce of politeness.
Hearing four wheels clank against the sidewalk along with persistent commands and loud tones mix, Johnny looked back to Todd's lawn, spotting the stretcher with a body lying under a cloth; tube sticking out the opening where a limp head lay, forcing oxygen into the already dead woman's lungs.
Taking his eyes back to Madeleine and Squee, he found the two nodding, moving their mouths as they caught sight of the stretcher moving closer to the ambulance. Maddie's head turn to the officer before them, questioning something that Johnny couldn't hear until the man nodded his head, as if to answer her question happily.
Todd looked to the ambulance before letting his mouth drop, sprinting to the paramedics for reasons Johnny couldn't comprehend. But, to Johnny's slight amusement, Todd still grasped onto the paw of his little bear, Shmee, stating his innocence.
"TODD KILLED HER, DAMN IT!"
The car door slammed in the father's face, silencing his useless comebacks and attempts for attention.
(MADELEINE'S POV)
The sun rose over the city, lighting up the sky and setting the colors to a bluer, clearer shade as she heard the ear-splitting sound of the ambulance sirens pierce her mind.
"Todd Casil… C-A-S-I-L," Madeleine spelled out, giving information to the officer as the ambulance zoomed through the neighborhood, holding a dead mother and a worried and terrified child.
"No, this was the first time I had ever seen Todd with marks or bruises on him. Well, he had a few on his arms, but I'm sure little boys tend to get bruises all the time. But you could see the finger marks on his face; that was a true form of abuse."
"Ma'am, you do realize, any parent witnessed for having abused a child loses their parenting rights to them, yes? Once we take this to court, it will all be settled and figured out; the father most likely will be put in prison. Unfortunately, for Todd, with his mother dead, he has no legal parents and must be put in a foster home until the time being that he finds an adoptive family. Sweet kid; absolutely sickens me to do this job for a living…"
"Is that all," Madeleine said tiredly and worriedly as she crossed her arms over her chest in a defensive manner.
"Yes, ma'am. You are free to do as you please."
Turning around, Madeleine huffed out a long sigh before trudging back to her home where Johnny sat patiently on the steps. So much had just happened at once.
All she did was wake up from an omen, go outside to puke, and suddenly Todd ran out of his house, screaming.
Maybe a little TOO much had happened within the time span of ten minutes.
(AUTHOR'S NOTE:)
I personally found this to be a boring chapter… hm… maybe theres not enough romance… ;)
HA! maybe I should add just a little more spark; too much sudden drama, we need a tiny break from that…
Ah,… I'm extremely tired, seeing that I haven't slept in almost over a week now, due to writing these chapters for you. I am in dire need for some sleep, so… I shall end this author's note pretty quickly.
I think you all know what the next chapters will be, and if you have any ideas on what might happen, private message or review your ideas…
I won't give it out though, not until the chapter comes…
Hmm… Maddie and Johnny haven't opened their wedding present yet… what could it BE?
Disclaimer: Johnny and all JTHM characters belong to Jhonen Vasquez, not me.
I own Madeleine and the police officer, dude, whatever.
Remember, with each and EVERY review you post, you get a digital cookie! Now, who DOESN'T love digital cookies? So… review!
"Moo! Moo! Mooo! I'm voodoo cursing you!"
-Happy Noodle Boy/ Johnny C./ Jhonen Vasquez