Collectibles

.:.

3. Rebellion, Resistance, and Reconciliation

Max paused for a second, but then he said, "It's Max. Tell me what happened, and why."

"How are they? Will they be okay?" Michael asked in return. He sounded overwrought and miserable.

Max drew a deep breath. "Marko's okay," he answered. "His wound is only superficial. Paul's still out cold. He suffered a heavy concussion, a severe case of hypothermia, and he nearly drowned in that bathtub. He had to be resuscitated."

Michael made a shocked sound at that.

"They want to keep him in hospital for at least five days, maybe longer. David and Dwayne both had to undergo surgery due to a pneumothorax – that's a punctured lung. They are in intensive care and unconscious, and will have to stay in hospital for at least two weeks, likely more. Now you know. So I ask again: What happened, and why?"

There was a long silence. Then Michael moaned, "Gosh, I'm not even sure. Somehow, it all started to go wrong a few nights ago. I … It was only a week that I knew them, but they changed everything … they changed me so much … In the beginning, it was cool, but then … at some point, I got scared. Scared of them, scared of the changes I went through."

He paused.

"I was with them almost every night that week, and every night was a party … We had tons of fun, listened to cool music, fooled around, raced the bikes, went to concerts, but … there was also a lot of booze and drugs. I don't even know for sure what it was they gave me … It was all very strange, blurred … I didn't recognize myself, sometimes. I felt so angry, so fierce …"

"Then there were … I don't know if they were hallucinations, or if those things really happened … Now I think they can't have been real, but they felt real back then. We were on a railroad bridge once, and David dared me to hang from the trestle with them, then jump … I didn't want to jump, but I couldn't hold on any longer, and they all had already gone down … They called out to me, and I let go … I was falling, and then I was floating … Then I was falling again, and lost consciousness. I awoke in my bed the next morning, and had absolutely no idea how I got there. Another night, I woke up and I was floating again, like plastered to the ceiling. I seem to remember that I drifted out of the window, and that Sam pulled me in again … But that can't have been real."

"What's more, there was Star, and she told me that she was afraid of David and the other boys, that she didn't want to become like them, and she asked me to help her and Laddie leave. I … we slept with each other, and David didn't seem to mind … He was bossy and possessive towards her, but she also fooled around with the other boys. I didn't know what to think. I still don't know what to think."

"David …" Michael made a noise that sounded like an embarrassed cough. "David actually made a move on me, at least I think so, and that … well, that … I wouldn't say itfrightenedme, but I was confused as Hell. They all were like that, touchy-feely, constantly groping each other … I never before met guys that behaved like that, and somehow it was cool, because it was so relaxed, and then somehow it wasn't, because I didn't know what to make of it."

"Then there was that night when they took me out to the beach, and they assaulted a group of that gang they always brawl with, the Surf Nazis … We took some stuff before we went there, I'm not entirely sure what it was, acid maybe … They attacked those guys; they wanted me to join in, but I only stood by and watched. I was horrified, it got so violent. I think there were knives drawn, and some of the surfers got hurt … But my memory of that one is really fuzzy. Funny things seemed to happen there … scary things … I saw the boys turn into something that wasn't human, and the whole scenery seemed to drown in blood … People were torn apart like in a zombie movie, but a second later, it was only a brawl again, though a damn violent one. I still don't know what was real and what wasn't."

"Then, one night, I nearly attacked my own brother in the bathroom. I would have … I don't know what I would have done to him if it hadn't been for Nanook, his dog. Nanook literally flew at me and bit me, and the pain brought me back to my senses."

"It was all very weird, and everything blurred together. In the end I was so confused and scared that I only wanted out."

"I … I think I made a mistake in telling my little brother part of what had happened. Well … some of what I told him might actually never have happened. He alerted those new found friends of his, the Frog brothers, and we all drove to the cave together yesterday afternoon to fetch Star and Laddie. Those kids acted really weird, but I was used to weirdness by then … I had a giant hangover or something from the party the night before, and half of what they said and did never registered with me. Star was almost knocked out from partying as well; I had to carry not only Laddie, but also her up the steps to the cliff, which was a true hassle in my state. We're lucky that I didn't break all of our necks. I believe I actually passed out after that. I'm afraid Sam drove the car home …"

"Back in the house, I passed out again, and only woke when dusk was falling. The kids were babbling about them coming for us. I learned that they had apparently attacked the boys in the cave while I sneaked Laddie and Star out, and hurt one of them … perhaps even killed him. I didn't believe the latter though – after all, they were only kids, and David and the others seemed fairly apt at defending themselves."

"Then the Frogs started to blabber something about bloodsuckers and suckmonkeys – Sam had been on that trip as well for the last few days, since he had read those horror comics they gave him –, and suddenly, they went after Laddie and Star with … well, I believe it were actual stakes."

"Seconds later, all Hell broke loose. I think David and the boys entered the house from various points. Afterwards, we found two broken windows, one on ground level, the other on the first floor. I don't know what exactly went on upstairs, where Star, Laddie, the Frog kids, and Paul were, only that there was a lot of screaming involved, and that it ended with Paul lying knocked out in the tub."

"Dwayne attacked me and my brother in the sitting room. He was livid. I had never before seen him anywhere near angry, and it was truly terrifying. He gave me no time to explain anything, he just kicked me in the head, and it was lights out for me. When I came to again, Dwayne was screaming his lungs out – well, sort of. His mouth was wide open, and he looked as if he was in a Hell of pain, but almost no sound came out, just a bit of wheezing and blubbering, drowned out by the music … It was horrible. Sam had shot him with my bow, and he had stumbled back into the stereo, accidentally turning it on. I don't know why it short circuited, but he got a nasty electric shock on top of everything else and was knocked out cold. Then all lights went out. I think some fuse blew."

"Suddenly, there was David, like rage personified, and we fought. He was so furious, I thought he might murder me. I was also afraid for Sam and what David might do to him. I didn't know if Sam had actually managed to kill Dwayne, and Dwayne was very close to David … I didn't mean to slay him, or even hurt him, I just defended myself. He said something about not wanting to kill me, and that I should join them, and I got the distinct impression from that one that he was really prepared to off me. That decided it for me, and I pushed him into my grandpa's workroom and onto those antlers … I'm really, really sorry, but I saw no other way. I was honestly convinced that he was ready to tear both me and my brother to pieces if I didn't knock him out somehow."

Max was a bit beat by all that information, so there was another long silence.

Finally, Michael asked, "Are you still there?"

"Yes. Yes, I am."

"May I ask you something?"

"Whatever …"

"How do you even know the boys?"

Now that was a tricky one. But if he played his cards right, it might actually become an advantage. He still wanted Michael, all things considered.

After a short pause, Max replied, "You could call me their benefactor, if you like."

"Benefactor? What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that I scraped them off of the streets, and now am funding them and their carefree lifestyle. In return for certain … services."

Silence again.

Then Michael asked in a quiet voice, "You were never after my mother, were you?"

Max drew a deep breath. It was now or never. "Lucy is a very charming and truly lovely lady, but no, you're right. I wasn't after her."

Another pause. This one stretched out for nearly a minute.

Then Michael said, "I knew from the beginning that something was off about you. And … about the boys too."

"Well, now you know what we are. Are you very appalled?"

Michael snorted. It was almost a laugh. "After last week, and especially last night, I don't think I have it in me any more to be appalled by anything. Not now, at least. But if they all are … well, you know what, then what about Star? I saw them all messing around with her in one way or the other …"

"The boys, Dwayne excluded, all sold themselves at some point in their lives to survive. That doesn't mean that they're exclusively gay, or gay at all, at that. Marko maybe, but I don't think the others are. I am, though. Well, almost."

"Okaaay … I don't think I wanted to know that one." Michael sounded a bit embarrassed. "So you're paying them, and they …?"

"So I'm giving them money whenever they ask me for it, and don't bother to inquire why or what they need it for. So I bought them the bikes they craved. So they may share my home whenever they like. So they are free to leave any time they choose to. So they can live the life they want without anyone interfering – sleep all day, party all night, be young, have fun. In my eyes, that's a pretty good deal in exchange for some sex now and then."

Max paused for a second, making sure that his seductive smile could be heard through the following words. "Wouldn't you agree, Michael?"

Michael coughed again. This time, the sound came nowhere near a laugh. "Listen, Max, it's getting very late … I think I should go to bed now. Perhaps" –

"We still have a terrible mess to sort out together, Michael. We both don't want anyone involved in this perfect storm to go to jail or something like that for attempted homicide or other nastinesses, now, do we?"

"What about possession, consumption and sharing out of illegal substances, consuming alcohol while underage, unlawful entry, damage to property, criminal assault, and, oh yes, attempted homicide as well – on their side?"

"You also did consume drugs, drink alcohol, trespass in the cave" –

"I'm sure they aren't even allowed to live there!"

"Would you want the authorities to drive them out and seal the place up?"

Michael hesitated. Then he said, "No. No, I wouldn't want that."

"I didn't think so. I believe we are at a draw here, Michael. All you boys misbehaved, and all of you, even your little brother, might go to jail for it. Possession and consumption of illegal substances might be enough for that, and you're not the only one who took strange pills during the last week …"

"He didn't!"

"Well, ask the Frogs what they gave your little brother to turn him into an apt believer in the supernatural …"

Michael hissed angrily into the receiver.

"Michael, listen to me. I think we should sort things out with each other before we are confronted by the authorities. We should … synchronize our stories. It was all a very unlucky misunderstanding, wasn't it? Samuel believing that you were in actual danger from the boys; you overdoing it a bit with alcohol and drugs; Star thinking that she and Laddie weren't free to leave any time they chose to; the Frogs giving Marko a nasty scratch; David, Dwayne and Paul coming to your house to talk to you and sort things out, while you all thought they had come to take Star and Laddie back forcibly and beat you guys up … You and your brother defending yourselves against an imaginary threat and thereby hurting my boys badly …"

"It was not an imaginary threat! They broke into our home, smashing the fucking windows! Dwayne went right for my throat! David was ready to murder me!"

Max felt his own anger rise as Michael's voice gradually increased in volume. He retorted, "Don't you think it enough that you almost killed three of them?! Dwayne and David both had their lungs punctured, one by an arrow, the other by freaking antlers! Paul had to be reanimated! Do you really want them to go to jail on top of that?!"

Michael fell silent at once. "No," he eventually admitted. "No, I don't want that."

Max draw several deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. "Good. I'm glad we're of the same opinion here," he replied at long last, his voice controlled again. "Now that we've settled that one, let's start to think about what to tell the authorities …"

It took them a while, but in the end they agreed on a common story and to instruct the others about it. The Frogs would be difficult and probably not agree to play along, but every official with half a brain would see that they were completely off their rocker once they started to brag about vampires, ghouls, and werewolves.

Max also repeated his offer to Michael. "I think David would still take you in. I'll talk to him. He overdid it with the drugs, and he overreacted in the end, and he'll see that it was at least partly his fault that everything went so terribly wrong. He should have guided you more, looked after you. I'm sure we'll sort that one out, too. You'd be a great match for the boys. And what goes for them would go for you also. You want a new bike? Some cool clothes? Name it, and I'll pay for it. You'd never have to collect trash on the beach again to earn some measly dollars …"

There was another long stretch of silence. Then Michael asked slowly, tentatively, "And I would have to do exactly what ...?"

"Please understand that I won't force you into anything. If you don't trust me on that one, go ask the boys about it. We would take it slow, see what you're comfortable with, and do only that. Take one step at a time, you know? If you don't like it, you can leave. Any time. Sounds fair?"

"I … Yeah ... Well … Maybe ..."

Max smiled to himself. Michael was hooked. It wouldn't do to pressure him now.

Just let him think about it for a while ...

So Max changed the subject. "Maybe you could do me a favor and talk to Star. She seems to have misunderstood some things. I would be sorry to see her leave with bad blood between her and the boys."

"Yeah ... I can do that ..."

"Thank you. It's much appreciated."

After a pause, Max added, almost as an afterthought, "Ah, and I did mean what I said about your mother earlier; she is a charming, lovely lady. I do genuinely like her. We should see to it that we spare her any unnecessary trouble or pain. So it likely wouldn't be a good idea to tell her too much about what I just confided to you about the boys and me, or the way you partied with them, and such things. Don't you agree?"

.:.

AN: Almost done here; there's only a little epilogue left ...