Forever Indeed
Digging into his wallet, Sam pulled out various notes. Charley incorporated his own money into the total. They both ogled at their surroundings.
A gruff, stout man packed away their goods. Spiked chains exuded from his being. Rattling emitted from the steel strapped to his black combat jacket and the buckles of his high boots thundered, as he tapped his feet to the beat of the old stereo sat atop a shelf behind him. The machine to his left pinged, opening. He pushed the first bag towards the pair, reaching into the casher to install their payment and retrieve the change.
"You're not the usual types we get in here." He grumbled, voice easily overcoming the song on the radio.
Sam neglected to reply. Charley glanced at him, saying to the man, "We're having a party."
A blazing eyebrow rising, the red haired man responded, "What kind of party? Halloween isn't for a while yet, ha, ha."
Charley struggled.
"Birthday," Sam abruptly interjected, "My niece – his sister, is into this kind of stuff and wants to have her friends round."
"Oh, that's nice." The man handed Sam a bag, turning to pull another plastic carrier out from behind the counter. As he filled that also, he effortlessly continued, "Not many people would condone this style."
"Yeah… I love my sister." Charley lied, awkwardly fidgeting with some of the products on a nearby desk.
"How old will she be then?" the man pried.
"Eight." Sam firmly answered, trooping towards the entrance. The bell rang out, as he pulled the door open, carelessly calling back, "Come on Charley, we've still got to steal holy water from that church on Celeste Street."
Avoiding the gaze of the gawping man, Charley grabbed the carrier bag, "Yeah, right… what he said."
He shuffled out, hurrying after Sam who was already unlocking the car.
Pulling up in front of Charley's driveway, the pair noticed the house lights were on. "You can still stay. I'll just tell my mother you're fighting with your parents or something." Charley tried to sway.
Sam shook his head, fringe obscuring his sight. "I need to get these crosses and everything over to my place. My mom and dad will need the protection. They have no idea… I don't want to leave them vulnerable." His grip on the steering wheel tightening, Sam grunted, "Lord knows what he'd do to them if given the chance."
"It's already dark." Charlie stated, looking out the window towards Jerry's house. "Do you think he's gone hunting?"
"Just get inside. I'll be over in the morning and we'll sort a plan then." Sam firmly ordered.
Undoing his seatbelt, Charley grabbed the door handle. "Remember… she's not herself." Glancing at Sam, Charley opened the door, finishing, "She'd eat you. Don't give her that chance."
His eyes briefly closing, Sam murmured, "Yeah."
Charley entered his house, slightly moving the curtain of the living-room window aside to certify that Sam entered his own.
Stock still, Jerry sat statuette in his dark leather chair. The glow of the television threatened continuously to breach his eyelids. He sat silently, breathing sluggishly through his nose with his eyes lightly closed.
His lip curled a little. He silently twirled an apple in his hand that shined in the bath of the vibrant ruddiness of the muted television.
A fang began to peek out, as another snotty sniff infiltrated his hearing.
It distracted him.
"Love, stop it." He soothingly commanded. "We talked about this earlier."
Salty splatters tarnished the floorboards beneath her feet. She was huddled in a corner, facing the back of his chair. Elizabeth sniffled, rubbing viciously at her reddened nose. Choking on the scent, she scraped her hands down her arms. She attempted to rid herself of it, eyes widened and pupils dilated.
"Seriously Love," Jerry firmly demanded, annoyed.
Elizabeth could not stifle the high pitched whine that accompanied a new bout of tears that penetrated her dark lashes.
Jerry sighed.
Peeling his coat off, Sam sloppily raked it over the banister. He shuffled off his shoes, yelling, "I'm back!"
Elizabeth's bloody nails scratched at the walls on either side, as she attempted to clamber to her feet. Jerry glowered at her from his chair, head turned to stare.
"Be quiet Elizabeth or I won't be able to hear." He lowly purred, "I know that you're struggling with yourself right now, but could you get a grip long enough to let me enjoy this?"
A loud wail escaped her, lips ruby. Her eyes fiercely snapped shut, as the incident replayed.
He growled, throwing the apple at her.
She ignored the pain the hit generated in her lower right ribs.
Quickly scanning over the names on the mail sitting on the floor by the shut living-room door, Sam trailed towards the kitchen with a carrier. The light seeped under the closed entrance, bidding him.
He grasped the knob, turning it and pushing it open with the aid of his kneecap.
Jerry tilted his head to the side, a smile forming. He smugly said, "There it is."
He looked away from Elizabeth and back at the images splayed on the television, gruffly laughing.
Picking up a bottle of beer from the side table, Jerry questioned, "Can you hear that Love?" As the shattering of glass penetrated his sensitive ears, he derisively chuckled in spite of wincing from the gaudy sounds, "Aw, doesn't he sound broken." Jerry muttered with delight, "His voice is cracking… every boy has to grow up."
He sipped his beer.
Choking on phlegm and rising bile, Sam stepped away. The bones of his spine creaked, snapping straight as his back hit the white protruding doorframe.
Though his mouth opened wide, a cry tore from the chords of his voice box and the tone scraped until it cracked, no coherent words formed.
Dribbles soiled the walls, some flecks sliding down the legs of the dining table and chairs. Prints of finger tips and harried heels caked the puddled floor tiles. Heaving, Sam stuck his head through the entry. He stole a deep breath of air from the hallway and then stepped out. He dared a look back.
His mother's limbs were splayed round. Some of the digits of her hands and feet were dipped in a freshly baked Victoria Sponge cake that sat centred upon the dining table. Blood and jam were conjoined, tainting the spread of cream in the cake.
The edges of the streaked marks were browning. Retching again, Sam reached in and pulled the doorknob towards him. Effectively, he shut the kitchen door. He was not bold enough to search for further remains, though substances by the kettle held fragments of identifiable hair similar to that of his father.
Hollering, Sam reached for the nearest object. He flung a photo frame. He tossed a pot statue alongside a fellow figurine. Sam bellowed and gripped the wooden bars of the staircase railing.
Thumping footsteps broke through the deafening boom of fresh blood pumping wholeheartedly through her body. Elizabeth tried closing her eyes to focus upon the steps, but the thudding of her refreshed pulse was too distracting. The dominance of the footsteps was overturned. She assumed it to be Jerry, but when her reddened eyes opened she spotted his reclined form lounging in the leather seat in front of the television.
He was grinning broadly, listening.
Sam's feet drummed.
Marching from the house, Sam haphazardly sealed the front door and callously headed across the road with Jerry in mind.
"Err… are you all right sir?" A dainty voice inquired.
Jerry's grin gradually wasted away, as her voice invaded his ears.
A ferocious snarl rumbled from within his chest.
Elizabeth subdued another bout of sobs, hands clasped to her ears and eyes scrunched shut to block Jerry's mad mood out.
Sam recoiled from the lean blond, startled.
"Sir," She ventured, reaching out to lightly grasp his sagging shoulders.
He had not noticed. Blood stained his shoes and the shins of his trousers. "I… err." Sam rubbed his browned hands. The caked pigment blared at his moist blue eyes.
"Have you hurt yourself? My boyfriend lives just here," She said, pointing to Charley's house, "We can take care of you or call an ambulance." Tugging on his sleeve, she led him away from jerry's lawn and towards Charley's home. "I'm Amy by the way. Do you know Charley – or his mother?"
Mumbling inarticulately, Sam was able to confirm his familiarity with the pair.
Hearing a knock, she opened the door.
Charley ran through to the entranceway, shouting with panic, "I told you. Don't open the door for anyone!"
"Charley it's your girlfriend." His mother persisted, gesturing to Amy whose stunning visage expelled an affronted expression.
"Oh," He stuttered, "Oh, well, but still. Don't do it again – not for anyone else!"
"Sam what are you doing here? Bit late isn't it?" Jane probed with crinkled brows.
"What?" Charley exclaimed, shoving Amy aside to catch sight of the hunched figure behind her. Sam trudged over the threshold of the doorway, ignoring Charley and creeping over to the sofa. He collapsed onto the plush pillows, as Amy began to bicker.
"Not right now. Here," Charley insisted, handing her a few crosses of varying size and design, "Stick these up on the windows in the Kitchen."
Charley approached slowly. He took in the drying blood and Sam's quivering palms. "Sam," Charley carefully began, "What happened?"
"I found them," Sam droned, "I found them there… in the kitchen."
Biting his lip, Charley spoke aloud the reality, "He bit them."
Jane glanced from Sam's messy attire to Charley's tense form quizzically.
Sam maddeningly laughed, "Bitten – I wish." He jumped to his feet, fiercely clenching his fists and stepping menacingly towards Charley, "He tore them apart!"
Cringing, Charley backed away. He raised his arm in front of his mother to stop her from confronting Sam who loomed over them both with a striking glower.
Amy nosily peered at the trio from nearby the kitchen window, as she taped crosses to the glass.
"Is this some sort of prank or something?" Jane asked Charley.
He pushed her towards the kitchen, suggesting she make Sam a hot chocolate.
Jane joined Amy in the kitchen, but both refrained from doing as Charley asked. Amy abandoned the remaining crosses and watched alongside her boyfriend's mother as the two en conversed.
A knock rang out.
Both Charley and Sam flinched.
Amy stared at them.
Jane moved towards the front door.
"No!" Charley yelled. He scrambled over the couch and posed before his mother with his arms outstretched to ban her from further exploration.
Sam stood in front of the door with his back against it, as though to hold it in place against a malicious animal.
"Don't answer it." Charley firmly ordered with wide eyes. He trembled. His very voice shook.
Jane's gaze shifted from her son to Sam who nodded, insisting, "You should listen to your son. Trust me, he knows what he's talking about." She took in his bloodied attire again, absorbing the speckles of brown and red.
"Jane I need to talk to you about your son." Jerry's voice interrupted. He knocked more loudly, calling out, "Jane, Charley broke into my house. We need to talk about this Jane."
Gaping at her son, Jane quietly hissed to him, "You broke into his house!"
Charley shook his head hastily, "No, no… well yes, but it's not what you think!"
"I can't believe you." She whispered harshly, shushing Sam when he tried to defend her son's actions.
"Jane!" Jerry's voice boomed.
"Mom, seriously," Charley asserted, grabbing his mother's shoulders and drawing her attention away from the front door. He caught her focus, eyes locked, "Make him go away. I'll explain, but you can't answer that door. You can't let him in."
Biting her lip, Amy gulped. She grasped the counter she was leaning against to keep herself upright, watching the stressful discussion.
Jane moved Charley aside. He cried out heatedly. Sam pushed against the door more strongly, glaring at her.
She stood before him and called through the wood, "Get off my property Jerry."
Silence followed.
Then he spoke, "I saw Sam go in there with Charley's girlfriend." Jerry knocked on the wood and Sam winced. He shrank away from the door slightly, as Jerry continued with a lower tone, "I intercepted Elizabeth earlier… he killed them Jane. He tried to kill her. You're all in danger. Sam could lose it at any moment."
None of them spoke, though Amy retreated further into the kitchen and Charley stepped towards Sam. Jane held him back, but he shook her off and consoled his ally with a sympathetic pat on his arm.
Charley did not know what else he could do.
"Jane he's going to snap and when he does… Let me in. You need to call the authorities. I'll take care of him until they get here." There was a light bang as Jerry rested his head against the door with a sigh. He pitifully groaned, "You have no idea what he's done to Elizabeth. He's ruined her Jane – broken her! She's over at mine crying her heart out on the floor in the corner of my kitchen. She's coated in blood."
Amy held a hand to her mouth, smothering a whimper. A tear trailed down her right cheek and hung from her jaw.
Jane pursed her lips, staring at Charley and Sam.
She resolutely barked, "Go away Jerry!"
Charley sighed with relief, as his mother threatened to call the cops to remove Jerry from their property.
He rested his head against the front door beside Sam who shared the sentiment.
Jerry stepped away.