Thanks to Subuku no Jess for reviewing!
The next morning, Helen had gone out for a walk, early in the morning. Yet another nightmare about Audrey II had plagued her sleep last night. The same as the one she had had the night before, except this time, Seymour had come in as the plant was eating her. She had been screaming desperately at him to help her, but he'd only stood there, frozen in fear and helplessness.
Maybe I'm just being silly about this, thought Helen. I mean, it's just a plant, not a man-eating plant or one that can talk, right?
With a sigh, Helen went in to the shop through the alleyway entrance. When she entered, she noticed something odd. There was something red-blood-all over the floor and it stopped right in front of the plant. Seeing that the blood went towards the alleyway entrance, Helen began following the trail, until she came out in the back near the garbage. Peering into the garbage can, she noticed several newspapers most of them covered in blood and an axe leaning against the wall with blood on the blade. If she didn't know any better, she would've thought that someone or something had been slaughtered. Deciding to think nothing of it, Helen went back into the shop.
That night, Helen was dressed in her nightgown, writing in her diary, when her brother came in, looking lovestruck. One look was enough to convince Helen that Audrey had finally come to her senses.
She smiled, thinking, Seymour, you lucky dog, you. before she went back to writing, as she watched her brother lie down on his bed.
"You love her madly, don't you, schmuck?"
The two jumped and turned to see who had spoken. It was Mr. Mushnik.
"Mr. Mushnik, you scared us," Seymour said.
And that was when Helen noticed a funny look on Mushnik's face.
"I scared him?" Mushnik said, before he turned to Helen and said, "After what I've seen, I scared him?" Helen looked at him with a puzzled look on her face, as he turned back to Seymour and said, "Do you think I didn't know, huh? Oh, I knew. I knew you'd lay down here on your pathetic cot and dream about her. But I didn't know the lengths to which you'd go, the depths to which you'd sink!"
Helen looked even more puzzled as she glanced back and forth between her brother and Mr. Mushnik and said, "What depths? What sink?" Then she turned to her brother and asked, "Seymour, what the hell is he talking about?"
"Little red dots all over the linoleum," Mushnik told her. "Little red spots on the concrete outside." He then turned to her brother and said, "I'm talking blood, Krelborn. I'm talking under my own roof." He then pulled out the bloody axe Helen had found this morning, as he said, "An axe murderer!"
A shocked and horrified look crossed Helen's face, as she stood up and turned to her brother. But, just as she did, she heard a voice coming from upstairs. One that sounded somewhat familiar to her.
He's got your number now
Mushnik didn't seem to hear the voice, as he told her brother, "I saw everything."
He knows just what you've done
"Everything you did to her boyfriend," Mushnik continued.
You've got no place to hide
"I saw you chopping him," Mushnik added.
You've got nowhere to run
"It's true," her brother confessed. "I chopped him up, but I didn't kill him!"
He knows your life of crime
Seymour got up and Mushnik set the axe down and aimed a pistol at him, telling him, "Tell it to the police!"
I think it's suppertime
Helen just stood there in shock, as she watched her brother walk up the stairs, Mushnik aiming a gun at him the whole time, while hearing the voice continue,
Come on, come on
Think about all those offers
Come on, come on
Your future with Audrey
Come on, come on
Ain't no time to turn squeamish
Come on!
I swear on all my spores
When he's gone, the world will be yours
When the door closed, Helen sank onto her bed, crying. It couldn't be, not Seymour, not her little brother. He couldn't hurt a fly. He always told her everything, so why didn't he tell her about this? Suddenly, she was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of chomping and Mushnik screaming, "Wait! Wait! over and over again and yelling in pain. Almost instantly, Helen wanted to run upstairs to see what had happened, but she remained where she was, before she fell into a deep and troubled sleep.
She was standing in a corner of the room, watching as her brother and Mushnik walked past Audrey II towards the entrance. Her brother opened the door, but Mushnik shut the door.
"You know, Krelborn," Mushnik said to her brother, "it kills me doing this. But, considering you're almost like a son to me, I'm thinking…maybe we don't have to go to the police."
"We don't?" Her brother asked.
"I'm thinking," Mushnik said, "what if I kept my mouth shut and gave you and your sister a one-way ticket out of town?"
"You'd do that, sir?" Her brother asked and Mushnik nodded.
"You two could lay low for a while, say 30, 40 years," Mushnik said. "Meanwhile, I would keep the plant."
"The plant?"
"Of course, you'd have to teach me how to take care of it while you're away. Give me your secret gardening tips. But then, if you'd rather hang…" Helen gulped at the thought and put a hand to her throat and then she noticed it. The plant slowly lowered its pod and opened its mouth, as Mushnik asked, "What do I have to do?"
"Just feed it," Seymour said.
"Just feed it what?" Mushnik asked.
"Well…minerals," her brother said, as he started to back Mushnik up towards the plant.
"No…Seymour, no," Helen muttered, shaking her head. He wouldn't!
"Thursdays, you should give it water," Seymour said, continuing to back Mushnik up to the plant. "But, whatever you do…"
"Yes?" asked Mushnik.
"Whatever you do…" Seymour said.
"Yes?" Mushnik said, before he looked behind him and noticed the plant's open pod. "What the hell is…?" He began, leaning into the plant's maw.
"Sir!" Seymour said, but it was too late.
The plant chopped down on Mushnik and Seymour shuddered, while Helen just stared in shock as she watched the plant eat up Mushnik.
Seymour, what have you done? Why? How could you? Seymour, Seymour!
"Helen, wake up!"
Helen awoke with a start and looked around, before she realized what had happened. Seymour had been trying to wake her up, but she had been fighting against him in her sleep.
"Seymour, what happened to Mushnik?" Helen asked, slowly, wondering if what she had just seen in her nightmare had come true.
"Helen…" Seymour began, but Helen said, "What happened to him, Seymour?"
"He-He was killed," Seymour told her.
"By what?" asked Helen.
"Nothing, just someone," Seymour said.
Helen frowned and said, "Who, Seymour?"
"I-I don't know," Seymour said.
"You don't know? You don't know?" Helen said. "Seymour, what haven't you been telling me?"
"I-I've been telling you everything," Seymour said.
"Don't give me any of that," Helen said. "I'm getting the feeling that you haven't been telling me everything. For starters, why was I seeing so many bandages on your fingers instead of the one I saw that night before you went to the radio station to advertise Audrey II?"
"You-You wouldn't understand!" Seymour said.
"I'm your sister, Seymour!" Helen yelled, getting frustrated. "We're supposed to share everything with each other, including secrets! If you would just tell me what's been happening around here since you brought that plant into the shop, I promise I'll never ask again! Just tell me what's going on."
"I-I can't," Seymour said.
"Just tell me, Seymour," Helen said. "I give my word that I'll understand!"
But he said, "No! You wouldn't understand and you probably never will!"
In an instant, he regretted his words as he saw Helen give him a sad and hurt look, before her face hardened and she went to grab her coat and put on her shoes, as she said, "Alright, if you won't tell me what's happening, fine. Have it your way."
"Helen, where are you going?" He asked.
"Out," Helen replied coldly, walking towards the stairs leading out of the place they lived.
"Helen," he began, as he followed her.
"Oh, for God's sake, Seymour," Helen said, without turning around, "JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"
And with that, she walked out, slamming the door behind her and leaving Seymour alone. Seymour looked down, knowing it was his fault. His refusal to share with her what had been happening had hurt her deeply and had put an end to their brother-sister relationship.
Outside of the shop, Helen sat beneath the window of the shop, hugging her legs and crying silently. She was hurt, both mentally and emotionally. Why couldn't he tell her what was happening?