Ch 30
John was the first to break their cosy little scene, kissing Rose once on the forehead he extracted himself from her embrace and slipped out of the tub.
"If you don't mind," Rose smiled up at him, her eyes only half open, "I'm going to stay in a bit longer," using her toes she turned the hot water tab on and warmed up the water.
John gathered his clothes and took them into Rose's bedroom to slip them back on again. He had just finished tying his shoes when he heard a distant sound of someone screaming his name. It was so faint it seemed almost a figment of his imagination. But just as he started to dismiss it, he heard it again.
A quick check on Rose revealed that she was fine so he bolted out of her room and down the stairs.
The house was eerily quiet. It was not a hive of activity on most days but aside from himself and Rose soaking in a tub two floors up, there seemed to be no one else around.
Who had screamed?
He went to the back door, opening it, straining to listen for that scream once more. Due to the faintness of the sound he wasn't sure the gender of the person doing the screaming, let alone what direction it had come from.
Hoping his keen hearing had picked up some far away neighbour's television he started to shut the door again. As he did he heard something from behind him, but before he could turn around to see what it was it felt like his head exploded and his world went dark.
"Wake up you useless excuse for a man!" were the first words that greeted John as he swum up to consciousness, along with the realisation that someone had been kicking him. From the soreness of his leg, whoever it was had been at it for a while.
He recognised the voice, Jackie's, but as his eyes fluttered open he was clueless as to where they were.
Jackie was in a cell next to his and had sat on the cot that jutted up against the one he was laying on, had managed to manoeuvre her leg through the bars and was pulling back to give him another kick when he sat up.
"You're awake!" she announced as if he wouldn't be able to figure that out on his own.
"Mostly," he rubbed the sore spot on his head, not sure if it was from Rose's enthusiasm or the blow he received before waking up...wherever he was.
Looking over at Jackie, he had to bite back a smile. She looked like a mad hen, her usually carefully styled hair was sticking up at all angles and her make-up streaked down her face giving her an almost comical look. Her scowl, however, was nothing to be amused by. She was now on her feet pacing like a caged panther.
"When Pete hears of this!" she screamed up at the ceiling, "you will be lucky to escape with your pitiful excuse of a life!"
"Who are you talking to?" John asked, wondering why he wasn't more worried about their current situation.
"That little toad of a man who kidnapped us!" Jackie continued her rant, "I stepped outside for a quick smoke and he grabbed me. Told me to scream for you or he'd slit my throat!"
"Which toad would that be?" John sighed, as her screeching voice seem to bounce around his throbbing skull.
"That 'toad' would be me," a male voice offered from nearby, "welcome to Toad Hall."