The Boat That Rocked (Rocketshipping Fanfic)
Part Twenty-Seven
Jessie was slipping in and out of consciousness, her exhaustion catching up on her as she rested against the wall, head slumped against her uninjured shoulder.
"She's not coming back."
Jessie's eyes opened to consider the young girl sat in front of her. She was hugging her knees, legs pulled up to her chest, body angled towards the doorway, keeping constant vigil.
"I'd rather she didn't."
Lisa's head snapped around to give Jessie a look of disdain. Then she pursed her lips, realizing that nothing she could say would change the woman's mind set.
Lisa turned back to the doorway, her hand reaching down to play with her shoe laces, tugging at the material with short jagged nails.
"You still mess around with your nails?" Jessie mumbled.
"Huh?" she glanced down. "Oh, yeah. I tear at them without realizing it sometimes." The girl was distracted, her thoughts obviously on Jaime, and it aggravated Jessie.
"What has she done that's so great?" she sneered.
Lisa twitched. Then she spoke quietly, her tone hushed and serious. "It's not that. She's still helping us out."
"That isn't enough to warrant any of my sympathy."
"She doesn't want sympathy." Lisa's eyes whipped around to meet Jessie's.
"Sorry – wrong choice of words. I meant nothing she does will warrant any feeling other than pure dislike from me."
"Dislike?" Lisa cocked her head to the side.
"Hatred seems too strong a word," Jessie closed her eyes again, her voice lowering as exhaustion wrapped its arms around her again. "That Alphonse is the only one who deserves my hatred. Jaime isn't worth my time."
Jessie could sense the girl's desire to protest but she didn't voice her opinion. She's finally going to give up. There's no use standing up for someone like that – they'll only betray you one day.
But the silence grew and doubt began to settle in the back of her mind. She opened her eyes again and noticed Lisa's intense stare at the doorway, her body tense, slightly raised off the ground in a crouch.
"Lisa?" she whispered, as if a loud voice would shatter the girl's attention and break the sphere of security that had formed around them.
"Something's wrong," she replied, her voice as quiet as Jessie's. "I heard something from downstairs."
"It's probably that woman – nothing to worry about."
"No, you don't understand," There was a strain of desperation and fear in her voice. "Something's wrong."
An ominous sound suddenly echoed, dull and muffled, a strange groan following it.
Jessie sat up straight.
That was a silencer.
She reached across the short distance between her and Lisa and grabbed the girl's arm with a strong grip. She's shaking.
"We need to get out of here." The girl didn't move. "Now!"
Lisa shot upwards, pulling Jessie along with her, carefully lifting her uninjured arm around her shoulders and taking the woman's weight.
They moved hurriedly to the doorway, both clenching their teeth as Jessie stumbled, Lisa keeping her upright.
Lisa leaned forwards out of the doorway and then faced Jessie, whispering, "It's clear."
Where do we go? We can't go the way we came up. Is there more stairs?
"Go around there," she motioned with a jerk of her head in the opposite direction of the stairs where the hallway turned into the other part of the building. "Check the windows to see if we can climb out."
"This is the second floor." Lisa's eyes were wide.
"Just move!"
The girl pushed forwards, Jessie using all her strength to keep pace with her. She had lost a lot more blood than she originally thought and her entire body ached, her limbs heavy and her movements lethargic. Damn it, damn it, damn it.
"Do you think Jaime is o-"
"Who gives a damn about her?!" Jessie hissed, cutting the girl off. Who bloody cares? Damn her, she's not even around when we need her.
Her anger spurred her on, her steps lengthening, powering forwards. They turned the corner.
This part of the hallway was even more overgrown with winding branches and roots, but through the green Jessie could see that the exterior wall was halted every few feet with wide rectangular windows.
Moving further down the hallway, Jessie lifted her chin higher so to peer out each window as they passed. Every one either had shattered glass or none at all, the pane never seeming to have existed at all. However to her growing disappointment and panic, each window only looked downwards – straight down to the hard ground below.
We wouldn't make it if we jumped out one of these. We would have no chance. Even if we escaped with broken legs, whoever's downstairs would hear us and come in search of the noise.
Jessie cursed under her breath, all hope fading rapidly.
Jessie…
Jessie…!
"JESSIE!"
The sharp hiss in her ear startled her out of her reverie, her step faltering, slightly stumbling forwards, Lisa's hold the only thing keeping her on her feet.
She met the girl's gaze, her eyes full of fear.
"What is it?" she asked weakly.
"There," she pointed with a forefinger. "This window is just above a garage. There's a roof we can jump down on."
And sure enough just outside the window, about a metre down, was a moss-covered, leaf-strewn concrete roof.
Jessie breathed a sigh of relief and nodded at the opening. "You go first, okay?"
"Huh?" she shook her head. "No way."
"If you go first, you can help me down, right?" Jessie argued.
She hesitated. Then she nodded begrudgingly, making sure Jessie could lean against the wall as she raised a leg up onto the window ledge.
Jessie watched the young girl leap swiftly out of the window, her feet landing with a soft thud on the flat garage roof, her hands reaching upwards, towards the window, reaching for her, a small smile on her lips, hope brightening up her eyes, a cool breeze rustling her hair around her face.
Jessie reached out for those hands but something stopped her.
Hands. There are hands around my throat.
Lisa's expression twisted in to one of fear and desperation, arms struggling to pull herself up back through the window but a large hand smacked her away.
"It's nice to see you again…" A voice growled in her ear, moist breath on her neck. "It appears you picked up another pet on the way…"
Jessie clenched her teeth, lips pulling back in a grimace. She squirmed in the man's hold but his arms curled around her, the hands tightening on her throat.
"Now, now…" the voice hissed. "Keep still. Behave like a good girl."
Lisa was at the window again, her body half pulled up, her expression dark and furious – and terrified. "Let go of Jessie!" she shouted, spit flying from her mouth.
The arms around her, the body pressed against her back, started shuddering. He's laughing. The bastard is laughing.
One of the hands at her neck released its hold and then reappeared moments later beside Jessie's head, the gleam of polished metal inches from her eye.
Lisa froze.
There was a click as Alphonse's thumb pulled back.
He's pointing a gun at Lisa. He's going to shoot her. He's going to kill her.
Jessie mustered all her strength and jerked her head back. With a satisfying crack and a pained cry, the gun lowered, the hand at her neck disappearing, as Alphonse fell backwards.
Jessie didn't hesitate to look back at her handiwork, and threw herself forwards. Lisa had leapt back from the window, her arms open once more to catch Jessie has she struggled out of the window, groaning as her limbs protested.
Finally, she landed beside Lisa on the garage roof.
"You bitch!" a roar made them flinch. "You bitch, you broke my nose!"
"Hurry, hurry, hurry." Jessie spun around, grabbing hold of Lisa's slight shoulders and pushing her, forcing her to move across the flat concrete.
Being careful of the slippery debris, they had reached the centre of the roof, aiming for the adjacent building where more windows promised escape, when a shot rang out.
A bullet flew past Jessie's ear, the sound and sensation feeling like her skin was on fire. She flinched, bowing her head, pushing Lisa harder.
Another shot – this time by their feet.
"Hey, girlies…" a sneering yet angry voice followed them. "I'd stop if I were you."
More shots dotted the ground around them, dangerously close to their feet, and they halted. Jessie turned her head to look up. Alphonse was leaning against the window frame, gun pointed at them, stable and sure. His nose was bleeding and swollen, sat at an odd angle, his eyes watering yet glaring clear at them.
"That's it." He smiled.
"What do you want?" Jessie spoke quietly but Alphonse heard her.
"I want to have fun," he replied, his tone terrifyingly matter-of-fact. "I want to make you feel pain, I want to make you bleed and cry, I want you to feel defeat and taste death." He raised the gun slightly. "What do you think?"
"I think that's a crap way to have fun." She spat.
"Oh? That so? Well, I don't really care if you find it fun." The gun was moving again, this time pointing to the left. What is he doing?
"What's your pet's name?"
"I'm not a pet!" Lisa said under her breath. Jessie looked at her. That's what bothers you?
"Lisa." Jessie answered, dropping her hands from the girl's shoulders and standing straight. "Her name's Lisa."
His eyes roamed up and down the girl's body. "Maybe I'll have my fun with her too. Of a different kind," his gaze flicked to Jessie. "You had a little taste of that, didn't you?"
Rage and fear sent shivers up her spine and she took a step forwards, fists clenched at her sides. A bullet struck the ground before her.
"Stay still."
Her eyes burned. "I won't let you touch her."
He laughed. "I don't think you have any choice on that matter." In a fluid movement, Alphonse had leapt out of the window and landed on the roof, the gun never leaving them.
As the man neared them, a strange feeling crept up on her. We can't get out of this. We have no chance. There's no escape.
Lisa's hand was gripping Jessie's arm. The girl was trembling, her eyes watching the man fearfully. I'm so sorry, Lisa. We've pulled you into this. I'm so sorry.
I'm so sorry but we won't be going home.
I'm sorry.