Hi there, so tired today... not even coffee helps... Hope you like this chapter.
I don't own Four Brothers, or the lyrics which comes from "Chasing cars" By Snow Patrol.
For a few micro seconds everything seemed frozen in time. Nobody moved, nobody even breathed, then Bobby took two steps towards the stairs again, hoping that he hadn't been seen yet. The harsh shout following his movement crushed that idea.
"Hey! Stop right there" Bobby did, and turned to see the man taking the steps that would bring him into the room, and even closer to Jerry. He was holding a gun, and as the brothers watched he leveled it at Jerry's head more firmly. "Another step and you'll be cleaning up this one's brains for a week".
"What do you want?" Bobby asked calmly despite the fire raging in his veins. The bad feeling he'd had since he opened the door only intensified and he couldn't help but curse himself for not reacting faster, for not thinking about the other door straight away. "There's not much to steal around here" He added.
"Shut up" The man glanced behind him as the other one appaered too, rubbing his arm and glaring straight at Bobby, who stared back without flinching.
"Let's talk about this alright?" Angel took a step forward, hands held out in a gesture that signaled peace, but he stopped when the other man pulled out a knife in response.
"Don't move"
Bobby watched with cold eyes and mouth set in a firm line from his place by the stairs. "I ask again, what do you want?" He locked eyes with the one holding the gun, as he seemed to be the one calling the shots. When he didn't answer straight away he narrowed his eyes in thought. "Do you have any idea whose house you've just broken into?"
That provoked a response, as the one holding the gun grinned a little, a strange glint lighting up his eyes in a way that caused Bobby's feeling of unease to grow even more. "It's the right one alright, Mercer".
Bobby sighed inwardly. So it was personal then. Fantastic. "Have I screwed you over? Harassed you? Made fun of your girly shoes or what? Whatever it is, be a man and take it with me you piece of shit". He spat the last part out in a challenge, hoping to draw more attention to himself, and away from Jerry.
It didn't work, as the one holding the gun laughed a little before pointing the gun at them, one at a time. "Wrong Mercer".
Bobby lifted an eyebrow in question, a sardonic grin lighting his face. "Wrong as in I was wrong or..."
"As in you're not the Mercer we seek"
Fucking shit. Bobby's eyes snapped quickly to Angel and Jerry, their eyes showing the same confusion as his own. Who were they after? They were all... Bobby's heart seemed to stop the same time that thought did. The assholes hadn't done anything yet other than threaten them. They hadn't attacked them, told them what they wanted or made any move to kill them, at least not yet. But then again, all of them weren't here either. One Mercer was missing, and suddenly Bobby just knew that he was the one they were waiting around for.
"We're all here asshole" Jerry spat, and Bobby knew he had figured out the same thing he himself had.
"No no no" The man holding the gun chuckled. "One's missing, right? Little Jack? Where's he at tonight?"
Fucking shit. Bobby clenched his hands tightly, but it was Angel who answered.
"He's not home asswipe"
"Shut your fucking mouth!" The gun pointed in Angel's direction and the tension in the air rose.
"He's right" Bobby cut in smoothly. "He's not home, probably won't be til tomorrow. He's fickle like that" Another sardonic grin. It worked, and the man focused his attention at Bobby again.
"This your kind of music?" He gestured around the house, where Sid was now singing a different tune.
Bobby shrugged "What if it is? You got a problem with that?"
The man holding the knife stepped forward. "I got a problem with you boy"
Bobby stepped forward in response, fear for his brothers making adrenaline race through his body and causing his muscles to tense in preparation for a fight. "Let's hear it then you piece of shit".
The man holding the gun placed a firm hand on his partners shoulder. "Cut it out. Now I know your lying to me, and I don't like being lied to, so let's try this again, where the hell is he?"
"Are you stupid or something?" Angel stepped forward, ignoring the gun pointing his way "He's not home!"
The man snarled, and pushed Jerry violently to the floor before throwing a hard punch across Angel's jaw, making him stumble back before righting himself in order to fight back. He was then met with the gun and he stopped in his step. "One more time... one more time and the next bullet goes straight here" he tapped at Angel's forhead with the nuzzle.
"Angel" Jerry spoke warningly, having already gotten to his feet again.
Angel glared at the man, but took a step back, coming to a stop next to Jerry, blood coating his lip.
"Hey" The man focused his attention back at Bobby. "What's your name?" The question, innocent as it was, was spoken with words cold enough to make hell freeze, malice dripping from every word.
The man with the gun shrugged and grinned. "Billy. Why?"
"I always like to know the name of the man I'm going to kill" Bobby's voice was low, muted with rage simmering just beneath the surface, and for one short second Billy faltered, surprised by the rage he felt pouring from the man by the stairs before he shook it off quickly.
"We'll see about that won't we" Billy grinned wide. "Now... where were we... that's right. You were about to tell me were Jack is hiding".
…
Jack raised his head from the pillow at the unexpected sound. He didn't know what he'd heard, it sounded like a thump, very likely since wrestling was as common as curses in Mercer household. Probably Bobby and Jerry, duking it out. Or rather, problem solving as Bobby liked to call it. He got up and walked over to the door, listening to see if he could hear who was winning, maybe Angel would be interested in a little bet... he could use som cash for that record he'd been eyeing. He opened the door wider, and something made him stop in his step, a feeling of unease creeping over him again. It was quiet. It was never quiet when he or his brothers wrestled or fought. Never. The music came to a stop and he glanced back at the player, it'd been the last song on the record, and now the quiet seemed even more obvious than before. Despite his better judgement, despite everything he knew and everything he'd learned growing up he took a few steps out in the hallway. The relief he felt when he saw Bobby standing next to the stairs at the bottom was immediate and he smiled a little. He took a few steps down, the stairs creaking as they always did when someone walked on them.
"Already winning huh?" Bobby's eyes snapped up to his, and Jack frowned at the panic he saw in them. "What..."
He didn't have a chance to continue before Bobby threw himself at the table by the door, grabbing Evelyn's beloved vace and hurling it forward. "Run Jack!" But he hadn't even had time to take a single step before Bobby was thrown against the stairs roughly. He sat up quickly only to be met with a gun pointed straight at his head.
Jack let out a gasp and took two quick steps down before coming to a stop as the man holding the gun on Bobby looked up and met his eyes.
"Jack. Finally".
"Billy what the fuck we do with this one now? Fuck look at him, all broken and shit. He's not even talking? I doubt he's even thinkin..."
"Here, that'll wake him up"
Searing pain, burning pain, the smell of burnt flesh... pain, screams...neverending screams...
Jack was frozen, his eyes still locked on Billy's. Memories played like a movie without sound through his head. Slideshow after slideshow, one new pain after another until there was nothing new about it anymore. He felt cold, he was cold, he was dead, he had to be. He was sure of it, there was no way that Billy was standing in his home. His home, his safe haven, the only safe place he'd ever known, the only one he could remember, the only home he wanted to remember.
"Jack" Bobby's voice pushed it's way through the memories and the fear, and he broke away from Billy's gaze to meet his oldest brother's. Bobby had angled his head back and to the side, ignoring the gun now pressing against the side of his face. When their eyes met Bobby didn't speak, but mouthed at him to run. Jack frowned, what did he mean? But then he understood, Bobby wanted him to run and leave them all behind. No, no he couldn't do that, he wouldn't do that. Without knowing he shook his head and Bobby's eyes hardened, but he stayed where he was, frozen on the stairs.
"Jack" Billy's voice made him shiver."Don't you think you should get down here?"
"Don't talk to him you fucking piece of shit" Bobby growled out between teeth clenched tight.
His head exploded with pain as his head snapped to the side and for a moment Bobby saw stars dancing in front of his eyes. He heard Angel and Jerry gasp and rush forward, only to be forced back, and he heard Jack scream. He leaned heavily on his side, waiting for the dizziness to fade, and when he did he felt the telltale feel of something warm running down his face. When the red reached his mouth he looked up at the fucker glaring at him and touched it, blood coating his fingertips. Then he grinned. The grin slipped when he felt Jack at his back.
If I lay here, if I just lay here, would you lie with me, and just forget the world?
"I'm right here" Jack's voice was muted, resigned, and Bobby wondered if he was talking to him, or Billy? "Don't hurt him, I'm right here".
He tried to resist the urge to reach down and make sure that Bobby was okay, certain that something like that would only produce more violence from Billy. He glanced down when Bobby chuckled roughly.
"Jack, don't you worry, I can take anything this fucking Sinead O'Connor wannabe can do. I'll probably even like it"
Another mocking grin and Jack wanted to scream in frustration. He knew what he was doing, drawing attention away from his brothers, and back to him. Brothers... For the first time he lifted his head to glance over to the kitchen. He'd felt them there, knew they were watching, and he was right. Standing a few feet apart were his other brothers, the man he knew would have been with Billy standing next to him, arm outstretched, knife glinting with the light coming from the overhead lamp.
"Jack. Look at you, all grown up" He raised his hand not holding the knife in a mock wave. "My my, don't you look pretty..."
"Don't talk to him" The words were low, but a clear warning, and the knife was quickly pointed at Jerry.
"You're in no position to make demands" Billy snarled from the stairs. "Get up" He gestured to Bobby, who got to his feet slowly. "Over there". He gestured over to Angel and Jerry, but Bobby stayed where he was, his brown eyes locked on Billy's. "I said move!"
Bobby smiled slowly, the coldness in his eyes making them seem almost black. This new position put him right in front of Jack, the best place to be right now according to him. He felt him at his back, felt the fear rolling over him in waves. This fucker probably didn't know it, but this was his job, he'd promised to protect him, and he would, no matter what. "Make me".