March 2008
"What do you mean the company's under? What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Dad screamed into the phone. "It's all speculation what the fuck do you mean that the investors ran off?" I saw him pinching the bridge of his nose. I wanted to ask Dad what was wrong, but I was too afraid and too sick to do so. I sat there at the foot of the staircase, looking at him. "What? You have got to be kidding me. I have a family to feed you asshole!" He threw the phone at the wall, and it shattered and the wall now has a hole. "We're done," Dad said as he looked at Mom.
"We can find something else-" Mom tried to comfort Dad, but Dad pushed her.
"Don't you get it? There is nothing we can do, your company went under, I just got laid off and my pension is gone with the wind! Don't you get it? We're as good as dead. My name is on the blacklist, we don't have the money to settle all our loans, we have nothing!" Dad cried. "Think about the kids! Lori, Leni, Luna, Luan, Lynn Junior, and Lincoln, they will never be free from our debt, they won't live happily!"
"Lynn, what are you talking about?" Mom asked Dad. "What did you do?"
"Fuck it... I took a loan from a shark..." Dad said. "I placed the house, and the cars as collateral,"
"What the fuck was that loan for you stupid asshole?!" Mom went mad. I shuddered.
"It was for the holiday home in Oregon," Dad said. I heard Mom crying and hitting Dad, I didn't want to hear it, so I placed my hands on my ears. I could still hear them. Suddenly, I felt something wet coming out of my nose, it was blood. I coughed. They heard me because they came rushing. They saw me sitting on the foot of the stairs with blood dripping out of my nose. I didn't want them to know I heard what they said, so I smiled.
"Hi Mom, Hi Dad," I said.
I woke up and I felt that I was not wearing my uniform anymore. My phone and wallet are on the table. I got up and I saw that I was right, I was in my tank top and boxer briefs. Luan and Lynn said that it was too boyish when we were little, but the moment they felt how comfortable they were, they converted immediately. I stood up and I saw that it was afternoon now. I went to the kitchen and I saw a KFC bag with a sticky note on the side; "I'm going to the DMV, your sisters already had lunch, eat all of it. Love, Pop-pop," I flipped it around and I saw written on the back, "PS, your uniform is on your bed!" I placed the note in my wallet and I sat down.
It was lukewarm, but it did its duty and made me full. I got upstairs and I took a bath. We have 2 empty rooms up here, Pop-pop didn't know what to do with them. I suggested that we rent it out, but who'd want to rent a room in Royal Woods? There is nothing here. I got in the washroom and I took a bath. I got back out and I went to my room. My uniform hung in my open closet. I hung my towel on my chair and I sat down. I opened my desk drawer and I looked at the smashed-up MP3 player Dad gave me. "Please don't kill me," I heard a voice from beside me, I turned around and I saw that man with the rifle. It's still as horrific. I looked at him and I saw one thing I missed yesterday. A ring indentation. The vic was married, yet no one has reported a missing spouse. Maybe, the first and second victims were married. Certainly, it's not impossible.
I looked at the watch, it's still early. I grabbed my underpants and I slid them on. The weather is getting colder, I grabbed a white T-shirt from my drawer and I put it on. I don't have anything to do, I suppose I'd play that guitar I bought. I grabbed the guitar case and I got downstairs. Not that anything is interesting, I just need to cool off. I left my room and heard Luan shouting from my left. I turned my head, and I saw Luan and a boy beside her. "Luna go put some pants on!" Luan yelled.
"I don't want to add more to the laundry pile," I said as I descended the stairs. I heard her saying some stuff to the boy, but it didn't matter, I'm not feminine enough for anyone to like. I sat the guitar beside the couch and I went to the kitchen, I made myself some coffee, grabbed a bag of Doritos, and sat down on the couch.
I sat there. Playing the guitar haphazardly as I munched on the Doritos. When suddenly the door opened and Pop-pop came inside. He looked at me and I looked at him. "Save me some," He said.
"I'll buy you another bag," I said.
"Five bags,"
"Two bags,"
"Three bags,"
"Two bags and a ramen,"
"Deal," Pop-pop said as he closed the door and went to his room. I went back to playing the guitar.
2 Weeks Later...
I sat there in the locker room with Greg beside me. Staring at the closed lockers. Tired. We finished sending all the files to the County and now we're dead tired. 9 open case files, all with the same MO, were processed and transferred to the county sheriff. An 18-hour shift just to make sure all the files were properly accounted for. Why are we doing the file custodian's job? I looked at my watch and I saw that it was half past ten. I haven't had lunch. I stood up and I slid a jacket on top of my uniform, I didn't even bother to take the vest off. "You hungry?" Greg asked as he closed his locker.
"Quite," I said.
"Wanna go to the pub?"
"I don't drink alcohol,"
"They have 'British Cuisine', I thought girls like exotic cuisine?" Greg said. "They have shepherd's pie, fish and chips, that weird pie with the fish staring at the ceiling,"
"Sadly, I'm not like other girls,"
"That's apparent enough," Greg replied. "Compared to... Well compared to anyone in this department, you're probably the scariest officer, second only to Captain Anderson of course," He said. "You know, the average police officer would not have fired a single bullet outside of a shooting range in their entire career, and you shot 3 people dead with what two dozen bullets? Hell, I never shot anyone before!" He said. "Just get ready for the captain to suggest you to the SWAT team," He laughed. "So, are you in or not?"
"For what?" I ignored everything but the last part.
"Pub!" He said as he zipped his jacket.
"Yeah alright," I said, he reached his hand out and I grabbed it. He pulled me up and we got out. I got in Greg's truck and we got to the pub, I'm not drinking. "Banger's N' Mosh" certainly looks exotic, with the Union Jack displayed on top of the door and the guitar right beside the name plaque, it certainly looked British, or what we Americans think British culture is. We got inside and immediately I saw how packed the place is. We took a seat and we sat down, such a quirky place. A waiter came to our seat and in the thickest fake British accent I've ever heard, he asked what we wanted. I got Fish and Chips and coke, and Greg got the same food and a pint of beer. The waiter left and
"You're not drinking?" Greg asked.
"I told you I'm not drinking," I said as I took my phone out and sat it on the table.
"Your loss," Greg replied. I sat there, not knowing what to do, I looked around. Families, smiling and eating, yet behind most of them stood a creature death took away, still in their beaten form, some wet, some burnt, some bloody, we all have skeletons in our closet, some just have the flesh still on it. I looked at the door, seeing more people coming in, then she walked in, the girl from the music shop, Sam. She was holding a guitar case, and some other people walked in right behind her, carrying instruments of their own. "You know those people?" Greg asked me.
"Just the girl, she sold me an electric guitar," I said. "Do you?" I asked him.
"Local band, started in high school, pretty famous in town," Greg replied. I looked at her and I saw her face, her smile is beautiful. Food arrived not too long afterward. I was enjoying the fish and chips when the lights went suddenly a microphone check was done, I turned my head around and I saw the girl and the people with the instruments set up beside the bar. A performance perhaps?
"Hey hey hey guys! How are you all tonight? Fine dining at the Banger's and Mash are we all?!" She asked. Lots of energy in that otherwise small girl. "Tonight, we the Moon Goats will serenade you all with the greatest performance ever!" She riled the people up and claps raged on. I sat there, looking at them play, my plate emptied and my coke dry. It was mesmerizing looking at her on stage. "SULLY, TURN IT UP TO ELEVEN!" The girl yelled.
"You alright Luna?" Greg tapped my shoulder. I turned my head to him. He smiled. "Someone has a crush," He said.
"W-what?" I stuttered. I looked down and I felt my heart pumping hard, it's almost the same as the feeling I had when I was in that store, but turned up to eleven. The chest rig is in the way, God what's happening to me?
Greg left first, and I stayed longer, listening, and looking at her play. He paid for the food and I sat there at the seat, staring. I suppose I didn't notice the time. The restaurant emptied. I was too caught up in a trance I got out because that girl tapped my shoulder from beside me. I turned my head and I saw her face, so close to mine. "You're that girl that bought a guitar a few days ago, Luna Loud was it?" She asked.
"Y-yeah! I'm surprised you remembered me," I replied, trying to sound as normal as possible.
"Hard to forget anyone in this town. What are you doing here?" She asked.
"Umm... Eat," I replied. I didn't know what to say.
"I dig that, come, let me introduce you to the crew," She said as she grabbed my arm. "Damn, you work out a lot?" She asked as she squeezed my arm. My heart felt as if it would tear apart my ribcage and form a commune devoted to her. She squeezed some more, "Wow, holy shit, your arm feels good, it's like holding a pipe," She mumbled to herself, her eyes locked on my arm. Then she shook her head, and her face went red, "Sorry about that," She released her grip and pulled me by my hand to the stage, the rest of the band members were almost done packing up their instruments. "Guys, guys! I want to introduce you guys to this specimen over here, Luna Loud, she bought a guitar and an amp from my shop the other day," I waved my still free hand at them.
"Hi," I said.
"Hi to you too, the name's Sully," The only guy in the band reached his hand out for a handshake, and I shook it. "Luna Loud, quite the rocker name there, pseudonym or God-given?" He asked.
"Dad-given I'm afraid," I replied.
"Neither huh, you're chill," He said as he took his gloves off.
"Mazzy," A plump girl replied, her bangs covering her eyes I suppose perception isn't her biggest point of personality. "Sam rarely introduces us to anyone but cats, you two fucking?" She asked with a smile on her face.
"What?" I stuttered. I turned my head and looked at Sam, her face was red.
"Mazzy what the fuck?" Sam asked the girl with the bad field of view. "Sorry about that, Mazzy is a 'tard,"
"Hey! I'm a tart not a 'tard, you fucking retard," Mazzy replied.
"You never got laid Maze," Sully said from behind. They certainly are wild. I smiled.
It was almost 2 in the morning, I got home and I lay down on my bed. I stared up at the ceiling and I saw her, that girl again, that bloody dead girl hanging from my ceiling. "Help," She said. "Help," She said. "Help," She said. I can't help her, so I closed my eyes.