by David Sharp
“That’s what I am talking about Liev,” the man says pocketing the stuff.
Sensing the open door, the skinhead instantly grabs Jason throttling him against the tile. A switchblade clicks open to his face with vicious pressure. “You didn’t see a fucking thing,” Liev snarls.
Jason recoils at the cold metal and blurts out, “No…I didn’t.”
“Right.” Liev moves the blade closer to Jason’s left eye. “If you did, I will take your eyes.”
The blade clicks back in and they leave him, the blonde with a wink and Liev with malice. Jason exhales, not realizing till that moment that he was holding his breath, and trembles at his terrified reflection in the grimy mirror.
*
Outside the girls put on some light sweaters from their small stuffed bags.
Tanya shivers and tosses out her random thoughts, “You could always stay with me.”
“Yeah, only if your mom didn’t live there,” Kelly crosses her arms.
“She’s better now…” Tanya lets that trail off suddenly paying attention to their surroundings. “Something’s wrong here.”
The wild eyed girl still stares unblinkingly while the other is talking to a frumpy boy, in a trench coat with many a facial piercings, and stealing glances.
Kelly catches Tanya’s gaze and chills at the scene. “Ignore them.”
“Right.” Tanya turns trying to smile.
Jason returns with a tray filled with tacos and Cokes, with shaky hands he sets it down.
“What’s wrong?” Kelly feels even more uncomfortable looking into his eyes.
Jason looks around at their slightly growing audience and shudders. “Nothing.”
The wind blows harder waving the metal street sign at the corner back and forth. Hunger overtakes and absorbed in the tacos they momentarily forget the surroundings.
The girl with the wild eyes startles them with her soft approach. “Hey, do you have a dollar?” The girl brazenly stares at them.
Kelly shakes her head and Jason slowly chews the ground beef with grease dribbling down his chin.
“No, we don’t,” Tanya rudely replies.
“Awe, come on.” The girl reaches down to her boot then reconsiders it. “How’d you buy your food?”
Jason swallows. “Just give her a dollar.”
Kelly silently shakes her head and notices the other rougher looking girl with the buzzed hair strolling over.
“Bitch can get a job,” Tanya blurts out slamming her hands on the table for emphasis.
“Like yours,” the girl says unblinking with a flash of hate behind her cruel eyes. “We’re hungry, come on.”
“Syd, they giving my girl trouble?” The blonde asks rocking side to side.
“No, Hex. I’m just having some fun.”
Kelly tosses her napkin on the table and asserts, “Let’s go.”
Jason notices Liev, hands in pocket by a telephone near the corner and rises. “No trouble. We’re leaving.”
“You shouldn’t be here after dark.” The butch Hex fingers her lips in response.
Syd moves in closer to Kelly sensing her weakness. “Can I have a dollar?”
“Let’s go now,” Jason stresses urgently.
Syd grabs a taco of Tanya’s plate and in response she lunges grabbing Hex’s tattooed arm trying to pry it loose. “What the Fuck?” Tanya is in over her head and sees the wild flash of enjoyment in Syd’s eyes.
The bigger girl reaches over grabbing Kelly like a prize. Kelly tries to stand but is wrestled towards the other girl’s chest. Jason jumps back flinging food and knocking his metal chair down. The trench wearing man calmly walks over simultaneously reaching into his coat.
“Get off me,” Kelly screams as she is roughly grabbed from behind, breasts being groped.
“Feels like chicken,” Hex says.
“Stop this.” Fear creeps into Tanya’s voice as she attempts to let go as Syd vice grips her forearm. The taco is crushed and shreds of it fall down. “Leave us alone.”
“I’m going to cut you and flush you,” Syd says with intense malice and hate.
Kelly whimpers as she is licked along the side of her neck and Tanya stumbles as she is loosed while Syd teases like a cat about to pounce.
Jason gives a pleading look to Tanya and backs up. “We’re sorry,” he manages. “We’re leaving.”
Liev’s lip curls into a smile and he folds his arms half turning to them. The large guy licks some of his lip rings and reveals a small stun gun from behind a fold in his jacket. The electricity passes in a blue arc of voltage crackling as he switches it on and off edging closer to his prey.
“Please,” Kelly begs trying not to let the tears come, “stop.”
“Why?” Hex sadistically laughs at the notion.
The stun gun clacks and the boy-man mumbles softly and incomprehensible at first then growing louder and clearer with each step, “…coming here from suburbia – think they know it all.” He clacks the gun on and off again. “…think they are better than us.” The blue light flashes and clacks burning the air. “…need a little education…” He smiles at the thought. “…on the way things are…is in order.”
The electricity passes in front of Kelly’s face crackling and sending the little hairs on her skin upright. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because you’re weak,” Hex speaks in her ear manhandling her.
“Jason,” Tanya fearfully yells, “do something!”
Jason is frozen in terror staring at the skinhead who taunts him.
Liev mouths the words, “You’re ass is mine.”
The tension breaks when a police car pulls in parking in the lot.
“Knappy put it away.” Liev motions to an alley. “Out of here.”
Knappy slickly stows the stun gun walking past them, Liev turns the other way, and Syd grabs Hex’s arm and she lets go of Kelly and smiles a fake girlish smile.
“We’ll play later,” Syd promises.
Hex winks and kisses her girl on the cheek.
Tanya hugs Kelly who breaks down in her arms crying. The first police officer gets out of his car, standing above six feet, he surveys them. Jason takes the tray of leftovers and trashes it in a can. Tanya embraces Kelly patting her on the back to soften the sobs as the cop walks past.
“Fucking dykes everywhere,” the patrolman says under his breath.
Kelly sniffles trying to stop the tears that have been so long coming from all the abuse and tension of her broken home life.
“We need to go now and find a safe place,” Jason softly speaks.
“Why did you just stand there?” Tanya pushes him away.
Jason looks away, the street kids are nowhere to be seen. Thunder rumbles in the distance in an ominous way.
*
The threesome walk on the opposite side of Westheimer Street, back the way they came. Assorted street people seem to be staring in a malicious fashion.
Kelly is still quite shaken up from the “Taco Corner’ encounter. “We shouldn’t have come here.”
“I’m here girl, it will be alright.”
The temperature drops as the wind notches up. Lightening zigzags across the sky, thunder rumbling afterwards with a deep bass.
Jason is preoccupied in thought trying to piece together a way to fix things. “If we get off this street maybe we can find an empty house,” Jason thinks out loud.
The girls walk closer together as Jason leads. The first chance they turn off into a neighborhood. It is mixed with old mansion style homes and small apartment complexes. Old trees reach over and canopy the road.
“Anymore bright ideas,” Tanya mocks.
“There has to be a vacant one somewhere,” Jason frets.
“I want to go home,” Kelly states in monotone.
“Honey, I don’t think a bus even runs this late,” Tanya says feeling lost.
“Great, we’re stuck here to morning.” Kelly feels the first cold drops of rain splash down from the heavens.
A rusted tan 1968 Mustang slowly cruises around the corner with no lights.
“Walk faster, that car is following us,” Jason urges in a hushed tone.
Ahead of them, down the street a shadowy figure cat calls. It is answered by someone close.
Tanya stops. “What the fuck was that?”
“I’m scared.” Kelly shivers.
The car u-turns changing course towards them.
“Follow me.” Jason in a near panic takes the lead.
The girls picks up their pace following him out of the open and down an alley. The rain drops in hard pellets, here and there. The Mustang stops behind them blocking that way. In silhouette, four raggedy punk figures, familiar from before, stand waiting at the far end trapping them.
In a deep voice Liev torments, “Hey…you wanna come out and play?”
“Why are you doing this?” Tanya pleads at the dark shapes in the alley.
Syd steps forward into a shaft of light. “Cause we can.”
The others laugh and some make animal noises.
“Let’s take them,” Hex growls.
The gang starts towards the frightened teenagers. The noises become more perverse and indecipherable.
Kelly turns to her friends frantically. “What are we going to do?” A car door whines open behind them and a tall unknown hulking figure steps out into the gravel.
Liev yells out, “No, the boy is mine!”
Jason thinking fast says, “This way,” and grabs Kelly and Tanya’s wrists pulling them to the side. Urgently he nudges them, “Go!”
“Where?” Tanya asks heart racing.
“Up.” Jason points over a dumpster. “That way!”
“I can’t…I can’t,” Kelly whimpers.
The gravel crunches louder and the strange sounds amplify and echo.
“Now,” Jason shoves her off her feet.
Tanya joins him pushing too. “Get up…ugh… girl,” Tanya grunts.
Kelly lifts herself up balancing on the rim of the garbage bin, having to step across empty space to reach the fence beyond. Tanya is instantly on the perch behind her. Jason does not wait and jumps ahead reaching back, one hand on a metal picket. Kelly grabs his hand straining to get across when another hand burst forth from the trash latching onto her ankle. Kelly screams.
Tanya kicks at it yelling, “No, no, no, no,” which each contact.
The grip is loosed revealing a bum wallowing in the filth. Tanya pushes them forward causing the three of them to land in a backyard. The fence shakes and rattles and another eerie catcall can be heard whistled out from the other side. They run staying close together, adrenaline and pure fear driving them on and over another smaller fence. Doberman Pinchers lunge from the darkness severely barking and snapping at them. The girls scream but keep running to the next fence. Halfway over one of the dogs gets a hold of Jason’s wide pant leg.
“Fuck!” He kicks at the snarling dog and the material tears in its jaws. Jason stumbles barely protecting his face from the fast approaching ground and is up passing the girls to yet another fence.
“Are they behind us?” Tanya pants with exertion.
“I don’t know.” Jason trips in stride. “Keep going…faster!”
Kelly is over the last fence first, back out into a dark street she stops to look around in awe at the ominous surroundings. Thunder roars and the clouds open up pouring a deluge down. The others come up behind her, shoes skidding on the wet pavement.
Haphazard, Jason leads them down and away from the street lamps. “This way,” Jason exclaims winded and guides them to a two story run down house that seems vacant.
The building, old and dark, is raised off the ground with bricks. Water cascades from its clogged gutters around the weathered porch. The place gives off a cold uncomfortable air. As fate would have it, the door is unlocked and they rush inside. Jason locks the door. Pulling the group down to their knees, he crawls on his haunches to peek out a window. Nobody seems to be outside, although it is hard to tell with the rain and lack of light. Huddling down in the center the girls feel afraid of everything they look at around them.
Kelly’s whole body shakes. “This is not happening…not happening.” She finally breaks down crying.
“Shush, it is okay, we’re safe,” Tanya comforts and tries to reassure both of them as rain pounds harder on the roof above.
“Not touching me…putting….” Kelly stops making sense rattles on.
“I’m here.” Tanya brushes back Kelly’s wet hair with her fingers gently rocking back and forth.
“Not fingers inside me,” Kelly speaks glassily, “not happening.”
“Keep her quiet,” Jason demands then more softly adds, “Please.”
“Okay.” Tanya gives him a remorseful look for all the petty arguments. “I’m so…”
“Don’t say it.” He gives her a weak smile and looks up. “I’ve got to check this place out.” Jason silently walks away leaving them cradled together, Kelly mumbling softly in Tanya’s arms.
*
Jason flicks on a lighter to illuminate the dark passage. The walls seem tainted and the smell of rot overpowers. He turns a cracked glass doorknob, nicking the skin of his palm. It stings as he puts the wound to his mouth and enters a room with boarded up windows and a lone closet with slatted folding doors. A small lopsided reading light with a moth eaten shade shines in the far corner casts a faint glow. Yellowed paperbacks are piled high against the walls. Jason backs out lighter in hand and shudders at the thought of opening the next door. He reaches for it and a hand grabs his shoulder.
“Fuck,” he exhales, “you scared me!”
“There are too many windows.” Tanya holds Kelly motioning back. “She doesn’t feel safe.”
“Take her in there.” Jason nods to the faint glow.
“Need to sleep…yeah, sleep…no more.” Kelly drifts into unreality.
“Thanks.” Tanya lightly kisses Jason’s cheek.
*
Jason decides to ignore the hall and backtracks. In the entry room he notices a shadowed staircase rising in the back. The stairs are rickety and feel unsafe. His heart pounds harder as he ascends.
*
In the room below, Tanya and Kelly listen too gently rocking. Kelly closes her eyes in prayer while Tanya pets her through a veil of terror.
*
The upstairs has a similar hallway but smaller and cramped with broken furniture. A door opens into a gulf of darkness. The lighter’s fading flame does not help to decipher much. The next one is eerily locked, the handle cold to the touch. The third clicks loudly in the stillness and eases open. Light pours under layers of clear plastic bisecting the room forming a curtain of sorts. There is a sharp tangent odor that causes Jason to wince. Bubbling and popping noises softly echo off the bare walls. The windows are foiled over. A loud cracking noise jolts him. It sounds like the front door and the commotion of multiple people. Jason quietly shuts the door to the room and backs away.
*
Tanya puts her hand over Kelly’s mouth, silencing her murmurs. She deftly looks around and scoots them into the closet folding the door shut.
*
The voices are familiar but indecipherable. The bubbling grows louder with each step.
Jason continues backwards realizing. “Oh my God.” A sheet of dirty plastic comes down over him forced by large arms. Jason inhales as it wraps around him, struggling as the hulking figure ties a rope around his midsection and slams him hard on the floor. The weight of the other pins him down in place. Another rope binds his ankles. Jason tries to scream but sucks in plastic instead. His flailing arms are tied next. Panic and fear reign in his eyes. Dizziness overcomes, eyes roll back white, and Jason slumps to the floor twitching.
The door opens and Liev smiles extracting his switchblade, a dirty gleam in his eye.
*
The ruckus stops above them. Kelly snaps out of her delirium while Tanya’s eyes grow wide as saucers. Tanya looks thro
ugh the slits into the soft lit room. Muffled voices are followed by a click and squeak as a hall door wisps open. Kelly feels into the corner of the closet, it is soft and damp, yet deeper. A draft blows up from the rain soaked outdoors. She can barely make out a jagged opening to below.
“There is a way out,” Kelly whispers.
“Jason is out there,” Tanya whispers back.
Kelly shakes her head. “It’s the only way.” Kelly lowers her front half down snagging her shirt on a loose board. The crawlspace is dank and dark, but light emits slightly with the flashing of lightening from the sides. The sound of rain is louder. Spider webs billow in the damp air. Kelly takes in the path and pulls back out, but her shirt is stuck.
Tanya gets her wits back and tries to free her friend when they are shocked frozen by a gasping blood curdling scream from above followed by more pounding from the ceiling. The shirt tears free spilling the two girls against the wall. Doors slam and footsteps sound off in other parts of the house. There is another pounding sound from above that breaks loose sheet rock dust to sprinkle down on them.
*
Liev raptly watches Jason gasp, blade still extended and loosely held in hand. “Hound, let me have him for a bit,” Liev says like a kid wanting to play with a puppy.
Hound pants like a dog earning his nickname and removes his hand from Jason’s mouth and slides back into the shadows. Jason gasps through the slit in the plastic and writhes about.
“Pl…ples…please,” Jason begs, “let me go.”
“It’s too late for that, boy.” Liev steps forward raising his shirt past his navel and unbuttoning his pants in a quick motion.
Jason whimpers. The blade gleams and his eyes go wide as its shadow crosses his face. Rubbing down his back, Liev digs the metal into the heavy jean material at Jason’s rear and slices back.
Jason hollers over the ripping fabric, “No! Get off me! No! No!”
Liev mounts Jason and wraps a piece of torn plastic around his head cutting off the screams.