Wild Side

“That was so awesome!” my friend shouted excitedly down my ear.
“I know right! It is every time…sure you cant hang out longer?” I pleaded.
“Dude, I still got a curfew…remember! No way I can come to see Deathstars if I get home late. We don’t want that now do we,” Natalie said rhetorically.
“You can always count on your parents to keep you feeling young,” I tried to make a joke but it pissed me off that a gal of nineteen let herself be treated like a child. “You get back safe, slag. I’ll see you in work.” We hugged one another before she jumped on the bus.
It was a bitterly cold night, but I had decided to brave the cold in hopes of meeting the band which my friend and I had just watched for an hour and a half of bitchin’ zombie rock and roll; Wednesday 13!

I pulled my faux leather jacket and my black and grey leopard print bandana further up my neck to the edge of my chin, as if it would help much. Carefully stepping in high stiletto heeled shoes, which were killing my feet; I made my way to the back entrance of the venue where the other idiots also waited.

This October was pitch black with only street lamps to torch the bleak blanketed night sky. All I could see around me were people dotted in various sized groups, in different places but they all had one thing in common; Goths! I felt almost as out of place as a whore in church. My bright green glittered shoes stood out almost as boldly as the street lamps and my Poison t-shirt peeking below my jacket was a sight for sore eyes indeed. But there was one person whom managed to catch my attention, apart from her ranting echoing around this yard, her hair was bright fucking purple. I’d never seen a sight so striking. Once I could peel my attention from it, I saw all the silver poking from various points on her face. She was clad in plain black and adorned with a pair of sky-high black platform boots. Not the shiny new type either but ones which looked as though they had braved their way through recent decades of real punk and metal scenes. If only they could speak I could imagine they could tell of the most horrific and wonderful sights.
”Well really! Thanks a lot dick-bags. See you in hell!” she yelled as the two guys with her turned their backs and sloped off.
She stood against a wall with her arms crossed and the biggest pout since Naomi Campbell.

Now as far as socialising goes, I never do it without necessity, however, whether it was the Jager and cokes I’d been drinking all night or the obsession with her boots and hair I don’t know but I ventured over unsteadily.
”You…ok dude?” I asked slowly as I approached.
”Just peachy thanks!” she snapped before completely studying me from the back combed hair to my glitter shoes. “Sorry, I’ve just been ditched for someone with a bigger rack is all,” she grunted, looking away.
”Was that your boyfriend or some shit?” I probed carefully.
”Gross, no way! That was my brother and his stupid friend,” her reply was etched in ice.
”Sorry man, I got ditched too. But that’s cos my bitch is lame” my eyes rolled around in my skull at the thought.
“Dani,” she stretched out her hand.
”Like Filth?” I grinned, shaking it with my own. Dani nodded to which I added, “Lita.”
”Like Ford?” she smiled.
”Definitely” I said dropping her hand to pull out a coke bottle full of my favourite poison.
”If we’re to be waiting as long as they usually take, we’ll need a winter warmer,” I sipped from the bottle before passing it over.
”What’s this?” Dani sniffed the open container, “Jager?”
“All the way.”
“How you getting home from here? Where do you live and what are you doing later?” Dani enquired passing the bottle back after a few sips.
“I live in Manchester so I gotta get the last train back, yourself?”
“Bradford, it’s only a few stops away on the train and it runs all night. If they do take ages you can crash at my place if you like,” the kind young lady offered.
“Well sure if you’re positive that’s alright.” Going back with a person I had only just met was far from irrational in my world as I had done far crazier things, which luckily turned out safe as houses.

An hour or so later we had more company and everything we had waited for.
“Hadn’t you girls better be gettin’ on home now?” Eric Griffin asked us with an arm around each of us.
“You do surprise me Eric, don’t you usually try to lure women to wherever you’re going?” I laughed, slightly drunk off that Jagermeister.
“Who told you that? I take you where you need to go then everyone’s a winner,” he beamed at us.
“To the train station, Mr Griffin!” Dani called out, waving the bottle in the air like a baton.
“I don’t know my way there, you will have to show me,” Eric grabbed the bottle from her and opened it up. “Jager?” he asked like many people before him, and after my nod he tipped it upside down into his mouth, having drained the bottle of Jack Daniels, which he originally emerged with.
“Oi slag!” Dani shouted trying to get it off him. But alas it was too late and it was all gone. Only about a quarter was left anyway.
“You can jolly well buy us some more now!” I demanded.
“Yeah, yeah, now where is this station?” Eric grabbed us both and we set off in the correct direction.

We arrived some time later at the station with a brand new standard sized bottle of Jager to share. Eric got us on the train but not before we had called the bands tour manager to come get him.

“Haha, Eric is so hot,” Dani giggled girlishly.
“He’s funny as fuck,” I added.
We settled down and continued to sip from the deep green bottle and after a short while I noticed a smile on Dani’s lips as she stared across the table we had seated ourselves at and right over my shoulder. I peered behind me and spotted a group of guys a little further down from us.
“If you don’t wipe that look off your face they’ll come over ya know,” I pointed out as I drank more of our beverage.
“I know, why else would I be grinning like some fool.” Dani laughed, “Come on Lita, don’t be daft, they’re fit!”
I peered back around and could suppose she was kind of right. When I returned my gaze to the view through the window, which was a pitch-black landscape of scattered lights, it was no more than a few moments before I heard a voice over my shoulder.

“Hey ladies…how you doing tonight? My name is Jared.” A guy put his hands on our table and leaned down scanning us both closely with a smile. His hair was cut at the chin and a dark purple colour. The straight shiny mass fell across his dark eyes slightly which glittered like eight balls.
“Hey, Jared. I’m Dani,” she smiled, playing with her own violet locks, “and this is my friend Lita.”
“Nice to meet you. Where you headed?” he pressed.
Dani’s attention flickered to the remainder of his group.
“Nowhere really,” she replied tactfully, “just my place. We’ve been to a gig you see.”
“I see…well, Dani, we’re going to a house party. Would you be interested in joining us at all?” the stranger placed an invite.
I looked at her and shrugged, “Sure, I love a good party,” I agreed for us flirtatiously.
“Great. Well this is our stop. You should meet my friends.”
We grabbed our bags and followed this tall individual off the public transport. The door closed behind us and Jared turned to introduce his friends.
“This is Alex, Jay and Max.” First he nodded towards a tall this guy with lip rings, messy but nice shortish black hair and a Combichrist shirt on; then to a much shorter guy, about our height with tattooed sleeves exposed beneath a Lamb of God shirt and much shorted hair under a bandana and backward cap (Dani seemed to really like him); then finally this Max guy had lush black hair which was almost shoulder length and swept across his eyes (not emo just cute), green eyes and a Rob Zombie shirt beneath a leather jacket similar to mine.
“Hey guys,” Dani and myself smiled at all our new acquaintances.
“This way now ladies,” Jay swooped in on our Dani, taking her arm. We all began walking away from the desolate train station and I jumped as a hand touched my shoulder and a voice flowed down my ear.

“Lita, is it?” I flicked my head around to meet this person, “sorry did I scare you?” Max smirked at my wide-eyed expression.
“Yes it’s Lita and no you didn’t scare me, tough guy!” I shoved his shoulder slightly with a small smile on my own face.
“I’ll have to work on that huh,” Max squeezed my shoulder.
After a couple moments thought, listening to the clicking of my heels along the pavements and the faint voices of the rest of the group, I questioned;
“What kinds of party is this then?”
“You have been to a house party before…haven’t you?” Max raised an eyebrow.
“I hosted some awesome ones, so yes” I quipped.
“Good. Well it’s like any old house party. Except now we have some life in it,” his arm slid to my waist where he pulled me closer.
“Lets not get ahead of ourselves now my dear. We’ve only just met and I am not yet wasted.”
“That’s not a problem,” he ginned at me and looked up at Jay who was looking back at him over his shoulder. I found that slightly eerie.
“Yo Lita! Pass me that bottle!” Dani called a moment later.
“One sec,” I chugged down as much as I could, knowing I would need it, before passing it to her.

“This is taking ages! How far is it?” Dani moaned receiving the bottle of liquid rock n roll.
“It’s around this corner, cool it.” The Alex guy told us.
As we neared the corner, music could be heard, as it grew louder on approach. At first it sounded like we had landed in Ibiza with all the synth and bass, but as we reached the open front door I recognized Innerpartysystem finishing before a Prodigy record came blasting out.
The house was not totally crammed, but decent amounts of people were around, dancing and chatting with drinks and smokes. The distinct odour of spliff clung to the air, as did the scent of chemicals, which made me shudder. Ncat and MDMA were certainly no friends of mine after suffering from bad episodes and watching former friends fall into pathetic addictions.
“Do you want a drink or are you cool with your Jager?” Max asked, looking around.
“Another drink couldn’t hurt. Besides that baby is tapped out” I looked over and indicated to Jay and Dani sucking up the last of its sweet, sweet contents.

It could have only been fifteen minutes later when I popped open a bottle of babies drink (Iron Brew WKD) when Dani came running up to me.
“Isn’t this party awesome!” she bellowed over the KMFDM record.
“Its ok,” I shrugged.
“Dance with me, Lita! Woop woop!” she kicked her platform in the air and shouted about boogie-ing and jumped around like a crazed hooligan, which was hilarious.
The music was loud and I could feel the alcohol in my blood stream racing. Well actually, the blood was crowding my alcohol system if I’m honest. Good song after good song raged through the speakers and I couldn’t get enough some godless soul had put on an entire Combichrist album on and I wasn’t about to complain.
“I could do with some E. it would totally make this night!” Dani said down my ear.
“Totally,” I agreed, swaying to the heavy bass.

“Hey guys! Come here.” Dani spotted Alex, Jared, Max and Jay.
“Don’t ask them for E, hon’. Its not a good idea,” I warned as they approached one after another. The look Max and Jay shared earlier flashed though my mind again, almost as a sign.
“Don’t be lame, dude!”
“S’up babe, been looking for you,” Jay gazed towards Dani.
“Do you know if we could get some pills?” Dani grinned, against my advice.
“I think we can hook you up,” Alex rubbed his hands together, sending a shiver down my spine.
“I don’t think we need any. Booze and pills in a strange place ain’t such a good combo eh.” I said awkwardly.
“Don’t be so dull!” Dani moaned at me.
“Dude, I’m not!” I protested. My case was solid and I was doing no drugs at all.
“We will look after you, don’t worry.” Jared put his arm over my shoulder. They all looked at one another excitedly, except Max. There was something off about him.
Our surroundings were becoming something out of a nightmare I used to have. It was eerie and cold but I could never fully explain why it was so awful to me, a foreboding feeling perhaps.

The five of us entered a small empty room, except Max stayed at the door.
“All we got is love hearts but have a few of them and you’ll have a good time,” Jared smiled, pulling out a small clear bag.
I pulled Dani into a corner briefly and whispered into her ear very quietly, “Do not take them. If you do I guarantee you will get tag teamed ‘til next week. Please don’t do this.” Then I let go of her and left the room quickly.
“What’s up with her?” I heard Jay complain.
“What’s going on? You not into this?” I questioned Max in a steely tone with an angry gaze to follow.
“Lita, don’t let her take them.” He said to me quietly.
“What do you think I’ve been trying to tell her! Why aren’t you in on this?” I whispered, grabbing his shirt to force him to face me.
“Get off and come upstairs.” Max firmly gripped my wrist and pulled me after him. I downed my drink and tossed the empty to the floor without caring. He pulled me inside an empty room and sat on the floor.

“Talk to me. Is there some master plan I should know about?” I confronted him. When I got no reply I scoured the room for alcohol and found a useful bottle of Jager to sip on. Its seal had not been broken.
“Lita, we both know what’s going to happen.” Max muttered, drinking from a JD bottle.
“Give me a reason why I shouldn’t call the cops then.”
“Cos I’ll get fucked. I’m not kidding.” His eyes searched the dirty carpet. “But I can help you get home.”
“Then help me!” I almost shrieked.
“You have to do something for me first.” He rose to his feet and became level with me.
“Excuse me!” I need to give you something!” I was taken aback.
“Nothing like that. Just…give me your underwear.” He asked, taking a long drink from the bottle.
“What the fuck for?” I glowered, astonished.
“Cos if I go back down with you and they think nothing happened they will know something is up.”
“And how do they know its not some random ones you got out of a drawer?”
“Cos they’ve been staring at your ass since you got off the train.”
I instantly put my hand to my jeans waistband and discovered my pants were a bit low, therefore exposing my underwear slightly, “Oh fuck” I said under my breath, “Well ok, but you better get us out of here!” I threatened.

I looked about this office and saw another door, which opened into an en-suite. I closed and locked the door behind me, set my bottle down and went about the process. Underwear in hand, I left the bottle as its appeal had been lost, and left the small bathroom. I passed Max what he wanted which he stuck into his back pocket, leaving half to hang out.
“Come on then!” I urged, opening the door.
Max climbed down the staircase after me and just as the other four emerged from the small room. Dani kept her head down and I couldn’t help but feel panic surge through me. If she took the pills then maybe sex was all she wanted and I was standing in the way, or maybe she got pressured into it. Either way I had at least twenty minutes to try and get her on a train home.

“Yo, Lita. Can I talk to you outside for a minute please?” Dani said before a hiccup.
“Sure thing, love.” I agreed and we stepped outside.
“Dude, what this?” I turned and saw Jared pull my underwear out of Max’s back pocket and listened to what he said next.
“Ah, you know.” Max shrugged.
“High five” Alex shouted.
Good, they bought it.
“Did you fuck him?” Dani nearly shouted.
“Shush. No it’s a plan. Did you take them?”
“And have you look at me like that? No way. They did some.”
“Good! Cos we have got to go. Something ugly is gonna happen if we don’t. I’m talking really bad. Max told me.” I said quietly.
The four guys were still inside talking and I could hear them.
“What do you mean exactly?”
“They were hoping you would take the pills duh, cos pills will make you do anything. I don’t trust them. Can we go already?”
“Yes ok, lets jet!” Dani confirmed.

I peeked around the door and they were all still chatting away so I took this as our chance and legged it up the driveway in my heels quietly. At the road I took them off and we did some serious running, but not for long.
Without warning a clunk sounded behind me. I spun around with a foot full of tarmac and Dani had full on collapsed.

“Dani!” I screeched under my breath, rushing back to her. I grabbed her up but she was out cold. I looked around panicking and saw Max rush around the corner. My heart pounded painfully against my chest, dreading the others were with him and he fucked me over. I froze.
“What happened?” he demanded, pulling Dani to her feet. She was not yet conscious.
“She just collapsed! What did they do to her?” I cried out.
“It must have been something in her drink. We have to go now” Max picked her up off her feet and took a fast pace in the right direction.
“What if they put something in my drink too?” I realised en-route. He didn’t stop at any cost but did glance at me quickly. We neared a dark driveway in front of a house.
“I’m gong to puke! To try and get anything out if they tried to drug me,” I said lurching into the shadow.
“Max! Dani…Liiitaaaa” somebody’s call echoed the street.
“Fuck,” we whispered to one another.
“Hold onto that puke.” Max ducked into the shadow after me and we crept up the driveway and around the back of the tall, thick garden hedge.
“Maxie, what have you done with them?” another called as their footsteps echoed through the neighbourhood.
“That little fuck has stolen those girls!” I think Alex said.
“Can’t have gone far. Dani must have passed out by now, Lita won’t get much further. Max can’t drag both of them.”
Shit!
I need to puke. I want to vomit so badly but they would hear. Either way we’re fucked.
“Max, what if we just stay here ‘til morning. They will give up searching soon. Or they will think we got on a train by time they get there.” My eyes began to water, tears filling my already ruined vision.
“Unless they know that there are no trains ‘til five AM,” he sighed looking down at Dani.
I pulled out my phone and read it was only half past two. My heart sank into my sore feet.
“Dani said trains ran all night.”
“Only ‘til about two.”
“We missed one by half an hour!” I wanted to heave even more now.
“It’s a two and half hour wait. They shouldn’t find us here but they will call me.” Max replied under his breath.
“Turn it off then fool!” I waved my hands frantically. I’m not sure why.

He shifted her slightly and pulled out a phone and turned it off. The footsteps of Jay, Alex and Jared disappeared into the night along with their words. I was ready to puke into this person’s flowerbed, but there was nothing more to come out of my system. I covered it with soil hoping the plants wouldn’t die.
“Hey Max, why are you friends with those guys?” They’re assholes and you’re kinda not.” I asked.
He sighed before answering, “They’re all I got. I grew up with them and I’m no good at meeting people. Pathetic I know” he responded sourly.
“It’s not a rare story, man. I don’t enjoy meeting new people myself, as its been proved, never know who you can trust.” That may be taken assurance or just plain anti social behaviour.
“I’d never thought of it like that. Perhaps that’s me too, I don’t like people” Max shrugged.
“Hey I might take that personally!” I tried to joke in this awful situation.
“I guess there’s no point asking why you were at a party playing nothing but electro-goth industrial and techno when you’re in a ‘Zombie shirt, right?” I pursed my lips, sitting on a stone path surrounded by ice and not thinking of important things.
“There is no point, no. But it does beg the question as to why someone in a Poison shirt would be dancing to that shit.”
“Cos I like variation!” I snapped.
“Tragic.” Max sighed.
“So what are we going to do?” We needed to move or we would surely freeze.
I didn’t know what to do. The police are hardly an option and I doubt there would be any fast food place to hide in at this time of day/night.
After quiet thinking Max spoke, “There is only one safe place to go. My place” he said.
I looked at him suspiciously.
“I still live with my mum. Lame I know. But it’s better than being cold.”

We made our way through the dark, creeping down dark alleys and around people’s homes in the dead of night, myself under Dani’s right arm and Max under her left. After around ten minutes of my heart hammering, we turned down the side of a building. Max unlocked the back door and slipped us all inside, out of the icy chill. The dimness of the room changed with the turn of the switch. Blinds were closed as I scanned the plain appearance of the kitchen we were stood in.
Max took all of Dani’s weight from me and set her down on a chair, balancing her as not to let her unconscious form slam onto the linoleum.
I stood still, my eyes tried but still frightened. My stomach was in knots with the thought that those freaks could be anywhere. This was worse than my darkest nightmare, just because no pinching would wake me, no bucket of ice would tear me from this hellish dream that evil intent wanted to harm Dani and myself, maybe even Max. Hell was he still on their side and this was just a torturous scheme? Or was he gonna get fucked over like us? The notion that we had escaped seemed the most childish unreality right now. But perhaps I was the childish part of all this and I was only overreacting. So we went to a party with some guys to get drunk and so what if they were into the upper variation of recreational drugs. No! They drugged Dani with the intentions of her falling! They tried to drug me! They followed us around the neighbourhood. This is a date rape situation that’s out of control, though we have luckily been saved. And it’s my fault we ended up here.

“This is all my fault. I’m such a stupid cunt!” I wanted to scream. So angry with myself, it took all my willpower to keep from breaking my surroundings in frustration.
“Don’t start making yourself angry. That’s the last thing you want to do.” Max said bolting the door and shoving something in the lock.
"You're right. Do you have any Jager?" I huffed; releasing the fingernails I had dug tightly into my own arm.
"I'll check but I think we just have white wine." Max responded, moving toward a cupboard on the opposite side of the dim room.
"Fuck it. Ya know I should get a level head after all this shit. I'm sorry," I apologised.
"I'm sorry!" a screech.
I whipped my head around to Dani and her eyes were wide as saucers. She fell off the seat and began gasping for oxygen.
"Dani! Dani, are you ok?" I rushed to her side and pulled her upwards, away from the floor.
"Dani!" Max grabbed a glass from the side and filled it with water.
"Where the fuck are we?" Dani choked.
"In Max's kitchen. Are you ok? What happened?" I took the water and passed it to my needy new friend.
“I don’t remember a fucking thing!” Dani gulped down the water, “feel like my head got ran over by an eighteen wheeler.” She stuttered.
“We’re ok for now. Don’t worry” I rubbed her back and helped her onto the chair again.
“You’re safe. Don’t worry,” Max said, leaning on the counter away from us.
“What are we doing here?” Dani asked a few moments later.
“Waiting for the train at five.”

“Maxxxxxx” a voice rasped; “we knew you would be here.”
My insides dropped out through my skin as my stare fixed on Jay, Alex and Jared through the kitchen door window.
My grip felt Dani’s hand and her own gripped mine hard enough to break.
“Dude, this has to stop. Leave” Max ordered, but I could sense the fear in his words.
My other hand picked up the entire knife block, which I pulled close to my chest instinctively.
“Lita?” Dani muttered through gritted teeth.
“You betrayed us, and that stuff you gave us obviously didn’t work too well on them did it. Else they would still be passed out!” Jared said angrily, not moving from the door, with a malicious smirk across his face.
“Fuckin’ move!” I spluttered. Dani and I took off blindly into the dark house.
“Well that’s done it!” Alex shouted.
“Dani! Lita! It’s not what it sounds like!” Max cried behind us.

We found a staircase and Dani’s hand scraped along the wall for a light switch as we charged along. The sound of glass smashing echoed downstairs but we found a light and beamed up the landing. Flinging open two doors, we found the bathroom and dived through. I smashed the lock into place and we looked for something to barricade it with as footsteps ran up the staircase.
“What do we do?!” I yelled.
“Lita, what the fuck is this shit!!” Dani screamed back at me.
“That lock won’t hold!” we knocked down a tall cupboard, it hit the wall and not the floor but still stood as a blockade. The room was small so I sat against the wall and pushed the cupboard with my feet as they bashed and battered at the other side of the door.
Clearly this was either normal activity in the lives of these guys or tonight they were breaking all boundaries and this would change everything for them.
“What the hell are we gonna fucking do now? We’re more fucked than a whore at a millionaires birthday party!” Dani cried out.
“I fucking know dude!” my breaths wouldn’t steady, as the shouting wouldn’t diminish. “If only we got paid as much,” I said randomly, “Shut the fuck up out there!” my sense had fallen out of my ear before we got off that train I think.
“Yeah, fuck off you shit stains!” Dani yelled after me, I’m not sure she had any sense to start with.

I looked around; all that can to mind was Dead, Jail or Rock n Roll for some reason unknown to me. We were being held captive in a bathroom somewhere we had never been to. We didn’t even know where we were. I wasn’t reading sign posts or street names so I had no idea at all of our location. There was no use calling the cops. Could we hold up in here? Or would they find a way through before giving up. They were persistent or would have given up looking for us over an hour ago. These guys were not going to let up without a force making them.
“I think we might die here tonight, dude” Dani sighed.
“You are so goth! We may get out. Who says they want to kill us anyway? I replied, for once being optimistic.
“I saw Alex stab Max. That’s why I think they’re going to kill us.” Dani snapped at the circumstances.
“Oh” I was stunned momentarily. The news didn’t exactly shock me, but I didn’t know whether to feel awful seeing as he had been the one supplying the roofies or whatever it was. He did help us after all.
“Should we maybe…uh...” I thought some more, but instead about a plan of action.
“What? Go out there with these knives and cut some bitches?” Dani smirked sourly.
“Yes!” I shouted, “We should do exactly that!”
“Lita, is your brain seriously fried?” she asked looking at me as if I were a moron.
“Well if you think we’re gonna die anyway, we may as well go out there, attempt revenge and try to save Max. He did try to save us after all.” I rose to my feet, putting the knife block on the toilet seat lid and taking my pick.
“You’re fuckin’ tapped in the head you know. But I guess you’re right” Dani got up and grabbed herself two knives, slotting them down the outer sides of the platform boots and taking another into her left hand.
I breathed in deeply, as did she.
“We need to slow them down and stop them coming for us, but we have to get to that kitchen fast.” Dani spoke up.
“This won’t be easy. Shall I go first?” I was shaking like a leaf in the breeze.
Dani nodded and hugged me. “Good luck.”
“See you downstairs.” I was terrified once more. Terrified I may die, terrified Dani may die and terrified that Max may already be dead.

We pulled the cupboard out of the way, so it lay across the floor and the door flew open. Two bodies already inside with us. I ducked and sliced at a leg with a bread knife before rushing through, jumping over the cupboard. Jay was the one stood in the hallway behind them. I think the fact I was suddenly in his face helped me push him down the stairs backwards. Jared was the one I cut and he was bleeding everywhere, collapsed in the floor. Alex had gone for Dani and was dodging out of the way of her knives. I plunged my fillet knife into his back and pulled Dani with me down the staircase in a heartbeat. We found Jay at the bottom in the hallway stumbling to his feet. We rushed past and into the kitchen, shoving a chair in front of it behind us. Max was sat on the floor with a tea towel clutched to his side, drenched in blood.
“Max!” we both screamed, rushing to his said.
Dani pulled out her phone immediately, now we were with max we could call the cops as long as he stayed conscious enough to give us an address.
“How you doing?” I grabbed a fresh tea towel from the said and pushed it over the soaked one. It didn’t look to be exactly gushing, but I didn’t exactly have a PHD so what did I know?
“Shit,” he coughed but tried to smile.
“I need the police and an ambulance right now!” Dani said into her handset.
Max told Dani the address slowly and we were informed that they would be right over.
“I’m so sorry, Max” a tear slipped, then another from my eye.
“No…I’m sorry. I let this happen. I’d do anything to take it back” he replied softly.
“This isn’t the time for a blame game.” I told him.

Dani sighed loudly and dropped her body against the cupboard door behind her.
Fifteen minutes later we were rescued. Dani and I both went to the hospital with Max. We told the police who was inside and what had happened briefly on the scene but they came with us for statements.

When it all went to court our evidence was as weak as Dwain Dibley, so they got a shitty sentence and I got off with self-defence rather than the GBH charge, which they wanted.
Max moved in with me and we still see Dani from time to time but have not since seen Alex, Jay or Jared. They have lifetime restraining orders from all of us.