Now Leasing
Chapter 8
Erik was starting to make me uneasy. First he goes and slashes Brandon's tires and now he stabs him. This is getting out of control, I'm losing my influence on Erik, he is starting to act out more. He sleeps less now and it seems like when he is up all he does is cause problems. Ashleigh was home alone again. I don't know if it's just me but it seems like Kevin and Allyson aren't around as much anymore. This gives me more time to spend with Ashleigh. I'm starting to find myself getting more and more annoyed with Erik these days. He is getting harder to be around. He is too unruly with me and doesn't really listen to me anymore.
Erik decided that he was hungry so he went through the hole in the wall and upstairs into the kitchen. I followed him of course to make sure he wasn't doing anything wrong. He opened up the fridge and saw that there was some leftover lasagna. He took it out of the fridge and shoveled it down his throat. We could hear Ashleigh talking on the phone upstairs and we knew that we were the only ones at home so we weren't afraid of being caught. Erik grabbed some orange juice from the fridge and drank it right out of the carton. I felt thirsty too so I did the same thing. Now that Erik was satisfied, I was satisfied. I just wanted to go back downstairs to the safety of the room. Erik had other ideas though. He went into the living room. He sat down on the couch and just sat there for a little bit. He was acting really strange. Erik walked back into the kitchen and went up to the knife set. He pulled a steak knife from it and began spinning it in his hand.
The door suddenly opened. Brandon was here, Ashleigh must have invited him over. I panicked and about a hundred thoughts shot into my head. I turned to look at Erik but he was nowhere to be seen. I didn't know what to do. I looked at my hands and I was holding a steak knife now. I don't even remember picking it up. It must have been done on instinct in case I had to fight. I think Erik already ran back into the safety of the basement, at least that's what I hoped. Brandon started walking into the kitchen! I bolted swiftly towards the stairs, Brandon shot a glance in my direction. He saw me.
"Ashleigh! Ashleigh!" he exclaimed.
This was not good. I had been discovered. I was in the basement now. I removed the piece of drywall and quickly put it back in place. I shook it firmly into place so it didn't look like it was out of the ordinary. Erik was sleeping. I don't know how he does that.
"He came down here, I swear!" Brandon pleaded.
I don't know if Ashleigh didn't believe him or if she didn't want to believe him. After some back and forth bickering I heard the sound of footsteps coming into the basement. Nobody really comes into the basement often so I didn't think they would even notice the fake piece of wall if it was staring right at them. It was silent for a bit. I could tell that both of them were listening for me to make a noise, to give them any kind of sign that I was down here. The longer that they were down here, the more I started to enjoy it. I could tell that Ashleigh doubts that Brandon even saw someone.
Erik woke up again. He moved out of bed and stood right next to me. I explained to them what had happened and he looked at me with a dumbfounded look. There's no way he could be mad at me, not with the way he acts. After a long sigh from Brandon, he decided that it was time they went back upstairs. Maybe Ashleigh convinced him that he didn't see anything. A couple minutes after they went upstairs, Erik went back into the basement and dug through some old boxes and found a spool of yarn. He tightened a piece and walked halfway up the stairs and set it up to act as a sort of a tripwire. He jumped down the stairs, making as much noise as he could as he went back to the safety of our room. Brandon slammed the door open and ran down the stairs. He tripped about halfway down and faceplanted right into the concrete. I shifted the drywall a little so I could catch a quick glimpse of what was going on. He looked unconscious. Erik climbed through the hole, he had the steak knife in his hand. I couldn't do anything about it. He lifted up Brandon's shirt and began cutting into his skin. I ran up to Erik and pulled him off Brandon. There were a few cuts on his back but it was nothing too serious. We both went back into our room. Brandon came to a few minutes later and lifted his face. There was a pool of blood where he landed. Ashleigh came downstairs, looking for Brandon, and saw him lying on the floor. She gasped.
"W-w-what happened?" she stammered.
Brandon turned and pointed back to the stairs. He pointed to the yarn. How could Erik be so stupid, he had to have known that they would see that. Now there was no way that she thought Brandon was crazy. He has had his tires slashed, hand punctured, and now this all over the course of a few days.
"I think my nose is broken," Brandon said.
"Come on, I'll call for help," Ashleigh replied.
The two walked back upstairs. I heard her on the phone explaining how her boyfriend tripped going down the stairs and broke his nose. I walked up to the living room. Brandon's shirt was bloodied so he took it off before he ruined it even more. Ashleigh put her hands to her mouth.
"What?" Brandon asked.
"Your back."
Erik decided that he was hungry so he went through the hole in the wall and upstairs into the kitchen. I followed him of course to make sure he wasn't doing anything wrong. He opened up the fridge and saw that there was some leftover lasagna. He took it out of the fridge and shoveled it down his throat. We could hear Ashleigh talking on the phone upstairs and we knew that we were the only ones at home so we weren't afraid of being caught. Erik grabbed some orange juice from the fridge and drank it right out of the carton. I felt thirsty too so I did the same thing. Now that Erik was satisfied, I was satisfied. I just wanted to go back downstairs to the safety of the room. Erik had other ideas though. He went into the living room. He sat down on the couch and just sat there for a little bit. He was acting really strange. Erik walked back into the kitchen and went up to the knife set. He pulled a steak knife from it and began spinning it in his hand.
The door suddenly opened. Brandon was here, Ashleigh must have invited him over. I panicked and about a hundred thoughts shot into my head. I turned to look at Erik but he was nowhere to be seen. I didn't know what to do. I looked at my hands and I was holding a steak knife now. I don't even remember picking it up. It must have been done on instinct in case I had to fight. I think Erik already ran back into the safety of the basement, at least that's what I hoped. Brandon started walking into the kitchen! I bolted swiftly towards the stairs, Brandon shot a glance in my direction. He saw me.
"Ashleigh! Ashleigh!" he exclaimed.
This was not good. I had been discovered. I was in the basement now. I removed the piece of drywall and quickly put it back in place. I shook it firmly into place so it didn't look like it was out of the ordinary. Erik was sleeping. I don't know how he does that.
"He came down here, I swear!" Brandon pleaded.
I don't know if Ashleigh didn't believe him or if she didn't want to believe him. After some back and forth bickering I heard the sound of footsteps coming into the basement. Nobody really comes into the basement often so I didn't think they would even notice the fake piece of wall if it was staring right at them. It was silent for a bit. I could tell that both of them were listening for me to make a noise, to give them any kind of sign that I was down here. The longer that they were down here, the more I started to enjoy it. I could tell that Ashleigh doubts that Brandon even saw someone.
Erik woke up again. He moved out of bed and stood right next to me. I explained to them what had happened and he looked at me with a dumbfounded look. There's no way he could be mad at me, not with the way he acts. After a long sigh from Brandon, he decided that it was time they went back upstairs. Maybe Ashleigh convinced him that he didn't see anything. A couple minutes after they went upstairs, Erik went back into the basement and dug through some old boxes and found a spool of yarn. He tightened a piece and walked halfway up the stairs and set it up to act as a sort of a tripwire. He jumped down the stairs, making as much noise as he could as he went back to the safety of our room. Brandon slammed the door open and ran down the stairs. He tripped about halfway down and faceplanted right into the concrete. I shifted the drywall a little so I could catch a quick glimpse of what was going on. He looked unconscious. Erik climbed through the hole, he had the steak knife in his hand. I couldn't do anything about it. He lifted up Brandon's shirt and began cutting into his skin. I ran up to Erik and pulled him off Brandon. There were a few cuts on his back but it was nothing too serious. We both went back into our room. Brandon came to a few minutes later and lifted his face. There was a pool of blood where he landed. Ashleigh came downstairs, looking for Brandon, and saw him lying on the floor. She gasped.
"W-w-what happened?" she stammered.
Brandon turned and pointed back to the stairs. He pointed to the yarn. How could Erik be so stupid, he had to have known that they would see that. Now there was no way that she thought Brandon was crazy. He has had his tires slashed, hand punctured, and now this all over the course of a few days.
"I think my nose is broken," Brandon said.
"Come on, I'll call for help," Ashleigh replied.
The two walked back upstairs. I heard her on the phone explaining how her boyfriend tripped going down the stairs and broke his nose. I walked up to the living room. Brandon's shirt was bloodied so he took it off before he ruined it even more. Ashleigh put her hands to her mouth.
"What?" Brandon asked.
"Your back."