Hit

I woke, maybe an hour later, and could smell something wonderful cooking. I looked over at Brian, who was still sleeping with all my blankets piled on top of him. I slowly sat up and turned on the bed. I tried to get up but failed. Again I tried. Failed.

“Damnit!” I whispered/screamed at myself.

“Do you want help?” Brian asked, I turned my head and saw his eyes were still closed.

“No, I don’t want help.” I tried to get up again. Failed.

“Do you need help?” He asked again. I sighed deeply.

“Yes.” I felt the bed move as he got up. He walked over to my side and wrapped his arms carefully around my waist and lifted. As we stood, I wrapped my arms loosely around him.

“Thanks Bri.” I mumbled into his shoulder.

“Let’s get you downstairs, Bullet Girl.” He smiled as he kept one arm around my waist and we began to walk to the stairs. We stood at the top of the never ending stair case.

“Damn stairs.” I cursed.

“Guys! She’s coming down the stairs!” Brian yells. I look at him with annoyed glare. He shrugs his shoulders but laughs.

“Maybe you should slide down the banister.” Jimmy suggests with a dopy smile. Everyone looked at him with that ‘shut the hell up’ look. “Hey, it was just a suggestion!”

“Is it even slide-able?” Johnny asks as he rubs his hand up the banister.

“I don’t know, let me try.” Matt says. We watch him climb the stairs then straddle the banister. With his legs pulled up to his chest, he slowly, slowly slides down with this stupid smile on his face. Our heads followed him as he squeaked down the banister. Once he reached the bottom, he jumped off. “Mission abort, that was completely unsuccessful.” He shakes his head with a grim look.

“What is wrong with you guys?” I ask seriously. “Let’s just slowly walk.” I offer. Matt walks up the stairs and wraps a gentle arm around my waist. With Brian on my left and Matt on my right, we step-by-step made our way down the stairs. Exhausted by the time I reached the bottom, I leaned on whoever was in front of me. Their arms encircled me and allowed me to rest on them.

“I smell food.” I mumbled into their chest. Whoever it was, laughed.

“Yes.” Zack…I smiled. Together, Zack and I walked into the kitchen to see Matt with an apron on, humming while he prepared dinner. I sighed at the sight of him. I’m honestly not sure if I’m in an Italian mob house, or a house full of muscled semi-hot guys, who act like housewives and morons.

“Usually, if someone comes in here while he’s cooking, he chases you out with a hot, metal spatula.” Zack laughed again.

“What makes this time different?” I asked as everyone took a seat at the table.

“You.” He winked. I smiled and looked around the table to see a family getting ready to enjoy a dinner.

After dinner, we meet up in the living room to talk about the day’s previous events.

“Now, did they just walk in or what?” Matt asked as he sat up and stared me down. Everyone stopped what they were doing and paid attention to what I was about to say, it wouldn’t surprise me if they started to take notes, they concentrated on me.

“Well…I told him where the key was, but he still shot the door down.”

“What about you neighbors?” Johnny questions. I laughed and waved that question off.

“My neighbors don’t give a shit…remember I live in Atlantic City, most of the people there are druggies or Prostitutes.”

“Okay so Mark walked in…then what.” Matt asks again.

“Mark brought a friend…massive guy. Uh, threw me against the wall, then Mark shot me twice. After that, I did my best to kick the shit out of them, uh, I shot Macho in the head I tried to slit Mark’s neck, I’m honestly not sure how successful that was. Did you guys do anything with the bodies?” I relaxed into the couch.

“No, we just wanted to get you out of there…what do you want done with them?” Jimmy asks from his spot next to me.

“Well…I would really like to butcher their bodies, especially Mark. But whatever you guys want is fine.” When I said ‘butcher’, they all kind of cringed.

“Is this and the alley thing the only time he’s messed with you?” Zack asks. I shook my head and almost laughed.

“No…Mark and I have had problem after problem. He’s a pervert that can’t keep his hands to himself…I wished I shot him in the balls.” All the boys covered themselves up and looked at me with questioning looks.

“He raped you.” Val said looking straight at me with wide eyes. All the boy’s snapped their heads in my direction.

“He tried, got pretty close.”

“How did you stop him?” She asked as she scooted to the edge of her seat. I sighed.

“Broke his nose, then ran like hell.” I dropped my head and stared at my hands. Out of all the things that have happened to me, that moment was the worst of my life.

“What the fuck!” Matt yelled as he got up and started to pace around the room. I looked over at the boys and all of them had their hands clenched into fists.

“That doesn’t matter now, he’s dead.” …I hope. I tried to push that memory out of my mind.

“Why didn’t you say anything before?” Brian asked with a troubled face.

“Because it happened six weeks ago a-“

“Six weeks! Katie!” Johnny yelled at me.

“What! I was finally able to put it behind me and…I really don’t want to talk about this.” I rub a hand over my face and try to end the conversation. They took my hint and stopped asking me questions.

“I want to kill people.” Johnny said randomly. Jimmy and Johnny quickly made eye contact, then threw themselves on the floor and started up the PlayStation. That makes me think, when do the boys go out? I asked the person closest to me.

“So Bri, when do you do your ‘job’?” I asked humbly.

“What?! I don’t work!” I rolled my eyes and looked to Zack for an answer. It took him a while to stop laughing for him to answer.

“It depends when we get a call. Maybe two to three times a week.”

“Ohh! That ‘job’!” Brian whispers with a smile.

We sat on the couch for a good two hours laughing as we watched Jimmy and Johnny destroy each other in videogames.

**

I was being moved. I opened my eyes and saw Zack was carrying me up the stairs.

“Sleep.” I mumbled. He laughed and carried me to my room, kicked the door open and softly laid me on the bed. “Thanks Zack.”

“Night Kate.” He snickered as he covered me up. I turned on my side, cuddled into my blankets and fell asleep.

**

I woke up sometime later and had to go to the bathroom. I slowly walked to the bathroom, but had to pass Val and Matt’s room. Their door was open just a crack, casting a yellow light on the carpet of the hallway. I heard low mumbled voices, so I stood by the doorway and quietly listened.

“I’ve just found her and I’m not ready to let her go, I’m worried she won’t stay.”

“Matt, honey. We brought her here so we could protect her and keep her safe. And the way the rest of the boys feel about her, they aren’t going to let anything happen to her.” Val’s calming voice echoed.

“She’s already been shot twice since she’s been here, Val.” I could picture him shaking his hands in the air. “Maybe it’s a sign that-that, I shouldn’t have made her stay…what if here isn’t the best place for her, what if we are only hurting her more?”

“This is the best place for her Matt, we care for her, we all do. We pushed ourselves into the situation so we could help and protect her…now stop acting like it’s your fault that these things are happening, you know that’s not what she thinks.”

I sighed and slowly opened the door, their attention on me.

“Matt, I’m not going anywhere. If I wanted to go, I could have easily left. I’m comfortable and happy here.” I spoke, closed the door then walked to the bathroom. As I walked back to my room, their light was off. I immediately felt better and went to bed.
I woke to the sound of silence. Usually I hear Brian walking around the house saying something stupid. I painfully sat up and walked downstairs to the living room where Val was sitting.

“Hey, where are the boys?”

“They went to go take care of the bodies…actually, I think they’re back.” She got off the couch and walked to the door. Before she could even reach the door knob, the door shot open. All they boys rushed in, sprinting straight to me.

“What’s going on?” I asked as I struggled to get up.

“Gone.” Matt breaths.

“Wait, what was?” I ask taking a few hesitant steps closer.

“Mark.”

“They or whoever left a note. It’s in German.” I hesitantly reached for the note, which was a single word; the ending signature was Mark’s. I read it and let out a horrific nervous laugh.