Squeeks walked over to the bookshelf, running her finger across the spines. “He was always reading weird stuff.” Letting out a playful huff, pulling one out at random. Some worn paperback about conspiracy theories and time travel. She smiled faintly and set it back where it belonged. “You think he finally figured it out? You know the whole time-travel thing.”
I leaned myself against the opening to the living room, “If he did, I’m gonna be so pissed he didn’t take us with him.” She chuckled before pausing, noticing the smile fall from her face. I think it was the unanswered questions that hurt her the most.
I turned on the spot and walked into the kitchen. A single spoon in the sink, the tap still dripping like it had been back then. The silence settled deep in my chest. It wasn’t eerie. It was just empty.
“He really hasn’t been back,” I said, more to myself than her.
“No,” Squeeks replied softly, appearing behind me. “But it still feels like him. Like he just… stepped out for a bit.”
I looked around. There was no dust-disturbed trail, no recent smoke in the ashtray, no cryptic message waiting to be found—just Chester’s world, frozen. It was as if time had hit pause the day he left and never pressed play again.
Squeeks sat on the edge of the kitchen counter, her legs swinging lightly. “You think he’ll ever come back?”
I didn’t answer straight away. I just leaned against the fridge, letting my eyes fall on the scuffed floor tiles. “I don’t know. He didn’t leave a note. Didn’t say goodbye. Maybe that says it all.”
She nodded, her expression sullen. I think she was hoping for something, anything, to settle her own mind on what happened. For a while, we just sat there, letting the silence say what we couldn’t.
Eventually, I pushed off the fridge and headed for the door. “Come on. There’s nothing here. I’ll hold on to the key so we can get in when needed.” I tucked it into my pocket as I offered a small sympathetic smile. Squeeks stayed in place a second longer, then slid down from the counter and followed me. She paused in the doorway, giving one last glance around before pulling the door shut behind us.
We didn’t talk much on the walk back—just the soft scuff of our shoes on pavement, the occasional hum of a car passing. Squeeks walked close, hands buried in the sleeves of the hoodie, eyes down on the pavement. Chester’s absence weighed heavily on her now. Now that we’d seen it, tangible and unchanged. A final realisation that the chance of being saved by him was now fading in her mind.
We were cutting through the back alley behind the row of shops when I heard them. That dragging laugh, I’d recognise it anywhere.
“Oi, look who it is!” came a voice, sharp and smirking.
I turned, glancing at two of Danny’s lads leaning against the shuttered doorway of the office, Jord and that rat-faced one everyone called Lint, both reeking of weed and boredom.
“Little Screech and his baby sis.” Jord continued, swaying towards us with his arms outstretched. I was in no mood to deal with their bullshit today. I felt Squeeks tense beside me, tightening her sleeves over her hands as her shoulders curled in on themselves.
“Didn’t know Danny let his pets out unattended,” Lint said, lips twisting around a roll-up. “She still cryin’ at parties? Didn’t see her last night. I would have kept her company.” A dirty laughter setting out between them, Squeeks dropped her gaze. My jaw tensed, a heavy breath forcing its way through my nose. The grin slipped off Jord’s face just a little as I got closer.
“You got something to say about my sister, you say it to my face,” I said, my voice flat. Lint snorted.
“What, she too soft to handle a bit of banter?”
“She’s thirteen.” I snapped. “You’re nearly thirty and still sponging off Danny’s scraps, standing outside a shop that doesn’t even open anymore. So, who’s the mess, really?”
Jord stepped forward, puffing up like it would make a difference. A stupid decision on his part, knowing that if he decided to lay a hand on either of us, I would floor him in a second.
“You forget who you’re talking to, Screech.” He said, lowering his tone, trying to intimidate me further. “Think we should lay him out like that, Chester lad?” tilting his chin towards Lint as he sniggered at his side.
I stepped closer, nose to nose. “What the fuck did you do to him?”
His dirty grin spread wider, “Aww, lost your babysitter have ya? Guess he shouldn’t have been getting involved with shit that don’t concern him.”
“What the fuck did you do?”
They chuckled among themselves, shrugging at my question. The heat built rapidly within me, my fists clenching, ready to do damage. Had they killed him? Left him to rot in a ditch for standing up for us?
“Screech, come on. Let's go.” Squeeks pulling at my arm as she forced me backwards. “Screech, please. They aren’t worth it.”
We stood like that for a beat, as a guilt-ridden sadness crept into my chest.
Squeeks continued forcing me backwards, muttering to herself. “Fucking parasites.”
As we walked away, Lint called out behind us, “That’s it, do as little sissy says.”
Their gross laughter filled the alleyway, making me spin on the spot.
