The familiar dulcet tone of Danny bellowed from within, “Squeeks? That you?” I braced myself, taking in a deep breath and tucking my hands into my pockets.
I paused for a second before speaking, “nah, it's me.” Why was I hesitating, skulking around like a beaten puppy? I had every right to be here; I still lived here. And with that, the sound of several chairs scraped along the floor. The door quickly opened, revealing Danny and his chums. His face was already twisted, his angered eyes glaring at me from down the hallway.
“What the fuck are you doing here?”
I met his glare with defiant eyes, “I’m here to check on Squeeks. I haven’t heard from her in a couple of days.” He scoffed as he started making slow steps towards me.
“Oh, now you’re the caring brother. Well, tough luck, she’s out. Doing as she’s told. Unlike another little fuck I know.” The others positioned themselves behind him. Arms crossed, their faces covered in dirty smirks and knowing eyes. I stood tall. I wasn’t going to allow him to intimidate me.
“What the fuck do you mean by that?” I looked at him, puzzled.
“Well, word gets around. A little bird told me, you and some chick had a run-in with the cops.” he paused as he continued closing the distance between us. I couldn’t help the slight smirk that appeared on my lips.
“Yeah, and?” I replied. He gently nodded his head, running his hand along his jaw.
“You fucked up Screech.”
My brow furrowed, “Did I now. And how’s that?” My cockiness beginning to grate on him. He stood close to me, his breath touching my skin.
“You brought cops to my fucking door, Kid!”
Fuck! They must have come looking for me after I bolted from Misfit. Or had she made her move and told the cops everythingabout me? At this point, I wouldn’t put anything past her. Either way, my face dropped, and now I had Danny and four of his mates towering over me like bloodhounds on hunting day. I opened my mouth to speak when Danny lunged, planting a fist against my face, knocking me off my balance. I stumbled back, gripping my jaw as I looked back at him with wide eyes.
“What the fuck are you playing at!” But he came for me again, the others moving quickly around me, gripping my arms behind my back. A metallic taste filled my mouth, the warmth of my blood dripping from my nose. His hand gripped my chin, forcing me to look into his bloodshot eyes.
“Let’s see how Selene likes her pretty boy after I’ve fucked him up. It’s time you learned a thing or two about playing with the big boys. And your mother's not here to protect you.”
I struggled against them as I spoke through gritted teeth, “Oh, that’s what this is really about. Don’t like that I bit back.” Spitting the pooled blood from my mouth towards him. He flinched, stepping back slightly, wiped the blood splats from his cheek, a wide, unforgiving smile spreading across his face.
His voice lowered to a dangerous tone, “Hold him still.” My body tensed as his fist connected with my ribcage. A pained yelp escaped me, forcing my eyes closed. I continued to struggle between blows, the feeling of red-hot blood rushing to each blow against my body. They released me from their grasp as I fell to the floor, but that wasn’t the end of it. He had now tag-teamed the others to kick the living shit out of me. Tucking my arms across my face as my body took the impact of their boots. Slamming against me. I couldn’t fight back even if I wanted to. So, all I could do was endure and hope they grew bored eventually.
My vision became blurred as their assaults lessened, their shadows backing off from me.
The feeling of Danny’s hand gripping my face once more, “Oh, and next time you take my fucking gun, I’ll make sure to bury a bullet between those pretty eyes of yours!” pushing my face away from him. Backing away from me, my near lifeless body slumped against the floor of the hallway. Distant chuckling sounded from them as they walked back towards the back room, leaving me in the darkness.
I was breathless. My limbs shaking under my weight as I tried to pull myself towards the door. After a short while, I managed to get to my feet, arms wrapped tightly around my ribcage as pain radiated through me. I stumble to the street, the eyes of passersby locking onto me. I slowly raised one hand, pulled up my hood to try to cover my bloodied face. It was getting dark, making it easier to blend into the shadows. My breathing became sharp as I struggled to keep myself standing. I just needed to make it to Chester’s.
One thing I was certain of was that all these years I’ve spent dreaming about ending that fucker. Well, now, I wasn’t going to pass up on the chance. Fuck his shitty little mates. Fuck my mum, hey, even fuck Squeeks at this point. I’m done being the fucking punching bag. It wasn’t going to be pretty, but I’m going to make that cunt suffer.
I finally reached Chester’s when my legs gave out under me. My hands slammed to the pavement as blood spilt from my mouth. With each cough, it felt like my chest was in a vice. I raised my head to the door, gripping one hand onto the railing. My teeth gritting together as I pulled myself up onto my feet once more. Falling into the flat, the door swinging shut behind me. I was safe. Somewhere, I knew Danny didn’t know about. Then the thought hit me. Misfit knew about this place and somehow knew how to get in. I positioned myself in front of the door; she wouldn’t be able to get in if I blocked it. I dragged mybody backwards, groaning in pain as my back slumped against the door. I pulled my knees close to my chest as I rested my head against the wall.
Things started to blur after that. I must have been falling in and out of consciousness from the pain. I remember the darkness of the flat and the persistent banging on the door behind me. A familiar tone shouting through the letter box, but my body didn’t move. I couldn’t. Next thing I knew, Squeeks was holding me, crying, telling me everything was going to be alright.
The coldness of the ambulance stretcher brought me round for just a second as they carried me from the flat. A tight squeeze on my hand as Squeeks sat beside me. My voice was a whisper, “I’m sorry,” her sobs sounding closer to my ear as she wrapped an arm over me.
“You’re such a dickhead! Try and stay awake, ok!” Everything faded into the darkness again. I have no idea how long I was out for.
The buzzing of the fluorescents brought me round, my eyes still heavy as I tried to shift my body.
“Take it easy, Mr McCabe. My name is Doctor Barton, I’m one of the surgical residents at Unity General Hospital.” I felt like a dead weight, unable even to bring my hand to my face. I squinted, opening one eye narrowly to the shadowy figure standing over me.
My voice croaked as I tried to talk, “Squeeks?” A secondary shadow emerging over me.
“I’m here. Do as the doctor says,” my eyes closed again, my head lolling back in defeat.
“What happened?” I asked.
The doctor’s voice sounded over me, “Well, you sustained quite a few injuries, Mr McCabe. It’s a good job your sister found you when she did. You had to be rushed in for emergencysurgery as you were bleeding internally. Along with a couple of broken ribs, bruising, and facial abrasions. You certainly did a number on yourself.”
