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Jess didn’t. But then she thought about it a little harder and ventured a surprised guess: “You and Ben were brothers?” Jerry didn’t answer her but Jess knew it was a hit and not a miss. It still didn’t quite make sense though. “Did Ben know?”
Jerry finally allowed a tear to escape his eye. He blinked it away and it crept down his cheek. “We…we had the same dad, but I never told him that. My mom only told me when I was ten. By then I’d already been friends with Ben for three years.”
Jess was shocked. She thought this type of scenario was meant for cheesy films and dodgy talk shows, not real life. “Why did you never tell him?”
Jerry wiped the tear from his face, but did nothing about the new ones that ran down to replace it. “Ashamed, I guess. My mom told me it was just a one-night stand and that it was whilst Ben’s dad was together with his mom.”
Jess understood and nodded. “You kept it to yourself because you didn’t want to hurt Ben or break up his family?”
Jerry avoided looking directly at her and chose instead to carry on gazing into the fire as he spoke. “He idolised his dad; respected him as this great businessman. God knows why, the guy was a small-time jerk with more skeletons in the closet than Norman Bates. If I told Ben what his father – what our father – was really like, it would have broken him. I didn’t want to mess his life up like that – like mine. He was my brother.”
Jess was emotionally winded by the story and had to remind herself to breath. What a beautiful sacrifice for someone to make, she thought, before hugging Jerry tightly.
He yelled out in shock. “Hey, what’s that for?”
Jess kissed his cheek. “For being such a kind human being. I don’t think you realise quite how rare that is. Ben was lucky to have you as a friend, Jerry, and even more so as a brother.” Jess realised that her comments had summoned fresh tears and even a little whimper from Jerry. She patted him on the back. “Sorry, didn’t mean to upset you.”
Jerry wiped his eyes. “It’s okay. Think I needed that. Clears my head for what really matters.”
Jess frowned. “And what’s that?”
“What do you think?” Jerry spoke as if she were stupid. “You saw what happened to Ben. There’s something messed-up out there and it’s not going to stop till it gets us all. I’m sure if Peter could wake up and speak, he’d tell us to get the hell out of this FUBAR situation.”
“He already did,” Jess blurted out. “He said I needed to get away.”
Jerry was silent for a moment, then took a deep breath and said, “I think that’s good advice. No one believed us about what we saw, and I guess we kind of just let it go because we were embarrassed, but we both know we’re not crazy. There’s something out there that isn’t human.”
Jess considered for a moment that maybe she was crazy, but she knew Jerry was right. Both of them knew what they had seen earlier.
They had to get away.
Chapter Twenty-FOUR
“Make sure it’s tight”
“I am!” Harry tugged the curtain ties around Damien’s wrists and felt them dig into the boy’s flesh. “Any tighter and I’ll cut his arms off.”
“Good,” said Nigel. “Exactly what the dirty little rapist deserves.”
When Harry had swung the whiskey bottle at Damien’s head it had instantly shattered, sending streams of Old Graham’s salty piss all over the both of them. Harry could still smell the vinegary pong on his clothes right now. Once Nigel had regained consciousness, the two of them dragged Damien’s limp body into the bar area and heaved him onto a chair. They were now currently in the process of restraining him to it as tightly as possible. The last thing they needed was Damien waking back up and endangering anybody else. They had enough on their plate as it was, and Harry still hadn’t forgotten about the incident in the dance hall. Chaos, it seemed, had started coming at him from all directions.
Harry had placed Steph downstairs on a pile of blankets and covered her up with a duvet. She had stirred briefly when he’d first lifted her from the toilet floor, but she was yet to regain full-consciousness. Lucas had promised to look after her until Harry came back.
It was unbelievable that Damien had tried to rape Steph. Harry had made a massive mistake in thinking that the lad was not capable of such evil? At least he didn’t get away with it, Harry thought, shaking his head as he thought about what could have gone down if Nigel hadn’t walked in and disturbed Damien.
“Nigel, I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t walked in when you did. Steph is so lucky you were there.”
Nigel’s chest puffed up proudly. With the beating his face had taken, Harry thought he looked like a dishevelled bear hit with a shovel. “I’m just sorry the little perv got the drop on me before I could take him down first. My head’s still bloody banging.”
Harry gave the curtain ropes one last tug and was at last satisfied that Damien was restrained adequately. “I’m not surprised,” he said. “Vicious bastard really did a number on you. Soon as the phones are working, we’ll call the police and get him squared away.”
Nigel seemed to flinch. “Police, yeah”
Harry looked at him. “You okay, mate?”
“Yeah, yeah, of course. Just a bit dizzy. Need to sit down, I think.”
Harry stood up, frozen knees straightening with a click! “I can keep an eye on things here, buddy. You go and rest.”
“Thanks, Harry. Can I get you anything?”
Harry thought immediately about another beer, but for some reason he said, “I’m good, thanks.”
Nigel walked away gingerly, clutching at his ribs. Harry shook his head as he imagined the pain he was in. Guy’s lucky to be walking after the walloping he got. We all owe him big time.
Harry stepped back and examined Damien, asleep in the chair. What could make a person so violent as to want to rape and beat people? It made his heart ache to think of the amount of hatred that infected the world. Damien was just one tiny ant in a whole colony of remorseless monsters. Harry started to wish that he’d asked for that beer after all.
A strangled snort came from Damien’s direction and for a moment Harry thought he was going to wake up. The boy’s eyelids fluttered for a second and his nose crinkled as though a fly had landed on it. But then he fell still again.
“What do we do with you now?” Harry asked the unconscious lad. “Can’t exactly leave you in the middle of the room to freeze, can I?”
Or maybe that’s exactly what you deserve.
Harry’s fists clenched themselves automatically as he thought about how frightened Steph must have been. He had to take deep breathes until the moment passed.
Try to let it go before it drives you insane.
Harry needed to get away from Damien – just being near the scumbag made his stomach sick – but wasn’t an option just in case he woke up and tried to escape. The only place warm enough to keep Damien prisoner was over by the fire, but that was already taken up by their casualty, Peter.
Prisoners. Casualties. What the hell is happening tonight!
The only other place that would be habitable was the cellar downstairs – once they got the new fire started at least. But no way was Harry about to drag Damien to the same place as Steph. In fact he was never going to let the kid anywhere near her ever again. He’d have to leave the bastard up here, beside the fireplace.
Harry walked over to Jess and Jerry. Both of them were on their knees tending to Peter, but they didn’t seem to actually be doing anything useful, other than merely keeping an eye on him. What can they do? Harry thought. He noticed the two of them were both shivering and rubbing at their arms. The fire was obviously failing in its task of keeping back the chill. Jess looked up at him as he approached and he saw that, despite her obvious weariness, she could still manage a smile.