Bloody, Brawling Business CH5

 

Newton fiddled with the lighter in his pocket, turning it between his fingers as he sat in the living room, anticipating the doorbell’s ring. It came along with a knock, to which Newton sprung up, onto the couch, and with a hand on the table, stepped on and over.

 

  His hope was that Ferdinand hadn’t notified anyone about his plans to stay with Newt, so that when people came looking for him, they would have no reason to suspect him, and even less of a reason to search Scarlet's house. Newt most definitely preferred no one touch Scarlet’s things. He didn’t bother to stop and ask who it was before opening the double doors wide.

 

  He was instantly greeted with hands to his shirt, gripping so firmly, veins popped from their wrists and down along their forearms. Newt was driven back as the tall figure who had grabbed him made his way inside and turned, trusting Newt into the wall above the shoemat. 

 

  Newt's feet scrambled to keep him stable but they ultimately failed, slipping on Scarlet’s pile of shoes. He could hear the seams of his shirt crack around his shoulders. They were splitting under force of his own weight as the man held him up.

  

  The man wore a tall coat of lengthy emerald green fur which fell almost down to his feet. A pale rope was wrapped around the waist of the coat, dangling and loosely and swaying from all the commotion. Newt felt the fur on his palms as he grabbed the man’s wrists, it was soft and smooth, causing Newton's hands to slip up the man’s sleeve as he tried to pull his arms off him.

 

  “Is there anyone else in the house?” the man asked in a demanding tone.

 

  After a second of deciding whether or not to lie, Newton answered. “No, I was meant to be alone tonight.”

 

  “Go ahead,” said the man, nodding to a woman in the doorway. She had her own coat, a similar green, sweeping the floor behind her as she strode past them and into the house.

 

  Newt wanted them to let their guard down so that when Ferdinand arrived any second now-

 

  Ferdinand appeared in the doorway. 

 

  “Newt?” he said timidly, shocked at the scene he'd walked in on.

 

  The man shot Ferdinand a glare which took a gasp from his mouth and sent him instantly running off.

 

  “I didn’t see anything!” Ferdinand called back as he went. “I swear.”

 

  Newton’s plan was ruined, and he’d reached his breaking point. A crash coming from upstairs sent him fuming at the man.

 

  Newton cursed. “What are you doing! What the hell do you want!”

 

  “We’re taking back what you stole,” The man said.

 

  “I didn’t steal anything! This is my sister’s house! Leave it alone!”

 

  Newton felt the man’s grip on his shirt loosen a little. 

 

  “And where is she?” the man asked. 

 

  Newton felt his throat seize, but tried to speak anyway. “She’s dead.” He spat up.

 

  The man pulled Newton off the wall and let go of his shirt.

 

  “You’re not lying are you?” he said. “And you're not the one who stole, but the stolen object is in this house and we must take it back.”

 

  “Why would a stolen property be in my sister’s house? She wasn’t a thief.”

 

 The man didn’t speak. Newton’s speech of conviction seemed to have made him pause, maybe reconsider. Newton locked eyes with him.

 

  Newton thought back to the body in the basement. How could he truly, with conviction, say that Scarlet wasn’t a thief? Because just as Scarlet wouldn’t murder without reason, she wouldn’t steal without reason. So even if she did take Whatever it is without permission, these people sure as hell didn’t have the right to have it.

 

  “Call her back and leave,” Newton said, gesturing into the house. “And you’re not taking a thing of Scarlet’s.”

 

  “We can’t leave without it.” said the man.

 

  Newton took out Scarlet's Key chain and started flicking through the keys. “You want to take something? I’ll take something too,” Newt said, selecting what looked like the sharpest key and presenting it to the man. “I’m gonna cut her up. I think she’s in the basement.” 

 

  The man was stunned for a second, probably trying to understand Newton’s aggressive audacity. It gave him a gracious head start. He was basically at the basement door when he heard the man roaring after him. Newton was glad he'd left it wide open as he veered into the stairwell and dropped down the steps. He sought out the key to the secret room, singling it out from the rest on the chain, just before the darkness of the cellar consumed his hands. 

 

  The man’s footsteps echoed just behind Newton’s as he made his way to the shelf rack which was still off the wall. Newt squeezed behind it just as the man ran into it, causing it to shake and some boxes to slide. The man’s hand just missed the top of Newton's head as he reached between the shelves and boxes.

  

  Newton felt the wall for the keyhole and was lucky to find it quickly before the man started pushing the shelf rack towards him in an attempt to squish him against the wall. Newt scraped the key against the wall where he thought the hole was. The heavy shelf screeched towards him and he pushed his foot against it, buying himself more time. 

 

  He pushed the shelf as hard as he could, but his foot was still being shoved towards him. Any closer and the door wouldn’t be able to open. The Key finally slid into the hole. 

  

  Turning it quickly, Newt unlocked the door and let it swing open against the shelf. He squeezed himself half inside the hidden room but got stuck. Each time the man charged into the shelf, the door pressed harder and harder into his sternum. He took a few more hits, mustering the courage and trying to predict the timing between charges. He needed to move between them. 

 

  Newt pushed back the door and shunted his body into the room, pulling his arm in just in time for the concrete slab to slam without breaking his fingers. Newton almost slipped over on the wet floor he stumbled in.

 

  Fumes had been filling the air of the enclosed room the whole time Newton had been waiting for Ferdinand. He tried not to breathe too much as he put his ear to the small crack in the door and listened for the man outside. The shelf let out a high and short screech which Newt interpreted as it being dragged quickly back across the ground. Newton stepped to the side of the door as it opened. 

 

  As soon as the man stepped a foot into the room, Newton grabbed for the rope of the green coat he knew had been hanging loosely. He was lucky that they were pale enough to see, even in the darkness. He got a hold of each end and wrapped them around his hands. Leaning back, he pulled them both towards him. 

  Newt's feet slipped into the man’s legs and he fell backwards onto the ground, while the man stumbled over him, trying to maintain his own footing on the wet floor.

 

  The dizziness caused by a mixture of darkness and toxic fumes made getting up a challenge, despite this, Newt was on his feet before the man could turn around. He pushed himself through the door and felt the man grab the wet back of his shirt, but Newt was quick enough to twist himself free and close the door. He locked it, leaving the man trapped inside.

 

  Newt fished the lighter out of his pocket and knelt down. He felt for the bottom slit of the door. It was easy to recognise the petrol which was leaking from the room. Pressing the lighter to the petroleum laced slit, he flicked it and it caught alight instantly. But so did the tip of Newt’s fingers.

 

  Newt quickly jumped up and blew out his hand. He got out from behind the shelf and away from the door. It felt good to have finally given back. To share the pain, to be the one who caused it. It wasn’t about that though, he didn’t do it for the satisfaction. He was defending Scarlet’s property. 

 

No sound came from the hidden room, not a yelp or scream of pain or rage. Would the blaze have killed the thief that quickly? The back of Newt’s shirt tightened. He tried to jump away but he didn’t move from his spot. How did he get there? Newt thought before he was yanked back and thrown into another shelf. 

 

  “You threatened to harm my wife!” The man shouted.

 

  “You’re robbing my dead sister!” Newton shouted back.

 

  “We’re taking back what she stole!”

 

  Newt cougheed. He used the shelf behind to assist himself getting up. “My sister’s not a thief. Not like you and that cow, breaking her thing upstairs.”

 

  “I’ll break you!” the man roared.

 

  “Tiro, stop!” Shouted the woman from the top of the basement stairs. “I’ve got it. Let him go.”

 

  “Let me deal with him first,” said the man, approaching Newton and grabbing his hair. 

 

  “Leave the boy, he’s grieving," she said, making her way slowly down the steps. “His emotions are in turmoil. They’re strong and conflicting, I'd even consider him mad in his current state.” Though she was talking to the man, she was looking directly at Newton.

 

  How dare she, Newton thought. How dare she talk about me as if she knows. 

 

  Newt didn’t talk back to her. As much as he'd wanted to, she was getting him out of a difficult place so he allowed her to speak.

 

  “I’ll make tea. You both need it. Bring the boy upstairs, Tir.”

 

  The woman left back upstairs, leaving Tiro and Newt alone for a moment.

 

  “Keep my wife out of your mouth from now on,” the man growled into Newton’s ear.

 

  “Keep my sister’s things out of your filthy hands,” Newt said back. 

 

  The man ignored the insult and released Newton’s hair. “Come on. We’ve got to make sure she doesn’t make a mess,” he said before marching up the stairs.

 

Newt found them both in the kitchen, he entered silently and observed as they handled Scarlet’s things.

 

  “You just press the button, and wait. No fire involved,” the man said as he turned on the kettle.

 

  “The things metal can do,” the woman sighed.”
 

  “The things metal can do,” the man repeated. Smiles cracked their faces and they both burst into a giggle.

 

  Newt didn’t know thieves to set up home in the place they were robbing. Especially with the legal owner watching them do it. 

 

  The man’s coat, Newton noticed, was singed at the bottom where some of the green fur was missing. The bald spots revealed a pale leather underneath. 

 

  The man turned and sat on the bench.

 

  “Off!” Newton shouted. It was something he knew Scarlet would’ve done countless times, but this stranger had no right.

 

  “Sorry," said the man, just noticing Newton’s presence and hopping down immediately. The woman nudged him and his smile grew wider. “OK, Ok,” he said to her before focusing on Newt. “I’m sorry for getting so physical with you.”

 

  “He’s always worked up when he’s on the job,” said the woman. She shot the man a look “It’s something he’s going to work on.”

 

  “Oh, yes,” said the man. “What was with that room in the basement? It was prepared beforehand.”

 

  Newton felt anxious at the question and was about to react with some more yelling but the woman punched the man in the shoulder, pulling his attention away before Newton needed to. 

 

  “The boy does not need to be interrogated right now,” she said.

 

  She jumped as the kettle beeped next to her.

 

  “That just means the water’s boiled,” the man said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll get the tea.”

 

  “I’ll get it,” Newton said, making his way to the pantry. He found a box of tea on the bottom shelf and pulled out three bags. He dropped them into three mugs which were already on the counter. The woman looked confused.

 

  Watch this, the man said to the woman as he took the kettle off its stand and poured steaming water into one of the cups. The woman looked in excitement as the water passed through the bag and went dark. Newton didn’t question the woman’s odd behaviour. He didn’t want to end up insulting her and send the man into another fit of rage. He just wanted them out.

 

  After filling all the mugs, the man took two cups and went over to the dining table. The woman trailed behind him and they both sat. Newton took his seat on the bench and sipped his own cup from afar. 

 

  Though Newt didn’t really want to interact with the thieves, the question plaguing his mind was too hot to hold onto. “How did you get out of the room?”

 

  The man paused for a second, looked at his wife whose face read, ‘what are you doing?’, before standing up and walking over to Newt. The man’s mug remained on the table, along with his hand which still held onto its handle.

 

  “Like this,” said the man as he disappeared right in front of Newt’s eyes, and regrew almost instantly from his hand back at the table. Though he was standing, he’d reappeared in a seated position and took a sip from his mug. Newt was stunned.

 

  “Tiro, why?”

 

  Tiro shrugged. “We may as well tell him. He’ll probably end up finding out later anyways, and he won't let us leave if he doesn’t know.”

 

  “How did you do that?” Newt asked, finally able to put thought to words.

 

  “It’s very, very complicated. We have some things to discuss, so I don’t want to scramble your brain just yet,” said the man, Tiro.

 

  “What is there to discuss?”

 

  “We came here to retrieve something, and you’re certainly not going to let us run away with it because you just don’t understand what’s at stake here. You’re also not going to believe or understand anything I’d need to tell you to explain it, so I believe the best thing to do is to expose you first hand to what is going on and why it is so important that we take it.”

 

  Tiro held his hand out to his wife. “Yara.”

 

  She reached into her coat and took something out. Newton instantly remembered Clara’s drawing. Tiro took the red skull from his wife's hand and held it out to Newt.

 

  “You’re not taking it,” he said. “It belongs to Scarlet.” Newt put his tea beside him and hopped off the bench. He snatched the skull from Tiro and backed up slowly. His fingers through its eye sockets, he held the skull close to his chest. 

 

  Tiro made no attempt to snatch it back. “I’m asking you to come with us,” he said.

 

  And leave Scarlet’s house? “No!” said Newt. This was the only place he ever wanted to be.

 

  Tiro sighed and held up his arm to show Newton that he was missing a hand. Tiro instantly appeared at Newton’s side and pulled the skull free from his grasp. 

 

  “Let’s go,” Tiro said to his wife and they both ran out of the dining room with Newt on their tail. They ran into the living room, to the front hall and out the open front doors. Newton couldn’t catch up to them, they were across the road, getting in a car before he was even out the front gate.

 

  “Wait!” His shout echoed in the night. “I’ll come with you. I’ll do what you want! just wait!” 

 

  Tiro was half in the car when he peeked over the driver’s door. “Don’t leave the front door open,” he called to Newton, “We’ll be here when you’re ready to leave.