Bloody, Brawling Business chapter 2

  When Yuda received Piko's proposal over the phone, he couldn’t get over how foolish it sounded. And as the conversation replayed over and over in his head, the silly idea festered until there he was, packing two sets of clothes into his bag. They’d run away together, if not forever then for a short while. Yuda needed to bring his phone along but it had been confiscated earlier that day, after he talked to Piko and after what had happened in the principal’s office. 

  Yuda’s parents were sound asleep. He crept into their bedroom, placing his feet carefully as he stepped across the floorboards. His mother’s night stand was the first thing he checked. He opened the two drawers one at a time, slowly. It wasn’t there. He made his way around the bed to his fathers nightstand and tried the same thing, but as he opened the top compartment it let out a dream popping squeak. 

  Yuda’s father rolled over in his bed and faced him. Groaning, he blinked his drowsy eyes but before he could wake enough to know what was going on, Yuda got on all fours and lowered himself until he was flat on the floor. He slid under his parents bed before his father dangled his feet over the side and got up. His father walked off. As soon as Yuda heard the door of his parents’ ensuite shut and lock, he got out from under the bed and finished checking his fathers nightstand.  

  His phone wasn’t in there as well so he closed the drawers really slowly so as to not let it squeak again. The last place that he checked was the walk-in closet. His phone was on a shelf behind a stack of folded jumpers. Once out Yuda sneaked back into his room and finished packing.

***

  Yuda pulled his hood down over his forehead. He wished it could cover his face entirely as he made his way around the cold, stoney suburb and through the orangely-lit streets. He kept a fair distance from everyone that he passed, his thoughts moving with him as he walked. They started at, Should I Be Doing This? place, Going down Just Focus On What’s Ahead lane next, before arriving at the park on I What If I’m Caught? ave. 

  Piko was already there. It was close to his house after all. He was sitting on a dark green, wooden bench with his head lowered.

  “What’s the plan?” Yuda asked Piko.

  “I’m stressin’ now because I've realised I don’t have one,” Piko said, sombrely. “I’ve rushed into another stupid idea without thinkin’.”

  “We still have time to think. Let's start with a place to stay,” Yuda said.

  A moment passed, soundless, before Piko looked up at Yuda. “You know that abandoned place? The one we passed comin’ back from school every day?” he said.

  “Good choice.”

  “Is it even safe to stay there?” 

  “Sure, no one’s been there in years and no one ever wants to be. It has a roof and four walls-”

  “What if people do go in there, just not when we’d notice? What if people use it to do shady business at night?”

  “If you really need to, we can take turns keeping watch. C'mon, let's go get some sleep.”

  They walked together, quietly talking about the hell of a day that they’d just been through. The situation was still under investigation and Piko was being threatened with criminal charges. Payas’ father wanted him arrested for attempted murder but Piko was lucky enough to get off for now. Yuda, like Piko, was expelled and grounded by his parents. “We don’t retaliate. We don’t fight with violence,” his mother had said. Yuda’s connection to such morals had been fraying and was still under constant stress. Was he wrong to attack or was it a genuine means to dignify himself? 

  “What started it? Why’d Payas attack you?” Piko asked, whispering. 

  “Because I beat him. Quick game, three - oh.” Yuda smirked.

  “He attacked you for that? I knew he was a loser but I didn’t think he was that low. Why didn’t you put him in his place?”

  “Because it’s wrong. I shouldn't be a savage like him. Besides, it’s Payas. It wouldn’t have made a difference if I tried, and even if I did succeed somehow and hurt him, I'd be in the wrong.”

  “Are you serious!” Piko yelled.

  “Shut up! You're so damn noisy.” Yuda hissed. “You fought back and look what happened. We’re expelled and now you have to worry about that nutcase Payas calls dad who's out to ruin your life.”

  “I defended you!”

  “You almost killed a guy. Doesn't that weigh on your conscience at all?” 

  “And if I had let him beat you half to death, shouldn’t that weigh more?”

  The conversation halted as they arrived at the vacant house. The front porch was covered in flaking, yellow paint and the moist, dark wood was riddled with splinters. Yuda placed his hand on the bannister and retracted it right after he felt the slimy moss touch his palm. He and Piko approached the front door. It was detached, leaning against its frame. Yuda pushed it and it tipped over, slamming down onto the floor inside the house. 

  The interior of the house was trashed. Shards of mirror covered the floor in the bathroom, the living room couch was cushion side down on the counter top of the open kitchen and almost every wall had holes in them.

  “I didn’t expect it to be all neat and tidy in here,” said Yuda. “but this is on another level of mess. It’s a good sign though. If anyone still lived here they would have definitely cleaned up.”

  “I’m not lyin’ on these floors. Let’s flip the couch. I’ll sleep on it,” Piko said. “You can get the bedroom.” 

  They both grabbed one end of the grey couch each, lifted it off the counter and flipped it over, setting it down on its legs. 

  “I’ll go check out the bed,” said Yuda. He wandered off down the hall, leaving Piko in the living room.  

  The bedroom was the cleanest place in the house. It had a wide dresser topped with an intact mirror, there were no holes in the walls and even the bed was made. Yuda dived onto it, creasing the sheets and disturbing the arrangement of pillows which were leaning against the bed’s head. He allowed himself to breathe for a moment. He relaxed, not worrying about anything at all. 

  Yudas' peace was disturbed when he heard Piko scream from the living room. He burst out of the bedroom and dashed down the hall. As the Hall opened up into the living room Yuda could see Piko lying on the floor, pointing to something which dashed across the floor and under the couch, causing Piko to scramble up and away from it. 

  “What was that?” Yuda asked.

  “I d-don’t know what the hell it was but it might be an-n alien.” Piko was shivering.

  “It’s not an alien.”

  Yuda made his way over to the couch. He took his phone from his pocket and opened it. Holding it in the hand of his bandaged arm, he turned on its flashlight and shone it at the couch.

  “W-what a-are you doing?” Piko asked. “D-don’t.”

  Yuda grabbed the underside of the couch with one hand. He flipped it over, exposing the entity of pure nightmare fuel beneath.

  It was in the shape of a dog though it had dark humanlike skin and no fur. Its jaw was clenched, trapping a disembodied hand between its set of canines. Each tooth was identical, not sharp like that of an actual dog's tooth, but more triangular and curvy like that of a human's. Even its paws didn’t seem right. They looked more like the front of a person's foot that was squished and moulded into the shape of a paw. 

  The thing growled at him and Yuda tried to step back but the thing dropped the hand from its mouth and bounded latching onto Yuda’s leg. He screamed out as the beast sunk its teeth into his shin. Piko screamed with him. The fingers of the severed hand twitched in unison.    

  The dog started to jolt and tug at Yuda’s leg. Piko ran up and raised his knee. He started stomping on the beast’s back until it released Yuda. It ran off down the hall, leaving Yuda with his torn leg bleeding out on the dusty floor.