A friendly warning

Please be advised that this story contains bad language, sexual situations and references, nudity, violence and vivid discussion about rape. As such it has been rated "M" and is geared towards mature readers.

Thursday, 27 March 2008

Chapter Nine

Ripp swallowed hard at the sight of their father in the doorway with his arms folded, impatiently drumming his fingers on his arm as he waited. He looked anxiously across at his brother, who could only eye him apologetically as he laid a hand on his shoulder.

“Been nice knowing you,” Ripp whimpered.

“Come on,” he uttered, “Best get it over with.”


Buzz didn’t mince words, allowing a minimal span between them getting inside and him telling Ripp exactly what he thought of the matter.

“I don’t know which is worse,” he fumed, “Going round with other guys, or dating the enemy…!”

“He’s not the enemy, Dad!” Ripp bit, “I wish you’d get that crazy idea outta your head about those guys!”

“He’s alien, and he’s male!?”

“Well spotted!” came the sarcastic reply.

“Don’t talk back to me!” he yelled, “What the fuck are you doing with a guy?! What did I say about this?!”

“What did you say about what?!” Ripp retaliated, “About something that’s part of some of us, that we can’t even help? I’ve been biting my tongue ever since I found out…”

“And when was that exactly?”

“I found out when I was ten,” Ripp explained, “And before you ask, only reason I knew so soon, was getting sent to the principal after chasing boys in a game o’ kiss-chase. Lucky he knew what he was dealing with; Johnny weren’t so lucky.”

“You stay away from him, you get me?” he ordered, “Go find yourself a human girl to…”

“I’ll do no such thing!” Ripp snapped, “You can’t ask me to suddenly like girls when it’s not me! It’d be like me tellin’ you to go datin’ guys!”


“Don’t be ridiculous,” Buzz snarled.

“Yeah, figured you’d say that.”

“It’s not natural! Besides, do you have any idea what happens between two men?!”

“I know exactly what happens, thanks,” Ripp told him, glaring defiantly up at him, “Next time you’re jerkin’ off, put a finger up your ass an’ let me know how you find it…”

“Don’t be so damn disgusting!” Buzz yelled, “I’ll do no such…!”

His voice trailed off as he realised just what he had said. Both him and Tank eyed the youth suspiciously, although Tank decided to remain quiet for now – the situation was bad enough, especially if Ripp was implying what he thought he was.

“How do you know what it feels like?!” Buzz asked slowly.

Despite himself, Ripp’s cheeks began to burn as he gazed at the floorboards.

Nice going genius. As if you weren’t in enough shit for kissing a green guy, you go and drop this on him too.


“Um…”

“You’ve been fucking other men??” he exploded, before turning to Tank. “Did you know about this?”

Tank meekly shrugged and shook his head, plainly as shocked as their father.

“I needed love and I wasn’t getting any,” Ripp whimpered in a hasty bid to justify his actions, tears beginning to prick at his eyes, “What was I meant to do?!”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“Oh come on!” Ripp protested, now growing angry, “You and Tank were being assholes – you still are in fact…”

Ripp never finished his sentence. The force from his father’s fist sent him flying, crashing to the hard, unforgiving floor. Before he had time to register what had happened, Buzz was upon him in a frenzy.

“I’ve just about had it with you!!” he roared, unleashing a raw anger with his feet as they kicked and stomped at the cowering bundle on the floor. “You will insist on pushing…!”

Tank was left fighting the paralysis of shock as he watched the monster that he’d nearly become, starting to cry out at him in the only way by now that he knew how to.


“Dad!! Dad, stop, please!!”

Words do nothing alone, of course. Realising this, Tank instinctively moved to grapple with him as he continued his pleas, trying frantically to pull him off his brother.

Buzz flinched as he felt his son’s grip, his view becoming distorted as he spotted the person gripping his arm. There was a look of anger, a glint of a knife, a flash of pain…

“No!!” he cried out, blindly hitting out with his arm, “Get off me!!”


Tank staggered backwards, a hand to his face. Buzz froze as his left hand clutched at his chest, slowly drifting back to the present as he regained his bearings. His breathing quickened as a trembling hand raised to his mouth, his bruised knuckles beginning to ache as he looked across at his oldest son. Only now did it dawn on him what had happened, at least with the young man before him.

Tank continued to nurse his throbbing eye, but gazed at his father in a mixture of confusion and fear. Immobilised by the shock of all that had happened, he could only watch as the imposing figure in front of him began to back away, his head slowly shaking from side to side in an apologetic manner, his lips moving as if to form words, but with no strength left inside to carry those words forth.
Looking from one son to the other, Buzz suddenly broke into a run, grateful for his bedroom being on the ground floor as he burst inside and loudly closed the door.


With the danger now passed, Tank managed to pull himself free from the spell holding him captive, now studying the fallen figure of his brother.

“Ripp?” he checked, gingerly nudging his arm.

Ripp’s eyes slowly opened, groaning as he began to stir.

“Thank God…”

Tank reached out to aid him as Ripp tried to prop himself up, placing weight onto his right hand as he did so. A sharp pain shot through his arm in protest at his efforts.

“Aaagh!”

“Whassup?” Tank quizzed as he continued to help him to a sitting position.
“My wrist,” he complained as he instinctively hunched his injured arm close to his body.

Tank looked down at his chest, where he was holding his right arm. His wrist was swollen and bruised, and a brief examination of the area caused another yelp of pain.

“Shit,” he muttered to himself, before an all-too familiar voice carried through the air, a voice he’d hoped he wouldn’t hear.

“Ripp!!”


Tank’s already splintered heart suffered another crack as he heard him, the look on the young boy’s face hinting that he’d witnessed the whole sorry incident.

Tank ushered him towards them where he promptly took his younger siblings into his arms, allowing the tears to flow as he stroked their hair.

He didn’t allow them too long, however, as his practical side soon came into play, sweeping the sadness aside as he realised there were things now they had to do.

“Is he okay?” Buck asked, looking back at Ripp.

“He’s hurt his arm,” Tank told him as he beckoned them all to their feet, “Go pack your things, okay? We’re gonna get outta here.”

Buck nodded eagerly as his oldest brother helped Ripp to his feet, before his little legs carried the youngster quickly up the stairs to his room where he bolted himself inside.

Tank guided Ripp up the stairs with an arm draped over his shoulders, feeling his body quake under his touch as they made their way to Ripp’s room. Once locked inside from any other danger, Ripp fell once more into the strong arms of his brother, enjoying the secure warmth of his touch as he clung to him with his good hand.


“It’s okay,” Tank soothed, holding him tightly as he ran his fingers through his hair, “I’ll look after you, okay?”

He pulled him away after a while, clutching his head affectionately as he continued to speak softly to him.

“Come on,” he encouraged, “Let’s get this arm rested, huh?”

Ripp nodded as he allowed himself to be escorted to his bed, whereupon he let his legs cave in under him, sending him plummeting into the springy softness of the mattress. Tank plumped up the pillow and laid it on his lap, instructing him to rest his wrist upon it, before finding a suitcase and asking about the belongings he’d want packed.

After giving all the answers he needed to, Ripp’s left hand dived into his pocket, now incredibly grateful for owning a mobile phone.


“Aaaaaaw, that’s great news!” Jenny grinned, after Johnny had enlightened her on the day’s events. Her love-struck son continued to beam from ear to ear as he piled more food onto his fork.

“Yes,” Peter smiled, his eyes sparkling as he began to tease, “Should’ve seen them on the way there; couldn’t keep their hands off each other!”

With a mouthful of food, Johnny easily ignored the juvenile mocking of his younger sister, instead watching her with playfully narrowed eyes as he swallowed part of his food.

“Hey,” he chided with a grin before swallowing the rest of his mouthful, “You wait ‘til it’s your turn Miss!”

Giggles erupted from the table as they continued to eat, before the chorus to Iron Maiden’s Die With Your Boots On played from Johnny’s back pocket.

“Whoops,” came the meek remark as he pulled out his phone, “’S’cuse me…” He trailed off as he studied the display, a soppy grin spreading across his face.

“Hello Ripp!” Peter chuckled, but the merriment diminished on the change in his son’s manner.

Eyeing his Dad with a look of concern, Johnny became frantic as he answered the ringing, feeling his heart begin to race in panic.

“Hey baby,” he greeted, “Everythin’ alright?”

“Hey sweetie,” came the reply, which instantly struck Johnny as troubled. Not only was it quiet, but there was a slight tremolo in his voice that could only be present through shock.

“Hold on, I’m usin’ the speaker,” he decided, glancing at his parents.

“Good idea,” they all heard him say. Even without seeing him, the older members could tell that something bad had happened.

“What’s wrong?”

There was an anxious sigh before he started to speak.

“He went crazy!” he told them, “We had this big fight, and then he started kicking the crap outta me…”

“What??”

Johnny glanced up at his parents, who looked just as horrified as he was. Peter quickly rose from the table, ignoring the remainder of the food on his plate.

“I’m picking you all up,” he announced, “Hold tight, okay?”

“Thanks,” Ripp replied, before a slight wince could be heard, “Tank’s packing my stuff right now… my wrist’s killing me…”

“Your wrist?” Johnny looked up, but Peter was too far away to hear. By the sound of things, Ripp had turned on his speaker too, as Tank’s voice could now be heard.

“He fell badly on it I think,” he explained, “We’re gonna have to get it looked at, it could be broken.”

“Oh, great,” Johnny moaned, now rising from the table to search out his father.

“Look, you guys hang in there, okay? I’m comin’ too, we’re gonna get you outta that place.”

“Thanks so much,” he smiled in reply, “I love you, Johnny.”

“I love you too,” came the reply, “See ya in a bit, okay?”


“That’s the last of it,” Tank finalised, “You ready?”

Ripp wearily nodded as he pocketed his phone, while Tank walked toward the door and pressed an ear to the wooden surface. On detecting no signs of movement he gingerly opened it, his head bobbing outside, turning this way and that as he scanned the landing. Satisfied that the danger had passed, he returned to Ripp’s bed and picked up his bag.

“Come on then, let’s go.”

Ripp nodded, scooping up his injured limb into his good arm as he followed his brother out of the room. He watched as Tank made for Buck’s room, disappeared inside and re-emerged with another bag. He led Buck along the corridor to join Ripp, and all three of them crept down the stairs, hoping that their father wouldn’t be anywhere in sight. No movement could be seen or heard, although light peeked under the door of his bedroom.

“Let’s jus’ hope he stays there long enough for us to leave,” Tank remarked in a hushed tone as they sat down, not wanting Buzz to overhear anything that would be said.

“You okay?” he checked hesitantly, eyeing Ripp’s face.

Ripp scoffed bitterly at what he took to be a silly question.


“I feel like Dad marched his whole legion over me,” he growled, before spotting the bruise on his brother’s face. “What happened to you?”


“I tried to get him off you,” Tank explained, before frowning a little. “Somethin’ was wrong though… somethin’ in his eyes, like he was somewhere else…”

“What do you mean?” Ripp quizzed, growing puzzled.

“I dunno,” Tank shrugged, “He had a hand to his chest, where he has that scar…”
“Huh,” Ripp remarked with a frown, “Odd…”

“Very odd,” Tank agreed, unnervingly rubbing his head as he eyed him, “I dunno… I think he’s losin’ it. Never in my life have I seen him act like that…”

2 comments:

S@n said...

I'm so tired and sleepy, but I just can't stop reading!!!

I have read all nine chapters in one sit... and I'm completely hook to this story!!!

Great job.

S.B. said...

absolutely astonishing!

Lean taut writing and stunning shots! You're extremely talented.