The Dead Among Us

68. The Extraction

    Fabia's POV

    Manny stands there with his lips pressed tightly together, his eyes narrowed as he focuses intently on Benji. Then, his gaze darts over to Pedro in the kitchen, who has folded his arms across his chest, his eyebrows raised in a questioning expression.

    Pedro's demeanor suddenly escalates as he starts speaking sharply to Manny in rapid Spanish. From what I can understand, he's interrogating him about what Benji's talking about with something mixed in there about 'drogas,' which is the same word in Portuguese: drugs.

    Manny's voice rises, filled with defensive fervor, "¡Ay, papi, tranquilo! ¡Aquí no hay drogas!"

    "¡SI HAY!" Pedro screams and then, very subtly, not to draw attention to it, grabs his chest, but we ALL notice.

      I look over to Kenji, who's standing close by, and his eyes are bulging from his freaking skull as he listens to them, just going at it. 

    "Weed isn't the same!" Manny yells back in English, his Spanish not entirely up to par, much like Sabin's, from what I can gather.

    Pedro snaps, throwing the kitchen towel in his hand to the floor. Then he points and goes off, saying things I can't understand.

     "What is he saying?" I whisper to Kenji, whose face drops at my question.

    "He never taught me these words," he exclaims back. 

    I'm trying to gauge Manny's reactions to help me understand what's being said. However, he is simply standing there, visibly irritated, with his hands hanging loosely at his sides and a blank expression on his face. He appears utterly exasperated by whatever Pedro is shouting at him.

     As I watch him, his eyes suddenly widen in surprise. A mere second later, he swiftly ducks as Pedro's houseshoe comes hurtling towards him, narrowly missing his head by a mere inch. As he peeks back up, his sudden reaction catches me off guard—he throws his hands up in the air and lets out a loud yell.

    "¡Papi, ya!

    I've never seen Pedro this bent out of shape. His steps are quick, and he comes charging and still yelling something.

    The situation is spiraling out of control, and I'm worried about Pedro because his breaths are turning into wheezes.

    Jon and Sabin both jump up, trying to calm Pedro down. Well, actually, It's Jon trying to help. Sabin is fucking laughing like an immature child, just standing between them like a barrier.

    Jon grabs Pedro by the shoulders, saying sternly but also calmly for him to, "Chillax."

    The circus breaks as Benji flies down the stairs and wedges herself between Jon and Pedro.

    Clutching Pedro's forearms, she screams, "Papi, stop! He needs help!"

    Pedro's eyes soften at her as he hears her plea. When he glances back up at Manny, we all notice that Manny is clutching his jaw, his face contorted in pain.

    "Help with what?" Pedro demands.

    Manny's face is progressively twitching, and his eyes are even watering.

    "What's wrong with you?" Sabin asks and reaches out his hand, but Manny smacks it away.

    "Are you having withdrawal?!" Pedro booms, and Manny's eyes harden like ice at the accusation.

    "No! And stop calling me a fucking drug addict! I'm not Tío Alejandro, Papi!!"

"Okay, Manny, son, you have been high ALOT," Jon expresses gently. "Can't you see where he's coming from?"