The Incredible League of Goth Pizza Haters (RH)

Part 71

---Sylvia---
I awoke to the booming of speakers. Things were blurry at first but soon they came into focus. I'd thought that I might be below the club but now I knew I was right. I struggled into a sitting up position.

Something was off. They'd never let me remain conscious while there were people up there...

The drugs in the cup.

I shouldn't be awake right now.

I shifted in my binds. They weren't any looser than before but instead of the previous three or four, now there was only one. One around my wrists, anyway. There were still two around my ankles.

I pulled against the zipties again and they strained but didn't break. It occurred to me how stupid I've been with these restraints. There's always a way to get out of things like this. Everything has a weakness. I'd tried pulling against and slipping out but both methods had failed me horribly.

I tried moving around my arms but the most progress I made was being able to almost cross my wrists. I scratched my nail against the material and my fingers found the seal. It was the little square holding the entire thing together. I tried smacking it against the wall or trying to wear it down by rubbing it against the concrete but nothing was happening. I let myself relax a bit and closed my eyes as my finger fumbled mindlessly. Then something amazing happened.

My fingernail found itself prying at the little seal, and tried to insert itself in the space between the two bands. It did and with a little tug I felt it loosen a bit. My eyes snapped open and my heart sped up. It wasn't loose enough to slip from.. But if I knew how to free myself..

I did exactly as I'd done before, inserting my fingernail, but this time I gave a hard tug and with a sound almost like the quick snap of a zipper, it loosened and I was free. I pulled my hands out in front of my body in astonishment. My arms ached horribly and there were deep purple bruise marks on my wrists but..

I was free.

My hands were, anyway. I set to work doing the same thing to the one's around my ankles and within five minutes I was on my feet, slamming into the door and screaming for help.

Let Philip and John come. They won't expect me to be free and to bolt beneath them, through the door and up those stairs. Gone.

But no matter how loud I screamed or how hard I beat on that door no one came. Not my captors or anyone else. Was that bass really loud enough to drown out all my screams?

I waited.

And I tried to prepare. I had the zip ties in my hand, like maybe I could strangle John with them or something. It just felt better than nothing. And then I remembered the plastic cup. It was the kind of plastic that looked like glass until you picked it up and realized with disappointment it was dollar store quality cuppery. It had been refreshed with new drugs and after dumping that tainted shit I stomped the cup to the ground until it broke into about three or four pieces. I picked up one of the sharp edges and held it in my hand as a weapon.

Broken plastic may not be sharp enough to cut zip ties but it would sure work on skin.

***

I heard the footsteps and was on my feet with my weapon within seconds. I hoped it wasn't Philip, but at the same time I hoped it was.

It wasn't.

As soon as the door opened and I saw who it was I attacked. I'd been trying to not think about what it would be like to kill a person. Or even risk killing them. We do what we have to to survive. I'll do what I have to to escape.

There's an artery in the neck. I think I pretended I didn't know that as I swung the plastic shard right at his throat. He stumbled back, complete shock on his face as I ducked beneath his arm and made a dash for the stairs.

Everything was going in fast motion, I reached the stairs and tried to move two at a time because I could already feel him on my heels. And then I felt his hand reach out and grab the back of my shirt. He yanked me backwards and I lost balance. There was no railing and my heart skipped beats as my weapon fell from my hand and I was pulled down and tossed straight into the floor. The hit was hard on my knees and elbows, which were out to break the fall. I rolled and got to my feet, stumbling back in pain. He turned and started towards me, blood running into his shirt and staining the fabric. He lunged forwards and I ducked, trying to go around him and escape. I almost made it.

He turned and I guess he reached out, because I felt his fingers tangling themselves into my hair and pulling. I screamed and fought against him as he wrapped his other arm around my neck, pulling me into his chest. I felt him beginning to choke me and the ringing in my ears blended with the swears and curses that flowed from his mouth. Everything began to spin and blur.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Philip's silhouette tread down the stairs and run over. There was yelling and finally the pressure on my windpipe alleviated until I could breathe. My legs buckled and John held me there for a few moments before dropping and kicking me to the floor in disgust.

I grasped my throat, focusing on my breathing as I waited for the spinning to stop. I looked up to see John shoving Philip.

"I'm fucking done! They were supposed to be here yesterday, we need to end this! I'm getting fucking tired of her pulling this shit." he spat and glared down at me. The gash I'd left on the lower left side of his neck was bloody but didn't look deep. I knew I'd missed the artery, there'd be much more blood and a dead body if I hadn't.

Philip looked exhausted, "They will, they said they would. John, you know I can't take her in my car. There's traffic cameras and her friends might've gone to the police already looking for her... I have ties to this girl. We need to wait for-,"

"I'm tired of fucking waiting.." he paused and glared at Philip. "Get the gun."

"What?"

Oh, no.

"Get the gun I'll end this myself."

No no no.

"John, wait. Just calm down, okay? Let's talk -okay just- hold on. Hold on."

Please.

"Hand me the gun."

"John, no."

I don't want to die.

"Hand over the goddamn gun."

"We can sort this out! Just calm down." John moved towards the boxes. I should've gone for the gun instead of the stairs. Philip picked up the plastic shard from the floor. "JOHN STOP."

John held the weapon out, barrel eyeing me down. Tears burned my eyes and I let my head drop to the ground.

Let it be quick.

And it was. All of it was.

Philip stepped out in front of me.

"SHE'S A KID SHE'S JUST A KID."

"MOVE."

"SHE'S NINETEEN. SHE'S-,"

First came the bullet, and then the sound. A gunshot splitting my ears and jolting his body. I couldn't hear the sound of the collapse, nor the gun hitting the ground or his last words which slipped through his dying lips soundlessly.

His eyes were wide, lips trembling. A blood flower bloomed on his chest.

I didn't even know I was screaming until I stopped. Sobs shook my body and I remember curling up on the floor. John's faced was shocked, and Philip's was dead. .

I closed my eyes, his last words colliding with the ringing.

'My songbird.'