No Choice But Murder

6

The house was dirty and littered with flyers and coupons for 50p off 3 pints of semi skimmed milk. The front room was crowded with filthy furniture and nasty laundry and broken high heels and glittery, bright makeup littered every surface. Petunia and I waded through the knee-high filth until we reached an iron door with several locks and padlocks on it. The tall woman was just coming out the room.

'You already got her down there, Pam?' Petunia said, her grip like iron on my poor, naked shoulders.

'Yes. Didn't chain her yet, what does Polly want?' Pam mumbled. It was obvious she was the one the others didn't listen to often and this had affected her sociable skills.

'No, don't chain any of them. Maybe the fat boy and possibly her son when he wakes up but ask her first. We can't risk the other ear now, can we?' And she grinned.

'Alright.' She stepped out the way and Petunia pushed me forward. I craned my neck to see Pam's ear, but Petunia had wrenched the iron door fully open and she was now leading me down the stairs into the basement. The stairs were very long, I noted. How many feet were we underground?

The basement was a huge room lit with random light bulbs everywhere. The ceiling was very high and there were lights on the walls, as well as multiple different chains attached to the wall, with cuffs trailing on the floor. There was a huge double bed in one corner. There were two cracked black sofas and two yellowing armchairs surrounding a filthy black coffee table, drowned with pamphlets, magazines and old takeaway cartons, atop a dirty, green threadbare rug. There was a small glass dining table in the corner opposite the bed, littered in rubbish, with four suede brown chairs. The floor was covered in a thick layer of filth and dust and moulding food remains. Enough to make me gag. There were some random broken chairs of all shapes and sizes scattered all over the place and a door on the opposite side to the stairs. It was open a crack and I could see dirty, hair covered tiles and tiles and tiles and then a sink. I guessed it was a bathroom. I groaned as I realised what was going to take place.

Farah was standing against one of these randomly placed chairs, her face bored as if she couldn't care less. She stared at me pityingly as Petunia yanked me down onto one of the armchairs and pressed me into it. 'You,' she said to Farah. 'Sit beside her.'

Farah dragged her feet to one of the cracked sofas and plonked down as if she would be jumping up and leaving in a minute anyway. Just then, we looked up to see Pam dragging an unconscious James' down the stairs and the blonde crone clutching the unconscious Carter with her. Pam flung James onto the sofa opposite Farah and turned around, her hands on her hips, to watch Carter being flung onto the armchair opposite me. I managed to catch a glimpse of her ears as she turned around. She only had one.

Petunia's bony hands placed themselves on my shoulders and she gripped them tight. 'You don't seem so scared now, do you pretty girl? Not like the rest of them were, are you? That's good, it'll make living here so much easier.' She squeezed my shoulders until I was certain they'd come out of their sockets. Living here?

'Shut your face, Petunia.' Said the blonde hag, her mouth curling in repulsion. 'I was going to announce it.

'Well I cannot possibly wait until that fat lump and my son wake up, so I'll announce it now and you two good girls can tell them when they're up. If they ever wake up.' She cackled, showing her revolting teeth again. I most definitely spewed up a little puke in my mouth at the sight of them.

'You are to live here now; do you like your new home? We done it up specially just for my son and his pals, didn't we, my girls?' She ushered Pam and Petunia to go to her and she slung her arms over their shoulders.

'We sure did, Polly.' Said Petunia. 'Took us months but we got it perfect for you. Youse had better be grateful.'

'Oh, shut up Petunia. Now, girls, doesn't it feel homely?'

I turned to Farah, not sure what to say. We couldn't stay here, this wasn't home. I wanted to jump up and run up those stairs and out the front door, but there were three of them, strong for old ladies, and one of me.

'Doesn't it feel homely, LADIES?' Polly squawked, her blonde hair jumping up with her.

'Uh, yes, very,' muttered Farah, staring at the ceiling. I could tell the unbothered mask was going to slip off soon.

'And you? My son's girlfriend?'

'Oh, I'm not his- '

'I DON'T CARE! DO YOU LIKE YOUR NEW HOME OR NOT?' Polly screeched. Her eyes lit up with rage. Petunia grinned wildly, smothering her laughter, but Pam cowered away.

'Yes, yes, I love it.' I said, tears streaming down my cheeks.

'Out of the two, why did my stupid son pick the cry baby? You look a right sight.'

Petunia hooted with laughter, her hand slapping the arm of the sofa as she convulsed in endless laughter. 'Now he'll pick my daughter! She learnt not to cry the harder way!'

'We don't care, you repulsive hag.' Spat Polly. 'How you are my sister, I have no idea.' She pushed Petunia who had bent double laughing, and she fell, her laughing stopping abruptly. 'HAHA! Now who's laughing, you putrid witch?!' She grabbed Pam who had been quietly standing a few feet away, looking uncomfortable. 'Funny, isn't it? Funny, aren't I?' Polly demanded. Pam nodded her head vigorously. 'Well LAUGH THEN, you miserable crone.'

Pam forced out laughter. Farah and I sat awkwardly, scared yet saddened. Poor Pam.

'Right, girlies.' Polly turned to smile at us, bearing those blackened teeth. 'It's way past your bedtimes. Too late for dinner so I want you both to clean yourselves up and get in bed. The bathroom is right there, my darlings.' She pointed at the door. 'Pam will lend you some clothes, won't you Pam?'

Pam nodded.

'Great! Well, goodnight then!' She snatched the scruff of Petunia's dress collar and pulled her along. they hurried up the stairs together, Pam hot on their heels.