Guns and Roses

Twenty Five ~ Quinn

The house is eerily silent tonight. I sip at the soup in front of me as Rya store it absent mindedly. She hasn't eaten any of it but is just watching it spin around the bowl.

I can't imagine what she's thinking right now. I didn't go into the house but she described what it was like on our way home.

Lisa walks in and takes the soup from Rya since she's got no interest in eating it. "Why don't you go get some sleep jagadka? You take tomorrow off as well, I'm sure the school will understand"

She's been crying and I can tell from the red rims to her eyes. Rya still doesn't say a word. "Come on. Let's get you to bed"

Rya's brows furrow into a frown. "I'm fine" she says sharply "She's not dead"

Lisa sits down beside her and takes her hand. I put down my spoon and stare at the table. "Rya. I spoke to Freddie and he explained everything to me. We have to accept the reality that she couldn't have survived an attack like that"

Rya glares at Lisa. "And you think Dad did it? You think that the boy you raised beat his wife to death and then ran off with her body. You think that my father brutally killed my mother and then disappeared. Do you really think he's capable of that?"

Lisa doesn't answer which suggests that she does believe so. The older woman gets to her feet and then looks to me. "You can leave your bowl by the sink and I'll get it in the morning"

She walks out of the room and Rya gets to her feet. She shakes her head in disbelief and then takes my bowl from me. She starts to clean it and her own in silence.

"They've done it before" she says quietly. "I sort of expected them to do it again. I just didn't think that they'd leave me behind this time"

I stand up and walk over to her. She rubs at her eyes and then grips the edge of the sink. She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. "I've had dad back only a few years. Mum only a few months. I actually thought for a second that we could be a normal fucking family. That I could go to school and pretend that my parents weren't complete psychopaths. But then they go and do this shit and they don't even think to take me with them"

I place my hand on hers. "You think they faked it?" I ask her trying to keep my voice as passive as possible.

She nods "They could have paid off one of the officers to make it look worse than it was. It's the perfect getaway - mum's dead and dad's on the run. They'll never find them because they won't even look. They only got caught before because of me. That's probably why they left me this time as well"

There's a knock on the door but only I look. A man stands there, he's maybe in his late forties and is slightly out of breath. His shirt is creased and unbuttoned at the top like someone grabbed it. He says something I don't understand in Russian and Rya replies also in Russian.

I've only ever seen any other members of the mafia once or twice. The house is massive but only seems to be for the family, everyone else must live elsewhere.

Rya dries her hands and brushes past me after the man. "Has Irina been down?" She asks and I'm grateful to understand her words.

I follow close behind, not completely sure if I should leave or not. The other man chuckles "I left her to have some fun while I came to get you"

She heads for the basement door and the man leaves us. She turns to me just before opening it. "Do you want to stay up here?" She asks. Her voice is almost cheery, it's like she hasn't a care in the world.

I shake my head. I don't know what's down there but I don't want to leave Rya alone right now. Not after what she saw today.

She hesitates but then nods and opens the door. It reveals a tight staircase going down and she walks down slowly, dragging her fingers along the wall. "Close the door behind you" she tells me as I step through the doorway.

I close the door and we're immediately plunged into darkness. I copy Rya in feeling my way down using the wall and eventually the wall stops.

I hear a strange hissing sound and then light appears in the middle of the room. A woman is revealed sitting backwards in a chair, her long black hair tied back in a sleek ponytail, the shadows of the flame in front of her casting freaky shadows on her angular face.

She lets the blowtorch go out and then lights it again. "Come on" she urges as she waves the blowtorch around, briefly lighting up a man's face. He's gagged, one eye is swollen shut and blood covers one cheek. "Just tell us where they are and we can let you go"

He whines against the gag and the woman groans loudly. She mutters in Russian and lets the blowtorch go out. I hear the chair scrape against the stone floor and then a bright light has me covering my eyes.

The entire room lights up with an overpowering white light. Rya sits on a table beside the source and is playing with something shiny in her hands.

In the new light, I can see the man clearly. I recognise him even. He's the police officer that asked me questions after the break in.

"Maddox" Rya says as she slides off the table and onto her feet. "I know that my parents paid you to make the scene look like dad killed mum. All I want to know, is where they went"

She yanks the gag from his mouth and he spits at her. The other woman moves so quick, I barely register her going for him until I hear the crack as her fist hits his face. She pulls back and I spot brass knuckles.

Rya wipes her face with her school jumper sleeve and I find myself slowly backing away. This is the torture chamber. I look around at the blood stained floor, at the table with the assorted instruments of pain.

"I don't know where your parents are for fucks sake" he hisses "That blood is your mother's"

He screams as Rya stabs the knife in her hands into his thigh.

I think I'm going to pass out.