Whump And Stuff

Friend of a Friend

I went along with Person A and Person B to run errands for our friend. Person A was insistent that I come with them in case they need my help, as I was helping them move some old things to our friend's house.

Person A and Person B have been talking for a few months now, and with good reason. Person A is a kind and creative person, and she helped Person B get into sketching a few weeks ago. Person B can be moody at times, but he has a soft spot for the people he cares about. The two flirted with one another as they usually do, so I walked behind them in an attempt to avoid any awkward situations.

We walked up to the gate of the old property. It was a simple one story home that was isolated by a forest of pines, and the nearest home was a ten minute walk. The outer walls of the home showed signs of chipping white paint, with what looked to be a pale blue paint peeking underneath what had peeled away. The main door was protected by a screened in porch. At a distance, the wooden boards composing the porch deck appeared warped from age and weathering. The house used to belong to our friend's parents.

Person B walked onto the porch and proceeded to the door. He jiggled the knob for a few seconds, only to step slightly backwards with a sigh. "Locked."

"Didn't you bring a key?" I asked casually.

"I think so." Person A replied. "Didn't you bring it, Person B?"

"I thought you brought it." Person B insisted calmly.

"I brought it, but I gave it to you before we got here." Person A stated.

The two continued to debate about the key for a minute or so. They were doing the best they could to avoid an argument, but I could tell that a tension was building.

"How about I check my pocket really quick." I chimed, interrupting their discussion. I felt around in my back pocket, immediately picking up the outline of a metal key. "Looks like I had it after all."

The two sighed in unison, and Person B took the key from my hand. He shot me a quick annoyed glare before unlocking the door.

The house had a dark blue lighting from the curtained windows. I could vaguely see the embroidered designs of small flowers on their couch, they appeared to be hand stitched. As we moved into the dining room and kitchen, pictures of our friend from his childhood were placed haphazardly along the door of his fridge.

"I'll look around on this side of the house." Person A pointed to the hallway across from the living room. The hallway seemed to lead to two additional rooms.

"I'll stay in the kitchen and dining room, you can take the living room drawers if you want." He responded to the both of us.

Person A meandered through the dark until she reached the hallway. As Person B continued his kitchen search, I spotted the dresser to the left of the couch and began to rummage through it. For a few moments, the house was silent. The sound of my friends moving boxes and knick knacks was the only way I could tell they were still around. The drawers I searched contained yellowed folders of sketches and old report cards. Some sketches were much more artistically advanced than most of the scribbled artworks of farm animals and "family portraits". The fancier pieces looked to belong to our friend's parents. Throughout the endeavor, I stashed away a few of the childish drawings for my own amusement, as I could show them to our other friends on Monday morning.

"Could you help with something?" Person A asked from behind me. The harsh interruption of the silence startled me.

"Sure." I said quietly, following Person A down the hallway.

From the hallway, Person A and I entered what looked to be a bedroom. The walls had posters of old shows that went off the air years ago. The tables were completely wiped down and cleaned, and the dressers were emptied completely of their contents. A large window invited beams of whitish-blue light, and the curtains were held open with ceramic statues.

As the door closed behind me, I turned to Person A. "Is there something you needed me to move or anything?"

Person A didn't reply, but she glanced over my shoulder to a piece of furniture on the other side of the room. I took her signal to look behind me and saw a night stand made of darkened wood. I took the hint.

"Alright." I nodded. "I'll put it in the trunk for you."

I walked over to the night stand and crouched down to observe the broad, carved legs. I stood back up to get a grip on the stand, but was interrupted by a downward force hitting my head on the table. My head whipped upwards with a throbbing sting, forcing me to stumble back. As I tried to reach for my head, my hands were snatched behind me while Person A put her hand around my chest, keeping me from moving.

"What happened?" I hear Person B call as his footsteps echo toward our room. Person A quickly turns me in the direction of the door, where I meet Person B's confused gaze. The sudden movement makes my vision blur as my head pulses.

My voice mumbles as I try to explain what happened. "She wanted me to move the table so I-"

"Don't talk." Person A takes the hand she was restraining my hands with and smacks my head where the impact was. My ears ring and I wince as my legs weaken briefly. I quickly catch myself to avoid falling, but I'm certainly not in the condition to talk coherently anymore. I feel a small trickle of blood start to travel down the side of my head.

"Listen." Person B coaxes, his hands out in front of him. "I don't know what this is about, but I'm sure this can be handled without any problems."

He tries to step forward slowly, but is quickly stopped by Person A taking out a pocket knife with her free hand.

"Stay back!" She warns, pointing the knife in his direction.

Person B stops in place, his hands appear to be shaking. I'm gritting my teeth as my head tries to nod back, causing it to throb more.

"Why are you doing this?" He asks quietly.

Person A's grip across my chest tightens. "It's nothing personal. I always enjoyed your company, but she was just too annoying for me to handle."

"So you decided to hurt her?" Person B exclaimed in a baffled tone.

"She was in our way." Person A rebutted. "She thought I could be her friend and was weak because of it."

"That's kinda rude." I mumble quietly. Person A hits the side of my head, making me see splotches of green and blue as my ears ring louder. A little bit of my blood got on her hand. Serves her right.

"This is ridiculous." Person B mutters. "I'll handle this myself then."

Person B reaches for her knife, but misses as Person A swings her arm back in one direction and myself in another. Person A goes to slash at Person B, but he catches it in time to stop her from hurting him. The two wrestle the other's opposing force to avoid hurting themselves. As they fight, I try and gather the strength to escape her grip. I squeeze my eyes shut and slowly try to wriggle downwards in hopes of getting on the floor. Every movement makes my head hurt more, and thrashing causes me to get a bit dizzy. I quickly surrender the effort as I don't want to risk going unconscious.

I force my eyes back open to see Person B slowly adjusting his footing in hopes of overpowering Person A. He creeps himself to the other side of her arm, giving him a leverage. Person A's hand visibly shakes as his arm strengthens, then Person B shoves her arm away, unknowingly stopping her weight and forcing it to where she's holding me. As her arm launches back, her blade is driven into my chest.

The two stop for a moment and watch as I gasp and fall on the floor. With her hands free, Person A takes a second to glare at Person B before running out of the room. He doesn't bother to go after her, as his focus is on my wound. He runs over and watches as the blood seeps into the carpet. My vision fades in and out, and I hear him try to calm me down repeatedly. I can't seem to make out the words.

"Don't worry!" I catch through the blurred noise. "I'll go find help!"

I feel his footsteps fade through the floor as he leaves, and soon the vibration of the front door closing behind him. The house reverts back to a quiet air, and my senses fade to the sound of labored gasps filling the old bedroom.