The strange, unexpected, & supernatural

The basement (Ellie Armstrong) 2

My vision is blurry as I regain my senses.  My head is throbbing.  The floor is ice against the side of my body.

I tug my leg, which emits a jingling sound.  It's cuffed at the ankle to a metal pipe.

"I turned on the vents to hide the smell a bit."  Billie's against a wall, glaring condescendingly. "I'm not gonna hurt you, Ellie."

I slowly push myself up and look past him.  He follows my line of vision to the bodies now lying in the back of the room, then looks back to me.

"You know who they are, don't you?"

I shake my head.  "No."

"You don't have to lie."

"Um, I have some notion."

"Don't think twice," he mumbles.

I almost don't want to accept it.  "I could be wrong."

"You could be right."

Here goes nothing.  "Mom and dad?"

Billie nods.  I feel nauseous.

"Listen, it's," he rubs his face, "y' know... in a way...I mean..."

"Why?"

He looks me in the eye and conceals his hands in his pockets.  "It started before you were born.   I was in rehab for my drug habits and was due to get out a few months after your mother gave birth.  When I was released, she and your father refused to let me see you even though I had shown every way humanly possible that I was clean.  I went to their house and your mom and I got into an argument.  The next thing I know, she's on the floor, bleeding, and I have a knife in my hand.   I waited for your father to come home because I couldn't have him alive while your mom was dead."

"Where was I during all of this?"

"Upstairs, sleeping in your room.  I brought them here, claimed legal responsibility for you, and the rest is history."

Tentatively, I crawl back.

"I did it for you, Ellie.  I didn't mean for any of that to happen."  He steps toward me.

"No, stay away!"

Surprisingly, he stops.  "Alright."  He goes to the side of the room and retrieves a blanket, laying it over my shoulders.

"Is this to prevent me from freezing so soon?"  My tone is sarcastic and serious.

"Can't just turn the thermostat up, now can I?"  He finishes adjusting it and heads toward the stairs.

"You're gonna leave me here?"

"I'll be back in an hour, I promise."  I watch him leave and the door shuts, followed by a locking sound.  I sigh and lie down, curling my body under the blanket and falling asleep on the cold floor.