Redcoats

Chapter 8

Billy sat on the curb as the Medics worked on Brandon. Julia stood anxiously at his side nervously tapping her foot and staring off towards the church they had fled. The police had handcuffed the driver of the truck and gone and gotten Billy and Brandon's father.

It all happened so fast Billy still couldn't comprehend it all. He watched the truck plow into Brandon. He remembered screaming and Julia running to the house behind them to call 911. He remembered the driver pacing back and forth in the street. He remembered all of these things, yet he could remember what the last thing he said to his brother was.

Had he been cruel, or mean to like he was sometimes, or had they been enjoying each other's company. Billy couldn't understand why Brandon would back into the street, or why none of them heard the truck coming. He didn't know what to say to his father who stood talking to the officer, clearly distraught at the loss of his oldest son.

Julia stood by his side, but he barely acknowledged her presence. He wasn't acknowledging anything really, barely speaking when the police arrived. Julia answered the questions as best she could, leaving out the run through the graveyard. She claimed they were walking and Brandon stepped into the street, they never saw the truck coming. All of that was true just omitting how they came to be on this street at this time of night.

Billy's Father made his way over to them and stood silent. Billy was waiting to be yelled at, he was waiting on his father to scream. When his father jerked him off of the curb and pulled him into a hug, Billy was shocked. He didn't know what to do or to say so he simply returned his father's embrace.

He didn't know when he began to cry, but he could feel the tears running down his face and into his father's shoulder. They held the embrace for a minute before his father released him. He looked at Billy as if he was beholding a great treasure and then over at Julia. She lowered her head sheepishly but he opened his arm and motioned for her to join them.

As if he knew they were blaming themselves, Billy's father spoke, "That asshole blew well over the limit, it's a miracle he didn't get all three of you."

Billy glanced back at the man now sitting in the back of the cop car, "He was drunk? Is that why we didn't hear him coming?"

His father nodded, "Mr. Carl down the street had seen him speed around the corner, and he almost hit him too. I think we can get you two back to the house, Julia you can stay with us tonight."

Billy went to protest, but his father cut him off, "I need my boy in my house tonight, we'll focus on everything else tomorrow."

Julia placed her hand on his shoulder, "Of course, we'll call over to Sammy's and let Mike and everyone know what happened, it'll be fine."

They walked the short distance to Billy home and Billy's father went inside and up the stairs. Billy sat on the porch staring at the yard where he and Brandon played. He had believed it was what they did, but it was that man, that man had killed his brother.

Julia sat next to him, "Baby what are you thinking, what's going on?"

Billy finally found his voice again, "He killed my brother, Julia. He killed my brother and I let him go."

Julia watched the rage start to creep onto Billy's face. He grabbed a bucket and flung it across the yard. Cursing he walked into his father's wood shop and made his way to the fridge in the back. He grabbed two bottles of his father's beer and popped the top off them.

He poured the first onto the ground, "This is for you bro, I'm sorry." Then he began chugging the second one.

Julia cautiously approached him, "Babe, what can I do for you?"

Billy leaned against the table saw and stared at her, his eyes seemed empty and cold. She'd never seen this side of him and it was beginning to frighten her. Still she wanted to help him through his pain so she continued to approach him, slowly reaching out to try and comfort him.

Billy moved so suddenly she barely registered it. He grabbed her by both her arms slamming her towards the table and pinning her there. His face was skewed in a mix of pain and anger as it came closer and closer to hers. His eyes were no longer empty but crazed with furry.

"Can you switch places with him, or hell let me die instead of him, can you do that Julia, huh?" He screamed.

Julia struggled in his grip, "Billy you're hurting me, please just let me go."

"You want me to let you go fine," he said, tossing her aside so hard she almost fell, "Why don't you go back with everyone else and leave me the hell alone?"

Julia spun towards him and slapped him hard across the face, "You son of a bitch don't you ever touch me again."

The slap brought Billy back to reality as Julia began to storm out of the garage. The door slammed shut in front of her and locked. She struggled to open it but the handle wouldn't budge.

"What the hell Billy?" She said, turning back accusingly.

Billy walked towards her slowly, "I'm sorry I freaked, I'll open it, it's probably just stuck."

Billy tried the lock, but it wouldn't turn at all. The handle seemed to be frozen too. He began slamming his shoulder into the door trying to force it open. On the third hit he heard what sounded like laughter outside the door.

"Hey, who ever is out there quit fucking around and let us out." He yelled with his face pressed to the window to try and see outside.

Suddenly behind him the table saw turned on and began spinning. The band saw and drill press started up next followed by the lawn mower and tiller. Julia rushed over to Billy's side in fear and began trying the door with him.

The more they struggled the more tools in the garage started to come to life. On the shelf above one of the windows the chainsaw roared to life. Terrified, the two began to scream for help and shake the door furiously.

Suddenly a grisly face appeared in the window of the door. Partially emaciated and decayed it grinned in a sickening way that caused the to jump back away from the door towards the middle of the room. A glance at one of the windows showed a second grinning monstrous face peering in at them. Billy stepped back stumbling into Julia and the two fell to the ground in front of the riding lawn mower.

The machine lurched forward causing its front to rise exposing the blades merely inches from the two. They scrambled to their feet and backed away from the spinning blade bumping the shelf which held the chainsaw. It swung down towards them from the shelf it's blade coming towards them. It caught the back of Julia's neck and tore through it decapitating her before lodging itself in Billy's chest. Blood rained throughout the garage as the saw drove it's way through Billy and pinned him to the ground.

As blood ran out of Billy's mouth everything shut down and the door opened. He saw the two ghastly form standing there grinning as the world faded away. Without a word they turned and left the world now eerily dark and silent.