CHAPTER 21
⌗ 𓂃 𖥔༌ ᰷ ﹅guns and alleyways﹅ ᰷ 𖥔༌ 𓂃⌗
"wait, you actually rubbed him off in your bed?!" bruce hissed at me with a grin.
it was an oddly sunny saturday for north denver in march and bruce and I were taking a walk around the park. we had sat down in the sun and were just catching up; life had been so busy, it was hard for us to have met up in the midst of it all.
"what, as if we haven't had sex yet?" I whispered back with a laugh.
"true... did he... give you anything?" bruce asked.
"nah, I was tired and I didn't want anything. we just fell asleep." I wasn't lying, it just wasn't the whole truth. I was still a little shocked about tom showing up at the grab'n'go that I couldn't really get in the mood for anything. "besides, what's happening with you and cheyenne? rumours are circulating!"
bruce blushed red.
"nothing." he muttered.
"something's happened, hasn't it?... what, have you kissed? made out?... had sex?" I teased, but his face continued to turn red. "oh my god, you have, haven't you!"
"shut up, y/n." he turned his head away from me, unable to hold back his smile.
"when?! why didn't you tell me? I told you when it happened for me! I'm so offended. tell me!" bruce laughed while I leaned to him, trying to meet his eye.
"we didn't say anything because it was around the time that your brother went missing and everyone fell out. we didn't want to stress you more with unnecessary details! and then we lost track of time and we didn't wanna steal your thunder when you told us about you and vance... it was a whole thing." bruce explained as I sat there dumbfounded.
"and you didn't tell me." I said with a grin.
"y/n! I just told you why!" bruce slapped his hands on his knees. I fell back dramatically on my back.
"no, I get it! betcha told arlo! or cameron!" I joked.
"ok." bruce stood up and began walking away.
"bruce!" I sat up and called out to him with a laugh. he continued to walk away. "bruce, come back!"
I grabbed my waterbottle and jogged up to him.
"hey— oh. it's you." bruce joked with a serious face.
"ew, I don't even like you." I rolled my eyes at him and stuck my hand out to his face. I screamed a little when bruce leant down and ran his tongue up it. "bruce! bruce that's disgusting!"
"you wouldn't think it was disgusting if vance did it!" he taunted.
"yes. I would. god, you're awful." I wiped my wet hand along bruce's sleeve.
***
I got back to my room and hung my little back on the back of my door. I unfurled the new abba poster I had bought and looked around to find a place to put it. luckily, the phone ringing distracted me from my struggle to find an empty spot and I chucked it onto my bed, sat down and picked up the phone.
"helloo?" I spoke into it.
"hello y/n. did you have a nice day out with bruce?" oh for fucks sake.
"piss off tom." I was about to hang up when his voice drew me back to the receiver.
"...you have there." I pulled the receiver back up to my ear so quickly.
"what did you say?" I had heard him. I just had to make sure.
"what a lovely abha poster you have there." I stood up angrily and stormed over to my window, staring through it.
"listen, asshole. I don't know what fucking snake's nest you're spying on me from, but you better knock it the fuck off. you hear me?" tom chuckled darkly.
"oh, y/n. you won't do anything." and with that, the line went silent.
"what the fuck was that?" I whispered as I crawled over my bed to place the receiver back down. as I did, I heard something. a faint breathing was coming from the receiver. it was quick and actually quite laboured if I was able to hear it from my outstretched arm. I shakily held the phone back up to my ear and spoke out again. "...tom?"
"such a nice ass, y/n- fuck!" my brows furrowed before I realised what he was doing. my face slowly melted into a shocked state as the phone dropped from my hand. as tears fell, my hands flew to my mouth to keep back the sobs that would attract dad to the situation.
I could still hear him grunting and groaning through the phone. I quickly rushed to slam the receiver back onto it's holder as I tried to calm myself. my hands felt thick with grime and I couldn't bring myself to do anything before I had washed them to be perfectly clean.
I went to the door and checked nobody was outside. when I was sure the coast was clear, I hurried across the corridor to the bathroom and locked the door behind me. I turned to the sink and began washing my hands. I scrubbed and scrubbed until they were red-raw and there were even a few nail scratches running along my hands.
turning off the tap and not caring that my hands were still dripping wet, I left the bathroom and went back to my room. I flopped down on the bed and stared out of my open curtains.
the sky was dark now and you could just about make out the faint smudges that were houses. the only thing that drew attention to them were the illuminated, yellow windows which gave a view into people's homes.
some sat and watched tv, some ate dinner. kids played together, teenagers smoked. and none of them knew what was happening...
***
the next day, I decided to take a run to clear my head. I'd left in the early hours of the morning so I was sure tom wouldn't have seen me. I took my usual route, the long way to the grab'n'go that took me to the back alley which lead to the front of the store.
I ran and ran, not slowing once to take a breather and loving the feeling of being pushed to my limits. as I ran, all thoughts of worry and fear left my head. it was one of the rare times when I felt truly free from all the shit in the world. the only other times I felt like this was when I was with my siblings, vance or bruce. when I was truly at my happiest.
I reached the back alley of the grab'n'go and finally slowed my run. I stopped and placed my hands on my knees, bent over a little. it was cool in the alleyway and I took a moment to rest, leaning my back against the wall and waiting for the grab'n'go to open. maybe I'd see vance? the way he walks to grab'n'go from his house takes him to the same back alley I was in.
I perked up at the familiar sound of his footsteps coming around the corner. I was a little confused as to why he came from the front of the store instead of the back but brushed it off.
"speak of the devil and he shall appear," I thought to myself with a smile.
but that smile instantly dropped when the person I least wanted to be stuck in a back alley late at night with.
"i've told you to leave me alone, tom." I tried to keep my voice steady and firm. he turned his face to me, tears dripping down his cheeks.
"...you know I can't do that, y/n," his voice was wobbly and cracked with tears.
"please, tom," I pleaded as he stepped towards me.
"I'm sorry. I have to do this, y/n. b-but I can't get you out my head! you're all I think about! morning, afternoon, evening, in the pitch blackness of the midnight... it's you. you, you, you, you, you, you! get out of my head! you! you! you!" I stepped back in fear as he began beating his head with his fists.
"tom..."
"you! you! you! you—" he suddenly paused. "this is the only thing I can do to get you out of my head. even then, it might not work!" tom darted towards me and closed his hands around my arms, keeping me still as I shook. "it's the only cure... the only cure..."
he continued to whisper as he looked down, violently shaking.
"tom?..." I asked in a whimper.
"shut up!" I cried out as he slapped me across the face hard, sending me falling to the floor. "just— shut up! I'm sorry, y/n... i'll have to kill you after this. that's why I brought this." he opened his coat to reveal a pistol nestled in his waistban. I whimpered in fear. "it was my father's. that wretched man."
he let his coat drop and reached his hands to his belt, unbuckling it.
"no, tom, please... don't do this! I won't tell anyone if you let me go!" I cried out from the floor, trying to suppress the horrible images of my dad standing above me in the same way.
"I have to..."
his jeans were at his ankles. his hands were on my body, feeling me, touching me where only vance had ever been allowed, holding my hands above my head to keep me still. I sobbed as his fingers fumbled in my underwear, forcefully caressing my folds and unsure of where to go. my sobs turned to wails and his other hand went to clasp my mouth shut, but I tossed my head from side to side, borderline screaming now. tom pulled the pistol from his jeans, pointing it to my face and cocking it. I pulled my head away as he ordered me to shut up, his fingertips uncomfortable against my clit.
and I accepted defeat. I couldn't fight him, not while that bloody pistol was in his hands. this is how I would die: in the back alley of the grab'n'go, raped by tom karls and with a brain pumped full of lead.
I let the tears flow as I sobbed, unable to hold the hiccups back. I thought of finney, gwen, dad, arlo, carter, cameron, imani, cheyenne, bruce, vance...
oh, vance...
he would be crushed. just crushed.
and bruce, he'd hate himself. he'd find a way to blame himself, he always did.
dad, finney and gwen... how would they cope?
great, only now am I realising my worth. well, at least I have tom to thank for that. I hoped for it to be over quickly.
I didn't want to suffer.
I turned my head back to tom to find him watching his hand at my core in awe. we made eye contact and a brief flash of guilt crossed through him. I could see the war being fought in his head before he raised the gun back up to me.
"HEY!" a strong voice pulled me from my trance.
tom whirled around and saw who had saved me.
of course.
vance fucking hopper. I let a faint smile ghost my lips as vance stormed towards him. but he didn't see the gun in time. vance swung at tom, catching his jaw with a sharp crack.
the sickening blast of the gun sounded.
"VANCE!"
***
DUN
DUN
DUUUUNNNN!!!