Part 5:

Answer the Phone, Nick

Mo walked away from the warehouse quickly, Gus on his heels. He had to get the fuck out of that place for a minute. He had to take some time to think. He had never killed anyone before. There had been a few times he had come close, in bar fights or just plain fights with people who pissed him off, but he had never actually put a bullet in someone and watched them die. Despite what he had said, he never wanted to kill the kid.

Lighting a cigarette, he shoved it between his lips as he kept walking and tried to think straight. St. Nick was as good as dead; there was nothing that was going to change that. And the other one had seen Mo shoot Nick. Whether or not he could identify Mo or Gus, Mo did not know.

“Mo, where are you going?”

“We need to figure out what comes next,” Mo said, flicking the ashes to the ground as he continued walking.

“What do you mean, what comes next? We shoot the other one in the head, and then call it a day. Simple. By the time anybody even finds this place, we will be long gone. And the chances of anybody tying us to the warehouse or those two kids would be impossible.”

“Why impossible?”

“Why not impossible?”

Mo finally stopped walking, dropping the half-smoked cigarette to the ground as he lit another one. They stood there, silent, for a few seconds, as the picture of Nick lying there, covered in blood, flashed over and over in Mo’s head. If he would have been satisfied with the BMW, things would have been over and done with. But he’d gotten greedy, especially when he’d seen all the cash in Nick’s wallet, along with the credit cards. And when that Brian kid had talked about more cash and fancy watches and jewelry, it was more then he could stand.

“Listen Mo, the sun is going to start coming up soon. We gotta get the hell out of here. So you gotta decide what we’re going to do, and you gotta decide fast.”

***

Brian skidded to a stop in front of the Excursion, the headlights casting large shadows of him on the warehouse wall. Pushing a foot up onto the bumper, he climbed onto the hood so that he was level with the window, and he began his escape.

There were three large boards overlapping each other across the window. Brian grabbed on with both hands, tugging as hard as he could. The boards were rotten, and the first one gave away easily under pressure. Tossing the remains to the ground, he went to work on the second board. It was a little harder, but as he gave a giant tug, it, too, crumbled, and the third board was as easy as the first.

Standing back, Brian looked up at the now exposed window. It was broken, only a few jagged pieces remained, sparing him the noise of smashing the glass himself. Grasping on to the windowsill, he pulled himself up, hooking one leg over the sill while dragging the other leg on the wall to try and get a toe hold to boost himself up. He ignored the pain from the shard of glass that had cut through his Levi’s into his leg and continued pulling himself up and into the window.

Once he had his whole body in the window, he maneuvered himself around and dangled his legs out behind him. Then, grasping on to part window sill and part glass, he lowered himself down, the glass slicing into his skin as he held on tightly until his body was lengthened out. He took a deep breath, said a quick prayer, and let go.

Landing with a thud in the darkness, Brian fell backwards, catching himself with his elbows before his head hit the ground. He didn’t have time to think about what to do next; he just rolled over, stood up, and sprinted away, as fast as he could, from the warehouse and into the darkness.

***

Brian had not realized that when he had been flailing around on the warehouse floor, trying to get free, his cell phone had slipped out his back pocket, spinning around before it stopped by Nick’s left hand.

Lying there, his body still, Nick was aware of nothing but the beauty of dreaming. As his hand twitched lightly over the cell phone keypad, the battery bars on the right hand side of the phone screen had already begun to fade away…

***

Mo and Gus stood there, not saying a word, as they both stared out into the distance. The sky was just beginning to turn a lighter shade of black, signaling the coming of morning, and Mo knew that things needed to be taken care of. Sighing, he reached in the waistband of his jeans, pulling out the gun, which he turned around in his hand, gripping it tightly for comfort. He had already killed one person tonight, so the second one shouldn’t be that hard.

Turning around, he and Gus made eye contact as Mo cocked his head slightly, signaling Gus to follow him. And then he turned and walked back towards the warehouse. It was quiet, except for the crunching of his boots in the gravel. He wished that there were crickets or birds or something making noise to ease the tension of what he was about to do. Gus walked out around in front of him, meeting Mo at the garage door. Leaning down, he pulled the chain and raised the door as Mo walked in behind him, the gun in his hand down at his side.

He walked in quick, purposeful strides along the front of the warehouse, towards where the two boys lay. His heart was pounding wildly in his chest, and sweat beaded his upper lip as he swallowed hard and raised the gun. He looked up as he drew nearer to where they had left Nick and Brian, ready to aim and hit his target…. His jaw dropped.

Only one body was lying on the floor… and where the other body should have been was nothing but three pieces of rope.

"SON OF A BITCH!” Mo screamed, the words bouncing off of the warehouse walls.
SON OF A BITCH, THE KID IS GONE!" Mo turned in a circle, pulling at the roots of his hair like a madman. He felt like his temples were going to burst as he let out a loud, agonizing scream that sounded like a wounded animal.

Gus stood a few feet away, a shiver running up his spine as Mo turned to face him. He had known Mo a long time, and he had never seen a look like that in the man’s eyes.

Breathing hard through clenched teeth, Mo walked slowly to Gus and placed a hand on his shoulder. "When we find that kid, I’m going to gut him. Do you hear me, Gus? I’m going to gut him, and then I am going to enjoy watching him suffer. No one pulls this shit on me, and I mean no one.” Turning back around, Mo reared back a leg and kicked Nick’s lifeless body twice before he turned back around and headed towards the Excursion.

***

Brian stumbled forward across the field behind the warehouse, picking his way through the tall weeds and underbrush. Turning to look over his shoulder, he could still see the light from the Excursion headlights in the warehouse window, and he wondered if Mo and Gus had returned yet to find him gone.

It had been painful for him to make his escape, leaving Nick there wounded and dying. He couldn’t shake the image of Nick’s bloody lifeless body on the warehouse floor. He wished that Nick would have given him a sign or opened his eyes when he had spoken to him before he left. Anything to let him know that he would hang on just a little while longer. But there had been nothing.

As he continued to run, there was some crunching in the brush to his right that made him jump. A fat rat ran across his path, making him trip and fall as he tried to avoid the disgusting thing. Landing on his side, he rolled over onto his stomach. He pushed himself up on his knees and looked around. What the hell was he doing, and where the hell was he going?

The only thing he knew for sure was that the one definite road to freedom was back the way he came. But could he risk trying to get back around the front of the warehouse in order to go down the main road? Because when they did find him missing, that was probably the first place they would look for him. Pivoting on his knees to look up towards where he had been running, he could see nothing but more weeds and land that rose in a slight incline towards the horizon. What if there was a road over that horizon? Or a house or a gas station or anything that could get him to safety? Could he risk the time it would take to get that far? Especially if there was nothing there but more land?

Standing up, he wiped the sweat from his brow and smacked the palm of his hand against his forehead in frustration. "Think, Brian. Think,” he hissed, turning around in a circle. "Fuck.”

He knew what he had to do. He had to go back the way he had come from. He had to find his way to the main road. It was the only way out, and if he didn’t do it, Nick was as good as dead.

***

New York

Leighanne stepped out of the shower, wrapped her long blonde hair in a towel, and pulled on her robe. The mirror was steamed up, so she ran her hand over it in a circular motion, clearing a spot to study her reflection.

Her acting workshop had been going really well, better than she had expected. Yesterday, one of her instructors had spoken to her about her need to work on her "emotions" acting. He explained to her the importance of this skill, especially if she were to get a role on Broadway or doing plays where she would need to "project to the back of the house.” So she and the instructor had worked on it for the better part of the workshop. He would toss out an emotion, and she would have to portray it to the best of her ability. It had actually been quite fun, the instructor running around her in circles, shouting out "angry," "excited," "mad," "enthusiastic." She had wound up in a heap on the floor, laughing so hard she had thought she would wet her pants.

Standing now in front of the bathroom mirror, she practiced the emotions technique, shooting through each emotion at record pace while trying not to smile. This was just the kind of thing that would have Brian doubled over in laughter. He would have stood beside her making the faces, too, until they were both laughing so hard they were crying. Thinking about him made her smile. And at that moment, she missed him.

Looking up into the mirror, her face looked sad, and it wasn’t acting. Then the last words she had heard Brian speak on their answering machine rang through her head…

"…Nick and I are in trouble. I was told not to call the police, so I am going to try and fix things on my own. If you don’t hear from me again, have the police go to this address… I love you, baby. Don’t ever forget that.”

At that moment, Leighanne remembered the nightmare that had woken her up so early this morning.

Brian and Nick had been in a car, driving down a long dark road. They were both laughing and not paying attention as the road suddenly ended, and the car plunged into the darkness. Leighanne could see Brian’s face so clearly in her nightmare. His features strained, his eyes dark with fear. He looked to Nick, but Nick was gone, the passenger seat dripping with dark red blood. And then Brian had turned, and it was as if he were looking at her, even though she was only an observer and not even in the car. He looked at her, his eyes widening as they pooled with tears. And he mouthed the words, “Help me, Leighanne… Help me.”

Her heart was pounding, making the peach silk of her robe jump ever so slightly, as she pushed off of the bathroom counter and headed for the bedroom. Walking to her dresser, she pulled out her address book. Flipping through the pages, she stopped on D and traced her finger down the names to Dorough. She didn’t want to be hasty; after all, it was only a nightmare, and the call could still be some prank, so she was going to call Howie and see what she could find out.

She had Howie's home phone as well as his cell phone number written down. It seemed like cell phones were the only way to get a hold of any of them these days, with the guys traveling between homes and vacation spots. Sitting on the bed, she picked up the phone and punched in the cell numbers. It was still going to be early where Howie was, and she hoped he wouldn’t mind if she woke him up, but her gut instinct told her that the call had to be placed, and it had to placed now.

There were seven rings and then a sleepy, "Hello?”

"Howie.” Silence. "Howie, it’s Leighanne.” Still more pausing. She wondered if maybe she had lost the connection until she heard him clear his throat. "It’s Leighanne Littrell.”

"Oh, Leighanne, hi.” She could hear the rustle of covers and a female voice asking who it was. Howie must have placed his hand over the receiver because then Leighanne heard a muffled, "My friend’s wife.”

"What time is it?" Howie asked, his voice cracking with sleep.

"Early,” was all she said, hoping that he wouldn’t look at the clock. He laughed a little in response.

"Is everything okay, Leighanne?"

"I don’t know.” She went on to tell Howie about her separation from Brian. Skipping the more gory details, she tried to stick to the facts. She could tell he was surprised, if not a little bit saddened by the news. She then explained to him about her nightmare and the strange phone message she had received from Brian and asked for Howie's take on it.

"I don’t know, Leighanne. It sounds like it could be some kind of joke that Nick came up with… but I don’t know if Brian would go along with that kind of joke. Maybe if this was five years ago, but I don’t know if he would do something like that now. Do you want me to stop by their place later today and see what’s up?"

"Will you call them? Just call them and see if everything is okay…. now?" There was another long pause. "Please, Howie.”

"Okay. I’ll call them. Give me that address Brian told you again, too,” he said, grabbing a hotel notepad and pen from his nightstand.

Leighanne read him off the address and sighed. "Thanks, Howie. I really appreciate this. No matter what happens, I will always love Brian, and I hope that you and I can always be friends.”

"Definitely,” Howie replied, a tired smile in his voice. "Listen, I will call you when I find out something, okay?”

"Okay, Howie. Thanks.” Dropping the phone into its cradle, Leighanne felt better, knowing she had placed the call. Howie would make sure things were okay, and everything would be fine.

She was sure of it.

***

Nick fought against the waves as they rose high above his head, threatening to eat him alive. Then, just when he thought he couldn’t take anymore and he was going under for good, the waves would go tame, bobbing him around gently in their warm grip. He wondered why he didn’t just drown; it seemed like it would be so much easier than trying to stay alive.

But for some reason, someone or something didn’t want him dead.

Not yet.

Looking up into the distance, he could see that the beach was now a mere speck in the distance, and he wondered vaguely where the beautiful, dark-haired girl was now and why she had not tried to help him. His life flashed before his eyes in dull, muted colors that made him frown. Had his life been so boring? He couldn’t really remember.

Pulling his hands through the water, he placed them on his aching stomach as his legs worked around in the water, trying to keep him afloat. God, he hurt; he hurt so badly. The pain started right in the center of his gut and radiated out in all directions, making it so hard to breathe. He could feel the warm water making its way in and out of the gaping hole in his stomach; it was such a strange sensation to feel the flesh moving around in the water. His head ached, and his ears were ringing, and in the distance, the thunder rolled as the sea began to pitch again. Nick braced himself for the raging waves, wondering if this was the time that he would be swallowed whole.

As the ringing grew louder in his ears, rain began to fall, blinding him to everything around him. Then, suddenly, he felt someone take his hand…

***

Howie dropped the cell phone to the covers and rolled onto his stomach with a groan. He hated mornings, especially after being out too late the night before, drinking too much champagne and fighting with his girlfriend.

Collette had fallen back asleep beside him. She was beautiful and funny, but other than that, he didn’t see much of a future with her, which was what they had fought about. She didn’t understand why he didn’t put a ring on her finger. She had listed for him the hundreds of guys all across the globe who had wanted to marry her, but she had instead opted to date him, in hopes that he would be "the one." Howie didn’t think he would ever be "the one" for any girl because he was just too picky and he enjoyed his free time too much. Listening to Leighanne talk about her separation from Brian had just reinforced the fact that marriage seemed to always ruin something great.

God, he was tired. Fighting took a lot out of a person, which was why he always tried to avoid fighting at all costs. He could feel his eyes fluttering closed as his breathing slowed down to a steady rhythm. How nice it would be to go back to sleep and not wake up until noon. But then he remembered why Leighanne called in the first place, so, rubbing his eyes, he rolled back over and sat up. He knew if he didn’t make the call to Brian and Nick, he would surely forget, and then Leighanne would be pissed. So, he retrieved the cell phone from the folds of the bedspread and walked quietly into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

He knew Brian’s cell phone number by heart. Sitting on the edge of the large circular marble tub, he punched in the digits and waited while it rang.

***

It was the girl with the dark hair. He could barely make her out through the rain, but he was sure it was her. She was treading water in front of him as she held his hand tightly in hers. Nick tried to talk, but the driving rain filled his mouth, making him cough as the waves splashed over his head. This was it, he thought, her hand holding his tightly. They were both going to die in the waters he loved so much.

The ringing in his ears grew louder, so loud he wanted to scream to try and drown it out. Shaking his head, he cried out, but there was no sound. And then the strangest thing happened. Suddenly, he could see the dark-haired girl’s face. The water still pounded all around them, pelting his shoulders and back, but the rain no longer came between them. Her face was dry and her dark eyes comforting to him. She smiled a pale smile as she narrowed her eyes and said…

"Nick, answer the phone.”

He must have looked confused because she leaned in closer to him, pressing her forehead to his; she smelled sweet, like lilacs and sunshine…

"Nick, answer the phone. Now.”

He nodded, as the ringing in his ears continued, understanding the words she spoke, trusting her like he had trusted no one in his life. Then the rain drove a wedge between them as a large dark wave rose over her shoulder…

And then she was gone.

***

Nick moaned long and low, his body twitching a few times as he struggled to move. He was so cold. His eyes fluttered open and then closed as he fought against the sleep that seemed so inviting. He heard faint echoes of words that he could barely understand…

"Nick, answer the phone.”

He didn’t want to answer any phone. He just wanted to sleep. But the words became louder and angrier, and he wondered why his mom couldn’t just get the stupid phone. Why was she yelling at him about it?

Forcing his eyes open, he looked around, blinking over and over with confusion at his surroundings. He didn’t recognize the ceiling, with its strange shadows and corrugated metal. And the smell in the air… it was a scent that he was not familiar with; he felt like he was going to throw up, the stench was so strong.

He tried to roll onto his side, but he could not move his legs.

He tried to scream, but there was no sound.

Ring… ring… ring…

His right hand twitched, knocking something at his fingertips. Flexing his fingers again, he felt something. Grabbing at whatever it was, his hand was weak, and he had trouble making it work. It took three tries, but finally, he was able to pick up the object and bring it up in front of his face.

Ring… ring… ring…

His focus went in and out on it, but he was able to figure out that it was a cell phone. With his thumb, he pushed the button on the far right and placed it to his ear.

***

Howie had been letting the phone ring for five minutes and was just about to give up, when someone finally answered.

"Hello,” he said impatiently when no one said anything on the other end. "Brian, is that you?" Nothing. "Nick?"

He could hear breathing. It was slow and shallow; whoever it was needed to back up from the mouthpiece.

"Brian, is that you? It’s Howie. Listen, I know that it’s early, but Leighanne wanted me to call you guys. She had some nightmare about you, and then you left that weird message on her machine, so she just wanted to make sure everything was okay. You know, buddy, I’m really sorry about the separation, and I want you to know that I will be here for you….”

Suddenly, there was an odd gasping sound on the other end, followed by choking. Howie stopped talking and pushed his ear closer to the phone, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

"H-h-h-h…” He couldn’t be sure, but it sounded like Nicky.

"Nicky, is that you?"

"H-h-h-e-l-l…” He could tell Nick was having trouble speaking. Swallowing hard, Howie tried to help him.

"Nicky, are you sick? Did something happen? Do you need help?"

"H-help.” He spit the word out in a deep, almost unrecognizable growl that made a chill run up Howie's spine.

"What the hell is going on, Nick? Where the hell are you?"

"H-help… I-I-I’m… d-d-d-ying…”

Just as Nick spit the final words out, the battery bar on the left side of the phone faded out, and the phone went dead.

***

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