Post by devilssaint on Aug 1, 2014 21:59:53 GMT -6
OOC: So first off, I originally formatted this and everything was cool. Then the site guided me away from this and lost all my progress. I wrote this in Word so all I had to do was reformat, but colouring each person's speech was tedious, so I didn't do it. Instead you get the main two characters. Also, I guess I made Nikki kind of bisexual in this. I didn't mean for it to originally happen, but fuck it. If he comes out sounding a bit gay, I won't protest. Oh well, no beef. So yeah. Enjoy.
August 01, 2014. 8:21 PM. Detroit Hell Hole.The day had been uneventful. Today, Nikki did something he hadn’t done in a long, long time. He visited his friend’s grave; Artair Jaaskelinen. He never liked his first name, and his last name was too hard for people to pronounce correctly. Instead, everyone called him Jaaskie; sometimes they shortened it down to Jaask. He was the smart one of the group; if you had a question everyone would always say “go ask Jaask”. He used to love speedballing too; him and Nik used to speedball then head to the strip joint and come back to the Hell Hole with about a dozen chicks between them. Everyone used to like Nikki, but they loved Jaaskie. He was the cool older brother that everyone wanted. He was the one who would solve their problems, who would give them advice. He was just had this ‘it’ factor about him.
Nikki unlocked the door to the original Detroit Hell Hole, his apartment in the building. Completely emotionally exhausted, Nik took off his shoes and kicked them to the side; he took off his brown leather jacket and hung it on the doorknob. He walked into the kitchen and started to play his voicemails. “You have. Five. New messages. First message: ‘Hey Nik, Happy B-Day bud! I was wondering if you wanted to come by and celebrate? Got a helleva party set up for tonight. Anyway, let me know. Peace’” The voice was from Josh, his old drug dealer. Nik hadn’t spoken to the guy for months and now he tries to wiggle his way in like a parasite.
Nikki sighed and hit delete. “Next message: ‘Hey bro, I just wanted to call you up to wish you a happy birthday. I hope everything’s going alright with you. Phone me back, we’ll... we’ll talk about what we want to do about mom. Anyway...uh, yeah, Happy Birthday’”. He walked into his bedroom and removed each piece of clothing as if he were removing his armour. He looked down at his heavily tattooed arms; his once visible veins now laid collapsed under discoloured track marks. The wounds have healed but left light brown pricks all over his forearms as a reminder of demons. Anger began rise from his stomach. How could he have done this to himself? How did his life become this hell, and why the fuck did it have to happen to him!?
Nikki walked out of his bedroom and toward the bathroom. “-so if you’re not too busy, perhaps we could meet up?” A female voice pleaded through the phone. Her high pitched faux-Boston accent was replaced with an automated female voice.
“Next message...”
Nikki ignored the rest of his birthday messages and walked into the bathroom. He could hear his voicemail quite clearly as long as he left the door open. He opened the door to his walk in shower and turned on the shower. Nikki had one of those shitty old showers; the one’s with the single knob that moves in compass directions to adjust the temperature and pressure. For once he found the perfect temperature on the first try. Nikki snickered to himself out of pride; it usually took him five minutes to set the temperature correctly. Finally, the underwear came off and he stepped into the shower. Now he was completely bare; no armour to protect him. “The following message will be deleted from your inbox in. Two. days. First saved message: ‘Nikki...’” There was a long pause. When Nikki heard this message begin to play his eyes shot open and he whipped around to where the door to the living room is. “‘...uh hey man, it’s Jaaskie. No, uh, long time no see. I’m in town for a couple of days. Thought maybe we could meet up for a coffee today. Uh, yeah. So, uh let me know if you’re free... Chowdah.’” Nikki reached his hand out and touched the glass door to the shower. He froze there, unable to move. Unable to think. Unable to stand.
“Oh god” Nikki whispered to himself. The strength in his legs had disappeared and he was standing on jelly. He was swaying a bit, but managed to get into a kneel and eventually rest his body against the shower wall. “Oh god” he let out again.
It was raining that night. Detroit was supposedly in the midst of an out of character February drought. The skies had been completely clear, save for the yellow ball of fire that was making everyone’s day miserable. The storm had blown in from southern Ontario, picking up steam through the Great Lakes. It was times like this Nikki was glad to be in Detroit. The crew had met up at an abandoned house they -as well as several other drug gangs- called the Crack House. Not very original, but it was the irony of it that made the name stick.
Nik had called up a dealer he met in passing through Josh. Fucking Josh. Nikki couldn’t fucking stand him. This guy was a lot less annoying; he said to call him up if Nik ever wanted to get some high quality China White. Of course, Nik only would do it if his gang was around. He liked experimenting with new drugs with his friends. One would usually stay sober, and he’d be the one with the gun. It was just in case things took a bad turn.
Everyone piled into the back of Nik’s windowless white van; the kind one might call a “rape van”. He would never use the van for such a purpose; he used it to transport large amounts of drugs from the dealer to his home. He’d also use it to cross into Canada with his buddies. He would never be allowed to cross the border himself, so he’d have one of his squeaky clean friends to drive up to the border in his van while he hid in the back.
That night there was something off. The guys were a bit nervous to be going to Crack House, which was in the middle of a rural road in the middle of Bumfuck Nowhere. All of that to meet a dealer for the very first time? A dealer that no one really new except for Nikki, and he had only talked to the guy for a couple of minutes once! Jaaskie had finally expressed the group’s worries.
“Hey Nik, are you sure about this guy? None of this feels right.” They were all grouped together in the living room of the house. Nikki was staring out of the window, watching for the new dealer.
“Yeah, I’m sure. You have to trust me.” He turns around to face Jaaskie. “Do you trust me?”
Jaaskie looked away from Nikki and hesitated. “Yeah” he trailed off. “I trust you Nik...” He spoke softly, still doubting the whole situation. He was quickly torn back to reality when a car pulled up. “Shit!” He whispered and herded the others. “Hey, go up stairs and don’t make a sound. We’ll get high after!” The guys ran up stairs and left Nikki and Jaaskie alone downstairs. He walked up behind Nik. “You better know what you’re doing Nik. We’ve got a sixteen year old with us. He’s got no parents, he’s got no home. He is worse off now than you were. Don’t push him to become who you are.”
Nikki turned around again, completely irritated. “Listen, the kid can leave if he wants, okay? He’s sixteen! At sixteen you and I made our own discissions just as an adult would. That kid knows what he is doing. He isn’t a fucking idiot!”
“He knows what he’s doing, but he doesn’t know what will become of himself. You and I would still be on the street if no one gave us a chance. We should be giving this kid a chance to move past his shitty life... Without drugs!”Jaaskie had been shout whispering at Nikki the whole time so the guys upstairs couldn’t hear him.
“What the fuck are you saying?” Nikki asked. Before Jaaskie could respond they hear more cars pulling up. Soon, the entire room is flooded with a red and blue light. “Son of a-”
“I’ll get the guys upstairs!” Jaaskie yelled and soon Nikki was all alone. Jaaskie had left him.
The bullhorn from one of the cop cars outside sounds. “Please leave the house with your hands held high and any weapons on the floor in the living room!”
Nikki ran to the door at the side of the house. It was the only other door outside, but there were already cops there! “Shit!” Nikki whispered. He looked out of the kitchen window. The kitchen was at the back of the house, and behind it was a field that once grew corn, but now grew over-sized weeds. It was perfect for an escape. The issue was getting everyone out of the kitchen windows while the cops advanced.
Nikki ran upstairs and saw Jaaskie leading the gang toward the stairs. Without stopping Nikki grabbed Jaaskie’s shoulder and in his normal voice said “Nope!” He guided Jaaskie in a complete 180 toward the back of the house. He opened up the door to the roof and looked out. “This sounds insane, but we’ll have to jump!” He says in a whisper.
The gang all responds with an out of sync “what?”
“We’ll have to jump. Jaaskie, you go first. You know this area more than the rest of us. You can guide them.” Nikki says as he points out of the door.
“Where’s the kid?” Jaaskie responds as if not hearing Nikki. “I’ll go get’em!” Again, before Nikki can protest Jaaskie has left.
“For fuck sakes. Guys, just go! What you’ll do is go to the end of the roof, hang down, land softly and bolt for the weeds. Try not to get caught, okay?”
They all respond with another out of sync “yeah, okay. Got it.”
Nikki watches as all of them make it to relative safety, then turns and turns back to look for Jaaskie. “Where the fuck is that guy? Captain doesn’t have to go down with the ship!” He kicks open the door to the room next to his and finds Jaaskie trying to revive the kid. “Jesus! Let the kid go! You don’t have to go down with him!”
Jaaskie snaps his head over to Nik. “Do you even have a heart Nikki?”
The stomps coming up the stairs echoes through the hallway and into the room. “For fuck sakes!” Is all Nikki can get out. “Alright, if you can get the kid out of the window and into the weeds, I’ll hold off the cops.” Nikki says as he turns for the door.
Jaaskie’s hand stretches out and grabs Nikki’s wrist. “You get the kid, I’ll take the cops.” He pulls Nikki back and causes him to fall on his ass. “Save the kid, please, for me.” He says then walks into the hallway.
Nikki walks over to the kid swearing under his breath. The kid is on the ground motionless. Beside him is a broken crack pipe. They’d been smoking up while waiting. “What fucking idiots” Nikki said to himself. He picked up a drawer that was in the room and tossed it out of the window. He then used a broken piece of wood to clear the remaining glass from the window. He scooped up the kid and headed out the window. One of the guys was remaining just inside of the weeds. “Hey Alex, come here and take the kid.” The guy did as he was instructed. He walked up to the house and was gently handed the motionless body of the kid. “Now get the fuck out of here. Don’t worry about us.”
Nikki looked back, and yelled inside. “Everyone’s out, let’s go!” Nikki felt a wave of relief come through him as Jaaskie rounded the corner into the room moments later.
“Let’s go! We don’t have much time!” Jaaskie said as he approached the window. Right before he reached the window frame he froze. His eyes opened wide; he began to convulse.
“Jaaski...” Nikki could barely get out. He knew exactly what happened.
“GO!” Jaaskie yelled before collapsing to the floor. Behind him a cop in the doorway held the trigger of a tazer. Panicked, Nikki turned and ran for the edge of the roof.
“Get him! He’s headed for the weeds!” One cop yelled behind him, but it was too late. Nikki had jumped from the end of the roof and into the weeds. He hit the ground and rolled through it. The adrenaline was flowing too hard for him to feel anything from it. He just ran as hard as he could knowing that he had just left the man he considered his better half behind.
“There was nothing I could do... that’s what I kept telling myself after it happened. I blamed myself for never staying behind and helping him escape. But... He was caught by the window.” Nikki thought to himself while he was huddled in the corner. “That should have been me. I should have demanded to be the one to hold them off; even if I had to sock Jaaskie in the face. Everyone called me the leader of our gang, and went it came to activities I was the leader. That group could never survive without Jaaskie though. He was the lifeblood of us all. Shortly after that night I parted ways with the gang and went out on my own. I never visited Jaaskie once. I was afraid. I couldn’t face him and own up to the fact that I left him behind. How could I ever deal with that? Shortly after S.E.E. came along and I was with Nora again. She never knew my pain. No one did.”
“Jaaskie served a six month sentence and was released on good behaviour on the condition that he had to go through a six month rehab program. A few months after he left rehab he came back home. He called me up on the phone and wanted to meet up. I didn’t get the call until late in the night. It was my birthday and I was completely sober. At the time I had to be; I was wrestling.”
“Nikki-” Jaaskie stood up from his seat. He had a big smile on his clean cut face. His light blonde was styled into a faux hawk. “I didn’t think you would actually show up! I’m glad to see you, bud.”
“Hey Jaask.” Nikki says. His hands shoved into his pockets, and his head a little lower than usually. “How you doing?”
“I’m great! I’m better than I have ever been!” Jaaskie opens his arms. “Come here, Nik.”
“I’d rather-”
“Nik, look at me.” Jaaskie says. Nikki looks up at him with a pout on his face. “Faucher, come here bud. I haven’t seen you in a long ass time. All I want is a hug. I missed you.” Nikki walked up to him, his hands still in his pockets and right into the embrace of Jaaskie. He clenched his eyes closed and let his hands out of his pockets. He gave Jaaskie a hug, just as he wanted. They parted and Nikki sat down. He ordered his coffee and is eventually delivered to him. In the meantime, the two catch up on their lost year.
“So Jaask... why’d you call me down here?” Nikki asked somewhat hesitantly.
“Nik, a lot has happened in a year. I wanted to see how you were doing. I wanted to see what you’ve been up to and how the gang’s been going.” Jaaskie responded. “Hey, I know this is a bad spot -” Jaaskie checks his watch. “I’ve got to go. It sounds horrible I know.”
Nikki nodded. “Cool.” Nikki said and stood up with a smile. “Let’s go bud.”
The two walked out of the bar and crossed the street. Already the two had to part ways. Before they did Jaaskie stretched his arms out again. “I’m sorry, I haven’t seen you in a long time. I just want one more hug.” Nikki walks into the embrace once more. “It’s okay” Jaaskie says. “I don’t blame you for what happened. I was just-” He cuts himself off. After a long pause he finally says, “I was so tired of my life. I was so tired of getting high, of trying to connect with people that don’t give a shit about you. I was so tired of living and I just wanted to let go.” He squeezed Nikki in. “When you let me go... when you let me get caught I was relieved. I don’t blame you for anything. I was finally ready to give up. Thank you.”
Nikki had felt all of the frustrations he had let build up in himself release. He had been freed by the burden that he had carried for far too long. Given another moment he would have cried by the burden being lifted. Instead he got the sounds of screeching tires. He was pushed away and next... Jaaskie... He... He was under the car coughing up blood. The driver had been high on heroin. He got behind the wheel and he didn’t know what he was doing. He lost control and ran into Jaaskie... killing him.
Nikki jumped up from the shower, nearly falling, and ran for the toilet. He could feel his pulse in his eyes. Each pulse blurred his vision; he got down on his knees and stuck his head into the toilet. The burning started in the back of his throat as he began vomiting violently into the toilet. The entire contents of his stomach was emptied. He could barely even hold his body out of the toilet, but fought as hard as he could to keep his head out of the vomit concentrated toilet water.
With his head in the toilet he thought he heard a voice behind him. A soft but familiar voice. Jaaskie’s voice. “Let me go. It’s alright. It wasn’t your fault I was caught, and it isn’t your fault I was killed. You don’t have to live with this burden Nik.” The sound of his voice caused Nikki to heave more until there was nothing left in his stomach.
Nikki couldn’t see anything at all. His eyes were forced closed and would not reopen. Still, Jaaskie’s voice hadn’t gone away. Instead, it started singing a soft song.
“In a role, in a hole
Where you can run you can crawl
And now
Settle in
Is it not enough that I let you in?
For years, for the smiles, for the battles, for me.
You walked in my life
Said waste my time
Feel when you fall
The silence menat nothing
And I was caught by the window
Caught by the Window.
I was caught by the window...”
Finally there was nothing left in his stomach. Nikki fell over and got into a fettle position while over and over again he heard Jaaskie sing A Reprise by Pilot Speed in a soft voice.
EDN
