Hell

by G G Garcia

  “Missed me?” he said.

  “Something like that.” Demi brushed her curly hair behind her ears and turned to Henry. “This is Henry. Emma’s brother.”

  “I know.” Paul smiled and shook Henry’s hand.

  “This is the guy that gave us a ride, before...” Demi paused and lowered her head like a dying flower. “He tried to save Emma while the rest of us just watched.”

  “That’s not entirely true,” Paul said humbly. “I was too late before I could do anything’.”

  “Thanks anyway,” said Henry.

  There was an awkward silence between the pair of them and Mel decided to speak up.

  “I see you’ve had the same idea as us,” he said, pointing over to the back of the Audi full of supplies.

  “Maxwell and I got the stuff at Tesco.”

  “Maxwell?” Paul nodded the once. It was another name he knew. “And where is he?”

  Demi shook her head whilst Henry looked on.

  “Oh.” Paul didn’t know whether to interpret their body language that Maxwell had died or he had simply disappeared and was elsewhere. He never asked any further questions about Maxwell.

  “I take it you’ve gathered that we’re here to see if you can put us up for a few nights,” Henry said. “Maybe longer.”

  “Is the food in the back of ya car a kind of bribe?” Paul tried to joke. He knew if Henry wanted in, it was going to happen anyway.

  “Kind of.” Henry smiled.

  “I’m glad ya have a car. Mine is about to die on me.”

  “Petrol problem?”

  Paul nodded.

  “Not only that, but you seem to have a flat.” Henry pointed at the back tyre.

  Paul took a quick gape and said, “Fuck.”

  Henry cleared his throat and said further, “Demi told me in the car that your friends are here.”

  “That’s right. The owner and his family left, so it’s Tony, Craig and a couple that took me in that’s in there.”

  “We’re standing here like a couple of idiots,” Demi guffawed. “Are you going to knock or shall I?”

  “I will, rather than standin’ here and fannyin’ about, as Tony would say.”

  Paul walked over to the main door and tried it first before knocking. He knew it’d be locked and was unsure why he tried the handle. He knocked again and took a step back.

  He could hear footsteps approaching the door and the door quickly opened.

  Chapter Fifty-Eight

  The group had transported the food from the Audi to the upstairs of the place. Despite the generous offering, they were nervous with the new guests, Henry in particular. Tony and Craig seemed the more jittery as they had heard of his reputation and name over the years in their hometown. When the pair of them clocked the bulge under his shirt and were convinced he was carrying a handgun, it didn’t do anything to quench the nerves.

  Paul’s thinking was different. Here was a man who had arrived with a female that they already knew, and was seeking sanctuary, armed with a Glock. Having Henry Brown staying at the pub, as far as Paul Newbold was concerned, was a benefit, especially with the food they had brought with them.

  Lisa also seemed to have been acting different when the two new people arrived. She seemed quieter, well behaved, and the first thing she did when Henry and Demi reached the ground floor was to make them a drink.

  An hour had nearly passed and Henry had informed the group what had happened when he picked Demi up from Stafford Road. He told his captivated audience about raiding the local supermarket and gym with his friend Maxwell. Then he told them about his place being attacked and that he and Demi hadn’t seen Maxwell since, and then they came to the Wolseley Arms pub on Demi’s recommendation. Nowhere else seemed safe.

  “With more guests,” Lisa began, “we seem to be running out of bedrooms.”

  “I can sleep downstairs,” Henry said. “In the lounge. At least then, if anything happens I’ll be down there. I’ve always been a light sleeper anyway.”

  They all looked at one another and were satisfied with Henry’s comment. It appeared that not only did they acquire an individual with a handgun, but now had a permanent guard for downstairs during the night.

  “Well, that’s sounds great to me.” Mel placed his hands on his thighs and gave off a big smile. “Welcome aboard, Henry.”

  Craig, Tony and Paul all gave off a thin smile and agreed with Mel’s sentence. It certainly was good to have Henry at the pub.

  Henry got to his feet and announced that he needed to use the toilet.

  “It’s just across the landing.” Mel pointed towards the exit of the living room.

  “Tremendous, but I’ll use the urinals downstairs,” he said. “I take it the upstairs toilet doesn’t work anymore. Don’t wanna be smelling the place out so early.”

  “Good thinking, Henry.” Mel stood up and stood next to the man, showing him the way, even though Henry knew where he was going. When Mel returned, the first face he clocked was his wife’s. She had a disapproving look and was shaking her head at him.

  “What’s up with you?” he asked her.

  “Good thinking, Henry. Welcome aboard, Henry,” she mocked in an exaggerated whiny voice. “Why don’t you just suck his cock while you’re at it?”

  “Don’t be so vulgar, woman,” Mel sighed. “I’m just being nice.”

  “Just being nice?” she scoffed. “You’re just being nice because you’re scared of the man.”

  “He’s okay, Henry is.” Demi decided to speak up. “I know he had a reputation of being a hard man, was in the drugs game, and is carrying a gun, but he’s alright once you get to know him. Trust me, having him here is a massive benefit.” Demi looked over to Mel and Lisa and added, “I know I don’t know you guys, but having him here is a good thing. You two probably never heard of him, but he and his friend were known in our town for their violence, as well as the fact that they sold drugs. He’s not as bad as people make him out to be.”

  Craig admitted. “He seems okay.”

  Tony agreed. “I’ve never spoken to him, but I had a run in with his pal, a while ago, when I was in the kebab shop.”

  Henry had returned from the ground floor and walked into a quiet living room.

  “Very quiet in here.” He smiled. “Been talking about me?”

  “No, not at all,” Mel jumped in, and was a little too defensive and obvious.

  It was apparent that they had been talking about him, but Henry was certain it wasn’t anything bad. He shrugged it off and sat on the arm of the chair where Demi was sitting.

  “Obviously, we all don’t know one another,” Henry began. “I certainly don’t know you. So, considering we’re stuck in a pub, better make the best of a bad situation.”

  “What in blue fuck are you talking about?” Lisa folded her arms and her face looked annoyed.

  “Easy, my little piranha fish,” Mel jumped in, trying to soften up his wife’s comment. “Henry is our guest.”

  “We’re all guests,” Demi sniggered. “It’s not even our pub.”

  “It’s okay.” Henry raised his hand at Mel and added, “All I was going to say was that we should go downstairs and bond, especially now we’re gonna be here for a while. Have a chat. Have a few drinks? What do you say?”

  They all agreed.

  *

  Henry was the first to make it to the ground floor and immediately went behind the bar. He asked everyone what they were drinking, but only the three young men accepted the offer of a beer. Mel, Lisa and Demi also appeared from the first floor, but refused an alcoholic beverage. Henry could see that six of them were sitting at a large table and had two bottles of beers in each hand, and walked over to the table to join his new housemates.

  He placed the three bottles in the middle of the table, allowing the boys to help themselves, and took a swig of his own before he sat down.

  “Well, cheers, everyone.” He raised his bottle and the three lads did the same. “If we’r
e gonna ride this situation out, it may as well be in a pub.”

  Mel cleared his throat and asked Demi and. Henry, “So ... you being here ... is that going to be a long term thing?”

  “I think so, Mel.” Henry said with a confident nod. “I know two extra mouths to feed is a pain, but we did bring a shitload of food with us.”

  “True.” Mel smiled.

  “And I can certainly handle myself. With or without the gun.”

  There was a silence in the room, and Paul decided to be the first to speak up out of the three male twenty-somethings.

  “I remember hearin’ a story about ya,” he began.

  “Oh?” Henry’s face became serious and picked his bottle up for a mouthful of beer.

  “Yeah. I remember there was a guy called Lunar who used to sell drugs in the town. He was one of ya guys, wasn’t he?”

  “Well, we’re in a dire, almost apocalyptic situation, and I assume you’re not wired, so I may as well come clean. Yeah, he worked for me.”

  “I heard that he owed ya money,” Paul said, followed by a thin smile. “And you and Maxwell took him to Cannock Chase and stabbed him in the legs and left him there to die.”

  “That’s not entirely true,” said Henry.

  “Oh? So wit really happened?”

  “We were just starting out and one of our dealers, Lunar, owed us three grand. He made us wait for this money, but kept on giving off excuses. So Maxwell and I saw him in town and offered to give him a ride home. We took him up to Cannock Chase, dragged him out of the car and began to beat him. Our reputation was taking a battering because of this guy, so we thought we’d give him a battering of our own. I then went into the boot of the car and pulled out a shotgun I had purchased weeks ago.”

  “So you shot him?” Demi asked him.

  Henry responded with a nod, wearing a smug grin on his face as if he was proud of the story. “Maxwell and I took a turn each. We both unloaded into his legs, some of the pellets ravaging his balls.”

  “Wasn’t he crippled after that?” Tony asked, taking a nervous sip of his beer.

  “Yeah.” Henry looked unmoved by his past actions. “Sent a message to everyone else in the town, though. Suffered with depression after that and killed himself a year later. Overdose.”

  “And you’re happy to talk about that, are you?” Lisa had her arms folded and glared at Henry Brown, making Mel nervous.

  What the fuck is she going to say now? Mel had his head in his hands, waiting for his wife to finish what she had to say. Oh, shut up, you lump. Please, just shut the fuck up.

  She continued, “I mean, if there’s any justice in this world, you’d be one of the first to get it. Not Gail.”

  Henry seemed confused by Lisa’s rant and before he could ask, ‘Who the fuck is Gail?’ she wasn’t finished there.

  “Personally, I’d be happier if you two just fucked off!”

  “Demi was actually here before you,” Tony spoke up.

  “And she left.”

  “I’m happy for them to stay,” said Paul. “And so is everyone else, apart from you. Ya outvoted. Ya can always go back to ya house.”

  “Spineless swines.” Lisa stood up and headed for the stairs. “The lot of you.”

  “Lisa!” Mel stood up and immediately apologised to Demi and Henry. He followed his wife and now there was just the five of them.

  “Well, she seems a bit of a character,” Henry tried to joke.

  “Horrible woman.” Demi shook her head and turned to Paul. “The guy seems okay.”

  “He is,” Paul sighed and took a swig of beer. “Just a shame I had to bring her with me when we left their home.”

  “What actually happened?” Henry asked. “Did you meet these lot after Emma was killed?”

  Paul smiled thinly and gently nodded.

  The atmosphere had quickly become sombre and Tony decided to get more beers from behind the bar. Tony returned and plonked the beers on the table, and asked Henry about Maxwell and his whereabouts. Henry had already told them a summary of what had happened, but Tony cheekily asked for more details.

  “The Savs have lost some of their attributes,” Henry spoke with a calm in his tone. “Including fear. They just threw themselves through my window with no hesitation whatsoever.”

  “I know.” Paul picked his bottom lip and used his finger and thumb to wipe each corner of his mouth. “When they attacked Mel’s house, one was killed because a shard of glass had stuck in its throat. The best thing to do is just not be seen. I don’t even like using candles on a night.”

  Henry lifted his chin and squinted. Noises could be heard from upstairs and it sounded like arguing.

  “It’s just Mel and Lisa, mate,” said Craig. “They argue all the time.”

  “Well, they’re gonna have to cut it out.” Henry took in a deep breath and exhaled out slowly. It appeared that the heated exchange of words between Melvin and Lisa Leslie was annoying him. “It’s unnecessary noise. Someone should shut them up. There’re no windows open, are they?”

  Tony shook his head. “As far as I’m aware, they’re all closed.”

  “Good.” Henry drained his drink and then took a sip from the fresh bottle that Tony had given him. “If this continues, I’m gonna have to have a word. She’s too volatile and she could cost us our lives eventually with a gob like that.”

  “Look,” Paul began. “No offence, but ya have just got here. She ain’t gonna listen to a word ya say.”

  “She won’t have a choice,” said Henry. “I’ve never threatened a woman with a gun before, but I’m willing to do it if I have to.”

  “Isn’t that a bit extreme, man?” Tony laughed nervously.

  “Maybe, but...”

  Henry stood up. Tony was confused, but Craig and Paul knew why. Henry was alarmed. They also heard it.

  “What the fuck’s going on, man?” Anthony Willetts was the only male in the lounge area that didn’t understand why Henry looked agitated.

  “Didn’t ya hear it?” Paul snapped at his pal.

  “Hear what, man?”

  “Seriously?”

  “Just fucking tell me.”

  “There’s somebody outside,” Henry announced.

  “You sure?” Tony also stood, very slowly.

  “Yeah, I’m sure.”

  Henry pulled out his Glock from the front of his jeans, making Craig gasp. He slid the gun back and chambered a round. He headed for the main door and asked Tony to open it.

  “What?” Tony gulped and could feel his frame shudder with fear. Was this guy insane? “No way, man. The best thing to do is stay quiet and hope they go away.”

  “Stay quiet?” Henry tittered gently. “With those noisy cunts upstairs?”

  Another sound was heard, as if someone had kicked the main door, and Demi released a yelp in fright. The arguing upstairs had stopped and it appeared that Mel and Lisa had also heard the noise.

  Henry looked at Tony and clicked his fingers. Tony then reluctantly handed Henry the keys. Henry walked over to the door and placed his ear against it. He then opened the door with his left hand, whilst holding his gun, and looked behind him at the concerned faces of Paul, Demi, Craig and Tony.

  “It’s either this or they come through the window,” Henry said, noticing their concern.

  “But won’t the gunshots attract unwanted attention, though?” Craig asked.

  His query was ignored and Henry opened the door a few inches and peered out. He couldn’t see anything. He threw Tony the keys and told him to lock the door once he was out.

  Henry winked at the group and told them he’d be back in a few minutes.

  And then he disappeared.

  “Now what do we do?” Tony asked.

  Craig hunched his shoulders. “Just wait, I suppose.”

  Tony looked at Paul strangely, but Paul was unsure why.

  “Wit’s wrong?” Paul decided to speak up.

  “We should tell him.” Tony nodded at Craig.

>   “Tell me what?” Craig seemed annoyed, even though he didn’t know what they were talking about. It was mainly due to the fact that they appeared to be keeping a secret from him.

  “Fuck’s sake,” Paul cussed, shaking his head at Tony. “How many beers have ya had, mouth all mighty?”

  “We should tell him.”

  “Okay.” Paul groaned and looked at Craig.

  An impatient and anxious Craig was wondering what the hell was going on, and told his friends what he thought.

  “When we were in Rugeley,” Paul began, flashing Tony a quick glare, “we went to ya house, Craig...”

  “What the fuck is it?” Craig snapped.

  “Ya mum and dad are still alive. We stopped there briefly for a chat.”

  “Oh, I see.” Craig looked to the floor and seemed lost in thought. “That’s … good.”

  “And the street’s protected,” Tony spoke up.

  “What do you mean, mate?”

  “Some guys have taken things into their own hands, and are protecting the street where you live. So there’s no need to worry, man.”

  Paul was about to open his mouth and tell Tony the truth about his own parents, but he refrained from doing so. The timing wasn’t great and he didn’t want to be the bearer of bad news. He didn’t want to keep secrets from his friend either, but he kept his mouth shut all the same.

  As if Tony could read Paul’s mind, he asked his friend, “You alright, man? You look like you want to say something.”

  Paul smiled and shook his head. “Forget it.”

  Chapter Fifty-Nine

  Mel followed Lisa into the kitchen and he grabbed her shoulder.

  Lisa spun around and snarled, “Get your hands off me, you twat. Don’t you grab me like that again.”

  “What did you do that for?” Mel looked annoyed, and Lisa hadn’t seen him this annoyed in a long while.

  “Do what?”

  “Speak to him like that?”

  “He’s only been here for a few minutes and he’s already taking over. Just putting the man in his place.”

  Mel stroked his forehead and tried his best to stay calm. “He’s an asset. He has a gun and he can handle himself.”