HARDCORE: Storm MC(216)

They laughed. Gigi and Lance laughed with them. I looked at Lance, panicking. His gray eyes gleamed at me. “Why are you so upset? You always think the worst. You can’t save everybody, you know.”



“I can! I can, and I will! I have to save you! You can’t go! Please!”



“Come on,” Dad said, pushing his chair away from the table. “We’ll be late if we don’t leave now.”



“Can I go, too?”



“Sure you can, dumpling!” That was what Dad used to call me. But she couldn’t go! They were…they would…



“You’re going to die!”



My eyes flew open, my words still echoing off the walls of the motel room. The Scarecrow was staring at me from the foot of the bed.



“What?” He laughed.



“What did I say?”



“You’re going to die.”



“Oh. I was dreaming.” I sat up slightly.



“Some dream.” He chuckled, still focused on the TV. I made a face at the back of his head.



Gigi was waking up, too. She was sleeping a lot. I thought it had to be the stress. She couldn’t handle it, just like I evidently couldn’t. Why else would I fall asleep when I needed to be on alert, keeping her safe from him?



“I’ve gotta go to the bathroom,” she whispered. My heart sank, and my nose wrinkled at the thought of what the bathroom had to be like. The room itself was bad enough.



“She’s got to go,” I said, louder. He shrugged without turning around. “Hey. Unless you want her to pee all over the bed, you’re gonna let her go to the bathroom.”



“Go, if you want to. But I’m gonna count to thirty. If you’re not outta there by the time I’m finished…”



I snorted. “You’ll what? Didn’t you already say you won’t touch the merchandise?”



He swiveled, glaring at me. I told myself it might not be the wisest idea to laugh at him. He didn’t look like the type to let it roll off his back.



“Come on.” I stood, stretching. My back ached from the position I’d been in, wedged up against the headboard. My arms ached from holding Gigi so tight, though I wouldn’t have let go for anything in the world. I took her by the hand, leading her to the bathroom.



It was just as disgusting as I’d imagined. “Oh gosh,” Gigi moaned, holding her nose.



“You gotta go, you’d better go.” I closed the door behind us, cutting off The Scarecrow’s words. He was worse than a wild animal. There went any attempt at an escape—I could hardly breathe in the filthy bathroom, much less take the time to plot.



I couldn’t let her sit on the seat, so I held her up over the bowl while she squatted with her feet on the seat. I heard him counting outside the door, loudly. I urged Gigi to hurry as she went. “I’m trying,” she whispered. I felt so sorry for her. She was panicked, but trying to keep it together. I knew how she felt.



We were out of the bathroom by the time he hit twenty-nine. “Good thing,” he muttered as we climbed onto the bed. “I would’ve had to come in after you.”



“You’re a pig. A filthy pig.” I didn’t care how he glared at me, or how angry he was. It didn’t matter anymore. He wanted to play head games with me, intimidate us both. I had to show Gigi I wasn’t afraid so she would take a little strength from me. It was all I could do for her since I was such a helpless failure at rescuing her.



I sat beside her on the bed, running my fingers through her tangled hair. I hummed a song my mom used to hum while she brushed my hair after a bath. I never knew the name of it, but it had a pretty, lilting melody.



“Stop humming,” he muttered, face to the TV. I stared at his back and hummed louder. “I said stop.”



I didn’t stop. I kept going, even louder than before.



“What the fuck is your problem?” He wheeled around, glaring.



I held his stare. “Nothing. I wanted to hum, that’s all. I thought I would make Gigi a little more comfortable.”



“Yeah? It’s making me uncomfortable.”



“Sorry. You can let us go if it’s such a problem.”



“You know it ain’t gonna happen, so stop talking about it.”



“Then I’m going to have to keep on humming.” I went back to my business of getting the snarls out of Gigi’s dark, wavy hair, humming as I worked.



“Bitch.” In an explosion of movement, The Scarecrow lunged at me. I pushed Gigi away while he took me by the throat. “I’ll make her watch me snap your neck. You want her to see me do it?”