Between Beasts

Chapter 5. Unwelcome News

Jodie took a deep breath and pushed her key into the lock, she couldn’t avoid Kevin forever. She opened the door and stepped inside.

Darkness.

She closed the door and ventured further into the flat, finding nobody home. In fact, everything was exactly as it had been when she had rushed out earlier in the day. She collapsed down onto the sofa as the tension from the doorstep left her and let out a long sigh.

After a moment Jodie looked around her at the remnants of Kevin and Marks feast. It hurt that Kevin had been so callous and selfish, but at the same time, something deep inside her was glad he had been. Some part of Jodie she hadn’t even remembered was there had been brought back to life by the brief, odd moments of the last couple of days, and it desperately yearned for more.

Jodie started to poke at the pizza boxes, looking to see if there was anything left. She wasn’t particularly hungry but just needed something to occupy her hands. She found a slice of pizza with gaps in the cheese where someone had obviously plucked the toppings from it and began to absentmindedly nibble as she continued to think about, well, everything.

A short time later came the sound of the front door being unlocked, the light flared on and Kevin came bustling in with an arm full of shopping bags and a large travel bag trailing behind him.

“Hey Joe. You just been having a lazy one today?”

“What?” Jodie squinted at Kevin, trying to shield her eyes from the light.

“If you’re going to be in all day could you clean up a bit? We’ve got company.” Kevin said, dumping his bags on the floor by the door and gesturing at the mess he and Mark had made the night before, but pointedly including the slice of pizza in Jodie’s hand, as if it had all been her doing.

“What?!” Jodie looked at him stunned, then glanced at her phone to check the time.

“It’s almost eleven, who…”

As Jodie began her question, she felt her stomach lurch, she knew what the answer would be before she saw Mark following into the flat, also carrying a number of bags.

“Can you at least clear the stuff around the sofa, Mark will be sleeping there. I’ll grab the last couple bags from the taxi, you make yourself at home Mark.”

Kevin patted Mark on the shoulder as he left the flat. Leaving Jodie alone with him. Jodie didn’t want to even look at Mark, never mind say anything to him, so she quickly got up, gathered some of the boxes and rubbish around the sofa and headed through to the kitchen.

She hadn’t noticed him follow her through to the kitchen, but as Jodie was shoving the rubbish down into the bin Mark grabbed her from behind, reaching round and groping one of her breasts as he breathed into her ear.

“I enjoyed the show you gave me last night”

Jodie grabbed at his arm, trying to pull herself free, but it was no use. Jodie was powerless to stop him.

“Please, let go of me.” Jodie whimpered back.

He squeezed her breast, hard, and licked the side of her face. As he did, lightning struck fiercely at the building, throwing them back into darkness as every fuse in the building blew.

Jodie was shaking but she had still felt Mark flinch at the massive rumble of thunder that had accompanied the sudden lightning. Oddly, the terrible sound hadn’t scared Jodie, it was as if she just knew that it wasn’t there to hurt her.

“You all good, Mark?” She heard Kevin call as he came back into the flat, feeling his way in the dark.

“Ye, just helping Jodie clean up.” He called back.

“We’ll continue this when we have more time. And I wouldn’t say anything if I were you.” Kevin said right into her ear, quietly, but menacingly, before letting go and leaving the kitchen.

Jodie vigorously wiped at her face with the sleeve of her blouse. Trying to take deep breaths to stop herself from shaking and crying. She was holding back the tears for now but knew she couldn’t for long.

Jodie headed straight for the bedroom, pausing only long enough to grab the fur Teo had given her from the sofa. She closed the door and curled up on the bed, wrapping the fur back around her and holding onto it as tightly as she could.

Jodie quietly sobbed into the fur for some time, but after a while no new tears appeared, and she looked up through the bedroom window into the starry night sky. Where had that single, massive fit of thunder and lightning come from?

It looked so calm and clear outside.

She sat up and looked out at the other buildings around theirs. The lightning must have taken out the power for the whole block. The buildings would have been pitch black if it wasn’t for the light of the moon and stars gently illuminating everything… everything that is, except one of the balconies opposite her window, which lay in an impenetrable darkness.

Jodie was used to the occasional thunderstorm; it was often hot and rainy, but she had never seen lightning just come and go like that, especially without any warning. It had been raining most of the day but had seemed clear on her walk home with Teo.

Jodie slumped back down on the bed… Teo… Jodie had felt so safe holding onto his arm, and she found herself wishing that he was here with her now…

No! Jodie felt a sudden pang of shame and guilt that her mind had gone to Teo. She shouldn’t be thinking about another man, it was wrong, she had a boyfriend! Kevin. It hadn’t even occurred to Jodie to call out to Kevin for help though. She felt even more guilty. She would speak to Kevin… but what would she say? She was so ashamed, and what would happen if Kevin confronted Mark about it?

It wasn’t too long until the bedroom door opened, and Kevin came in. He began getting ready for bed, silently, without saying anything or even looking at Jodie.

“Kevin…”

“Why do you always have to overreact and get so emotional?” Kevin interrupted.

Jodie’s mouth worked to make some kind of reply, but she was momentarily speechless.

“Every time Kevin comes around you always make him feel bad, why can’t you just get on with him? You can never just let me enjoy things and you’re always so moody.”

“…he…” Jodie stuttered out before being cut off again.

“Kevin told me what happened! He wanted to be nice so was helping you clean up, made a joke which you got all emotional about and left him to finish clearing everything. You really hurt his feelings.”

“…but… that’s not… he…”

“I don’t want to hear it!” Kevin snapped.

“… Kevin, please make him leave.” Jodie pleaded, finding it was in fact possible to cry further.

“I swear, you’re just trying to suck the life out of me.” Sighed Kevin. “We’ll be gone for a bit in the morning anyway.

“What do you mean?”

“We’re going away for two weeks on holiday with some of the guys. I need a break, and a bit of fun.”

Jodie didn’t know what to say. Did Kevin actually feel that way? She was torn. The part of Jodie which still loved Kevin wanted to beg him not to go, to say sorry for anything she had done to hurt him and promise to try harder, but the part of her which had been violated by Mark was relieved to know that he would be gone for at least a while, and it didn’t care that Kevin would be gone with him.

“How are you paying for this?” It had just been a thought, but without anything else to do her mouth had apparently whispered the question out loud.

“We’re using our savings.”

“We?”

“We. Mark and I. He’s out of work at the moment, isn’t he? He’s been having a bad time lately and you’ve certainly not been helping there. I said I’d pay for him to come. He’ll be staying with us for a while when we get back as well.”

Jodie didn’t think it would be possible to feel any sicker than she did at that moment.

Not only had Mark watched her as she had pleasured herself, groped and threatened her, but Kevin was yet again leaping to his side, defending him. Telling Jodie she should be nicer to… that creep! Kevin was spending everything they’d been scrimping together the last several months to take him on holiday and worst of all, he was going to be staying with them when they were back.

“Go to sleep. Mark and I have to get up early for our flight.”

Yet again, Jodie was faced with the utter despair of futility. Kevin just wouldn’t listen to her and certainly would never believe her. She was trapped. She would be free for two weeks but would spend every moment knowing what lay ahead.

Jodie thought back to what Mark had said to her in the kitchen, and she shivered.

The moment Kevin settled down and started to snore, Jodie went around to her dresser table, propped the chair back against the door handle again and grabbed a nail file. She knew that she couldn’t sleep that night, that she would not let herself sleep that night.

Jodie sat back on the bed, clutching the fur in one hand and the nail file in the other. It wasn’t much of a weapon, but it was all she had, and she swore to herself that if that monster tried to come in and touch her again that she would bury it in him as deeply as she could.

What Jodie was unaware of however, was that she had no reason not to sleep soundly. That if Mark had in fact come into the bedroom and tried to further violate her that night, that he would have suffered a far more painful, and permanent fate than being stabbed with a small nail file.

Within the shadows of that unusually dark balcony opposite Jodie’s window was a large, dark figure, unflinchingly watching Jodie’s window. Watching, and listening. The large shadow bore no ill intent to Jodie but was in fact keeping guard over her.