“Clean yourself up. You’re dripping blood on the floor. Then you can start gutting that fat bastard’s shit out of the bedroom. I want this place done today. Only the best for my princess.” Boogeyman winks at me and my stomach sinks.
He is planning on keeping me a lot longer than I intend on staying.
“Did you get everything I asked for?”
The guy gives him a short, “uh huh,” as he tilts his head back and stuffs napkins in each nostril.
The two of them go down the hallway. I can hear Boogeyman barking orders at the poor guy, expecting him to do the work of at least three or four people on his own.
Before long they are packing out old furniture and more garbage.
Licking my teeth, they feel gross and I am desperate to brush them.
When Boogeyman passes back through with another load of junk in his arms, I stop him. “Do you think you could—I don’t know, get me a toothbrush and stuff?”
“Make a list and I’ll send the grunt out for it if you earn it.”
“If I earn it?”
“Didn’t fuckin’ stutter. I don’t like to repeat myself, so if tell you something you best fuckin’ listen the first time.” He stomps out the door and I am tempted to throw something at the back of his thick head.
I steal a glance out the door and see him dumping the items in the back of a box truck. I can’t help but watch as he raises the bottom hem of his t-shirt and wipes at his forehead with it, revealing his muscular but tattooed torso. A pair of skulls adorn his pecs; a female and a male. I know this because the woman has roses in her dark hair. Does she represent someone or is it something he got because he liked the design?
That is a question I file away for later.
I see him pull out his cell phone and walk further away from the trailer. Now is my chance.
I hurry down the hall in search of as Boogey called him, the grunt.
I find him in a back bedroom ripping stained carpet from the floor.
“Psst.”
He looks over his shoulder at me and immediately tenses. He turns away from me quickly and says, “Get away from me. I can’t help you.”
“Please, he’s going to kill me.”
“Trust me. If he wanted you dead you’d be dead. Now get out of here before he catches me talking to you and takes my tongue.”
“My family is rich. If you help me, my family will give you anything you want.”
The guy sighs and continues cutting the carpet and rolling it up. Feeling defeat wash over me and the small glimmer of hope, I felt it leave too, I lean against the doorframe, wondering how I am going to get away from here.
“What do we have here?” Boogeyman grits in my ear and I jump, letting out a yelp in the process.
“I was just asking if he needed help,” I lie.
“What is she really doing back here?”
“Asked me to help her,” the guy confesses immediately.
“Well looks like one of you is a liar. Question is who??
? He lets out a tsk sound and I can only pray my punishment isn’t too severe.
Chapter Eight
—Boogeyman—