Fractured Minds (Rebels of Sandland 3)

No one was truly happy that he’d been let out early on good behaviour. The honest, hard-working people of Sandland wouldn’t give him the time of day. But then again, he always did surround himself with fake friends and no-marks who thought his fuck-the-world attitude was cool; something to replicate. If they knew the real man, like we did, they’d have never let him see the light of day again. Even criminals had a code of ethics, and he just shat all over it. He had no morals. The man was devoid of any humanity.

I wanted to be the one to serve him a one-way ticket to hell. I wasn’t that impotent, useless little kid anymore. The fire of anger that balled into thirsty flames inside of me spurred me on, and there was nothing I or anyone else could do to stop it.

I watched him from the window outside the pub, laughing as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Downing pint after pint like he was a soldier returning from war, finally getting to enjoy the home comforts that’d cruelly been taken away from him. People walked past his table and patted him on the back, like he’d done something they were proud of. It made me want to raise the baseball bat I’d brought with me up into the air, smash it against the fucking windows of the bar, and shout from the bloody rooftops how deaf, dumb, and blind some of the people of this town were to his evil. He didn’t deserve recognition for anything. He was a dead man walking.

An hour later, he got up, choosing to walk outside and down a side alley to take a piss. He couldn’t even use the men’s room like the rest of us. But then, he wasn’t like the rest of us, was he? He had no soul.

He unzipped his trousers, and as he started to relieve himself against the wall, I crept up behind him and swung the bat, ready to take him out with an almighty blow. Only, my silent nature wasn’t quiet enough. I guess being in prison for so long teaches you to hone certain skills; one of them being staying alert to any ambush. I thought I’d been stealthy in my approach, but he flew around as soon as I swung my bat, and when it bounced off the wall next to his head, he barrelled into me and knocked me to the floor.

We rolled around together and he struck a few lucky punches. I got some decent hits in myself, and it felt good to know that my fist connecting with his body made him grunt in pain. But it wasn’t enough. I wasn’t strong enough, and before too long, he was overpowering me.

Eventually, he sat up, straddling my waist and brushing the greasy hair out of his eyes. When he finally saw who was lying underneath him, he cackled with a sinister laugh that made my skin crawl and my blood boil.

“I was wondering when you’d show your face, boy.” He leaned over me, and the stench of stale alcohol and bad breath from his questionable hygiene made me screw my nose up in disgust. Hate wasn’t a strong enough word to describe how I felt about this man. “Think you can go against me, do ya? Think you’ve got what it takes to take me on? Bigger men than you have tried and failed. You need to remember your place, lad.” He spat onto the floor right next to my head then growled. “And it’s in the fucking gutter, along with your whore of a sister.”

When they tell you anger can spread over you like a red mist, they’re not wrong. Hearing him talk about Alice that way made every ounce of fury I’d kept locked up all these years break free with a force I couldn’t contain, and I grunted, throwing him off me, and sending him sprawling backwards onto the floor.

He was a smart fighter though, and he twisted himself to avoid my foot connecting with his head as I tried to kick him. Moving with speed and agility, he grabbed the baseball bat that I’d dropped and jumped to his feet. Then he swung with more precision than I’d used and smacked me right around the head. The thud from the whack to my skull made me falter and a sickness washed over me. I grabbed the wall to try and gain some balance, but he was merciless, and he hit me again, pounding the bat off the back of my head. I don’t remember anything after that.

The darkness consumed me.

It always did whenever Uncle Tony was around.

I heard shuffling in the room and I opened my eyes to see an older nurse fiddling about with a drip at the side of my bed.

“Wakey, wakey, handsome. You’ve had quite a knock to your head, haven’t you? They did a right number on you, love.”

She reached over to touch my arm and I pulled away as sharply as my broken body would let me. I didn’t want anyone near me.

“Calm down. I’m only checking your line. You’re a timid one, aren’t ya? Mind you, I’m not surprised after the state they found you in.” Her eyes were kind, but she reminded me of the teachers at school; full of pretence and appearing empathetic, when in reality, they were anything but. That was my experience, anyway.

She fussed around me then went to check the chart at the bottom of the bed.

“You’ve got a few cracked ribs and a lot of bruising. You need to stay in for observation too, that was a nasty blow you took to the back of your

head. Don’t worry though, I can still see how handsome you are under all that swelling.”

She didn’t look up as she flipped through the pages on her chart. Obviously, she thought her shallow flattery was enough to make me feel better. All I could think was, how long would I be stuck in here? I needed to get out. Knowing he was out there, that he could do anything while I was trapped in here, unnerved me more than any of my injuries.

“I’m Nurse Young by the way, but you can call me Constance.” She beamed back at me. “So, what was it? Mugging? Fight over a girl?”

I tried to speak, but my mouth was as dry as a camel’s arse and I coughed, making Constance jump into action and grab a cup of water with a straw.

“No need to tell me now. Plenty of time for that. I called your parents hours ago, but they still haven’t come.”

Nothing unusual there.

“As soon as they arrive, I’ll show them in. The police are outside though, eager buggers, but I’ll send them packing. They can wait for their statement. No one upsets my patients.”

She winked and then sauntered towards the door. When she opened it, I could hear Ryan giving a piece of his mind to someone in the corridor outside. I bet Alice messaged him and told him I was here. She barely left the house, and after hearing about our uncle’s release, she was even more petrified.

I felt myself tense up, even though it hurt every inch of my body to do so. I could handle seeing the lads… But not her. I hoped to God she wasn’t here. What would she think of me if she saw me like this?

Effy Spencer.

An angel in a town full of reprobates and losers like me.

I already felt like I wasn’t enough for her. I didn’t need my fractured and feeble body to remind her how fucking useless I was too.