Missing [ST]

Five

When the morning came, which, realistically, was only a couple of hours after the five guys had retired to their rooms, it didn't bring about much hope. The rain may have eased, but it was still overcast and drizzly, and moods were sombered from the night's dramatic events.

Tom, Joey, Brad and Joe were in the living room lounging on the two, well worn sofas and smoking the remainder of their stash of pot and cigarettes.

They'd eaten the scraps that were in the cupboards which consisted of a rationed portion of cereal without milk because that had run out a few days ago, and toast, after picking off the dots of mould, with a small amount of butter.

It was no wonder they had resorted to smoking whatever was left to gain the satisfaction with their practically empty stomachs.

The food situation was dire, as was their money situation but they had only themselves to blame for that. Still, it indicated they needed to move on but without a place to go to, they were stuck.

To worsen the glum mood, Steven's outburst had split the group like it so often did and no one really wanted to mention his name or talk about him in front of the other. Not to forget they also had a young woman held hostage in the room next to them.

Joey started to tap his foot on the carpet, uncomfortable with all the silence.

"For fuck sake, Joey. Would you stop that?"

It didn't take long for someone to moan. A whole six seconds to be exact. And there was no surprise that it was Joe either.

He was acting like some king on the couch, slouched in one corner, spreading one arm behind the back and resting his other on the armrest with a cigarette dancing between his fingers. If Tom wasn't sitting next to him, he'd probably have taken up the whole thing.

Joey fidgeted, but stopped his foot nervously tapping. He looked between his friends, as if to emphasise his distress.

"No one is saying anything, and I don't like that no one is mentioning our...issues."

"We've all got issues," Brad mumbled unhelpfully from beside him.

"But her," Joey retaliated confidently, keeping up the importance of the conversation they had yet to have. "We don't do this sort of thing. This isn't what we do. I mean, kidnapping? There's so much wrong with that! We don't even know her goddamn name! Or if she's still there. Or if-"

"I don't think she'll be running away in her current state." Brad was too calm, puffing out a cloud of smoke from his nose. "Plus, she's tied up. Can't move far."

"That's not the point." Joey sat forward so he was hunched over his knees, his hands moving between them as he spoke, "We can't just leave her there to die, that's completely out of the question! We're not...murderers!"

When he was satisfied he'd got his point across, he slumped into the seat cushion and bounced his knees instead, eyes darting between the three guys around him.

On the other piece of furniture, Joe finished his cigarette, addressing Joey directly through a final puff of smoke.

"Are you done?"

There was a brief nod, and a silence of shame.

"I'll go find some food if we haven't already eaten it all," Tom offered, waving his wrist in some sort of gesture towards the kitchen.

At least someone agreed with Joey.

"Woah, LG. Not so fast." Joe quickly reached out for the blonde's arm and pulled him back down.