Singing of the dead (Novel one)

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: ACID FLESH

Isabelle walked through the house door first throwing her Axe on the kitchen table and opening a cupboard grabbing a bottle of whisky and opening the cap with her teeth and spitting it back out. Jessica walked in and placed her baseball bat on the table next to the axe and she thought about how its blade had killed Atlas.

Isabelle grabbed two old glasses from the side and poured a fair amount of whisky into both. Passing one to Jessica and raising her own glass up.

"For Atlas and Grandad."

"For Atlas and Big Jim."

And the two drank, Isabelle then pouring another drink immediately. Jessica was hesitant at first but with Atlas and now Big Jim gone, she thought screw it. She may as well.

"Jessica."

"Yeah."

"I'm feeling really shit, so I'm going to get fucking battered and do a shit tonne of drugs, then tomorrow we sort out a plan to move north."

"You know what Izzy. Fuck it. I'm in."

Isabelle grabbed another bottle of whisky and passed it Jessica and with her empty hand grabbed onto Jessica's free hand and jogged her up stairs into her bedroom and sat Jessica down on the bed. Isabelle then opened her bedside draw and pulled out the box that Jessica had gotten her for Christmas.

"Hey Jess, sorry just give me a min, I'm going to get in some pyjamas."

"Yeh, no problem, I'll go get changed myself."

Jessica walked into Atlas room and look around with a sense of melancholy and regret, her head flooded with both happy and sad memories they had created together, she missed all of it. Even though deep-down Jessica was more interested in being platonic with Atlas, she missed him dearly. She wished he could hold her in his strong arms again. Grief became overbearing to her, so she quickly got undressed and put some white pyjamas on before leaving the bedroom again glancing back at the empty bed before she left. Jessica knocked on Isabelles door and Isabelle invited her inside.

Jessica sat down on the bed next to Isabelle wearing a black top and bottoms.

"What are you taking tonight, Izzy?"

"Everything." Isabelle said as she swallowed an ecstasy pill with a swig of whisky and then placed two acid tabs on her tongue.

"Jesus, Iz, you gonna be, okay?"

"Yeh it's fine, fuck it right? You want some?"

"Screw it."

Isabelle placed one tab of acid into Jessica's mouth her fingers brushing past her lips as she did.

"You are so fucking pretty Jess."

"Thank you, Isabelle. So are you."

The two looked lovingly into each other's eyes and ever so slightly leaned forward but then both backed away turning there heads back away from looking at each other. Isabelle became over-ran with guilt again, what was she thinking? What was she doing?

"Jess, have you ever killed anyone?"

"What? No of course not. Do you mean a Singer? I told you your parents are the only ones I've seen in person."

"Singers are still people, aren't they? I'm a murderer Jess."

"Iz, don't be silly, you have done what you have had to do to survive. Don't let it weigh down on you."

"Not just Singers Jess, Gavin. I killed Gavin."

"Isabelle, what are you saying?"

"After I had finished stopping that singers head into the floor, I wept over Choles corpse. Then I grabbed the machete and went upstairs. He was cowering in in the corner of a bedroom upstairs and Jess... I...I... He started blaming me for his friends dying and pushed me and just kept shouting, he wouldn't, he wouldn't stop talking and I just snapped. I drove the blade straight into his skull I didn't mean too I just lost it, then I dragged Choles body all the way back home. His scream still haunts me." Isabelle stared off into the distance, Gavin's screams echoing inside her head.