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Chapter 8

The car ride home with bill was a dull one, he didn't ask any questions, and instead stayed quiet. He had this tired look to him, he was miserable, and had been since Jill walked into my life. He'd been arguing with Janet every other night, I didn't know what exactly about but I'd hear It around the house. I felt bad for Janet and bill, they weren't able to have kids, and I think Janet taking care of other peoples, made her feel better. I overheard Bill telling her I was the last one, because he didn't like the idea of looking after kids, with not being his own. He was nice to me, but he definitely took me in, to make Janet feel better. I don't think they would fully adopt a kid, simply because bill wouldn't agree to it.

We pulled into the driveway, and bill turned of the engine. "Thank you bill, thank you." I grabbed him by the shoulder, comforting him, I let go and got out the car. He waited in the car looking up at the ceiling slightly saying something as if he was praying. He bowed his head down and took out his car keys, then followed close behind. We opened the door and bill went straight upstairs, Janet was sat in the kitchen with a wine bottle beside her, and mascara running down her face, sat in her wedding dress.

"Hey sweetieee, come errrr." I didn't move towards her, she came to me, and she'd seemed to have spilt wine all down the dress, as if she threw it on herself. She stumbled over and leached onto me, almost sending us both flying. "Me and bill have had a bit of a falling out, and we've decided we are getting a divorce... BECAUSE SOMEONE CAN'T GIVE ME A CHILD! AND WONT LET US HAVE ONE!" The whole house was silent. I tried moving to the upstairs, but she held me back. "COME DOWN BILL, COME ON... men eh?" The house was still silent. I smiled at her and managed to get her off my arm. I practically ran up the stairs. At the top bill was stood there in the dark, at the entrance of his room. His hands balled in fists and his jaw visibly clenching.

An hour went by, seemingly quiet, bill had gone back in his room, and I was just drifting off to sleep. The peace I felt was short lived, smashing sounds became clear, despite me thinking it was in my dream, it was not. I ran outside my room, Coming face to face with bill who'd just ran outside of his. He ran down in his boxer shorts and I hovered on the bottom steps, incase we were getting robbed. We were not though, it was Janet again. "OH COME DOWN NOW HAVE YOU? YOU PUSSY!" She kept smashing whatever it was. "STOP STOP!" I poked my head round, and Janet had a baseball bat in hand and was stood infront of the tv smashing in to pieces. I saw bill look to the shelf where only one vase stood standing, his mothers. She started picking up shards of the TVs glass, and throwing that at him. He ran backwards being hit a few times.

"YOUR MAD, THIS IS IT JANET IVE HAD IT." She stopped throwing for a second, and bill went back towards the vase, shielding his face incase she wanted some more cheap shots. He was to late. The vase cracked in half leaving a bag of dust inside which she merrily pounded with the bat. The ashes flew everywhere, her dress was covered in bill's mothers ashes, and bill streaming with blood down the back of his arms was caked in the remains. Bill grabbed her off the coffee table upon which she stood, bringing her to the ground, where he was crying his eyes out, in stance ready to punch her face in. He couldn't do it, he didn't do it. He let go of her and shot me one last teary eyed look before marching out.

Janet was laughing her ass off, crying all at the same time. I raced upstairs into their room. I looked around for bill's phone, but couldn't seem to find it anywhere. Janet was back smashing shit downstairs, singing some song at The top of her lungs. Their room was a mess, It hadn't been cleaned for a while, the floor was covered in dirty washing, and suitcases were out and half packed. I began to check pockets, only finding loose coins.

The smashing had stopped and the house fell eerily quiet again, I thought she'd given up until I head the steps of the stairs creaking. "Hey clarice, it's alright you know, me and bill just had another row is all." She was at the top of the stairs by now, but had mistaken me for being in my room. My nerves were far from settled, I got up as quietly as I could, and locked the door. It clicked, Louder than it should have. I heard her turn. "Hey clarice what you doing in there. Come on out!" I didn't answer her, she was right outside my door. She began banging on it, and frantically trying the lock. "COME ON, COME ON OUT BITCH. IF YOU DON'T COME OUT, IM COMING IN" she began banging significantly harder and louder. She was using the bat.

My heart rate going at a million miles an hour, the room was spinning. I realised if I waited around, god knows what she could do, especially with a bat. The lock was weak and it'd only take less than a minute for her to get in. My only option here was to block the door, but I'd have to act fast. The dresser. I cleared a path, and pulled the hefty thing forwards and tried getting it into etching it into the alcove where the door was. She put a hole through the door panels and began screaming at me. I managed to to push it to the door. I put it right up to the door, so there was no chance of her getting in unless she moved the whole thing, through the hole in the door, which was impossible.

I began searching for the phone again, and soon found it under some clothes, against the wall charging. I picked it up and rang the first number there with my shaky hands. "Hello hello, I need help, someone's trying to kill me." The phone went silent. "Clarice?" It was Jill. "Jill help, Janets after me, can you ring the police, Bills gone, she's coming after with me with a bat, I've managed to lock myself in, but there's no way of me getting out. "Hang tight, joes on the phone right now to them. Don't leave that room, stay where you are, do not panic." I heard joe in the back yelling at them to hurry. I heard Jill race around her house, speaking to some people, telling them to go after me. "I've sent the secret service, they're on their way right now, they'll get there before the police, so if you hear anyone come in, do not panic you are safe." She was frightened as much as I. I forgot she had the secret service in her corner, but glad she had it.

For the next ten minutes I sat terrified against the dresser backed against the door. Janet broke fully through the door, creating a large hole to stick her head through. She tried getting to the handle but couldn't, because the dresser prevented her.

She stopped trying and left to go downstairs. I heard a drawer open, and her come back up.

BANG.

"What was that!" Jill screamed. SHES GOT A FUCKING GUN!" Seconds later the door went "SHES UP HERE, DON'T COME UP SHES GOT A GUN." A helicopter was whirling outside, and flashing its lights through one of the tall narrow windows shining in. I moved from the dresser and climbed another to see outside. The police had turned up, about 7 cop cars lined the streets. Neighbours were peering outside, and the journalists were turning up. They'd marked off the street with yellow tape and traffic cones. Janet was crying outside in her wedding dress, hid behind a wall. "LADY COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP!"

I saw her start to shuffle not sure on what to do, she was broken. I saw her through the crack in the door start to stand up. The gun was still in her hand "LADY PUT THE GUN DOWN, SLOWLY." she didn't move for a while. She saw me looking at her through the crack of the door and mouthed "sorry." She moved her arm to her head. "JANETTT NOOOOOO-

BANG

She was gone.