Chapter Eleven:

Chowder was stuffed. Like stupidly stuffed. It was a confusing day after all.

He accidentally took his lunch and his moms this morning so he was more or less forced to eat two lunches- and it was blisteringly hot today so he had to chug down two sprites just to fight the dehydration. They were diet sprites though so it wasn’t so bad. Sugar free drinks were unhealthy but he liked the aftertaste.

But man was he stuffed! And that made the walk from school to Jess’s house way more torturous than usual. And Chowder wasn't too quick to be generous to Jess's memory today. Jess knew he was leaving for an insanely anonymous amount of time so you would think he’d have time to return some of Chowder’s stuff: shoes, games, light sabers and the group project due tomorrow.

Although, that was on Chowder for leaving the project with Jess. Jess wouldn’t have worked on the project at all. And since Jess technically only left yesterday or something the teacher said it was too late for a new partner since they should be done anyway. Jess ha kept the project since he was home the passed week but Chowder doubted Jess did any work on it. There was a poster, a video, a report and presentation. Jess was never too good at doing his own work and he was even worse at group work, he always started strong but then just totally spazzed and overslept or just forgot to do anything. But Chowder didn’t have time to complain. He could do all the work by the morning right? Luckily today was only a half day at school since there were some inter school tournaments taking place. So, he had the afternoon to grab his stuff from Jess’s house and then work on it tis afternoon. Man... He missed Jess. He wasn't mad at him or anything, he just missed him. And he was pissed from all the heat and walking so that probably made him sound more peeved than he actually was.

Jess probably wouldn’t be home for weeks, but his dad just might be there to let him in.

Chowder rounded the corner to Jess’s house and of course Jess’s dad’s car wasn’t in the driveway. Shit, of course man. Now how would he get the project? He could probably sit in the driveway and wait but Jess’s dad worked insane hours. He was supposed to be some kind of insurance guy, but the dude was never home for weeks. How much international travel did he really need to do?

Chowder groaned as he plopped himself down on the porch. Hmmm. He could always just sneak in through Jess’s window couldn’t he? Jess never locked or even bothered to shut his window. That guy was always claustrophobic. He always had windows open.

Chowder walked around the house to the backyard. Luckily, and kind of stupidly, they had a ladder in the backyard shed. Honestly, maybe Jess’s dad really was an insurance man, Chowder thought with a glance around the scarily clean shed. There were tons of tools for gardening and DIY but none of them were even used or open. Real pen pusher wasn’t he? Picking up the best hardware tools from Walmart and never using it. Not that Chowder had a problem, but man it bugged him when people never used things for what they were. Like his neighbour, who had an insanely large modded out Jeep that took up two parking spaces and ran over Chowder’s old scooter, but the guy was a bookkeeper and never took it off road or anything!

He got to the top of the ladder and tapped on Jess’s window slightly and it oozed open with barely a squeak.

“Banging, dude.” Chowder grinned and heaved himself onto a roll on the floor. Now, where was that project-

He heard a moan from downstairs.

His body froze immediately but his insides wouldn’t stop pounding and churning. That had to be the tv right? He heard a low voice talking.

Burglars?

He wasn’t the only one in the house… His feet were still too heavy to move. He could feel his shirt start to cling to his clammy back. He needed to leave. But then he recognised the voice and he almost laughed aloud in relief. It was Jess’s dad. The dude was here inside. That was fine then! But how could Chowder explain this? He could just climb back outside and knock on the door have a little chit chat and then leave.

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But then he heard another voice- a woman’s voice.

Moaning.

Oh, dang! He had walked into something nasty, and there was no way he was going to interrupt Jess's dad. Another moan-

Woah woah woah. She was loud! Maybe insurance wasn’t so boring after all? Go, Mr Goldwyn! Guess he was taking advantage of the empty house? Now that he thought about it he'd never seen Mr Goldwyn with a girlfriend or anything. Chowder was honestly kind of surprised that Jess’s dad had never moved on after his wife left. Mr Goldwyn dad was one of those tall, dark and handsome types and he had that sort of broody charm that normally only movie characters get away with.

“Don’t you dare use her voice.”

Chowder froze again. He heard Mr Goldwyn speak, but he didn’t catch all of it because the voice was barely a whisper. But as quiet as it was it had a strangely-

Then he heard a shrill scream. The woman screamed in pain, a loud terrifying scream that echoed through the house. He was sweating wildly now. Chowder was too terrified to move, something happened to that woman just now. That scream was not right. She was hurt-

If Chowder made a single noise, he’d be caught. He’d be screaming next. Now would be the time to run, wouldn’t it? He moved over to the window dreading that every step would creak and echo and give away that he was here. He was at the window and clumsily climbed through, just then he felt his leg go loose- he had mis-stepped and missed the ladder he felt his body fall but, somehow, he grabbed the window frame and sweaty as his palms were he clung on.

No no no- No? No…

He hadn’t mis-stepped. The entire ladder was gone.

He peered at the ground to see if it had fallen, but there was nothing there. And he hadn’t heard it fall either. He opened and closed his mouth in confusion. Someone had moved the ladder. Someone knew he was here. They were waiting for him- it had to be Jess’s dad. He must have heard Chowder scrambling around upstairs.

‘Okay, but wait wait. Come on, Chowder!’ he scolded himself. It’s possible that maybe a concerned neighbour took the ladder away- no. It had to have been Mr Goldwyn. He must have thought someone was in the house and he took their escape route away. There was no way to climb down from the second floor, and if Chowder kept waiting in the room with Jess’s dad waiting on the other side of the door thinking there was a burglar- and now a witness to something inside... Chowder was going to end up another Reeva Steenkamp.

His only choice was to act like he’d heard nothing and tell Jess’s dad why he was here and pray to every single God and Tbn jet pastor that he’d believe Chowder and let him leave.

He stepped across the room and gripped the freezing cold door handle. He let the door open slowly, and thankfully it didn’t even squeak. The only noise was Chowder’s breathing.

PleasePleasePlease

But there was no one on the other side. Jess’s dad wasn’t there, and the voices were still coming from downstairs. What was this? He crept out a bit more and stood near the top of the stairs. He could hear the voices more clearly from here. If he peered down the stairs he could see into the lounge. There was Jess’s dad. He looked furious, and in front of him a naked woman on her knees-

Chowder couldn’t believe it but he recognized the woman.

Jess’s mother.

He’d never met her because she’d left when Jess was young, but her pictures were plastered everywhere in the house. There wasn’t even a picture of Jess’s dad except for the ones were she was in them. So, he’d seen her face many time. Every time he was here. He’d never met her in person but that had to be her. She looked exactly like the pictures of her. Red hair, and freckled brown skin and a wide toothy smile. She was beautiful in a different way, a reminiscent way. She looked someone you’d take on a picnic in the cold autumn when the leaves were brown. When the brightest things amongst all the cold and red were her eyes shining...

Like they did now.

She was looking up at him, but she didn’t look like the picture anymore. She was human but there was something too perfect in her face. And her neck was at an angle nothing with a spine could achieve.

“Hi, Chowder.” She said, softly. Yet somehow in his head the voice was loud and penetrating inside him. Then before he could blink, her soft voice turned into a scream as Jess’s dad plunged a dagger into the top of her head.

Chowder fell to his knees. He couldn’t move to try to help to do anything to help.

Mr Goldwyn twisted the dagger into the top of her skull and then her body twitched like she was being electrocuted and then lightning engulfed her body. Her eyes tore apart and burst splashing the couch and floor in blood and matter.

Chowder ran.

He reached the window. But it slammed shut by some invisible force, and then Jess’s dad was behind him.

His eyes were black and furious, his dark hair had fallen into his face blurring it as he moved so he looked like something demonic. Something terrifying.

He reached over towards Chowder. Chowder who didn’t dare move. Chowder who couldn’t save Jess’s mother. He could feel the end now. Chowder’s mum who would be waiting for him all alone when she got, she would be all alone now. Alone forever. She’d been through so much, and Chowder hadn’t given her anything he’d promised her.

He closed his eyes.

And then he felt a hand on his shoulder.