Broken Souls

“I don’t want to, man. Please, let’s just leave.”

Daniel
shut his lights and car off, coasting in the dark driveway leading to his Uncle’s farm. He turned to Seth. “You have to do this. Please,
I
have to do this. For both of us or I won’t be able to sleep. I beg you, let me do this.”

Seth
rocked back and forth, rubbing both legs, staring toward the old farm house.

Daniel put his hand on his shoulder and squeezed.
“I’m here with you, he can’t hurt you, I promise you that. But if you’re going to get over your fear of that bastard, we need to do this. No more pretending, we’re getting your life back, or at least the money.”

“I don’t want it, I don’
t need it,” he whimpered.

“Look at me. You like Dara?”

He met Daniel’s gaze, his brown eyes wide in the near complete darkness. “Yeah, I really do.”

“The only way you have a chance with her is to have a life. Let me get back what he stole.
Please.”

“What if he moved the money?”

“Then we tried. We have to at least do that. Look, I’ll do everything, but I need you to help, I don’t know the house like you do. We’ll sneak in, we’ll get the money, and we’re gone.”

Seth nodded. “
Plus we’re wearing masks so he won’t know.”

“That’s right.
And gloves. No finger prints.”

Seth nodded then looked at him. “There
was other kids you know.”

Daniel’s gut tightened. “Back then?”

He nodded and rocked then wiped the back of his hand on his nose. “All the time. Made us…”

“Shhh, you don’t need to say it.”

“Ahh, it don’t bother me.”

The casual lie reminded Daniel he
had a long way to go with his brother. “If it did, I wouldn’t mind. Cause it sure bothers the fuck out of me lil bro. I love you, okay?”

He nodded, staring at the house still. “I should do this for Dara. I could get nice things for her.”

“You could get you a home, put some in savings. You owe it to the little boy that never had a life, the young man who missed out. You have to make it right, you’re the only one who can. But I’m here to help you. I have to help you.”

Seth
finally looked at him, eyes glowing with unshed tears. “I’ma do it for
you
brother.”

Daniel was good enough with that.
Seth could do it for all the wrong reasons, just so he did it, that’s what was important.

Not w
asting another precious second, Daniel slipped on his ski mask then gloves and handed Seth his, watching him do the same.

They both got out of the car.
“We shoulda’ brought a weapon man.”

Daniel felt the fear in his words. But it was all psychological, his uncle was
merely a sick man with a lot of pervasive influence on him. But not on Daniel.

“No weapons, neither of us are going to prison for killing that fat fuck.”

“Okay, yeah.” They crept along the outer perimeter of the fence some three hundred feet from the house.”

A dog began barking up a storm and they both ran to the
massive oak tree hulking near the house. The place was like something out of a horror movie. The tree’s diseased limbs reached toward the sickly white, story and a half house. Every window and door was a black abyss leading down into a grave so deep nobody would ever find you. And where you were never allowed to die.

Seth
squatted down and whistled low. The mangy mutt ran over and literally jumped into Seth’s open arms. He embraced the animal and whispered happy greetings to him. The amount of affection he displayed nauseated Daniel. No doubt the only friend Seth had ever had.

“Let’s go,” Daniel whispered
, ready to leave before they ever began.

Daniel followed Seth to where the hidden key was supposed to be, fully prepared for a plan B if it weren’t there still. But it was.

“Sick son-of-a-bitch never changed, of course the key would still be here.”

Apparently Seth was thinking the same thing about
finding the key. Daniel reached for it and Seth jerked it away. “I’ll do this. I know my way around better than you do.”

“I’m right behind you brother.” Daniel called him that every chance he got to remind him who they were to each other, family.
Together.

After checking at every window and confident the uncle was asleep, they crept inside
the demon’s lair. Seth led him down wobbly stairs to the basement in utter darkness and Daniel kept a hand on his shoulder the entire time, wanting to be sure he didn’t somehow lose him. Well, and to offer comfort. The air was thick with silent evil and if Daniel could feel it, he knew Seth must’ve been nearly crippled by it. Every step felt like they were becoming more embedded in a sticky web.

Seth
’s steps were extremely slow as he felt his way. They cleared the stairs and walked on what seemed like wood planks given the angry groans beneath their feet. Seth stopped. “There should be a flashlight here.” He stretched his arm up with a grunt and a few moments later, a jittery beam of light lit the dark space.

“Ah fuck I hate this place
Danny.”

Daniel squeezed his shoulder hard. “I know. Let’s hurry and get
the
fuck
out of here.”

Seth aimed the light at the
near gray planks and fear seized Daniel at seeing the wide black cracks between each board. He hated cracks in floors. Seth went to a board with a knot. He handed the light to Daniel. “Keep the beam right here.”

Daniel shined it and watched as Seth removed several planks.
“Ah fuck, it’s there,” Seth whispered sounding sorry. He hesitantly reached for the combination lock on the old army safe’s rusted face. “Ffffffuck,” he cried, fisting his hand before reaching for the dial again. He jerked his hand back and shook his head. “I can’t, I can’t open that safe, I can’t touch it and say those numbers.” The final word strained out on turmoil.

“Hold the light, I’ll do it. You tell me.”

He shook his head. He couldn’t even do that, couldn’t speak the numbers. Daniel understood. There were some things he still couldn’t do either. Like sleep on his stomach. And there was a time when he couldn’t sleep unless he’d checked his house, often three times to make triple sure all things were shut tight and locked. No cracks.

“It’s okay, I’ll figure it out, you just nod if I get it right?”

He nodded.

“Is the first number to the right?” He shook his head. “Okay, first number to the left, is it one?”

Head shake.

“Two?”

Head shake.

Daniel went through the numbers quickly until
Seth nodded on eight. Twenty headshakes and three nods later he had it open. Just like Seth said, an army duffle bag was stuffed in it. Daniel opened it up and found it full of money, wondering for the fifty-ninth time, why in the
fuck
he kept it there and for what?

Didn’t matter, it was Seth’s now. Daniel lifted the bag and
shut the safe, only it slipped from his grasp and slammed shut with a loud clonk. They both froze. Listening in silence for an entire minute, they finally returned the flashlight to its hiding spot and crept back up the stairs. Daniel half expected them to turn into a slide at any second and suck them both into that grave he sensed beneath those planks of wood.

They made it to the landing and
listened at the door.

Seth opened
it very slowly and the stupid thing erupted with monster groans. Daniel grit his teeth, back to squeezing his brother’s shoulder. They crept toward the exit and froze at the sound of a door opening somewhere behind them. They both hid in the dark against the nearest wall.

“And bring the
rolling pin back when you come,” a deep voice with a twang ordered. A door shut and a few moments later a light came on to the right of them. Seth leaned his head and Daniel put his hand on his chest, pushing him back.

“Sarah,” he whispered. “God she’s still here.”

Daniel pressed his hand hard into his chest to silence him. A glass shattered and a few seconds later, soft sobbing followed. Daniel pulled Seth toward the exit but he refused to budge.

“What the hell
you doin’ in here.”

Oh fuck
. Bastard came out his room!

Daniel could feel Seth heaving with adrenalin as he kept his hand bearing down on his
body. He fisted his hand in Seth’s jacket and jerked with a
leave now
force
.

The sound of flesh hitting flesh preceded the girl’s scream
. Seth flew out of Daniel’s grasp and barreled toward the lit room. Daniel dropped the bag and ran after him.

“What the hell—”
The bastard’s words ended in
oomph
and Daniel rounded the corner to see him fall, his head slamming into an old fashioned metal kitchen table before his fat body boomed on the floor. Seth kicked him in his ballooning fleshy stomach as fast and hard as he could.

“Enough, let’s go.” Daniel yanked his arm.

Seth stopped and looked at the foreign girl. He held a trembling hand out to her and she looked at it before shaking her head.

“It’s me, Seth.”

“Shut the fuck up!” Daniel hissed.

He took his mask off. “See? It’s me.
Come with me, I’ll take care of you.”

The girl
’s eyes widened in fear and she shrank closer to the wall, shaking her head. “Cannot cannot.”

“Let’s go man, now.”

“Please Sarah, come with me,” Seth begged, desperate.

Daniel
dragged his brother toward the door and Seth called out, “Call the cops Sarah. Get out of here. Do you hear me?” They ran out and Seth continued to yell, “Call them! Find me. I’m in town! I’ll help you!”

“Motherfuck,” Daniel said, running toward their car.
So much for masks.

T
hey made it to the vehicle and got in. “What the
fuck
were you thinking?”

“What! That bastard was
hurting her.
”

The
rage in his brother’s voice silenced Daniel. He knew that sound all too well. The sound of breaking, of coming undone. “You’re right, you’re right. Don’t worry, she’ll call the cops.”

“
No
she fucking wont. She’s too scared!”

“Then we’ll call, from a payphone, anonymous. Okay?”

He put his hands over his face. “I can’t believe she’s still there.” His voice was frail. “She’s barely a woman. That fucking
bastard is fucking her, he’s hurting her, God I want to kill him, I want to kill him so bad.
”

“I know. We’ll call the police
and she’ll be found, she’ll escape. We’ll check to make sure in a few days, okay? Let the smoke settle. Please Seth. Please.”