Chapter 22

“....up Brian... Brian....wake...” someone was shaking Brian lightly. Brian opened his eyes to see Nick’s pale face looming over him. Brian frowned and sat up to face his shaking friend, who was drenched in his own sweat.

“Nicky, what’s wrong?” Brian asked him rubbing Nick’s shoulders, trying to stop them from shaking so much.

“I had a... bad dream. Will you stay up with me?” Nick’s voice was small and out-of-breath. Brian smiled lightly and nodded, “Of course.”

“Thanks,” Nick said running both hands through his damp blond hair. He leaned over his knees. Brian watched him with mounting concern, “Nicky, you ok? What was your dream about?”

Nick looked up at Brian and shook his head. He put his head back on his knees. “Frack, come on, what was it about?” He laid a hand on Nick’s back trying to coax him to speak, “Frack?”

“I was locked in here alone.... You guys were gone and I was trapped. I could hear laughter from upstairs.... and, and the walls started closing in on me. They kept getting tighter and tighter til I couldn’t breathe.... I screamed and screamed and nobody came Brian... they just kept laughing...” Brian wrapped his arms around him giving him a tight brotherly hug, “It was just a dream Nick. You know we would never leave this place without you. You will never be alone in a place like this.”

He held Nick for a while, feeling his shivers and his rapid breathing shaking his body. “Nick? You ok, now? You breathing ok?”

Nick nodded, “I’ll be ok Bri. I just, I need something to drink.” He tried to stand, but Brian pushed him back down, “I’ll get it. You sit here.”

Brian came back with a warm juice box and a mixed assortment of Aspirin and Benadryl, “Here.” He sat and watched Nick toss back the pills and sip the juice from the straw slowly.

“Feel better now?” Brian asked ruffling his hair.

Nick narrowed his eyes and ran his hands through his hair in a vain attempt to give it some order. He gave up after a while and Brian giggled. He finished the juice and make slurping noises with his straw. Howie snorted and rolled over. Nick grinned and slurped again. Again, Howie rolled over. Brian giggled, “Oh man.... lets see if he’ll roll all the way to the bathroom. Then we’ll wake him up.”

“Yeah...” Nick laughed. He blew in his straw again and watched in amusement as Howie rolled again.

“He is gonna kick our asses,” Brian hooted as he took Nick’s juice box and began to make the noises too. Howie’s nose struck the bathroom door and Brian made a dash back to the pallet and lie down beside Nick who was already curling up to feign sleep. Howie snorted and cried out. He sat up staring at the dingy bathroom door rubbing his head and looking confused. There was a small clumping noise against the bathroom door. Small hisses could be heard too. Howie jumped two times his height and scampered back over to the pallet trampling Kevin and AJ. Brian and Nick had been watching the scene with one eye opened, and two teeth clamped on their lower lips to keep from laughing out loud. Kevin and AJ sat up with yelps, “What the hell D?!”

“The snake’s trying to get out!” Howie was muttering.

“Huh?” both Kevin and AJ looked puzzled. AJ actually scratched his head.

“The snake in the bathroom! I woke up in front of the bathroom and the snake was banging on the door and making all sorts of angry noises...” Howie was saying, his words trailing off as Nick and Brian’s giggles grew louder, “Why do I get a feeling you guys have done something?”

“What? Us?” Brian looked innocent, “How come whenever something happens you always blame us?”

“Cause you’re always laughing and up to no good!” Howie was jumping up and down now waving his fists in the air, “I’m gonna get you guys one day!”

“Beware Howie, the littlest....” Howie pushed Nick over in the middle of his retort. Nick fell straight on his back on the pallet.

Howie was actually growling and Kevin and AJ were shooting Brian and Nick death looks. “Oh lighten up guys,” Brian snorted, “It was just a joke.”

“Don’t you guys have better things to do?? Like sleep? Come on,” Kevin sounded exasperated.

“We were asleep,” Nick muttered.

“Yeah,” Brian nodded, “then Nick had a nightmare and woke me up.”

“Aww.. Is Nicky afraid of the Boogie Man?” asked AJ in a teasing tone. Nick’s eyes narrowed into mean slits, “No....”

“Aww... Was it about the dark Nicky?” AJ continued to tease now taking on a more menacing tone. Nick flinched involuntarily and turned away from AJ. Brian smacked him, “Leave him alone, it really freaked him out, J.” AJ frowned, “Well that snake freaked me out too, but you guys keep making fun of me!”

“But you...”

“Guys stop it,” Kevin interrupted their altercation, “Ok, lets make a deal right here and now. No one is gonna make fun of anyone else’s.... misfortunes...” he paused as he thought of the word that could describe what had happened to AJ. He tried very hard not to laugh at the memory of it, “It’s important if we want to come out of here in good shape. Now, do we all agree?”

There was silence.

“Guys?” Kevin pressed.

“Yeah, yeah,” AJ said quickly.

Howie nodded, and Brian groaned a yes. Nick was the only one who remained quiet. “Nick?”

“Nick?” Brian peeked at him to see his eyes closed, “I think he’s asleep.”

“He’s not asleep you moron, he’s faking it,” AJ said slightly annoyed. He crawled over to Nick and gave him a shake. Nick’s eyes opened and he stared into AJ’s miffed face, “You weren’t asleep you faker! If the rest of us gotta give up our right to free speech then so do you!”

Nick frowned, “What the hell are you talking about J?”

“You little...”

“AJ! Calm down. What is wrong with you?” Brian looked upset, “You’re acting like Howie.”

“Acting like WHO?” Howie fumed, “Nobody’s acting like anyone. If you two would stop being so damn annoying...”

“Annoying, we’re just...”

“SHUT UP!” Kevin silenced them all, “You’re all acting like pre-schoolers. If we want to...”

“Kevin, I’ve had it with you and your motivational speeches,” Howie yelled, “No one’s listening anymore! In fact I don’t think anyone was listening in the first place!”

“Leave Kev alone he’s just trying to help!” Nick argued softly.

“Leave Kev alone,” AJ mocked Nick’s timid argument and thumped him on the ear. He flinched and covered the ear AJ had thumped, “Damn it Alex!” he screamed.

“Shit, I forgot. I’m sorry,” AJ began to apologize, trying to ruffle Nick’s hair, but Nick inched away from him, closer to Kevin. Kevin frowned and took Nick’s face between his palms. He then turned his head so he could look into the ear AJ had struck. “AJ!” Kevin fumed angrily, “His ears are still a little red, why’d you go and hit him like that?”

“Kevin, I forgot.. I swear the kid’s got ten million things wrong with him, like I’m gonna remember every little thing!” AJ had turned red in the face. He once again tried to apologize to Nick, but he was holding his ear and glaring daggers at AJ. “Fine, ok... I really am sorry though.”

Howie groaned loudly, “Lets just try to go back to sleep. We seem to annoy each other less that way.”

“I can’t sleep now, my ear hurts,” Nick muttered looking away from AJ with a sour look on his face.

“I’ll get you some aspirin,” Kevin was standing, but Brian was shaking his head, “Already gave him some.”

“Well then they should start working in a while. Why don’t you lie down and close your eyes. You’ll be asleep again before you know it,” Kevin said tossing Nick another pillow. Nick took the pillow with a slight frown. He nodded and lie down again. Brian moved closer to him.

After a few minutes everyone had settled back down for another night’s sleep in captivity. The sounds of a constantly dripping tap in the bathroom, the hiss of a snake, and the soft purr of Nick’s breathing were becoming normal sounds to the Boys in the night. And they wondered just how long would they be normal sounds.

< The Boys In The Basement >