Wednesday Briefs: Bad Karma and the Family Plan #56 (12.1)

 Good morning and Happy Hump Day! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts.

This long day is finally drawing to a close. Troy and Brendan have gone to a motel, and the rest of the house is ready for sleep. Still no clue as to what is going on, though. See what's happening in this week's chapter of Bad Karma and the Family Plan. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what's up with them! Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!

Bad Karma and the Family Plan #56 (12.1)

The looks we were receiving from Joey were, let’s just say, less than pleasant. His face was contorted in a angry grimace, as if he wanted to lash out at all of us. At the same time, I could tell he wasn’t sure what he could get away with, especially with his father so close at hand and the rest of us more than willing to pound some manners into him… in a nice way, of course.

I noticed he was eying the couch, as if he intended to stake some claim on it. But Benny didn’t appear to be inclined to move, and I suspected Joey didn’t have the nerve to ask him to do so. I also had the feeling that sleeping in his dad’s armchair was not going to fly either. I have to give Ethan’s brother credit for being persistent in his stupidity as he flopped into the chair as if to make himself at home.

That lasted all of thirty seconds, after which Maureen came back down the stairs, her arms laden with what appeared to be bedding.

“Let me help you with that, Mom.” Ethan instantly jumped up and I quickly followed suit. She was indeed blankets and pillows, obviously intended for the four of us.

“Thank you.” She beamed at us before turning her attention to her older son, who hadn’t lifted a finger to help. Not surprising, though. I wondered what she intended to say to him that would get him to move. But it was only one word, and man, was it effective.

She fixed him with a look as she said, “Joey.” But that’s all it took. She handed him a blanket and pillow as he reluctantly slid onto the floor.

I thought I heard a sullen “Yes ma’am”, but I couldn’t be sure…and I really didn’t care.

The rest of us—at least, those who weren’t ingrates—thanked Maureen for her hospitality again. I was gratified to see her face glow at our words. She was such a nice woman, sweet and kind. A lot like my mother. And she’d given me Ethan. What more could I ask for?  When she asked if we needed anything else, we assured her we would be fine fending for ourselves and wished her a good night, so back upstairs she went.

Ethan and I shared our blankets, of course, setting up a bed on one side of the room, closer to Ethan’s uncle than his brother, while Uncle Benny tucked the sheet into the couch and lay down, draping the blanket over him. He looked as wide awake as we did, though.

I couldn’t stop thinking about what was going on and, more importantly, why it was happening. One glance at Ethan more than confirmed that he felt the same way, probably feeling just as restless as I did.

“Maybe we should do a quick perimeter check,” I suggested.

“Good idea, Vin,” Ethan responded with alacrity.

I noticed Benny perk up as well, sitting up on the sofa and slipping his shoes on once more. “I could use some fresh air myself,” was all he said.

I didn’t expect Joe Jr to volunteer to accompany us, and he didn’t—thank goodness. I had some suspicion that he had every intention of taking the sofa for himself once we left the house. But perhaps our next actions served to discourage such a movement, as both Ethan and I brought out our weapon and made sure it was loaded and ready to go. He turned onto his side, away from us. If he thought he was offending us, he was entirely wrong.

“C’mon, let’s go,” Ethan said.

 to be continued

Now go see what's up with the other Briefers!

Cia Nordwell