BJ blink in light, bright morning light-
Joe says: ‘What the fuck -’
They grab Joe.
They slap Joe.
They punch Joe.
They kick Joe.
They cuff Joe.
They gag Joe.
They kick Joe in balls.
They laugh when Joe falls to his knees in pain.
They pick Joe up off floor.
They sit Joe on a chair.
They tie Joe to it, his hands cuffed behind him and a bag on his head.
They put bag back on BJ’s head.
They leave Joe and BJ.
The Black Angel, the hair in his eyes and the blood on his teeth, he is standing by the window in the Church of the Abandoned Christ on the seventh floor of the Griffin Hotel in the ghost bloodied old city of Leodis. His clothes are shabby and his wings are burnt. There is a white towel upon the bed. He draws the curtains and places the wicker chair in the centre of the room. He takes off my shirt. He picks up the razor.
BJ awake:
It is still light.
Joe must be near, in room somewhere.
BJ try to see him, see him through bag.
But BJ can’t and light is fading -
Fading fast.
The Black Angel, the hair in his eyes and the blood on his teeth, he is standing by the window in the Church of the Abandoned Christ on the seventh floor of the Griffin Hotel in the ghost bloodied old city of Leodis. His clothes are shabby and his wings are burnt. There is a white towel upon the bed. He draws the curtains and places the wicker chair in the centre of the room. He takes off my shirt. He picks up the razor. He finishes and he blows the loose hair away.
BJ awake:
It is dark now.
Joe must be near, in room somewhere.
BJ try to hear him, hear him breathing.
But BJ can’t and telephone is ringing -
Ringing long and loud.
The Black Angel, the hair in his eyes and the blood on his teeth, he is standing by the window in the Church of the Abandoned Christ on the seventh floor of the Griffin Hotel in the ghost bloodied old city of Leodis. His clothes are shabby and his wings are burnt. There is a white towel upon the bed. He draws the curtains and places the wicker chair in the centre of the room. He takes off my shirt. He picks up the razor. He finishes and he blows the loose hair away. He picks up a Philips screwdriver and a ball-peen hammer.
A light goes on, telephone stops:
Head down -
Someone picks up phone.
Out for count.
That voice, that voice BJ know saying: ‘Yes?’
Fuck -
‘When?’
Fuck, fuck -
‘We’ll be waiting.’
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
The Black Angel, the hair in his eyes and the blood on his teeth, he is standing by the window in the Church of the Abandoned Christ on the seventh floor of the Griffin Hotel in the ghost bloodied old city of Leodis. His clothes are shabby and his wings are burnt. There is a white towel upon the bed. He draws the curtains and places the wicker chair in the centre of the room. He takes off my shirt. He picks up the razor. He finishes and he blows the loose hair away. He picks up a Philips screwdriver and a ball-peen hammer. He stands behind me.
They are coming -
They are coming -
They are coming into room -
They are here:
They shout: ‘Wakey, wakey.’
They kick BJ’s chair.
They slap BJ’s head.
‘Put your masks on,’ says one of them. ‘And take their bags off.’
They take bag off.
BJ blink in light, light from single light bulb.
‘Take their gags off.’
They take gag off.
Joe says: ‘What the fuck -’
They punch Joe.
BJ know where this place be:
Flat above shop on Bradford Road -
Flat above shop where two men are tied up and bleeding under a single light bulb; three men in overalls and masks with hammers and wrenches stood over Joe and BJ.
The Black Angel, the hair in his eyes and the blood on his teeth, he is standing by the window in the Church of the Abandoned Christ on the seventh floor of the Griffin Hotel in the ghost bloodied old city of Leodis. His clothes are shabby and his wings are burnt. There is a white towel upon the bed. He draws the curtains and places the wicker chair in the centre of the room. He takes off my shirt. He picks up the razor. He finishes and he blows the loose hair away. He picks up a Philips screwdriver and a ball-peen hammer. He stands behind me. He puts the point of the screwdriver on the crown of my skull.
They grab Joe’s face in their hands.
They say: ‘You been a busy boy, haven’t you, Joseph?’
BJ can hear them laughing beneath their masks.
They step closer to Joe: ‘Wonder why that would be?’
They laugh: ‘Bit quiet about it.’
They say: ‘That’s not very polite, is it?’
‘Not very polite at all,’ they say.
‘Have to teach him some manners then, won’t we?’ they hiss.
‘We will,’ they nod.
‘Take his trousers down,’ they say.
Joe is squirming in his chair and bindings: ‘Please -’
They take his trousers down.
They take out hammer.
Joe is squirming and shaking, cock small and eyes big: ‘There’s no need…’
They lift hammer above their head and say: ‘Oh, but you see there’s always a need…’
They bring hammer down into top of his right knee -
