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MasterCaneman -> RE: Technical Question: Handcuffs+Radiator (2/17/2014 6:19:42 PM)
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Okay. Fair warning, it's a rough draft, no formatted, and needs a little setup. Don't know if you remember this, but a couple years ago, there was this ant-drug PSA with these two guys smoking a doob in one's bedroom. The one guy (reminds me of a young Joe Pesci) was griping that 'pot didn't make me do anything different. I've been smoking for 15 years..." and his friend looked like one of the Ramones. Then the mom banged on the door and complained if he'd even bothered looking for a job.
Those guys are the antagonists. The whole story came to me during a bar chat the other night. Now that you (maybe) have a visual, here goes. It's in the first act, because that's where it ended up:
...Carmine came out with a blanket and opened up the side door. "Listen, Ms. Biller, we're going inside.
Don't do nothing stupid, okay? Just walk in, no fighting, no noises. Come on, hurry up!" he said,
wrapping her up and hustling her out. "I'm not Tracy Billers!" Connie exclaimed, but the gag in her
mouth made it come out as "Migh moff Fraphie Fihhers!" as she was being hurried inside the back door.
She saw the cellar light on, and her heart started pounding, but her abductors pushed her up the stairs
instead. The apartment was overheated, and she could hear a TV playing loudly, and two female voices
as they pushed her into a bedroom.
It reminded her of her brother's room when they were growing up. Messy, with dirty laundry on the
floor, piles of magazines and comic books, pictures from men's magazines taped to the wall, dust. There
was a bag of beer cans, and the room reeked of pot and tobacco smoke as he plopped her on the floor
in front of an old-fashioned radiator securely bolted to the wall. "No!" she exclaimed, as they both
wrestled with her to lock her wrists to it, using the connections between the upright parts. It was very
warm against her back, even through her jacket and blouse. "Awright, now, let's call Daddy and let him
know where babygirl is!" Carmine said, digging through her purse until he found her phone. "Fuck, I
can't figure this out. You do it!" he said, handing the phone to Vinnie in disgust. The heat was starting
to get uncomfortable, and Connie began to complain in a high pitched voice through her gag. "What? I
told you to keep yer yap shut? What's wrong with you?" he asked, as she began to sound desperate,
hopping up and down as much as she could on her butt. Vinnie had recuffed her ankles back together,
so she couldn't do much more than that. "We'll let you go as soon as Daddy says he'll pay, bitch, now
settle the fuck down. And be quiet, damnit!" he said angrily.
The heat was starting to transfer through the cuffs, and she could feel it where the thin bracelets
touched her skin. Tears began again, more frustration than anything. Vinnie was absorbed in trying to
figure out her phone, so he wasn't paying attention. "I don't see nothing, 'cept for 'work', 'mom', and
'frank'. That's it, man. There's nothin' else on here," he said, handing it back. Connie rolled her eyes. Of
course there was nothing else, she thought. The last time she'd lost her phone, it had a couple dozen
contacts, and the asshole had called them all, asking for a 'reward' for finding it. The cuffs were getting
very hot now, and she could feel a definite sting on her back from the radiator as well. Connie leaned
forward as much as possible, but the cuffs kept her from going too far. "What the hell's wrong with
her?"Carmine asked, seeing her sobbing and convulsing. Vinnie looked slack-jawed, but brightened.
"Dude, the radiator! That fucker's hotter 'n hell, man! Get her off it, man!" he said, getting up from the
bed.
Carmine's eye flared as he realized his friend was right. He'd burned himself more than once on the
damn thing, and he leapt to the valve and closed it. "No, leave her hooked up, this'll be faster!" he said,
grabbing one of the warm beers from a half-empty carton on the floor. The smell of beer and heat rose
up, adding to the reek assaulting Connie's nostrils. But at least the liquid quenched the burning, even as
it ran down her sleeves and in her coat. "Fuck!"Carmine exclaimed. Things were going out of control.
This wasn't supposed to be how it went down. It should have been easy. Grab her, take her to Sal's
garage, call her dad, get the money, easy as that.
"Carmine! Is that you up there?" an older woman's voice called out from somewhere. "No, I mean yeah!
Ma! I'm a little busy up here!" he said, his eyes bugging out even more. "How'd the job hunt go? Did
you even really look for one? Are you up there with that friend of yours?" the voice said, in an annoyed
tone. "Good! Yeah, and yeah! Gimme a minute! Please!" he said, a note of desperation. Connie looked
up, shaking her head in amazement. Vinnie had dumped another can of beer on her wrists, and opened
the window, where the chilly fall air was welcome on her overheated back. "Fuck! Fuckfuckfuckfuck!"
Carmine wailed, holding his head in his hands. There was a knock on his door. "Carmine? Let me in, I
know you got some," a younger female voice said in a low but insistent tone.
Vinnie looked up. "Andrea? Dude, you can't let her in, man! She'll blab in a second!" he hissed. But the
knocking continued. "Damn it, Carmine, let me in! I just need a couple of hits, you jerk. Come on, I gotta
get going. I gotta be at work at eleven!" Carmine started convulsing again in rage. His nineteen year old
sister didn't live here, she already got a place of her own, while he was stuck living with ma. Decision
time. He had to get rid of her. "Hold the fuck on!" he hissed, going to his nightstand and fumbling with
something as Connie watched. "Here! I'll give you some. Just go the fuck away, please!" he begged,
opening the door just a crack to hand it to her.
Carmine forgot the cardinal rules of dealing with Italian women. Don't tell them to a. shut up, b. go
away, or c. she can't do something. With surprising strength, a petite dark-haired girl pushed her way in
past him. "I don't wanna take any home, my fucking roomie'lll....Ohmygawd! Carmine!" she said, seeing
Connie gagged and chained to the radiator. "What the fuck have you two done?" she said, holding her
hands to her mouth in horror. Vinnie had gotten up, and was standing beside both of them. "I'm telling
maw!" Andrea exclaimed.
A funny thing happened as Connie watched. The skinny dork who had seemed
all thumbs actually did something that worked. He slapped a hand over the smaller woman's mouth and
wrestled her onto the bed. "Hey! That's my sister!" Carmine snarled. "Yeah! And she's gonna tell your
maw! Get the fuckin' tape! She's biting the shit outta my hand!" Vinnie snarled back...
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