Free Blood Donors by Steve Tasane

bigger?
    Yes!
Think I’m goin’ to slit my wrists with frustration.
    They goin’ to suck out all our blood while we sleepin’, only this time we ain’t doin’ no wakin’ up?
    Yes
.
    He sups his tea.
Well, in that case I ain’t goin’ to sleep
. Consequence of this dawns on him.
Aww, man, no sleep! That’s a shame. Sleep is the sweetest thing I got
.
    I say
You better brew yourself a stronger cup than that if you wanna stay awake all night
.
    Oh, I will, I will
. He wink at me.
You know what? I got me a secret weapon
.
    For a moment I think to myself, maybe if Mustaph is my only ally, that’s better than nobody, and maybe he can come up with somethin’ more useful than a can of DOKTOR DOOM, yeah?
    What is it?
    He blow on his tea. It’s already cold! I will throttle him.
    What is your secret weapon, Mus?
    It’s a secret. He wink at me again
.
    Mus?
    He look at me and sip his cold, watery tea.
    Why d’you believe me about the giant bedbugs?
    Put down his mug, peer into my eyes.
You on hallucinatories?
    You know I don’t do that stuff
.
    And you my best friend, yeah?
    You know it
.
    Ain’t gonna tell me no lies then, is you
.
    That’s it. Ain’t no more to say. I’m not alone.

Don’t Sleep
    11 p.m . I down Red Bull. I ain’t actually in need of it. I am so wired, I’m leapin’ outta my skin at every creak.
    Here’s me back in my bedroom, but I ain’t got no intention of goin’ to bed. Mum already in bed when I got in. Checked on her straight away. No bugs. I stood by her door, watched for a few minutes as my eyes got used to the dark. Think she was awake, ’cos I couldn’t hear no sleep-breathin’. Think she was lyin’ there, fumin’. Neither of us said nothin’.
    Woke up Con-Con. He think I’m goin’ Lady Gaga. Wants to know all about giant bedbugs like it a littl’un’s bedtime story. Gobble up the gory detail.
    12 midnight I drain a can of Hype. Still ain’t needin’ it. Buzzin’ like a ’lectric fence. Bruv keep makin’ slurpin’ noises from beneath his sheet then gigglin’ like a fool, like it the funniest joke ever in history.
    Check on Mum. She is restin’ now.
    1 a.m . I down the XS. Walkin’ roun’ and roun’ on the spot, wearin’ a hole in the lino. Why we got lino? Why no soft carpet? Giant bugs can come crawl through the cracks in the lino. If they hungry enough, they be flat enough. If they flat enough, they can be hidin’ anywhere. Start feelin’ roun’ behin’ all mine and Con-Con’s posters. Spyin’ under Con-Con’s bed. Con-Con no longer seein’ the funny side. He still awake, but preten’ to be asleep. Tickle his feet. He kick me in the side of the head. That my boy.
    2 a.m . I gulp down the Crunk. What kinda name that for a sof’ drink?
Crunk
. What goes
Ha Ha Ha – Crunk?
Man laughin’ his head off.
    Little brother now snorin’ away. Check behind posters again. Pull up the edges of the lino, shine the torch through the gap, squint down, see what I can spot. Look under Con-Con’s bed. Remember I forgot to look under my bed. Pick up the fryin’ pan and stick my head under. Search behind every bit of clutter. Gotta de-clutter. Too much clutter bad for you. Hear a rustlin’ in the closet and pull the door open double-quick to surprise the monsters. It packed with junk. Rip down the mountain of toys, ’cos that where they could be hidin’ themselves. Clatter smash bang , all come tumblin’ down. Con-Con sigh and sit up in his bed.
Marsh, go to sleep! Be quiet, man, you’re crazy
.
    He not think I so crazy when I stop the bloodsuckers from emptyin’ out his arms and legs.
    3 a.m . Still no giant bugs. Too wired to need to swig the Blufrog. Will save it for later when tiredness kickin’ at me. I’ve pulled out the old photo I have of Dad from beneath my mattress, losin’ myself, thinkin’ about the old days. Picture at a funfair we visited. Three of us on a old-school carousel. Pretty painted horses swirlin’ us roun’ and aroun’. Me in the