The Vault

Author – Jimbo

It was the school holidays and me Jeff and Bobby were bored, the weather had been lousy. Eventually it stopped raining, we decided to go outside but Bobby had to babysit his younger brother Charlie, who wanted to spend the day on his PlayStation. Nobody liked Charlie, especially his brother. At 13 he was old enough to look after himself but Bobby didn’t trust him to be left home alone so he insisted on taking him with us but Charlie refused to leave.

Bobby threw Charlie his trainers to put on but the lad threw them back. I picked up his discarded Nikes and threatened to throw them in the river. Charlie took the hint, snatched back his trainers and reluctantly put them on and followed us outside.

As we headed towards the town centre it began to rain again, Jeff suggested we go inside an abandoned bank to shelter from the rain. We entered through a broken window at the back and began to explore. Downstairs in the cellar we found a vault.

‘Do you think they left any valuables behind?’ Joked Jeff.

It had iron railings from floor to ceiling. I commented that it looked like a jail as we walked inside. Bobby suggested we should lock Charlie in. We all laughed at the thought, then we heard the door close behind us. Charlie had locked us inside and it was him now laughing from the other side of the iron bars. Bobby swore at his younger brother as he tried to open the door.

‘You better go find a key you fucking piece of shit!’

There was no other way out, after all it was a vault. Charlie laughed again saying we were his prisoners and we should be more respectful.

‘Go find the fucking key!’ I shouted.

Charlie disappeared leaving us alone. A short while later he returned holding some keys he had found in an upstairs office. Several keys didn’t fit but one did, as soon as he unlocked the door he slammed it shut again.

‘Think you guys need to stay here a while longer, reflect on your attitude towards me.’ He said laughing dangling the key.

‘Open the fucking door!’ Shouted Bobby.

‘You need to speak respectfully to your prison guard or you won’t be released.’
He then placed the key on a wall hook out of reach of us telling us we can stare at it for a while. Bobby got out his phone to call his dad.

‘Dad won’t be happy to leave work to rescue us.’ Said Bobby.

He quickly realised he had no signal, me and Jeff looked at our phones, we had no signal either. We were in a vault!

‘Unlucky!’ shouted Charlie as he walked away leaving us trapped.

Bobby shouted at his brother to come back but he didn’t. We could see the key but couldn’t reach it. Jeff took off one his Adidas trainers and threw it at the wall but missed the key. He tried again with his other trainer, the key fell to the floor.

‘We still can’t reach the key and now you have no shoes!’ I said.

Jeff looked at his white socked feet as he realised his trainers were out of his reach too. Charlie returned and seen the key and Jeff shoes on the floor. He put the key in his pocket and picked up Jeff’s trainers.
‘Give me my shoes and open the fucking door!’ Shouted Jeff.

‘You still don’t get it do you boys! You have to be nice to me before I set you free.’

Charlie kicked off his Nikes and placed his feet inside Jeff’s Adidas Sambas.

‘Get your grubby feet out of my trainers.’ Shouted Jeff.

Jeff’s size 11 trainers were too big, he quickly put his own trainers back on. He smiled as he looked at Jeff’s socked feet.

‘Having watched Traffic Cops on TV all prisoners get their shoes confiscated before going in the cells. I think you should do the same. Take off your shoes boys.’ He said with a big grin on his face.

I looked down at my TN’s and told him straight that he wasn’t having my shoes.

‘Your not getting our shoes as we are not your fucking prisoners, just open the door shithead.’ Shouted Bobby.

‘Your still not being nice to me, the more you’re disrespectful the longer you stay locked up.’ He said as he left again taking Jeff’s shoes with him.

‘Leave my shoes here!’ Shouted Jeff.

Charlie ignored him leaving Jeff frustrated at having his shoes taken by a 13 year old and he was helpless to anything about it.

This time Charlie had been gone a good while. We began to get concerned that he’d gone home leaving us trapped inside the vault.

I said we are going to have to be nice to him.

‘He’s gonna have to let us out eventually.’ Said Jeff.

‘When he does I’m gonna fucking kill him.” Said Bobby.

Charlie returned empty handed.

‘What have you done with my trainers?’ Demanded Jeff.

Charlie assured him they were safe for now.

‘What do you want in order for us to leave here?’ I said politely through gritted teeth.

“Your shoes!” He said looking at my feet.

I looked at my TN’s and said he could take them as long as I get them back.

‘You are my prisoners, I make the demands.’ He said.

I reluctantly took off my trainers and placed them through the bars. As he took them I grabbed his wrist and pulled him towards me, pinning him to the bars. Jeff reached into Charlie’s pockets but the key wasn’t there.

‘Nice try boys, the key is with your Adidas trainers Jeff. You’ll now have to spend a little longer in there for your attempt at escaping.’

‘You said you would free us if I give you my shoes!’ I said.

He smiled saying he didn’t stipulate when we were to be freed.

‘You fucking arsehole!’ Shouted Bobby.

He picked up my trainers threatening to throw them in the river.

I watched helplessly as Charlie left with my trainers leaving me standing on the cold floor in my black Nike crew socks.

Bobby said his brother would suffer painfully when he gets out of here. Charlie returned.
‘We still have a prisoner wearing shoes, they need to be confiscated!’

We all looked at Bobby’s white Air Force Ones.

‘I’m not your prisoner and you’re certainly not taking my trainers!’ Said Bobby.

‘Just give him your shoes!’ Said Jeff.

Bobby stood defiantly with his arms crossed. Charlie told me and Jeff to remove his brothers shoes. Bobby’s face looked like it was about to explode. At 17 he was not happy at being ridiculed by his kid brother in front of his mates.

‘Take his shoes boys!’ Said Charlie telling us the more we disobey the longer we remain in the vault.

As Bobby stood staring at his brother, me and Jeff got on our knees and began to untie his laces, I lifted his foot and pulled off his trainer. I could smell and feel the warmth of his socked foot. I watched Jeff do the same with Bobby’s other shoe.

We passed the Air Force Ones through the bars leaving all three of us as shoeless prisoners, just as he had wanted. Charlie demanded we call him Sir when we speak to him. Jeff refused. We were reminded of the consequences of disobeying him.

Charlie held up his brothers trainers and smiled.

‘I want you all to thank me for taking care of your trainers whilst your locked in my prison!’

Through gritted teeth in my socked feet I said ‘Thank You!’

‘You all need to say it and properly.’ He said.

‘Thank you for taking care of our shoes!’ We said.

‘Again!’ He said annoying the life out of us.

‘Thank you for taking care of our shoes. Sir!’ We said with great embarrassment with being at the mercy of a 13 year old kid.

Charlie had a big cheesy grin on his face as he left room taking Bobby’s trainers with him.

We sat on the floor staring at our shoeless feet. Charlie had been gone a while, how long was he going to keep us locked up and more importantly what had he done with our shoes?