Chapter 10 – Terror

Probably the scariest chapter I've written! Gah- I'm scared already! And it's got a bit of a song fiction to it. I used a little lyric by Bon Jovi in this to make it V V 'rocknrolll!' please enjoy and review xx

Brooke's POV

"Hey babe, what's up?"

Ace prodded me in the chest, making me jump slightly. We were in the theatre watching some cheap horror film and making out, but I wasn't really that interested, "You seem a bit distant"

I sighed, "I'm sorry baby" I wrapped my arms around Ace's strong torso, "It's just, it's been a week since I fell out with Chris" I cuddled up to him, closing my eyes.

Ace laughed nastily, "Fuck, Brooke! Is that all? I thought it was summin serious!"

"It is! Chris is my best friend and he hates me!"

"Brooke" Ace began, glaring at me with stone cold eyes, "You're in the theatre with me, I fuckin' spent twelve dollars on this shit, which you're not even watching and all you're doing is moaning about that little faggot! Now, babe, I love you, an' you know that, but if you make another sound I'm gonna have to do summin I'll regret later, alright?"

I was scared. "Sorry," I whispered, "He's not important to me!" I leaned and kissed Ace on the cheek.

Ace took a drag from his cigarette, "Yeah, but I am! Whattaya say I take you somewhere I know will cheer you up?"

It couldn't of been any worse than this, could it? I shrugged, "Yeah, lets crash this joint…."

***

When he holds you close,

When he pulls you near,

When he says the words you've been meaning to hear,

I wish I was him,

And those words were mine,

To stay with you til the end of time.

And I – will love you.

Baby, always.

Bon Jovi 'Always'

Chris's POV

I awoke with a sound, breathless, my heart pounding on my chest.

Something wasn't right, I could feel it. I looked around the dark room, my eyes darting between the window and Gordie, tucked up in his sleeping bag, peacefully sleeping.

I don't know what made me so scared, but I climbed out of my sleeping bag, running up to Gordie. I shook his shoulder hard.

"Gordie?" I whispered. He groaned loudly and opened his eyes.

"What?"

"Gordie" I whispered, "Its Brooke, I think she's in trouble!"

My heart was still pounding, when Gordie groaned again.

"No Chris, you were only dreaming!" Gordie mumbled and closed his eyes again, "Go back to sleep!"

I couldn't get those thoughts out of my head. Something wasn't right, something was going to happen to Brooke, I could just feel it inside me. I pulled on my shirt and slammed my feet into my chuck tailors, breathing heavily.

"I'm going to save her!" I said softly, opening Gordie's window. There was a tree directly outside it, perfect for sneaking out. I leaped out, grabbing onto the nearest branch. Slowly I made my way down, jumping when I thought it was safe to land. I hit the floor in a painful posistion, and groaned. I forced myself up and looked around. I started to run. I didn't know where. I left that for my heart to decide.

***

"Ace where are we?"

Ace pulled up in a small forest and stopped his engine. He turned to face me and pulled me in for a kiss. I kissed him gingerly, but pulled away suddenly, "No seriously honey, where are we"

He just laughed, "Ah, you scared?"

"No it's just I don't know where I am!"

"Relax" Ace soothed me, "I'm here, so don't be frightened"

"I'm not"

"It's just a little place I like to call Ace's Paradise" he smirked, and from behind, pulled a six pack of booze, cracking one open for me, "There you go doll, it'll ease your nerves"

"I'm fine really," I stammered. I'd been off alcohol for a while now and I really wasn't in the mood to drink.

Ace cackled, "Aw come on! It's not like you're gonna end up like Chris's old man, is it?"

I sighed, taking the beer from Ace and knocked back the can gingerly, letting the cold fizz roll down my throat. Ace grinned, drinking his. I'd only just finished the first when Ace was onto his third.

"No worries, there's plenty more where that came from!" Another six-pack emerged from behind. I tipped back the last mouthful of my first and Ace cracked open the second.

Seconds came to thirds, and eventually I had drunk much more than I wanted to. By now I could feel the alcohol in my system, but still the booze kept coming. I wasn't one to hold my drink, so I started to feel a little queasy.

I was going between making out with a heavily drunk Ace and drinking my own beer. Ace was busy nibbling my bottom lip when I decided enough was enough.

"Ace" I mumbled, "I don't feel too good"

"Come on then" he slurred, "Lets go for a walk, the air will make you feel better" He opened the car door, climbing out. He took a few steps, stumbling slightly, "Come on, it's not so bad!"

I stared down at my chuck tailors, the ones Chris had bought me, and back up at Ace.

"It's dark," I mumbled.

"I'll make sure you don't fall"

"Fine" I stepped out of the car, making my way over to Ace. He put his arms around my waist, holding me.

"See babe nothing to be scared of okay?" he muttered into my hair, I shivered suddenly. I was wearing a short skirt and a low cut button up top and the weather wasn't the hottest it had been.

We were still stumbling around in the dark, when Ace tripped over a branch and ended up on the floor. I snorted with laughter, as he just laughed it off, and pulled my down next to him.

"Come here" he kissed me hard, the stench of alcohol on both our breath. He moved from my mouth, nibbling my lips then slowly moving down to my neck. I started to feel very turned on.

"Ace…oh" I was being pleasured in the most desirable way. Ace continued to kiss my neck, biting and sucking. I dug my fingers into his shoulder blades to stop myself moaning with joy. He pushed me down suddenly and rolled on top of me, spreading my arms out behind my back. I started to feel strange. Ace was kissing me again, only this time it was too rough and it started to hurt. I broke it off, "Ace? ACE! Stop your hurting me" I cried. He was panting, ignoring what I had just said.

"Fuck me," he moaned, "I want to fuck you so hard"

Ace still had my arms pinned behind me, I started to struggle, panicking.

"Ace?"

The look in his eyes scared the hell out of me. It was a man possessed by alcohol. A demon, looking down on me hungrily. He pushed his lips to mine and I couldn't stop myself scream. Ace stopped and I felt him slap me hard on the side of my face.

"Goddamn it Brooke! Isn't this what you want?"

"No!" I screamed, my blood running cold, "HELP!" Ace pressed a hand to my mouth, as I muffled screamed through him. I kicked my legs up, trying to move him, and I knocked him off. He looked shocked for a moment, but a sudden punch to my face knocked me to the floor. I felt my head smack hard on the ground. Ace crawled back onto my body, and started to unbutton my shirt. As my vision started to clear up, I saw him pull up my skirt and unbutton his jeans with shaking hands. A scream tried to come out, but my mouth was dry and wouldn't move.

This was it. He was going to rape me…

I closed my eyes as tears started to pour down my cheeks as I silently sobbed.

Oh my god, someone help me…

There was a loud whack and I felt something fall on top of me. I screamed and opened my eyes.

***

I had no idea where I was going but somehow I could feel I was going the right way. I ran, my pulse racing like crazy, and my temples ringing desperately. Looking for some sort of sign to show me where Brooke was.

It was only when I heard that scream I stopped dead in my tracks.

***

I opened my eyes. An unconscious Ace lay on top of me, bleeding from a large gash in the back of his head, and that's when I saw him and burst into tears.

***

I ran through the bushes, through nettles stinging my hands and thorns catching my skin. I could feel the pain throbbing but I continued to run. That's when I saw the car and heard rustling.

***

He rolled the unconscious Ace off me and put his hand out,

"Brooke…Brooke…Its okay…."

***

Around the corner, I saw it.

I saw Ace on top of her. It looked like. No, it couldn't be? She wasn't? When I heard her scream again, and saw Ace's fist pummel into her face, I knew she wasn't. Picking up a large rock, heavier than I had expected, I approached him, silently, and with such force I banged it hard down on his head. He slumped over her, unconscious. I saw her face, blooded, and bruised, crying.

***

I fell into his arms, sobbing violently.

"Chris, I'm so sorry!"

***

She fell into my arms, sobbing violently.

"Chris, I'm so sorry!"

I wrapped my arms around her, rocking her gently and she shook hard.

***

Chris wrapped his arms around my shaking body, rocking me gently like a baby. I sniffled and coughed, trying to stop my hysterical tears.

"Chris…" I mumbled, "Is he dead?"

"No" he said flatly, "He's knocked out!"

I cried again, harder. I was so terrified, I felt awful. I felt physically sick. I couldn't explain what I was feeling. I moved from Chris's arms, back to Ace. I peered down on him. Then I cracked.

"YOU FUCKING BASTARD" I screeched, kicking him, stamping hard on his body, I collapsed in a heap next to him, the world spinning, whirling around. I cried hard, breathless. Chris pulled me up; he was on the brink of tears. He grabbed me suddenly, hugging me, holding me in his arms.

"What did he do to you, Brooke?" he whispered into my ear, brushing his cheek on mine. I felt myself sob harder on his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry Chris" I choked, "I didn't mean to hurt you. I should of listened to you sooner, I love you so much Chris"

Chris hushed me, "You're safe now, Brooke, he's not gonna hurt you, I'm here now" he stroked my head as I rested it on his shoulder. I hiccupped hard, stopping myself crying, "I'm here now, he's gone"

I looked at him with tearful eyes, "Thankyou" I whispered.

"Come on, let's take you somewhere away from this bastard" Chris scooped me up into his arms, like in some sort of romance film.

In some sort of twisted romance film.

I lay limp in his arms, letting him take me away.

***

It had been two years since I'd been up in the treehouse. After Teddy and Vern started to fade out of my life, we started to go up there less and less, until eventually we just didn't go back up there at all. It was like we'd grown up, realised, we weren't gonna be kids forever, smoking, playing cards up in a treehouse all our lives. But no matter how many times I tried to, I couldn't let go. And neither could the others for that matter. I heard Teddy wanted to go cover it in gasoline and burn it, but I guess he knew he didn't have the balls to do it.

But tonight, somehow, fate brought me back to the treehouse with Brooke.

Still quiet shaken but sobering up quiet well, Brooke managed to get up the rope ladder and pull herself up into the treehouse, followed by me. When we got up, I sat her down on an empty milk crate, covering her with an old dusty blanket we used to use as a tablecloth. Brooke shivered underneath it. She looked much better, the colour back into her cheeks, but she was pretty jumpy. I took a seat next to her, rocking slightly. It was deadly silent, when Brooke spoke suddenly, making me jump.

"He's going to kill you, you know" Brooke mumbled, "When he wakes up and remembers what's happened, he'll hunt you down and kill you"

She snuggled down into the blanket.

"I don't care" I said emotionless, "He can beat me til I'm black and blue for all I care, he's just not gonna hurt you!"

"Chris, why'd you do this?" Brooke groaned, "You hate me! I called you a lowlife and whattaya do? You come and save me instead of letting me suffer. He's gonna kill you!"

"Brooke, listen to me," I took her by her shoulders, making damn sure she was looking and listening to me, "I don't hate you, I never have, and I never will! And I thought you'd be happy I saved you from that bastard! You could show a little gratitude…"

"No, no! Chris, you don't understand" Brooke laughed nervously. When she was nervous, she'd start to hiccup to high heaven and that's exactly what she started to do, "Chris, why'd you bring me up here? We haven't been up here since we were thirteen. What do you want to do?"

All at once, my heart started to thump. It was that moment again, like the time in the treehouse back when we were thirteen. I swallowed and took her hand, slowly I moved in.

"No Chris" Brooke interrupted, shaking her head, and letting her chestnut curls move, "Not this time…"

She grabbed hold of my shirt, pulled me close and whispered,

"It's my turn…"

***

Should I be cruel and leave this on a cliffhanger or not? Hmmm, better start reviewing or that's exactly what I'll do. Hahaha! Nah I'm just messing, I'm writing it now ;) REVIEWS WELCOME!! x