Chapter Thirteen
Flick cradled the bottle of whiskey in her lap, feeling every ache in her bones and every twinge of her bruised muscles. Her eyes lifted from the vivid violet bruises discolouring the skin on her arms and legs to Paul who was pacing the cavern, his face creased in an expression of discontent as he burned his way through a joint. She opened her mouth, words of assurance primed on the tip of her tongue but she merely sighed instead, clamping her mouth shut with a grimace when a white hot pain shot down her left side.
As much as she tried to tell herself that everything was going to be OK, deep down where truth and harsh reality lingered, she knew that it was a foolish thought. Nothing would be the same after tonight, she knew it with every fibre of her being. She didn't know what was going to happen when David and Dwayne brought Star and Michael to the cave, all she did know was that tonight was going to be a catalyst for change. She couldn't help but think she'd been looking at everything through rose-tinted glasses nor could she silence the doubt about whether she was ready to see reality for what it truly was.
A heavy thud sounded on the incline and Paul froze. His head snapped up as he stared at something she couldn't see. "That better not be what I think it is Marko, what the-"
"-David's orders man," she heard Marko reply, cutting Paul off mid-rant, his tone apologetic.
There was a light shuffling on the incline before Marko dropped into the cavern, his dirty white tee sporting dark stains. "Hey Flick, do you think you could maybe chill in the alcove for awhile, there's something I need Paul to help me with..." he smiled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"You guys do what you need to do, I won't intrude..." she shrugged, regretting the movement when it was followed by a twinge of pain.
"For once will you just listen and go to the fucking alcove," Paul snapped while Marko winced and Flick felt the sting of his anger hit her like a dagger to the chest. She could tell he was anxious, she could tell he was uncomfortable and he was just lashing out under pressure but it didn't stop the harshness of his tone hurting any less.
"OK I get it, it's something you don't want me to see – you don't have to be such a dick about it," Flick countered, hating the way her voice broke as she hauled herself with difficulty to her feet. Paul's eyes flashed with guilt and she swallowed around the lump in her throat.
Tonight was such a shit show...
"Flick I'm-" Paul started but she held her hand up in dismissal.
"-Whatever asshole," she sniped, wishing she could take it back the second she saw Paul's expression falter. It wasn't often that Paul showed emotion but when he did, it cut her deep.
Flick yanked the drapes around the alcove so hard in a fit of frustration that the rail holding them in place rattled and for second she thought she'd end up impaled. After a few seconds of nothing happening she slumped down on the edge of the bed, swiping angrily at her swollen eyes as silent tears trickled down her cheeks in a steady stream. She had so many emotions swimming in her mind and with no idea how to express them all it was only the relentless waterfall of tears that was keeping her sanity in tact.
She was distracted from her bubble of misery by Paul and Marko's hushed conversation on the other side of the drapes. "What does David plan to do with these exactly?" she heard Paul murmur, the anxiety in his tone peeking her curiosity. What was it that he so adamantly didn't want her to see?
"I dunno but I'm guessing he wants Star and Michael to see them for a reason..." Marko replied, his reply followed by a muffled thud. Who did David want Star and Michael to see? There was only Paul and Marko out there, unless whoever it was was knocked out or...
Flick's stomach churned as morbid curiosity over-rode her desire to respect Paul's wishes and she found herself silently creeping towards the gap in the drapes, her eyes tracking Paul and Marko's dancing shadows in the light of the flaming oil drums. She watched as Paul bent to retrieve something from the floor by the incline and her heart dropped to her knees when she saw the headless corpse in his arms. Flick gasped, her hand flying to her mouth as she started to hyperventilate. Paul and Marko's heads snapped toward the alcove and out of the corner of her eye she saw Marko swiftly hide something behind his back and she had the horrid suspicion that it was the severed head of the body in Paul's arms.
Despite her disgust and rapidly building horror she found her feet had a mind of their own as she stepped out into the cavern on legs that felt like jelly. "Is that..." she swallowed, the words dying on her lips when her eyes honed in on the shard of bone protruding from the mangled chunk of cartilage, torn vessels and torn flesh that used to be someone's neck. As she stood with the acrid taste of bile building at the back of her throat, realisation dawned on her that the khaki military style trousers now stained black with what she knew was blood were very familiar. One of the men who'd attacked her was wearing those exact trousers along with a ripped denim vest, the very denim vest that flopped against a dislocated shoulder.
Her fragile mind was suddenly pummelled with memories of her earlier ordeal. The feel of her attackers heavy weight pinning her in the dirt. The feel of her heart pounding so hard that she thought it would give out from the strain. Memories of the way the trees surrounding her seemed to dance in dizzy circles around her as she turned her face away from the man above her, the sight of him making her want to vomit. Memories of the way hope had soared within her when she spotted a flash of blonde amongst the shadows followed by a familiar voice telling her to close her eyes before the sickening sound of splintered bone, torn tissue and ripped cartilage reverberated in the silence as a spray of something warm and wet hit her face.
The headless body Paul was holding was the body of her attacker. The sudden reality of what Paul was and what he was capable of hit her like a stinging open-palmed slap to the face. She'd been so blinded by want, by need, by love that she'd completely disregarded the fact that he was a killer. The memory of his eyes that burned like smouldering embers and the razor like fangs that protruded from the very lips she'd kissed countless times swam in her mind. She remembered the fear she'd felt the night he'd revealed the truth, the very fear that now turned her blood to ice. She'd told him she accepted the truth. She'd told him she loved him despite what he was. She'd told him that she was willing to be one of them, to give herself to him completely. Yet stood there with the sickening truth a few feet away from her, she could feel a whisper of doubt seep through the now frayed seems of her acceptance.
"Don't look at me like that Flick," Paul's voice snapped her out of frozen state.
"W-what? L-like what?" she stammered, swallowing around that lump in her throat.
"He deserved to die-" Paul spoke through gritted teeth, his body trembling, "-he hurt you. I told you I'd kill anyone who hurt you. This is the proof," he stated, tossing the corpse onto the floor between them.
Flick whimpered, closing her eyes as she felt herself teetering on the verge of panic. Dwayne and David were on their way here with Star and Michael and if Paul's words were true -shit how could she even doubt them when the evidence was staring her in the face- she wasn't so sure she was ready to see whatever it was the boys had planned for them. As much as she hated both Star and her brother, she wasn't so sure she could sit back and watch them die.
"We didn't want you to see-" Marko spoke, his voice so close it made her flinch, "-we knew you weren't ready."
That was a freakin' understatement...
She opened her eyes noting that Paul still hadn't moved from his spot by the incline yet his eyes remained firmly fixed on her, the intensity of his gaze making her skin feel hot. "You regret your decision don't you?" Paul asked and she could see the hurt in his eyes.
"No, I just-"
"-Don't fucking lie to me Flick!" Paul yelled, his voice literally booming in the cavernous space eliciting a sob of despair.
"Y-yes," the word tumbled from her mouth in the heat of the moment and she saw Marko grimace, averting his eyes as Paul's fists clenched by his side, his jaw set so hard she feared he'd crack his teeth.
"So everything you've said, it's all bullshit?" Paul hissed.
"N-no, I meant it, I-" she was so confused, the cocktail of emotions whirling inside her leaving her unable to think clearly. She knew deep down that she didn't truly regret her decision, it was coming face to face with the gory ramifications of it while in such a fragile state that had her saying things she didn't really mean.
"Which is it Flick? You regret your decision or you meant what you said? It can't be both-" Paul countered, "-I might not be a very intelligent guy but I'm not dumb."
"Paul I think she's just messed up man, she didn't mean it..." Marko defended her and a flood of affection for the cherub-faced immortal washed over her.
"I'm sorry, I just-" Flick whispered, biting her lip to stifle the sobs she could feel building in her chest only to fail miserably, "-it's just... I wasn't..." she started to hyperventilate through her tears, unable to articulate what she wanted to say.
The tears came thick and fast when she felt a pair of familiar arms embrace her, the familiar scent of weed, sweet musk and something earthy eliciting a small wave of calm within her. She felt Paul press a kiss to her crown as his hold on her tightened. "I'm sorry babe, tonights got me all fucked up too," he murmured, stroking her matted hair.
The distinct rumble of bike engines overhead caught their attention and she, Paul and Marko turned toward the incline, the air in the cavern suddenly feeling heavy and oppressive when the sound of scuffling followed moments later
~/~
Once Star had gotten over the initial shock of Dwayne and David's arrival, it hadn't taken her long to figure out where they were taking her and Michael, after all, she'd rode the trail through the forest countless times on the back of the very bike she now straddled. The ride back to the cave felt like a death march, the sound of her pounding heart akin to the ominous thump of drums sounding the back-drop melody to her demise. She caught sight of Michael slumped on the back of Dwayne's bike, his head lolling dazedly side-to-side as the bike bounced off loose rocks littering their path.
She didn't know what Dwayne had done to Michael to make him so zombie-like. Dwayne had literally slung him over his shoulder like a limp ragdoll and carried him out of the motel room as if he was weightless. Michael was completely unaware of the danger that lurked ahead, completely unable to defend himself.
However, she wasn't so lucky...
She knew David had purposely allowed her to remain lucid. She knew he wanted her to feel the fear that left her hands trembling and her stomach churning. Then again, David hadn't had to resort to drugging her to get her to comply, the dark stormy look in his eyes had been enough to make her cower to the power he seemed to exude in terrifying waves. She didn't know how they'd figured out she was behind Flick's attack so fast but as she stared at the back of David's head as the wind whipped her face, she wished she'd chosen to run rather than be naïve enough to think they'd lose interest in finding her.
David's bike came to a rolling stop by a familiar rusting chain-link fence bordering the cliff-side and her stomach lurched so fiercely that she almost vomited solely from the force. Her eyes drifted from the gaping maw of the cave to the shadow-riddled forest, wishing that she had the speed, stamina and strength to run.
"Don't even think about it," David snarled and Star flinched when he grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her from the bike so hard she stumbled over her own feet and fell ungraciously to her knees. She peered up at him through the mist of fearful tears obscuring her vision to find his expression stoic but his eyes brimming with a mixture of rage and hatred.
As David forcefully hauled her back onto her feet, she glanced over at Dwayne who was dragging her dazed boyfriend towards the gate leading down to the cave. "Let him go, it was me, he didn't do anything," Star pleaded, gripping the lapel of David's jacket.
Dwayne paused, turning to face her with a look of contempt. "Did you tell him what you planned to do?" Dwayne deadpanned.
She wanted to lie and tell him that she didn't, she so badly wanted to save Michael from whatever the boys had planned for them both but for a reason she just couldn't fathom, the words wouldn't come out. "Y-yes but-" she flustered, confused by her inability to bend the truth.
"-Did he try and stop you?" Dwayne questioned once more.
"N-no but-"
"-Then he's as guilty as you are," David hissed, shoving her forward with a scoff of disgust.
Star had no choice but to follow David's lead, his grip on her wrist hard enough to leave a bruise. As she stumbled her way down the rickety steps leading to the entrance of the cave, each wobble of the old creaking wooden boards throwing out her equilibrium to the point she felt she was going to stagger over the side of the cliff to be swallowed by the angry waves below. She swallowed around the lump in her throat, tasting the bitter hint of bile on her tongue as she blindly trailed David down the incline, losing her balance more than once on the scattered stones lining the steep walk-way only to be yanked back onto her feet so hard that her arm almost dislodged from it's socket.
"Take a seat Star," Marko hissed as David released his hold on her arm, shoving her down onto one of the tattered couches.
Dwayne shoved Michael onto the seat beside her, leaving him flailing helplessly, his body still under the affects of whatever Dwayne had done to him. Her eyes roamed the dimly lit cavern, landing on Flick who was nestled in the crook of Paul's arm on the couch opposite. Her breath caught in her throat as she noted the angry violet bruises covering her arms, legs and face. Paul glared at her with hatred, his hold on Flick tightening while Michael's little sister merely stared at her with silent tears trickling down her ashen cheeks.
Michael began to stir beside her, the listless glaze in his eyes starting to clear as he looked around in confusion. "Where the hell are we?" he murmured, shaking off the lingering haze clouding his mind. He caught sight of his sister and frowned, "Flick?" he arched his brow, his eyes tracking her very obvious injuries.
Star watched in silent fear as David emerged from the shadows, his eyes wild and stormy like the untamed ocean. An almost imperceptible motion of his head had Marko, Dwayne and a reluctant Paul gathering in formation at his sides, the four boys seeming to exude power and danger, their dancing shadows seeming to tower sinisterly overhead like they had a life of their own.
"So, you decided not to heed our warning about messing with Felicity hmmm?" David spoke, breaking the tense silence. "Tell me, was it worth it? I mean, you must have sensed we'd come looking for you, why else would you choose to hide? That very short taste of freedom from ramification must have felt very satisfying," he added with a knowing smirk.
"I think you've got your wires crossed man, we haven't done anything," Michael countered with a shrug.
"Oh, my apologies Michael. So it wasn't Star's brother and his friend who attacked your sister, no?" David feigned ignorance.
Michael glanced at his sister, there was no guilt in his eyes, only defiance. "No," he shrugged and Flick's eyes flashed with hurt as she turned to look away, her finger's toying with the torn skirt of her dress.
"Right, right OK-" David nodded, "-perhaps we do have our wires-crossed boys..." he sighed and Michael cockily rose to his feet, pulling Star up with him. Star frowned, she knew it wouldn't be that easy and she could tell by the look on David's face that he knew something they didn't. Beside her earlier confession outside, she knew he had something concrete on them. There was no way he'd bring them here just to humiliate himself, he had to have tangible proof that it was them that had set Flick up.
"C'mon Star, let's get out of here-" Michael started but David cut him off, holding up his hand.
"-Wait, ah yes, I knew there was something I was forgetting-" he crooned, "-what was it that the man who attacked your girlfriend said Paul?"
"Star didn't tell us you were so pretty," Paul spoke coldly and Star's blood turned to ice.
Michael glanced at Star out of the corner of his eye, his expression screaming 'what do we do now?' but she didn't have a plan of action. She'd been foolish to think they'd get away with what they did and now it would seem they were going to pay for it and she knew without a shadow of a doubt that it would be painful whether it be physically or mentally.
"Look man, it was only meant to be to scare her, it wasn't meant to go so far, that was on them not us-" Michael argued, gesturing in his sister's direction.
"-Enough!" David growled in irritation. Star flinched and Michael drew her closer to him. "We made it very clear that Flick was not to be touched, that you-" he jabbed his finger in Michael's direction, "-were not to lay a finger on her-"
"-I didn't," Michael argued and Star screamed when without warning Dwayne drew back his fist before slamming it into Michael's jaw sending him flailing to the floor, the sound of crunching bone echoing around the cavern.
"I suggest you keep your damn mouth shut asshole," Dwayne snarled, kicking Michael's thigh.
Star dropped to her knees, cradling Michael's head in her lap. "We warned you what would happen if you went against our wishes but you clearly didn't take our warning very seriously."
Star glanced at Flick out of the corner of her eye and saw her shift in place, her demeanour showing her obvious discomfort of the situation and she silently prayed that Flick would tell David to let them go.
Surely she wouldn't sit back and watch her brother take a violent beating? Than again, she knew she was being hypocritical as Michael had sat back and allowed his sister to be attacked without making any attempt to stop it, it was only fitting that she'd do the same. Yet there was still that selfish part of her that held out hope that Flick would show some compassion, that she'd forgive them and they'd be able to leave with all their limb's intact.
David laughed bitterly. "There's no use looking to Flick for help. Do you really think she's going to forgive you for what you've done? Do you even know what your sick, twisted brother and his friend did to her?"
"Whatever she said she's lying-" Michael croaked, spitting a glob of pink mucus on the floor, "-she'll do anything for attention including making up bullshit stories."
Paul growled in anger and lurched forward only to be held back by Marko, his body visibly shaking with rage.
"Why do you hate me so much Michael?" A weak, tired voice piped up and all eyes moved to Flick who sat hugging a bottle of whiskey to her chest.
"Because you're a cocky little bitch who always has to get whatever she wants-" he sniped, "-it was your endless bullshit and attention-seeking tantrums that drove dad away. If you hadn't have been such a fuck-up then mom wouldn't have gotten so stressed out, she wouldn't have started neglected dad and he wouldn't have gone looking for affection elsewhere. You're the reason we lost everything. You're the reason we had to leave Phoenix. You might think mom loves you but she really just tolerates you. Secretly, deep down in the part of her she'll never admit to having, she hates you just as much as I do."
Star looked from Flick's devastated face to the boys, her eyes landing on Paul, watching as his eyes grew darker and stormier, his expression brooding as a hurricane of emotions flashed on his face like stills on an automated slide projector.
Anger. Hatred. Sorrow. Rage.
Click. Click. Click...
"That's n-not true..." Flick shook her head, her voice breaking.
Michael scoffed. "Yes it is. Anyone whose ever told you they loved you or even liked you were lying. Your boyfriends just using you for an easy lay and his friends are just pretending to care so they can eventually use you as a drug-mule or a fuck-toy they can pass around."
"S-shut up," Flick sobbed and Star stifled the urge to roll her eyes. Poor little prissy bitch can't handle the truth. At first she'd felt bad for how messed up she looked but now, sat here watching her put on the waterworks and making everyone feel sorry for her just irked her.
"You know what? You deserved what you got tonight, it wasn't supposed to go as far as it obviously did but honestly, I wouldn't have been that bothered if they'd have dumped you in the next town over."
"Shut the fuck up!" Paul yelled, his voice strained as fury burned in his eyes. Star swallowed and frowned, something didn't feel right. She gripped Michael's arm, silently imploring him to keep his mouth shut, he was only making it worse, the boys weren't known for their mercy and if he continued to rile them by attacking Flick, any semblance of humanity they did happen to have would evaporate as quick as water on a hot day.
Suddenly, the air felt all wrong, it felt heavy and oppressive, like the calm before the inevitable storm. She knew the boys hadn't just brought them here to talk and she had a feeling they were about to find out what their punishment really was. She wiped her sweat slick hands on her skirt and tore her eyes away from Paul, afraid that if she continued to stare, she'd only stoke his anger further.
All of a sudden the flickering flames of the torches and candles lighting the cavern blew out, leaving tendrils of blue-grey smoke spiralling towards the jagged ceiling. The only light now came from the oil drums, the burning wood and debris crackling and popping, breaking the heavy silence that now filled the cavernous space. She swallowed hard as her stomach lurched when she realised the four boys were no longer standing over them, rather they'd seemingly vanished into thin air, even Flick looked to be confused as she peered through the darkness.
"Paul?" Flick whispered, her tone unsure.
Star jumped in fright, feeling Michael stiffen beside her when a thunderous roar echoed around the cavern, the sound turning her blood to ice and her knees to jelly. She scrambled to her feet as Michael pulled at her arms as they backed themselves up against the nearest wall. Her nails dug into the grime covered rocks in an attempt to find something to ground her, needing something to help push back her rising panic.
Tears born of fear rolled down her cheeks, burning and stinging her eyes as gut-wrenching screams and strident roars had her clamping her hands firmly over her ears as she pushed herself so far back into the rocks that she could feel their rugged edges scraping and grazing her skin through the thin cotton of her t-shirt. She was absolutely terrified at that moment in time, her mind unable to fully comprehend just what the hell was happening. She risked another glance in Flick's direction and found her face ashen with terror. Whatever the boys had planned, they hadn't bothered to tell her. A sudden ice-cold wind whipped through the cave bringing with it momentary flashes of movement as the wind seemed to whip into a hurricane of guttural growls and snarls that circled the fountain.
The whirling screaming tornado seemed to bulge and grow, expanding like a pair of inflating lungs until it exploded, bursting into four swirling, billowing masses. Star screamed; her stomach heavy with dread when the floating masses contorted and transformed, starting with razor sharp fangs and blood-red eyes that seemed to glow in the dim light. Flick let out a terrified yelp as she hid her face behind her arms, her body huddled and cowering against the end of the couch. Star's own screams and Michael's confused, horrified shouts became entangled when deep guttural roars bounced off the walls, the air suddenly filled with flying limbs and the sickening splat of disembowelled entrails.
Star screamed when something landed with a thud by her feet. Tearing her eyes away from the terrifying creatures a few feet away her eyes drifted to the mangled object laying by her feet. Her breath got caught in her throat when the lifeless eyes of her brother stared at her in the dim light, his mouth dropped open in a silent scream.
"What the fuck!" Michael yelled as they both swiftly realised the head wasn't attached to a body, rather her brothers body was scattered around the floor of the cavern alongside his best friend Greg's entrails.
Star clamped her eyes shut, curling herself into the smallest ball that she could manage, her body shivering in fear, her throat burning with a build-up of bile. "It's not real... it's not real..." she mumbled to herself, the salty taste of her tears on her tongue.
After what felt like a lifetime, the cave fell silent, the only sound being her ragged breathing, her pounding heart and Michael's unsteady panting. Star cautiously opened her eyes, ready to find one of the creatures with their blood red eyes and razor-sharp fangs staring back at her but to her surprise the space in front of her was empty. She pulled herself upright, wincing when her back scraped a particularly sharp rock and she raised her head, her eyes flitting from the gruesome mess of entrails, limbs and the headless body of her older brother over to the fountain where David, Marko, Paul and Dwayne sat, their pale skin coated in drying blood. David held a lit cigarette between his lips with blood covered fingers, the embers at the tip glowing bright orange as he languidly inhaled.
It wasn't real. She had to keep telling herself this. She didn't know what was happening, but it couldn't be real, could it? Her breath got caught in her throat and her heart came to a skidding, screeching halt when David's eyes met hers.
"Now will you listen to our warnings?" David grinned wickedly, springing in her direction with a speed she didn't think was possible. "You get three strikes Star, then you're out – you're on strike two..."
Time seemed to stand-still as she stared in wide-eyed terror at a set of glowing red eyes and a set of sharp, elongated canines. She heard someone shout but she had no idea what was said, all she could hear was the rapid thump of her own heart along with a buzzing drone that left her disorientated. A rush of adrenaline flooded her body as her fight or flight instincts kicked in and like the cornered prey she was, she screamed, bringing her knee back before propelling her foot forward, connecting with something hard and solid. A guttural growl filled her ears and she charged her way out of the corner she'd found herself backed into, making a bee-line for the incline.
She screamed when she felt a hand clamp around her ankles, yanking her feet out from beneath her, leaving her hurtling towards the grimy rocks lining the ledge of the incline. Her head bounced off the rocks hard surface, hearing the deafening crack of her own neck as it snapped back from the force. Star flopped onto her back, unable to see straight from the fuzzy film obscuring her vision. White-hot pain flared in her head and she whimpered as a set of crystal blue eyes stared down at her.
"I should have killed you a long time ago," David's voice echoed in her mind and a stray sob escaped her.