Psychotic Break-out
Hey guys! Thanks for all your reviews! You've been so patient, so I'll give you a long one! My Final exams have just finished so hopefully I'll have more time to write! Enjoy!
All Disclaimers Apply
Chapter 14: Death game
Jesse's hands were gripping the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles were turning white. Of course, he was more concerned about the woman sitting to the right of him pointing a gun at the side of his head.
It was getting brighter, although the hour was still early. It looked to be the beginning of a beautiful Californian summer day – Jesse's last Californian summer day. The road he was driving down was extremely familiar to him; it was the route he always took when he was driving to Mark's. He couldn't help wondering what exactly Chloe had planned for him, he didn't really wish to ponder it but Chloe was staring at him in silence. He was, therefore, left to his own thoughts.
"It's a beautiful night" Chloe sighed happily. She checked her watch: 4.17 a.m. "I really should say morning huh Jess?"
Jesse decided not to respond to her. He couldn't be bothered spending what could be his last hour on the planet engaging in small talk with his killer.
"Suit yourself" she muttered and then fell silent once more.
Jesse forced himself to keep looking ahead.
Soon enough they hit the Shore road. Jesse could see the ocean, looking dark and cavernous against the golden hew of the slowly rising sun. It really was a breath-taking view, and in spite of himself he smiled as he looked at it. Perfect surfing conditions! He thought.
"Just incredible" Chloe murmured. "Want to go and sit on the beach for a while? This is a sight created by angels!"
Jesse was a little startled by her question. Of course he'd go and sit on the beach if it meant prolonging his life…but what if she meant something different. "Do I, uh, have a choice?" He asked nervously.
"Well, not really, but I was trying to create an illusion!" She laughed breezily as her blond locks whipped across her face. "I think we should wait till sun-up, so we can just relax for a while on the beach" Chloe's face was unreadable; either she was just sadistic, or she was just plain mad.
Jesse took the next turnoff leading to an empty parking area just a few minutes walk from the deserted beach. He parked the car reluctantly and waited for Chloe to tell him what to do. His hands were still gripping the steering wheel even though the car was stationary, his veins standing out unnaturally against his deathly pale skin.
Chloe motioned for him to get out of the car, and kept her gun trained on him as he did so. She, herself, got gingerly out of the car stepping backwards onto the stony, uneven ground. Once she was sure of her footing she waltzed round the side of the car and linked her arm with Jesse's. "Let's go for a little stroll" She said enthusiastically.
Jesse was very confused; after all, this woman was meant to be killing him, why was she acting so…so nice? "Chloe, why are you doing this?" He asked before he could stop himself.
Chloe looked at him like a condescending teacher explaining a simple point to a pupil. "Jesse! I'm trying to make this as nice as possible. I've been dreaming of this day for two years…it has to be just right"
When they reached the beach Chloe pointed to a spot not far from the shoreline. "Why don't we sit here. You can tell me what you've been doing for the past two years. What did happen to that blonde girl?"
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Some time later, the sun had risen fully and cast a heavenly glow over the golden sands of the beach. The temperature rose several degrees and Jesse found himself wiping his brow as beads of sweat started to form.
"Getting hot isn't it?" Chloe asked quietly. She checked her watch, it was nearing half-past seven. The early morning surfers and joggers had already started to arrive. Better do it soon. Before anyone sees. "Okay Jesse. It's getting close to goodbye for you and me"
On hearing these words, Jesse's heart began to beat rapidly. If I were going to get out of this, now would be the time to do something. He willed his brain into action.
"We're going to go for a little boat ride. Only you won't be returning to harbour. No one will ever know what happened to you" As she uttered this, Chloe cast her eye towards a little picturesque harbour about two miles from where they stood. The jetty was set deep against the opalescent sky and looked like the jewel of a precious ring. Before, when he had seen it in the distance from Mark's house, it had looked perfect, but now it was the omen of his death.
"Let's take a walk" Chloe said after a long moment. "It's so lovely here, and it can't be more than two miles to the harbour. Take my hand" She grabbed Jesse's wrist and pulled him along gently at an ambling pace. Jesse wasn't going to complain if she wanted to take longer, so he walked dumbly next to her.
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They walked for what seemed like forever, and the sun was beating down uncomfortably on their exposed skin. Although there was a smattering of people about, they encountered nobody directly. Chloe had her gun carefully concealed, so who would suspect the loving couple walking hand-in-hand along the seashore?
If anyone had bothered to look more closely then they would have noticed the demonic smile that Chloe was openly displaying on her face and they would have seen Jesse's increasingly desperate facial expressions. But most of the joggers had somewhere to be, and the surfers had their own agendas.
The harbour was drawing inevitably closer, and Jesse could see several speedboats moored alongside the gangway, bobbing up and down merrily as the tide swelled up and receded. There was a small hut perched on the sand next to the jetty; this was where they would be renting their boat.
As they approached the hut, Chloe stopped and turned to face Jesse, gun poised once more. "Okay, we're going to go in there, you and me, and we're going to rent a boat. I don't want to here a word out of you, or you and the man inside will get a head full of metal, do I make myself clear?"
"A-Absolutely" Jesse managed to choke out. It was bad enough that he was in danger, he didn't want to risk another innocent person's life. His mind flashed back to an image of Yoshe lying dead on the road. No! That is NOT going to happen again! No one else is going to die because of me.
"Good" Chloe said in a cheerful tone, with a smug smile which made her look like the cat that had got the cream. She strode forwards tugging Jesse behind her, and then opened the door to the small hut.
There really wasn't much to the little place. It was bare apart from a small table that stood against the far side and a weather chart that was pinned haphazardly to the timber wall. On the table sat a half-filled mug of coffee, and a newspaper spread out in all its various sheets. The small, dumpy man that had been sitting reading the paper and presumably drinking the coffee glanced up as the two of them entered.
"Hi there! What can I do for you?" He called, not even bothering to get up from his wooden chair.
"We're looking to rent a boat" Chloe said pleasantly, although she glanced around the dingy hut with a disgusted look in her eyes.
"Oh!" He smiled at Jesse "You let your girlfriend do all the talking?" He laughed with a knowing look on his sagging face.
Jesse laughed a little too enthusiastically, but said nothing.
"Suit yourself" the man said as he searched around under the numerous sheets of the newspaper. He eventually pulled out a weather-beaten clipboard. "Name?" he asked as if he was an army general barking out orders.
"Just put it under the name Jesse Travis" Chloe said breezily.
"How long do you want it for?"
"Oh a couple of hours, that's all we need" Chloe giggled, and glanced at Jesse with a convincingly loving expression.
The man grinned hungrily at Chloe. "That'll be seventy five dollars. And I want that boat back by eleven"
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Chloe bade Jesse to down into the speedboat first and then climbed in her self. She motioned for Jesse to sit and then she took a small coil of rope out of her pocket. "It's nothing personal Jesse, but I'm going to need to keep both hands on the wheel" She began to tie his wrists to a handrail on the side of the boat. Jesse watched silently as his chances of escape slipped away.
When she finished, Chloe sat back to admire her handiwork. For a moment her face was lit with a strange light. Jesse couldn't place the expression in her eyes, but it chilled him and he felt cold even though the fiery sunshine was burning his skin. "We're well on our way Jesse" she sighed contentedly and then started the boat up with a resounding roar.
As they sped away from the harbour, Jesse looked back at Malibu, beautiful in its honeyed veneer. He felt an acute sadness as he realised that it would be the last time he saw it. The last time he would feel the gentle grains of sand between his toes. The last time he would feel that addictive rush of adrenaline as the challenge of riding a particularly huge wave came his way. The last time he would sit on Mark's terrace, comforted in the familial atmosphere of his closest friends…
That was it! He wasn't going to give up the best thing that had ever happened to him! He and Steve could work it out…maybe, but it was definitely worth a try! He was not going resign himself to this fate, even if it did look like he had no hope. What have I actually got to lose here? If I lose my life trying to escape then at least I'll have given myself a chance to live rather than just letting her kill me! He glanced at Chloe, she was more than preoccupied with controlling the boat. He tugged at the ropes binding his wrists. No give. But maybe if he worked on them for a while…
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Eventually Jesse could feel a slight looseness in the ropes, but his hands were raw with rope burns. The Californian coastline was now small in the far distance apart from a low ridge of rock to the left that ran a fair distance out to sea, but Jesse didn't allow himself to lose hope, there was still a wide and rocky ridge to pass before they went out into the open Pacific. He was only going to have one chance at this, so he could not afford to lose hope. Yanking hard at the ropes he managed incredibly to pull himself loose. Maybe it was superhuman strength that came from the desire to live, or maybe it was just luck.
Jesse turned sharply and threw his entire body weight against Chloe's slender frame. The element of surprise went very well for him and his luck continued as Chloe fell against the side of the speedboat. It rocked precariously as it careered onwards without anyone to steer it.
Chloe felt her entire body jerk as the handrail on the side of the boat dug straight into her spine. She gave a yelp, partly out of pain, and partly out of sheer fury at Jesse. This was not how it was supposed to go! They weren't far enough away from the coastline! But if Jesse wanted to go now, then so be it…
As she fell against the side of the boat she kicked out in a reflex action and connected hard with Jesse's shin. He yelled in agony, and his momentary distraction gave her time to search for the gun. She reached quickly for the glove compartment and closed her fist round the cold reassuring metal of the gun. Jesse, who had regained his composure long enough to notice what she was up to, dove for the gun, knocking hard against her arm and knocking against the steering wheel of the boat. It made a sharp left turn. But Chloe already had the gun!
Jesse realised this only too late as he fell against her. It seemed his luck had turned rotten. In no time she had the gun pointing forward into Jesse's chest. With her left hand she clutched the shirt collar at the back of Jesse's neck and pulled him closer.
Time stopped. Jesse looked into these calm, calculating eyes for what would be the last time. He felt her hot breath on his mouth as she brought her face close to his. In slow motion he watched as her finger squeezed the trigger. This is where my life flashes before my eye! Jesse thought, feeling strangely mellow now in the face of this deadly danger "Bye Jesse" Chloe whispered, and kissed him passionately. She felt the gun recoil in her steady fingers as she emptied the chamber.
Jesse felt her hand slowly release him, and then came the pain.
To Be Continued…