(09) Twists and Turns

Three weeks later Ralph was out of the hospital. He was back in shape after all the physiotherapy he had to do. It was very stressful at first, but in the end it was worth it.

He sat in the backseat of Roger's car, listening to the music that blared in his ears. It was enough to distract him from hearing Roger's calls. He used it to forget everything that happened a while back, but Roger put the stereo on mute.

"Why'd you do that?" he asked frustratingly.

"You couldn't hear me, that's why. I've been asking you what Jack did to you last time."

Ralph shuddered at the mention of his name. It's obvious that no amendments can be made between them ever again. To top it off, he was still afraid of Roger due to his dark side. One glare was enough to take Sam to his grave. The power to push that boulder off at Castle Rock killed his wise friend Piggy a decade ago. He always had the will power to follow Jack's orders back then.

Nowadays, he didn't know what to expect.

"Ralph, what's wrong?" he asked.

Ralph snapped out of his daze. "Nothing. Nothing at all!"

Roger stuck a cigarette in his mouth without lighting it. He leaned back against his seat.

"Look, I already know Sam died after taking one look at him. I mean, he tried to kill me the night Simon left..."

"Simon left you?" Ralph asked.

"No. I kicked him out shortly after discovering his secret love affair with Jack, mind you."

"Why did you? Simon wouldn't be alive now if he ever told you."

"Yea, but if he told me I would've done everything in my power to keep him safe. What I don't understand is, why'd Sam come over that same night and attack me the way he did?"

"Jack blackmailed him," Ralph stated. "I know because Eric left a note at my bedside with all the details. When I woke up I read it, I got the news that he died too. So sad to know his last moments arrived."

"Wow! What a coincidence. He died two hours after Sam."

"If only they were still here," Ralph said. He felt a tear roll down his cheek. Although they cannot compare to Piggy, the two of them were his good friends too. They went through therapy together, graduated from the same high school, and travelled halfway around the globe. They helped him settle down when he moved in with them, shortly before getting a job and saving up his money. In the next year he got his own house, had a reconciliation with Jack, and life went on normally from there.

"They died in their lies," Roger said. "Or at least one of them. I still don't know how Eric got around. I mean, he had just lost his brother and wanted a shoulder to lean on."

"I heard he went to Simon's house, only to get shot by Jack. Katie told me over the phone."

"Damn..."

"I almost had another blackout, Roger," he went on. "Jack is a real menace these days. Giving me nightmares every second."

"Which is why I'm gonna kill him," Roger said lowly with confidence. "Since he tried to kill us, and he took Simon away from me, it's about time he gets what's coming to him."

"It's not fair! I didn't get to be at their funeral," Ralph said, sobbing.

Roger was still focused on the road, but at the same time he listened attentively to Ralph's complaints. It was starting to get him annoyed that he decided to snap him out of it.

"You're starting to sound like a five year-old," he commented.

"I am? Geez, I'm sorry. I must've been getting ecstatic over this damned issue."

"Don't worry about it. They're in a better place now. Besides, Simon was there." He paused and sighed heavily before speaking again. "After that I didn't hear from him again."

Ralph's eyes widened. There was only one thing his suspicions could muster.

"Jack's at it again. That's why you haven't heard from Simon all this time."

x-x-x

Simon looked up from where he sat. Regaining consciousness, he took care into examining his surroundings. This place looks quite familiar, but how did he end up here in the first place?

Just a while ago he was at the parking lot, helping his cousin Katie load the groceries in her car. He was going to head home when she told him to call the police and report Jack.

Snapping back to reality, Simon knew what was going to happen if he didn't think fast. He tried to get up from the chair he was sitting on, but his arms were binded from behind with ropes. His quick hands were trying to find a way to untie himself, but they couldn't reach the knot. He heaved a sigh while searching his memory.

Simon jolted up at the sound of the door. He managed to look in the direction of the entrance, but it was a hard thing to do since his arms were bounded. He'd have to strain his neck, pull his back or fall over on his face. The sound of foot steps came deeper into the house and walked very fast. Simon's heart beat increased, causing him to sweat profusely and came close to fainting. He tried to tune out the noise, but he couldn't. Things were becoming unbearable as his palms started to sweat too; his vision was blurry and he felt as though he was falling down a pit.

As he stepped out of his car, he saw a red envelope on his front porch. It was very strange to find a random object first thing after work. He suspected somebody was here... perhaps close by. Maybe Katie was right. Jack didn't love him. He never did and never will. There's no way he'll be safe without calling the police. He decided to look around for any hidden clues in case someone was actually watching. He walked through the fence door and into the backyard. Everything looked exactly the same. He entered the kitchen through the sliding glass door and saw no sign of presence.

Although his instincts kept telling him to call the police, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He scanned the living room, bathroom, bedroom, guestrooms and basement. The basement wasn't warm, and there was a dim light shining from the game room. Strange enough, he felt his heart stop just to feel the suspense kill him inside. He gathered his courage and went in the direction of the light, when a hard object smashed the back of his head...

Simon was in Jack's house. He shifted in a struggle to get out of what was a trap. No matter how hard he tried, nothing seemed to work for him. He sighed heavily and stared at the bare wall in front of him. Just then he felt a warm hand move over his eyes, soft lips touched his earlobe. Since his eyes weren't fully concealed, he saw a strand of shiny red hair reach his own left shoulder.

"How are you darling?" Jack greeted with a slip of his tongue. "Ready to have some fun?"

Simon shook his head as Jack's hand tightened it's grip on his chin.

"Relax. No one will ever know."

Simon felt a tear trail down his cheek. When Jack traced his tongue on his face, Simon shivered, wanting him to stop.

"Let's do this," he said. "If you don't want to get hurt..."

Simon was stunned and speechless by Jack's tactics. He tried to push his tormentor away but lost all his strength.

x-x-x

Back at his house, his cellular phone never stopped ringing.

Roger and Ralph stepped inside Simon's house and searched for him. He was nowhere to be found.

"I can't believe this is happening again," Ralph said. "Where exactly could he be now?"

Roger paced around, anticipating a response. He opened the basement door and saw a shattered china on the floor.

'That asshole,' Roger cursed inwardly. 'He's asking for it. I know he thinks I'm stupid, but I'm still a hunter today. I'll hunt him down...'

His thoughts were interrupted when Ralph knocked on the basement door.

"We gotta go find him now," he stated, "and fast!"

"We should," Roger replied as he came back upstairs. He wasn't in the mood for words right now. Only thing he wanted to do was find Jack and kill him. It didn't give him a hard time to shake off his need for a cigarette. "I'm gonna hunt down that redhead," Roger said lowly. "I'll catch him and put him where he belongs."

"Roger, are you okay?" Ralph felt a little nervous at seeing his former enemy, now comrade, getting angry and keeping it down at once. He shook off the fear and decided to lead on this time. "You know what? I'll take the car. I can drive us there this time. What do you say?"

"Let's go," Roger said, leading the way out.

Sorry for the cliffhanger! I'll finish this story in time. Besides, the very last chapter is on the way, but for now let me leave it to your imagination. What's Roger going to do? Will his plans work accordingly? What will become of Simon? Stay tuned to find out!

Disclaimer: I don't own Lord of the Flies.

Simon was in his car on Highway 27 when he saw another car behind him. Everywhere he went, the car would follow. Being aware of this only caused his nerves to act up. He went through a bridge to get away from the stalker's vehicle. By the time he was out, he made an exit at 45 and took a shortcut to Roger's house.

Just then his cellphone rang, and he spoke to Roger on the line when a text message came through. He ignored it and kept conversing with the other man. More texts came to his phone and it got annoying. It had distracted him that he lost his way and decided to head on home...

"I can't," he told her. "He'll kill me."

"But Simon! He could do this to someone else!" she stated ecstatically. "You've got to tell them and they'll handle the situation accordingly."

"But if I do he's gonna kill Roger..."

She gave him a motherly look with her hand on her right hip. "Are you sure you'll be alright?"

He nodded quickly before she spoke again.

"What happened to the twins was horrible. Jack is manipulative and you can't let him do this any longer."

"But he loves me..."

"Loves you?" Katie shrieked. "Wake up, Simon! Look at all the things he did! It's horrendous! You gotta get rid of him and move past this."

Simon unlocked his car door while hearing his cousin out. She had a good point, but a small part of him doesn't want to leave Jack, no matter how much pain he caused.