R.I.P.

by Charity B.

  The car. We’ll need to get rid of it soon. I feel guilty about Uncle Bennett, and I want to make it up to Kai.

  Beddy and the keys are all I take before slipping outside. Malakai won’t be up for a while, so I should have plenty of time.

  Even though I know how to drive, I don’t do it very often because Kai always does. After buckling Beddy in with the seatbelt, I start the car. I know the direction we were heading, so I go the opposite way. The sun is out now, stabbing my eyeballs with its rays when I turn right down what looks to be a less traveled road.

  “How long are we going to drive? Don’t forget, we have to walk back to the motel.”

  My heart picks up. When am I going to get used to this? Beddy’s Barbie body is now real skin, and she’s wiggling her toes. She blinks her three beady eyes, waiting for my answer.

  “Just a little further.”

  “Thank you for bringing me. I would have missed you so much!” With a click, she takes off her seat belt, climbing up the door to look out the window.

  “I’m sad that I had to leave some of the others behind, but you’re extra special. You remind me of the first time with Kai.”

  Giggling, she sits next to the door lock, kicking out her legs. “I remember.”

  “Did that make you mad?”

  “Mad? No, silly! All of us want you and Malakai to be together.”

  I grin at her. “Why won’t any of you come alive for him?”

  Her bear head tilts to the side. “Because his brain is different than yours.”

  “I’m sick, like my mommy.”

  “Don’t say that! You’re not sick! You’re special. Like your mommy.”

  We drive for thirty more minutes before I feel like it’s far enough. Since Beddy’s turned back into plastic, this is going to be a boring walk. Leaving the keys in Uncle Bennett’s car, I pick her up and skip along the side of the road, kicking the rocks in my way.

  It’s warmer here than it was in Lettleton. I’m glad I’m still wearing my nightdress because it’s thin and feels good when the wind blows.

  The loud rumble of a car cracks through the stillness behind me. I can tell it’s slowing, but it isn’t until it stops next to me that I get nervous.

  A man rolls down the window, his salt and pepper hair sticking out around his leathery face. “Hey there, little thing. Would you like a ride?”

  It would be nice not to have to walk the rest of the way. I look to Beddy, who gives me no sign of life. Nodding to the man, I say, “Yes, please.”

  He pushes open the door of the large, gray car, waiting until I’m buckled up before he says anything. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes, I’m just trying to get back to my brother.”

  “Where are your parents?” As his large fingers change the radio station, I notice movement beneath his tanned skin. I try not to stare at whatever it is that’s traveling up his forearm. It looks like there’s a big bug crawling around inside his flesh.

  “Dead.”

  When he nods, I swear a small smile peeks out. “I like your doll.”

  The hand that was just fiddling with the music reaches across the car to rest on my thigh. Gaping at him, I shove his hand away. “Get your big, yucky hand off me!”

  His stupid laugh only makes me angrier. “How old are you anyway?” Tilting his head, he considers his question. “Actually, never mind. It’s more fun not to know.”

  The knot is still moving. It wiggles to hide under the sleeve of his striped, button-down shirt, then appears again above his collar to crawl up his neck.

  “Let me out.”

  He pulls over, but when I reach for the silver handle, he locks the doors and squeezes my arm. “Not yet.”

  The sound of him unzipping his pants prickles my ears. Reaching into his jeans, he releases his ugly, red erection. It sticks straight up as he strokes it. The moment I try to lift my leg to kick him, he fists my hair. He’s unexpectedly strong, so no matter how hard I push against his hands, he’s still able to force my head down. The rushing of blood in my ears is so loud it sounds like I’m next to a waterfall, snuffing out the happy music floating from the speakers.

  I keep my lips pressed together tight, shaking my head in an attempt to stop this from happening. One hand grips my neck while the other pushes me down. No, no, no!

  The restless skin bug seems to be chasing me when it slithers down his stomach to the head of his penis. I keep expecting something to crawl out of his come hole.

  My teeth cut the inside of my lips when he slams himself against my closed mouth. I scream around his shaft the second his dick breaks through. He’s being so rough! I can’t stop gagging, made worse by the movement in my mouth from the skin creature. The bushy hair on his pelvis rubs against my face and itches.

  Dirty! Dirty! A woman’s voice sobs in my ear.

  Another girl screams, Bite!

  Without thinking, I listen, baring my teeth and chomping down. Blood pools on my tongue as his bellows fill the car.

  He’s a sinner. You know what happens to sinners.

  Since he’s more concerned with his mangled genitalia, he doesn’t see it coming when I grab Beddy. I shove her legs as hard as I can into his eye, enchanted by his screams of agony. I take a deep breath, the noises coming from him quiet my nerves and sound so nice in my ears. Feeling calmer, I do the same to his other eye. He’s a bloody mess, but whatever lived under his skin has stopped squirming.

  While he continues to freak out, I search the car for something sharp. I’ve heard breaking someone’s neck is a lot harder to do than it looks.

  Vines with large thorns crawl from the edges of the glove box, bulging until it pops open. Peeking inside, I smile. The vines wrap around a silver pocket knife, lifting it up to drop it in my hand. The creeping plants snap as they continue to slither up the dashboard and across the windshield.

  He’s still wailing next to me as I tap my chin to the beat of the music and think about what to do next. It will be much easier to move him when he’s alive. Even though there hasn’t been another car since he picked me up, I still need to hurry.

  As I reach across him to unlock the doors, he gasps for air between his cries. With Beddy in my hand, I jump out, racing around the car to open his door.

  “Come on, get out.”

  “What the fuck are you doing to me?!”

  I think that should be fairly obvious by now. Tugging his arm, I pull him out, and he stumbles to the ground. “Stand up, stupid!”

  Hurry!

  He can’t run because he’s blind, so he just lets me lead him to the line of trees about a yard in front of us.

  ‘Make it hurt, make him cry, it’s time for him to die, die, die.’

  I should have buttoned his jeans because they fall down as we walk, making him fall. “Hurry up!” Sobbing, he forces himself to his feet. Once we’re hidden enough that nobody should be able to find him too soon, I stab him in the stomach. The blood feels warm on my skin. “You picked the wrong girl to face fuck.”

  I wish I had more time to play with him. I don’t, though, so I only stab him five more times before finally slitting his throat.

  Malakai

  18 years old

  I reach out to hold her, my fingers finding only empty bed sheets. The sun shines through the threadbare curtains, lighting up the quiet motel room.

  “Adriel?” I nearly trip over the blankets in my haste to check the bathroom. The open door reveals the light is off. My blood pumps so hard my vision blurs. “Adriel!”

  Sprinting to the motel room door, I swing it open, praying she’s just outside getting fresh air. The only thing in front of me is a barren parking lot. Uncle Bennett’s car is gone.

  What the hell is she doing now?! I know she didn’t ditch me, but what if she gets caught or hurt? Or fucking kills someone else?

  I slam the door, ripping my hands through my hair as I walk across the room to grab my shoes. Who knows how many people have seen her?

  As f
ast as I can without running, I go to the lobby. The same man from last night is staring at his phone when the bell dings at my entrance.

  “Hey man, you still have a couple hours left. We don’t give refunds.”

  “No, I’m just curious if you’ve seen a girl? She has dark hair and was probably holding a doll?”

  He shakes his head. “Nah, I haven’t seen anyone.”

  Fucking Adriel. “Thanks.”

  I can’t believe my goddamn little sister ran off with our car. Back in the room, I flip through the channels, hoping I don’t find what I’m looking for. The worst part about this is not having any idea how much the police know. We could be way ahead of them, or they could be right on our asses. Which is why we need to keep moving.

  With every tick of the clock, my heartbeat doubles in speed. I’m really starting to get fucking scared, and sitting here doing nothing is driving me crazy. I need to go look for her.

  Her backpack is stuffed so full. It’s partially unzipped, so I’m trying to close it as the door opens. Sunlight streaks across the motel room, illuminating the girl that holds my sanity in her pretty little clutches.

  Relief presses against my chest in overwhelming waves. In two strides, I’m in front of her, slamming the door before shoving her against it. Blood streaks from the corners of her lips. As I scan down her frame, I see more scarlet scattered across her nightgown and legs. The doll in her hand looks like its legs were dipped in crimson.

  She’s always been stunning in blood.

  “Are you hurt?”

  She shakes her head, dropping the doll to slide her hands beneath my shirt. I taste her mouth and whoever’s blood this is, eating her soft moans as I cup her face.

  Nipping at her bottom lip, I break our kiss. “Don’t ever leave without me again.” Her silky nightdress bunches beneath my palms as I push it up her thighs before my hand finds their way into her panties. “You scared the shit out of me.”

  She’s so slippery, two of my fingers easily glide in. Her response to my touch seizes my breathing. How could I have ever denied her? Metallic sweetness hits my tongue as I lick inside her mouth, pumping my arm. I need to know where the blood came from. As I pull away to ask, she interjects.

  “I need to tell you something.” The way she says that sobers me. I start to take out my fingers when she grasps my wrist. “Don’t stop.” Rising body heat burns my neck. The expression on her pretty face is unsettling. With one hand inside her, I use the other to caress away her frown. I’m not sure if it’s worse when something akin to embarrassment crosses her features. “I got rid of Uncle Bennett’s car…I…” Her voice catches as she bucks against me. “Had to walk back. A man saw me,” the sound of her moan hardens my cock, yet her temperament sets off every alarm in my mind, “and offered me a ride.” Reaching down to stroke me over my sweatpants she continues. “He was a bad man.” The further she gets into this story, the harder she fucks my hand. “I’m sorry, Kai. He made me…”

  The air leaves my lungs at her words. Jolting back, I look down at her. Fear is not an expression I’m used to seeing on her face, and I wonder if it’s because of what she’s telling me or what she thinks my reaction to it will be.

  The last thing I want her to think is that any of my anger is directed at her when the boiling in my gut makes me scream, “He made you what, Adriel?!”

  “I…” Her eyes close as she rolls her hips. “Please don’t stop, Kai.”

  “Tell me!” I can’t sit here and fucking finger her with my mind running through horrifying scenarios. Backing away, I clench my fists. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think she was about to cry. My arms wrap around her, holding her against my chest to kiss her head. “Are you okay?”

  “I am now. He got what he deserved.”

  Thick, wet spots of blood cover her pink nightgown. I trace my finger through them. At least I know her well enough to know he suffered. “This is his blood?”

  She nods. “And his car is in the parking lot.”

  I can’t believe how proud of her I am. She is so much more capable of protecting herself than I give her credit for.

  “Did he rape you?” As soon as I ask the question, I know it’s an asshole thing to do. I need to let her tell me when she’s ready, but I’m about to go mad.

  The shake of her head helps shift the tightening of my muscles. Her eyes darken as her posture straightens. “He made me suck his dick, so I bit it off. Well, tried to anyway.”

  “And he’s dead?” If he’s not, he’s about to be.

  “Yes.”

  With hesitant fingers, she tugs on my waistband. Fuck, we really need to go. Nevertheless, it’s important to be who she needs me to be right now.

  Taking her hand, I lead her to the table, shoving our bags to the floor. With her palms flat on the laminate top, I walk behind her to push her nightie over her head. I focus on my touch being gentle regardless of my urge to give in to the fury, which takes a lot of effort since my blood feels like lava burning through my veins. My hand pushes between her shoulder blades, bending her over the table and forcing her to stand on the tips of her toes.

  It’s impossible not to think about what she just went through. Even though we were raised the same, we react to things in very different ways, and I don’t know how she’s feeling about what happened. I want us both to forget our fucked-up reality for a few moments and just be together.

  My lips sprinkle kisses down every bone of her spine. Lowering my pants enough to wet myself with her arousal, I allow her body to consume mine. The pace is slow. I want both of us to feel every second of this.

  We don’t speak as we listen to the melody of our bodies fitting together so perfectly. My nails leave indentions in her shoulders as I slam her against me harder. Moans and grunts are all that leave our lips until she gasps, “Will you come in my mouth? I want his taste gone.”

  My sweet Adriel. I squeeze my eyes shut, nodding against her back. After a few final thrusts, I remove myself from her body. She looks so precious on her knees. Taking her time, she slowly licks, kissing softly in between each stroke of her tongue. When her mouth wraps around me, I rest my palms against her head to thrust deeper down her throat. Her little hands jerk me while she sucks with eagerness.

  The pressure of my upcoming orgasm tightens my skin, and I push her head harder. “Okay, it’s about to come out,” I groan.

  Her suction and speed intensify, exploding every cell as I empty myself down her throat. She doesn’t stop, even when I’m drained, making me hypersensitive to her touch. I slowly take myself out of her mouth, watching her lick her lips as she looks up at me.

  “So, you’re not mad at me?”

  I kneel in front of her to lift her chin. “I’m definitely not mad at you for what that dead fuck did. I just hate that it happened. You can’t go out alone anymore. It’s too dangerous.”

  Her lips, still shiny with my come, lift ever so slightly. “I promise I won’t do that again.”

  Standing, I lift my pants. “Take a quick shower. We need to get going.”

  With her spirits clearly lifted, she picks up Beddy off the floor to bring her into the bathroom. I take an outfit out of her bag before carrying our things to the car she stole.

  Opening the unlocked car door reveals a set of keys and a small knife laying on a bloody seat.

  Well, fuck. This isn’t an ideal situation.

  Adriel

  11 years old

  I am so excited! Today we get to go outside for science class. Mr. Martinez hands out the nature walk bingo cards along with markers. I look at what things I have to find to get a ‘bingo’ and pick a prize from the box. Some of the stuff will be easy, like the mud or flowers. Things like an ‘active nest’ will be harder. Last time I looked in the prize box, there was a whole book of stickers that I really want.

  Once we all have our cards, Mr. Martinez orders us to get in line by the door. I open my backpack, whispering to Moonfish that I’ll be back soon.

&n
bsp; My spot is fifth in line because my last name starts with a C. Jordan Davis stands behind me, kicking my ankles. “Stop it!” I tell him, but he just kicks me harder.

  “Are you gonna tattle to the teacher, loser?”

  I frown at him. I’ve never been a tattle tell in my whole entire life. We all shuffle outside, walking on the sidewalk in single file as Mr. Martinez leads us to the nature park behind the school.

  “Don’t wander off too far, and meet back here in thirty minutes. Have fun!”

  I look at my card. There’s a spider web, a baby frog, a soaring bird, and lots more stuff, so I set out on my hunt. Something makes a crunch under my feet. Looking down, I clap with glee to see an acorn on the ground. I use my marker to make an X through the acorn box.

  Ashley Radcliff’s laugh is loud as she gets teased by Martin Brewster. He’s holding a bug, pretending like he’s going to throw it on her.

  “Gross, Martin!” she shrieks.

  Walking toward them I ask, “What did you find?”

  Martin sneers at me, holding up a big insect with wriggling legs. Ashley leans over to whisper something in his ear, and he chuckles while she runs over to me. I think she’s going to hug me, which is weird because she doesn’t like me. Instead, she jumps on me, knocking me to the ground.

  “Do it!” she screams.

  Her shoes smash the fingers on both of my hands as she holds open my mouth. Martin straddles me, hovering the squirming bug between my lips. “Bon appétit!” he laughs before dropping the insect into my mouth. I can feel it moving down my throat, its little legs tickling my esophagus, making me gag.

  I can’t speak because the moving critter eats all my words. Their laughs ring in my ears while I try to swallow. They finally let me go free, and I instantly get on my knees. Coughing, I dry heave, saliva dripping onto the grass.

  Their laughs get farther away. They must be done picking on me for now. I can’t feel the bug moving anymore, so I push myself to my feet. It confuses me why they don’t like me. Every time I try to be nice, they just get meaner.