There’s an audible sigh and then groan throughout the classroom. “Well, looks like you’re getting off easy today,” Mr. Winchester sighs, shuffling his papers before standing. “Class dismissed.”
The sky had looked rather gloomy this morning as I’d rushed from my dormitory to get a cup of coffee. Hopefully, this is nothing more than a precaution. Either way, this day isn’t shaping up the way I’d hoped.
“Crazy, huh?” Jesse, the guy sitting next to me, asks. “So much for our first day of college, right?”
I stand, gathering my belongings. “Yeah, I guess so,” I reply, a tendril of my own brown hair blocking my view as I pick up my bag.
“So, ah, you want to maybe go out and get some coffee sometime?” he asks sheepishly, tucking a hand in his jean pocket.
I stare into his eyes for a beat, gauging how to let him down gently. He seems sweet, but that’s not what I’m here for. I need to stay focused on my goals, and he would only be a distraction.
“Ms. Vale, I’d like to speak with you privately,” Mr. Winchester says, saving me from a response. “Now,” he adds, coming to stand in between Jesse and me.
“Okay,” I affirm, looking away from Mr. Winchester and towards Jesse. “See you around.”
Jesse appears flustered but covers it up an instant later. “Yeah, see you later,” he offers, cracking a half-smile.
Once he’s left the room, I turn to Mr. Winchester. “How can I help you, sir?”
“Don’t call me sir,” he demands, his ice-blue eyes flashing cold.
The man obviously has it out for me. “Well, um, what should I call you then?”
“Ethan,” he says softly, contradicting his previous tone. “You may call me Ethan.”
“Listen, err, Ethan,” I tell him, refusing to be intimidated. “I think we got off on the wrong foot, and I apologize for being late my first day. There’s really no excuse.” I smile pleasantly.
His eyes focus and follow my lips. “What is your excuse, Ms. Vale? I’m dying to know.”
I swallow, not really wanting to tell him the truth. “I’m not from around here,” I reveal with a sigh. “Actually, I’m just getting settled in. I guess, you could say, my excuse is an ordinary one…lack of sleep. Mixed in with some nervousness, and well, there you have it.”
He smiles for the first time. “Predictable,” he agrees, stalking closer. “And where are you from, Ms. Vale?”
“You can call me Hannah,” I tell him, deciding that I don’t quite like how my last name rolls off his tongue. “You know, since I’m calling you by your first name and all.”
“Where are you from, Hannah?” he asks again, a slight edge in his tone.
A bizarre yet appealing edge.
“Black Mountain,” I reveal, wondering at his intense curiosity. “It’s a little town In North Carolina, not much goes on there.”
His black hair gleams as he stands directly under the ceiling lamp, mere inches from being in my personal space. “I wouldn’t have guessed that, Hannah,” he whispers softly. “Your accent is almost undetectable.”
Why is he whispering?
“Really?” I ask, taking a step back. “I guess, I never noticed.”
He takes up the space I just retreated. “I notice everything, Hannah Vale.” The way he says my name sets off an alarm inside my brain.
There’s something oddly fascinating about Ethan Winchester.
And also something… lethally dangerous.
October, 17th
There’ve been two murders since school started last month, and at this point I can hardly sleep at night. And not your everyday murders either, but bloody, grisly murders that will be remembered forever. At least in my mind. On top of that, the news is freaking everyone out, literally, and now a curfew has been issued throughout town.
Lately I find myself walking around on eggshells, spooked by my own shadow.
Just the other day, I thought someone was stalking me. The sensation of being followed accompanied by an eerie whispering almost had me walking smack dab into a light pole, and it hadn’t even been night time.
There have been ravens flying about my window at night, scratching at the glass. I can still hear them…
Caw, caw!
“Hannah!” a male voice calls, and I turn to see its Jesse from Psychology class. “Hey, are you okay?” he pants, slightly winded as he catches up to me.
Classes are over for the day, but there are still a healthy number of students milling about the courtyard. “Hey, yeah, I’m fine,” I answer automatically, taking in the scent of his cologne. “Why, what’s up?”
He scratches the back of his head, seeming unsure. “Well, I called your name several times, but you never even acknowledged me,” he answers, knocking a strand of dark auburn hair from his forehead. “It’s like you were in a daze or something.”
“Oh, wow,” I laugh, squinting my eyes against the sun. “I must’ve been in my own head again, sorry about that.”
“So, I’m assuming you heard about Edward Turner,” he says softly, a hint of sadness in his tone.
Just his name alone is enough to send chills up my spine. “Yes, I heard,” I answer quietly, looking away and towards a row of green bushes. “I just met him a week ago, and now, just like that, he’s gone.” I try to keep my voice even.
“I can still picture everyone running out of Mr. Taylor’s class screaming,” he murmurs, clearly shaken by the memory. “I had no idea people were capable of something so sick.”
He doesn’t need to say anything else. The news of finding Edward’s decapitated head on his desk had spread like wildfire. “How are you holding up, Jesse?” I ask, realizing that he’s more than a little shaken.
He swallows, gazing into my eyes, and it’s hard to miss the fear there. “It’s just,” he pauses, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Two murders in such a short period of time, it’s crazy.”
“I know,” I agree.
“My uncle was really good friends with Jared Shaw, too.”
The librarian, God, how could I forget. He was the first murder.
I’d also met him a short while before he was killed. In fact, I still recall walking into the library that day to escape the rain.
Slightly damp and out of breath, I dried my feet off before entering the Elko Library.
“Welcome, may I help you find something?”
I turned in the direction of the soft spoken yet distinctly male voice. “No, thank you,” I answered, making eye contact with a very handsome man. “I’m just trying to catch a break from the rain, really.”
“Ah, yes, I see,” the man chuckled, placing a cup of something steaming hot down on the front counter. “Would you care for a cup of hot tea?” he asked gently.
“Um…” I glanced up at the wall clock, realizing I had plenty of time. “Sure, thank you, I’d appreciate a cup of something warm. Do you have coffee? I don’t want to be a bother.” I smiled, hoping he couldn’t see straight through my wet, white shirt.
He grinned, but there was something off about it. “It’s no bother at all, dear.”
The front door whooshed open, bringing in a wet breeze. Stacey Walters and Amanda Tracey walked through the door, both equally drenched. I’d met them at school, and they both seemed equally determined to recruit me into their popular circle of friends.
“Hey, Hannah,” Amanda greeted, glancing between me and the librarian. “What are you doing here?”
“Same as you,” I replied, jerking my chin in the direction of the rain splattered window. “Trying to stay dry.”
Stacey sashayed up to the front counter, her blonde curls bouncing with every step. “Good afternoon, Mr. Shaw.”
“I’ll be right back with your coffee, Hannah,” Mr. Shaw intoned with a thin, strained smile.
I didn’t reply but could’ve sworn I saw a shadow pass directly behind him.
“Hannah,” Jesse says urgently, shaking my shoulders with enough force to bring me back to the present
. “Hannah, you did it again.”
“I’m sorry,” I apologize, snapping back to reality. “I did it again. It’s just-I was remembering the day I met Mr. Shaw.”
Jesse lets go of my shoulders and leans in to hug me. “It’s understandable,” he whispers into my hair. “Everyone is freaked out right now; it’s natural to be worried.”
Instantly, I want to pull away from his embrace. Not because I dislike Jesse, but rather because I’m not fond of being touched. It’s nothing personal; it’s just that my father kind of screwed me up during my childhood. He always made me feel like I wasn’t good enough, like I was unworthy of anything, including compassion. “Honestly, I’m okay,” I tell him, untangling myself from his arms. “Just a little out of it, right now.”
He says something else but it’s then that I feel another pair of eyes on me, and I know before looking up who those eyes will belong to.
And sure enough, I’m right.
From his classroom window, Ethan Winchester is gazing down at Jesse and me with contempt written all over his handsome, rugged features. Even after that first day, he still has it out for me. There are times; I could swear the man actually hates me. The way he looks at me, its like-
“Want to go to a movie, you know, get our minds off all the craziness?” Jesse asks, turning my attention back to the attractive young man standing in front of me. “You seem like you could use a distraction.” He cracks a small grin, and I can only imagine how his smile must affect regular girls.
I can tell Jesse was popular in high school, probably the bad-boy slash heartthrob.
“Maybe some other time, I need to get going,” I tell him, gazing back up at the window to find Ethan is no longer standing there. “See you around, Jesse.”
He masks his disappointment with a lopsided grin. “No problem, see you tomorrow.”
Tomorrow, yes, maybe tomorrow I can think about what I’m going to do next.
The Same Day
A shiver takes hold, and I almost sneeze as I walk down a leaf sprinkled sidewalk. The smell of wind mixed with bark has me feeling all sorts of lonesome. Although the sun is shining, it frequently goes in and out of hiding behind strands of murky rain clouds.
I can’t bring myself to go back to the dormitory just yet, even though I could probably do with some sleep. The weather is too nice today, albeit a bit chilly. Fall has just started, and I’m pretty sure it’s every woman’s favorite season.
Taking a walk through town seemed like the perfect thing to do, so here I am, walking down First Street. There are a fair number of people out and about, walking like me or getting groceries. Some are even movie-going, despite all the tragedy.
I’m momentarily distracted from the current situation until a news van pulls up across the street, right next to Red Velvet Bakery. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the past month, it’s that the media are a different breed of people.
Ruthless vultures.
“Excuse me, young lady!”
Oh, shit, and they’ve spotted their next victim. Not today.
“Miss, can we talk to you for just a moment?” A well-dressed woman asks, checking her microphone for sound. “I’m sure you’re aware of the recent murder at Great Basin College, are you a student there?”
I just keep walking, but the persistent lady keeps stride with me even after I turn onto the next street. To make matters even stranger, a raven appears on the sidewalk, keeping pace with her for a few moments before flying off again.
Her voice is shrill, and she won’t stop firing off questions, most of which I can’t answer.
Suddenly she stops. “Aren’t you concerned about your safety?” she asks, her tone deceptively sweet. “Miss, please, answer the question…”
Taking in her perfectly done makeup and pink dress suit, I smile coldly. “Yes, I am. Now can you please leave me alone?” I snap, not caring for her pushiness.
“And there you have it, folks,” she says, whipping face-front to the camera. “The college students of Great Basin are literally in fear for their lives.” She pauses, making a dramatic face. “Mary Ward here, reporting live from Elko, Nevada.”
“Do you enjoy making a profit off other people’s pain?” I ask, angry that I’ve fell into her trap.
“Pain?” she parrots, cocking her hip to the side. “Oh, you young people are so dramatic!”
She stares me down while her crewman begins to walk away, but the camera is suddenly ripped from his hands.
Crack! Crash! Clatter!
“Oh, my God,” I whisper, covering my mouth with my hands as I realize who just threw the camera.
Ethan stands next to the shocked reporter, his striking face half-masked. “You people disgust me,” he says furiously, stalking towards me and seizing me by the arm. “Let’s go.” His eyes are electric blue.
“You think you’re some type of bigshot in this town?” Mary, the reporter yells, angry and panting. “That camera will be paid for, Ethan!”
Seems they know each other but I say nothing, allowing Ethan to drag me away from the bizarre scene.
“Get in,” he orders, practically shoving me inside his parked car. “Now!” he yells when I attempt to pull away.
A few people pause to stare, and the last thing I want is another scene, so against my better judgment, I get in. “What the hell is your problem?” I ask as he gets in and slams the door. “I didn’t need your help back there.”
He grins ferociously. “Oh, trust me, I know you don’t need my help,” he says angrily. “You’re the only woman in town who doesn’t want a piece of me, the freak of Elko.”
What the hell?
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask, confused by his aggressive behavior.
“Every walking body with a pussy wants to fuck me, be with me,” he reveals sharply, leaning forward in his seat. “But not you…you’re too good for that, aren’t you?” He touches my face gently. “You’re not like the others.”
Is he serious right now, or is this some kind of prank?
I mean obviously he’s hot even with the mask and whatever he’s hiding underneath.
“I think you’re very attractive,” I whisper stupidly, clutching my purse in vain. “I’m just-
“Shhhh,” he soothes, placing his thumb over my lips to silence me. “You’re as untried as a virgin sacrifice, aren’t you?”
“A virgin sacrifice?” I sputter, taken aback. “What the hell…” I reach for the door handle and yank with shaking, sweaty fingers.
Instead of trying to stop me, he laughs manically. “That’s it, run, Hannah, run.”
No one notices as I run past them, or if they do, I can’t tell. My vision is only in front of me, my heart close to exploding. The slightly cold air puffs up and blankets my face in clouds of fear. I don’t know if he’s behind me, but somehow, I think so. And the farther away I run, it’s like he’s already won.
Finally, as I expect, he catches me, tackling me to the dirt with bone crushing force.
Where are we?
He’s breathing heavily on top of me, and I take the opportunity to crane my neck up and glance around. Although winded, I can see the back of a Grocery Store. Sam’s Grocery, the one that’s been abandoned for years, according to Stacey.
I know there have to be people not too far away, so I scream. “Help me, somebody, anybody, please help me!” The words just barely escape, my lungs on fire with fear.
“No one is coming to save you, Hannah,” he taunts, lapping the side of my neck like an animal. “You’re helpless, completely at my mercy.”
How can help be so near and yet so far away?
The sky mocks me as the sun fades away behind traitorous clouds. And the cold ground beneath me only makes this harder, more fucking sad. Just when I think I’ll cry, I don’t. I fight back with a renewed surge of strength.
“Get off me,” I grunt, shoving at his sinewy, muscular chest. “You fucking pervert, get off!”
“I’ve never taken
a woman against her will,” he reveals, his leather mask brushing up against my face lovingly. “Until you, Hannah, you’ll be my first and my last.”
One thing’s clear. He’s crazier than I ever imagined.
One moment later
Ethan Winchester is a madman, a raving lunatic. And he proves this further by covering my mouth with his hand and then biting into it, his own flesh. Like some kind of rabid wolf, he rips into his right hook.
Dark, dank blood pools from his skin, dripping into my mouth. Against my will, I swallow, almost gagging. Growling and practically frothing at the mouth, he flips me over onto my stomach like a rag doll, my head spinning from the intensity.
A thought occurs to me in the back of my mind, that his strength is more than normal, almost superhuman.
“Think only of me,” he orders, yanking my hair and head viciously until my backside hits the warmth of his chest. “You’ll only have me, you understand, Hannah?”
My scalp tingles with pain. I can’t nod with how tight he holds my hair in his crazed grip, so I say nothing. Instead, I look up at a sky that seems to welcome and damn me all at the same time. I should be saying a prayer, but all I can think about is how the clouds resemble screaming ghosts and the air smells like rain.
“You understand, I know you do,” he says with a self-assured, deranged tone. “You’re going to do everything I say.” He shimmies and rips my pants down until they’re around my knees. “That’s it; take what I’m going to give you…eternal life.” I almost choke with fear.
His pants whoosh from behind me, the chilled air causing goosebumps up and down my arms and legs.
Oh my God, this is it. I’m going to lose my virginity to a complete psychopath.
But then, there’s a voice that saves me. A voice coming from not too far away and they’re saying something. Breathing, heavy breathing and biting. Wait, maybe there isn’t a voice, and I’m just imagining things.
The Horror of our Love: A Twisted Tales Anthology Page 8
